How Long Was Jon Snow Dead

With the 6th season of Game of Thrones premiering on Dominicus, fans of both the prove and the related book series are probable to before long larn the answer to a hugely important mystery — is Jon Snowfall, who was apparently stabbed to death at the very end of season five, really gone for good?

Viewers of the HBO series have had to expect nearly a year for the resolution of this shocking cliffhanger. Simply that's aught compared to the wait experienced past readers of George R.R. Martin's book series, who accept been in suspense most Jon's fate since A Trip the light fantastic with Dragons was published about 5 years ago.

And since Martin didn't finish the next book in the series in time to stay ahead of the HBO bear witness, the early episodes of the new season are set to resolve this dangling thread for both groups of fans — 1 of the biggest cases in which the evidence will exist "spoiling" future books.

Nonetheless, there'southward long been a near-universal consensus among the serial' fans that Jon'south death won't exist a permanent 1, for a few reasons.

First, there's so much still unresolved about his character — about notably the question of who his parents are, which seems to be quite important.

Second, the comments and actions of people associated with the books and evidence — Martin himself, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and conspicuously still-long-haired actor Kit Harington — seem overall to bespeak to Jon's return.

And 3rd and almost importantly, the series has established three main magical ways characters can return from the grave — and not just one but all three are relevant to Jon'southward current state of affairs.

So, to prepare you for the flavor premiere, let's epitomize both what happened with Jon, and the major arguments for why this isn't the last we'll meet of him.

When last we left Jon Snow, he was lying dead in a pool of his own blood

At the very stop of season v, Night's Watch Lord Commander Jon Snowfall was betrayed and repeatedly stabbed by his own Dark'southward Watch men, who viewed him equally a traitor for allowing the wildling people to cantankerous over into Westeros. The camera showed him lying on the ground in a chop-chop expanding puddle of his own blood, looking quite expressionless, before cutting to black.

And brand no mistake — at that moment, Jon Snow is dead. Showrunners Benioff and Weiss have been crystal clear on that.

In an "Within the Episode" video last twelvemonth, Benioff referred to "the death of Jon Snow." When asked near Jon's fate, Weiss responded "dead is dead" and Harington said "I've been told I'm dead." Benioff and Weiss reiterated to Variety over again only this week that "Jon Snow is dead." HBO's summary for this Sunday's season premiere includes the sentence "Jon Snow is dead" besides.

So, at first glance, this plot twist may seem to be the next shocking death of an apparent protagonist, from the series famous for Ned Stark'south execution and the encarmine Carmine Wedding.

All the same of course, in a serial full of sorcery like Thrones, death isn't necessarily the stop of the story for a character. And since A Dance with Dragons came out back in 2011, fans have long been deeply, deeply skeptical that this twist is the end for Jon Snow.

Jon is tied into too many of the series' larger mysteries to exit the story now

For one, Jon seems incredibly important to the larger story of the series in ways that oasis't fully come into play yet.

For instance, the mystery of who Jon's mother is has been teased from the outset. Virtually fans think they've figured it out, and that his true parents are Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. (Here's our fuller explainer on the R+L=J theory.) For a while, the show had been by and large ignoring the history of those 2 long-expressionless characters, but in season 5, Rhaegar and Lyanna were suddenly the field of study of several scenes again, in an apparent effort to remind viewers of their importance.

This revelation would exist securely significant, because it would make Jon a blood relative of another chief character, Daenerys Targaryen (she'south Rhaegar'southward sis, so Jon would be Dany's nephew), too as giving him a potential claim to the Fe Throne. With this "claret of the dragon," he could fifty-fifty potentially ride one of Dany'south dragons afterward.

Plus, Martin has promised the underground of Jon's parentage will be revealed eventually. But what would the answer matter if Jon was already dead?

Additionally, the books have extensively fix up a prophecy believed by followers of the Lord of Calorie-free — that a promised hero, Azor Ahai, would return and save the globe from darkness. Melisandre thinks that hero is Stannis — but in one chapter she searches for him while staring into her magical flames, and says, "All I see is Snow" — with a capital S. If Jon's father is, in fact, Rhaegar Targaryen, that would hateful he's the blood of the dragon, as well as a Stark — a fitting lineage for a mystical hero in a series called A Song of Ice and Burn.

The creators can't keep their stories straight

George R.R. Martin has emphasized that expiry isn't necessarily permanent in his books.

In addition to all this, at that place are the comments and beliefs of the real-life people involved in telling this story, which conflict somewhat only overall seem to indicate to Jon's render.

For instance, George R.R. Martin has long refused to confirm whether Jon is even expressionless at all. Just days afterwards A Dance with Dragons was published, George R.R. Martin was asked, "Why did you kill Jon Snow?" He responded, "Oh, you think he's dead, do you?" He then added, "I'one thousand non going to accost whether he'southward dead or not." And when asked more than recently, he took a bit of a unlike tack, saying, "If there'south one thing we know in A Song of Water ice and Burn it'south that decease is not necessarily permanent."

Showrunners Benioff and Weiss, in contrast, have repeatedly stuck to their line that Jon Snow is definitely dead, every bit mentioned in a higher place. But they've conspicuously avoided addressing Martin'southward latter point that death may not be permanent in a series featuring multiple magical methods of resurrection.

Simply Kit Harington, who plays (or played?) Jon, got so far out on a limb equally to definitely say that he would not return in season six. "I'm dead. I'm not coming back adjacent season," he told Entertainment Weekly last summer. "I've finished Thrones … I've died," he told the Lord's day Times. However, he recently clarified that he did moving picture some scenes for flavor six, merely he maintains he was playing "a dead body" (scenes that have been heavily featured in the trailers).

But there are reasons to doubtfulness Harington here — virtually notably, the matter of his hair. Harington said back in 2014 that he hates the long hair that he grew for the show and is contractually obligated to keep by it, and that he'd cutting it off "as soon as I'm allowed."

Yet here'due south how he looked as of this calendar month. Hmmm…

Kit Harington looking like the spitting image of Jon Snow at the Oliver Awards earlier this month, and not just considering he's with former *Thrones* co-star Rose Leslie.

Plus there's the broader bespeak that if Jon truly had died at the end of season v, at that place would be lilliputian dramatic value in keeping this fact ambiguous.

In that case, the "reveal" that he has indeed perished wouldn't be a reveal at all — it would exist an anticlimax. The just reason it makes sense for Martin, Benioff, and Weiss to all remain and so vague on the bailiwick is if there'southward a farther twist coming down the road.

The three ways Jon Snow could be resurrected

Game of Thrones — The first episode of the new flavor is titled "The Red Woman" (though this lighting downplays Melisandre's redness a bit).

So how, exactly, volition Jon Snow return from the grave? In that location are three major possibilities.

Commencement, it's been established in both the books and the show that the Ruby Priest Thoros of Myr can resurrect the dead. Melisandre has not done anything similar yet, but as she is as well a Red Priest of the Lord of Light with magical powers, many have long speculated that she could have similar abilities. In both the books and prove, Melisandre is at the Wall nearby Jon when the stabbing occurs. And the first episode of the new season is titled "The Red Woman," indicating a prominent part for Melisandre early on.

The second fashion that someone's mind — simply not someone'south body — can escape death was through warging (when a grapheme's mind enters an animal's trunk). The prologue of A Dance With Dragons told the story of a wildling warg, Varamyr Sixskins, whose consciousness went into a wolf when he died. Many believe Martin focused on this 1-off character in the prologue to establish what happens to a warg when he dies. (The prove depicted this, too, when the eagle-controlling wildling Orell was killed by Jon dorsum in season three — his eyes turned white, and the hawkeye suddenly began attacking Jon.)

In the books, it'south been established that Jon has this power too — he has dreams where his mind enters his direwolf Ghost's body — just like his brother Bran. He never really chooses to use or grapple with information technology, but it's clear to the reader that he has it. And, conveniently, when Jon is killed in both the books and testify, Ghost isn't killed with him.

So the well-nigh common book reader theory for how Jon would survive the stabbing was that warging would relieve his listen, while Melisandre would resurrect his body. But since Jon's warging hasn't been ready in the show, it'due south possible that the show could simplify things by simply relying on Melisandre.

And so, of course, there's a tertiary way a character could feasibly escape death — through the White Walkers. We've merely seen them reanimate seemingly mindless zombie corpses, but when Jon encountered a wight back in A Game of Thrones, he observed that information technology seemed to know it was on a mission. Jon met the king of the White Walkers this yr — maybe he'll meet him again.