HBO
We know that Rhaegar Targaryen is Jon Snow’s father, but here’s a refresher on how Rhaegar and Daenerys are related.
Yes, as you may have suspected, Rhaegar is Dany’s older brother. But he was never seen on Game of Thrones before today. We saw her other brother, Viserys, in earlier seasons. Viserys was the brother that Khal Drogo killed. Dany named two of her dragons after her two brothers. And she named Drogon after Drogo, the other main man in her life.
Rhaegar was long dead by the time Game of Thrones starts. He is the oldest son of the Mad King. His mother is Rhaella Targaryen. Daenerys never knew him, because he died long before she was born. She was always told that Rhaegar was a great killer, but Barristan Selmy told her more about Rhaegar. He said that Rhaegar used to disguise himself as a minstrel and play in King’s Landing. He usually gave the money he made to other minstrels or orphans. He said that despite Rhaegar’s history, he actually never liked killing and preferred singing.
Yes, Rhaegar had a gentler soul among the Targaryens.
And yes, this revelation does mean what you’re expecting… Daenerys is Jon Snow’s aunt.
In the Targaryen world, that’s not a big deal. Targaryens preferred to marry within their family in order to keep the bloodline pure. But does Jon, being only half Targaryen, feel the same way?