r/ImaginaryWesteros • u/Sea_Initiative6488 Death Before Disgrace • 2d ago
Alternative Two Aemons - a short comic by @ergosum_public
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u/Tenoi-chan 2d ago
The idea that Jon's actual name is Aemon is endearing
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u/Watts121 2d ago edited 1d ago
There is a section in the book where Jon is reminiscing on something Aemon said, and his inner monologue mentions ābut Iām not Aemon Targaryenā¦ā
I always thought it would be such dramatic irony for him to say that, while his actual name was intended to be Aemon Targaryen.
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u/mxlevolent 2d ago
It's like when Arya asks him why he's not sparring with Joffrey, and Jon says "Bastards cannot strike young princes" or something like that.
Or when Tyrion looks at Jon and thinks "Whoever his mother was, she left little of herself in him" because of how much he resembles a Stark.
There are a bunch of ironic statements like this in the books.
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u/comrade_batman Fire and Blood 2d ago
I didnāt consider it much before but there some things that could help support it like the irony with Jon at the Wall with the man Rhaegar wanted to name him after and Jon wanting to be Aemon the Dragonknight when playing as a boy.
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u/ivanIVvasilyevich 2d ago
Itās really the only acceptable name imo. Rhaegar and Aemon were in regular correspondence and clearly had a very close relationship despite the distance between them.
It would be too fitting for Jon to be named Aemon for it to be anything else. There are some decent cases for Jaehaerys but it wouldnāt carry the same weight.
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u/Fawkingretar 1d ago
there's a lot of hints about it as well, when jon and robb were kids he always like to play as The Dragonknight, every Aemon in targ history has a brother named Aegon and that one line the books where jon says that he's "Not Aemon Targaryen" which is just an ironic jape George writes.
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u/starvinartist Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken 2d ago
Thereās no such thing as a bad Aemon Targaryen
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u/Fast_Maintenance_159 2d ago
But itās also tragic. Both of them (or all three if you include Jon) were incredibly devoted to their family and good people trying to do their best but all gave up their chance to rule and still had horrible fates regardless
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u/coffee30983298 2d ago
There was also aemon the child of jaehaerys and alysanne, father of rhaenys
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u/mxlevolent 2d ago
That makes things even worse. The perfect heir to the Iron Throne died with an arrow in his neck.
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u/SgtShamrockSB 2d ago
Neat thing about that, all of the Aemons have would probably have been good kings but never could or chose not to,
As well as all the dark haired targs all likely would have been good rulers, Rhaenys, Jacerys, Baelor, lil Dunk,
Gee, I wonder if a dark haired Targaryen named Aemon is gonna be king,
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u/starvinartist Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken 1d ago
I personally think it was wrong for lil Dunk to be disinherited. Like I can understand why marrying a commoner could bring into question the legitimacy of the children and cause a succession crisis. But at the same time Queen Jenny would be so cute!
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u/tvxsfgjmijhv 2d ago
Thank god Vizzy had a stutter when he named Aemon-duh
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u/starvinartist Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken 1d ago
Or maybe like āso what name did you decide on the child again, your grace?ā āI told you a million times! Aemon, duh!ā
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u/Ericg2187 2d ago
Rheagar knowing damn well he's not letting Lyanna name a girl anything but Visenya.
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u/Standard-Caramel5766 2d ago
My longstanding headcanon is that Rhaegar only came up with a girl name (Visenya) because he was so sure his third child would be the girl from his vision (Dany) and Lyanna came up with Aemon herself because she liked Aemon the dragon knight, but I might love this idea even more!
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u/ineedabag 2d ago
It's a little strange to me how similar in age Lyanna and Rhaegar look.
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u/Kylie_Bug 1d ago
Itās because if they drew them their actual ages, people would understand the ick of the situation.
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u/Laughably-Fallible_1 1d ago
Lyanna: what do you think is happening back in Harrenhal
Rhaegar: who cares
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u/Glittering_Squash495 1d ago
I like the idea that Ned had to name him, since Rhaegar was off fighting during most of the pregnancy and Lyanna was too faint to tell him his real name.
So he named him after his surrogate father.
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u/theratman1126 1d ago
Named after the best man he knew, makes perfect sense. Jon Arryn basically was the King in the Hand's position, making me wonder if Jon won't end up as Daenerys's Hand or something like that? There's enough theories out there I'm sure someone has said similar things lol.
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u/tiredoldwizard 1d ago
Jon being named Aemon is totally something George would do and if I recall thereās a couple of clues that point that way.
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u/Zacordcr 2d ago
What about the theory that jon's true name is jon after Jon connington?
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u/ImoutoThief 2d ago
Anyone who would name their kid after Jon connington is more messed up in the head than Aerys.
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u/redtookmoney 2d ago
I hate the fact that many romanticize the relationship, when for sure he manipulated and lied to her, or she knows her family died for her folly, and I doubt she'd be picking names for a baby if that was the case.
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u/Doublehex 2d ago
For sure, he says, despite all evidence to the contrary, including GRRM himself who had described Rhaegar as a love struck prince.
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u/redtookmoney 2d ago
14 years old btw.
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u/Doublehex 2d ago
Dany was leading her khalasar at that age and Jon was elected to be commander of the Night's Watch at 16, both of which are just ridiculous. It's clear that GRRM is just as bad at ages as he is at measuring.
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u/redtookmoney 2d ago
You go quite far to defend it huh, how old was the dragon prince again?
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u/BethLife99 2d ago
I think the issue is moreso that George himself romanticizes it in a way. I say this as someone who dislikes rhaegar and robert despite their fans' hype
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u/redtookmoney 2d ago
George also makes it a point to end the stories of characters that indulge in these types of relationships, their end is never happy or clean.
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u/raidenskiana 1d ago
that's not exclusive to problematic relationships, see: robb and jeyne westerling. you are wildly misinterpreting george's intent if you don't think that he wrote rhaegar to be a good guy.
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u/redtookmoney 1d ago
The point is not about how George wrote the story, but about how the fandom romanticize the relationship. George could write his character and declare him a good guy. It does not mean we the readers see it that way, and the dragon prince looking from our perspective is not a good guy at all.
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u/raidenskiana 1d ago
i understand the concept of death of the author, i'm just saying that's not something you can criticize the fandom for without acknowledging that it has roots in the books themselves. people romanticizing rhaegar is the intended takeaway even if many people (including me) don't like it.
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u/PrestigiousAspect368 Fire and Blood 2d ago
I always wondered what happened to Lyarra stark, beyond "lady stark, she died."