Jon Targaryen: A Hero's Journey

Abstract

This essay examines the journey of Jon Snow, a character from George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. As of now, May 2014, the series has not been completed, only five out of a planned seven novels have been published, and uncertainty shrouds the fate of every major character. Despite that fact it will be argued that Jon Snow is the true hero of the story and parallels are drawn between his journey and Joseph Campell's theory of the monomyth, also referred to as the hero's journey, presented in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949). Campell's theory states that there is a similar pattern that can be found in most narratives, be it fairy tales, myths or adventures. Furthermore, Jon Snow's obscure lineage is explored in detail and an educated guess is made regarding his parentage in order to support the claim that his is the song of ice and fire.