Even before the finale, Season 7 of Game of Thrones more or less confirmed that Jon Snow is the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, and is indeed the Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Sunday's season finale, however, goes one step further as it finally details Jon's true origin and birthright as Aegon (VII) Targaryen. That's right, we finally learn Jon's real name, although the showrunners take a few winding roads to get us there.

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What this does is not just give us the Targaryen with the most powerful claim to the throne, but it also ties back the entire mythos to the ousting of the Mad King Aerys (II), and builds on not just the Targaryen succession, but also on Jon's legacy as the lone surviving male of the Targaryen dynasty -- which further punctuates how far ahead the television series is of George R.R. Martin's books. This reveal, arguably the series' biggest one to date, leaves us with a lot to analyze from both mediums!

In the finale, Samwell Tarly, Jon's best friend who sent the dragonglass information from the Citadel that drove him to partner with Daenerys Targaryen, arrives at Winterfell and converses with the all-knowing Bran Stark aka the Three-Eyed Raven. To put everything into context, we must remember that Aerys (II) sat on the throne, and was opposed by Robert Baratheon (Cersei's dead husband), the Starks, and the Lannisters. Their rage was driven by the thought that Aerys (II) was protecting his son and crown prince, Rhaegar (who was thought to have kidnapped Lyanna Stark, Robert's betrothed and Ned's sister) by killing Ned's father and brother.

This led to Jaime Lannister, Hand of the King, killing Aerys (II), allowing Robert to usurp the throne. The Targaryen family was now crumbling and Aerys' (II) queen, Rhaella, fled to later give birth to Viserys and Daenerys. However, Bran divulges that Rhaegar didn't kidnap Lyanna - they were actually in love, and Jon was the product of their romance.

The revelation of Jon's parentage stuns Sam, and Bran insists Sam find Jon to tell him the truth about not being Ned's bastard. As we saw last season, Ned lied about Jon being his bastard son to protect who we now know to be his nephew. Things get even more interesting from there because Bran adds that as Jon was born in the Tower of Joy in Dorne, and his father Rhaegar was married at the time to Elia Martell, Jon's real name should be Jon Sand (as Sand is the designated last-name to a bastard born in Dorne).

However, Sam has a bombshell of his own, which Gilly spotted in episode five this season. Recognizing Rhaegar's name, he recalls Gilly's findings in the Citadel that the prince's marriage to Elia was annulled and he urges Bran to use his powers to confirm this. Bran obliges, and he ends up discovering that this is true, and even sees the wedding of his aunt to Rhaegar, confirming that not only is Jon his cousin, but according to Lyanna's words to Ned, Jon's true name is actually Aegon Targaryen! These revelations are ironically juxtaposed to Jon consummating his relationship with Daenerys - his biological aunt.

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No longer a bastard, and directly descending from the prince who was next in line for the throne, Jon aka Aegon is the seventh person to take this name in his bloodline, and now officially holds the most legitimate claim to Aerys' (II) throne. That doesn't mean that Daenerys can't be his queen, however, as the Targaryens were known in Martin's prose for marrying within their family to preserve the bloodline, and as fans have seen so far with the Lannisters, incest isn't that big a deal in these medieval times.

It's here that the books play a big role now as a lot of backstory has to be filled for the television audience. The name 'Aegon' holds a lot more significance than first assumed - Rhaegar actually named his first son Aegon, as well. He and Elia had two kids prior to their annulment -- Aegon (VI) and Rhaenys. For whatever reason, Rhaegar wanted Lyanna over Elia, and left Lyanna in Dorne to go sort out the debacle with his father, and those who were opposing his family.

Rhaegar ended up being killed by a shunned, jealous, and conniving Robert, who desired the throne for himself. Elia, along with her children, died at the hands of Gregor Clegane aka the Mountain - which is why Elia's brother, Oberyn, came to King's Landing seeking revenge in Season 4. Oberyn mentioned Elia's kids by name on the show, so we do know Aegon (VI) existed on television. It's possible that Rhaegar chose his newborn's name before going to meet with his family; it could also be that Lyanna got wind of the news that Rhaegar and his children were all dead, so in tribute she named the baby 'Aegon,' knowing it was what Rhaegar would have wanted.

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Jon Snow standing in the cold

In the books, Aegon (VI) was conceived with Elia on a night when a comet was seen above King's Landing, which led Rhaegar to believe that the child would be the "prince that was promised." This is the same "prince" Melisandre, the Red Witch, touted the dead Stannis Baratheon, Robert's brother, to be before shifting her gaze to Jon.

This "prince" in the books was used interchangeably to represent the second coming of Azor Ahai, a mystical warrior who was said to be the key against the Others, avatars of darkness, which on the show, we've seen to be the Wights. With Aegon (VI) dead, and Jon/Aegon (VII) standing as the main hope against the Night King and his White Walkers, it appears that Rhaegar has been proven right, in that 'Aegon' would end up being man's savior. This also backs up Melisandre's belief that Jon was indeed the avatar for the Lord of the Light who would return and embody Azor Ahai.

Either way, one party got the son they wanted, one got the champion they wanted, and by the looks of how Daenerys and Jon are cozying up to each other, one got the King she wanted. It's all in a name, after all, and it turns out that while all these revelations are unfolding, poor Jon still knows nothing, which should make some pretty interesting (and awkward) moments for the Targaryen bloodline when the shortened Season 8 comes out -- whether it be surrounding how Daenerys and her nephew shape their love moving forward, or who gets to sit on the Iron Throne.

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