Top 10 Times Jon Snow Knew Nothing In ‘Game Of Thrones’


For those that watch Game of Thrones, one of the most iconic lines in the series is the constant reference to that fact that Jon Snow knows nothing. it has been said many times by his wilding lover, Ygritte, but also uttered by Melisandre. in addition, there have been other moments in Game of Thrones when it wasn’t said but merely implied. So with that said, let’s take a look back on the top 10 times that Jon Snow knew nothing.

1. The First Time

Played by Kit Harington, Jon Snow joined the Night’s Watch in Season 1 of Game of Thrones. With Snow being the Northern name that indicates a bastard birth, Jon would never lay claim to his family’s castle at Winterfell. Joining the Night’s Watch was a way in which he could have some sort of purpose in life.

During his time there, Jon came across a wilding named Ygritte (Rose Leslie). Their love burned brightly and Ygritte introduced Jon to the ways of the flesh. During their relationship, she uttered the line, “You know nothing, Jon Snow,” a total of 19 times, according to Ladders.

As with all flash fires, though, their love died quickly when Ygritte was shot through the heart with an arrow. Her famous words, however, live on and have helped to create a multitude of memes.

2. When Jon Told Robb That Starks Were Hard To Kill

Before Jon traveled to the Wall and joined the Night’s Watch at Castle Black, he told his half-brother, Robb Stark (Richard Madden), that the Starks would be alright, since they were considered hard to kill.

As WhatCulture points out, later in Game of Thrones, Robb and his mother, Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), were eventually slaughtered by the Freys. Jon would also get to witness the death of Robb’s youngest brother, Rickon (Art Parkinson), at the Battle of the Bastards. In addition to this, Robb’s father, Ned Stark (Sean Bean) was beheaded at King’s Landing in the first season of Game of Thrones.

3. When Jon Gives Arya A Sword And Doesn’t Realize It Will Turn Her Into A Killer

Jon and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) are close in Game of Thrones. When Jon left for the Night’s Watch, he gave his tomboy of a half-sister a parting gift. This gift was a sword which Arya went on to name “Needle.” While Jon gave the sword to his sister because he knows she likes to fight, he doesn’t seem to think that she will ever really use it to kill someone.

However, since then, Arya has used Needle on several occasions to kill people.

4. When Jon Thought Only Dragon Glass Could Kill White Walkers

By Season 5 of Game of Thrones, Jon Snow knew something about the White Walkers across the Wall. He knew that they were a much bigger threat than anyone else believed. He also had discovered, thanks to his friend Samwell Tarly (John Bradley), that dragon glass could kill them. However, when Jon visited Hardhome, he also discovered that Valyrian steel was valuable when it came to slaughtering White Walkers. However, he nearly lost his life before he took a wild swing with his sword at one of the creatures.

Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in battle against a White Walker.

5. When Jon Didn’t Take Sansa’s Advice

Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) was a naive young girl when she traveled to King’s Landing with her father and became betrothed to Joffrey (Jack Gleeson). However, over the course of seven seasons of Game of Thrones, she has learned many hard lessons.

When she was reunited with Jon Snow in Season 6 of Game of Thrones, they moved on to prepare to attack Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), who has ownership of Winterfell. During their planning, Sansa tells Jon that their younger brother, Rickon, who is being held captive by Ramsay, will not survive, and that he will be killed by Ramsay because that is the sort of man he is.

Jon doesn’t believe a man could be so cruel when Rickon could be used as a bargaining tool. However, Sansa is proven right at the Battle of the Bastards when Ramsay Bolton does indeed kill Rickon Stark.

Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow, as seen in Episode 9 of Season 6 of 'Game of Thrones'

6. The Second Time Jon Didn’t Take Sansa’s Advice

Also, during the strategic planning ahead of the Battle of the Bastards, Sansa warned Jon that they needed a much bigger army to defeat Ramsay. However, Jon was not eager to wait for any length of time and decided to attack Winterfell, disregarding Sansa’s counsel.

Once again Sansa was proven right when Jon’s army was grossly overtaken by Ramsay’s and it appeared as if Jon will perish at the hands of Bolton.

Lucky for Jon, though, Sansa ignored Jon and asked for the Knights of the Vale’s help. The army, led by Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen), turn up just the right moment to rescue Jon’s army from certain death.

7. When Jon Had No Idea Olly Hated Him At Castle Black

In Season 5 of Game of Thrones, Jon’s burgeoning alliance with the wildlings from across the Wall was creating conflict within Castle Black. Many of his fellow Crows had always been vehemently opposed to wildings, thanks to a long history of slaughter between both sides.

A new recruit, Olly (Brenock O’Connor), was one of those who opposed Jon’s involvement with the wildlings. But Jon was kind to the young Crow and never seemed to suspect something deadly was afoot.

After all, Jon was trying to bring the wildings into the fold since he knew that they would never stand a chance against the Night King (Vladimír Furdík) and his army of White Walkers and wights.

So, while Jon was bringing wildings into Castle Black, a plot was being conspired behind his back by several of his Night’s Watch brothers to have him killed. In the Season 5 finale of Game of Thrones, this plot played out and Jon Snow was stabbed to death.

8. When Jon Thought Death Was The End

With Jon’s death in the Season 5 finale, it seemed like this really was the end for the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. However, thanks to the presence of Melisandre (Carice van Houten), a powerful witch and follower of the Lord of Light, Jon was resurrected, proving that death really isn’t the end for some in Westeros.

9. When Jon Snow Thought He Was Merely A Bastard

Jon Snow is considered to be the bastard son of Ned Stark. However, over the course of seven seasons, it has been revealed that Jon is actually the legitimate son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Ned’s sister, Lyanna, making him a legitimate heir to the Iron Throne. Literally, Jon knows nothing regarding his own parentage.

Of course, while it has been noted many times during the course of Game of Thrones that Jon Snow knows nothing, the joke may actually be on everyone considering the fact that Jon knew nothing about his parentage — and by default, no one else did either — he is now safe to lay claim to the Iron Throne.

10. When Jon Didn’t Know Daenerys Was His Aunt

When Jon approached Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) for help defending the North against the Night King, the attraction between the pair was obvious. And, by the conclusion of Season 7 of Game of Thrones, the pair had consummated their relationship.

While an alliance between Jon Snow, who has been proclaimed King in the North, and Daenerys, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, seems like a political match made in heaven, there’s just one little problem — Jon and Daenerys are related.

Now that viewers know that Jon Snow is actually a Targaryen, born to Daenerys’ older brother, Rhaegar, it means that Jon is Daenerys’ nephew. So far, the pair are not aware of their familial ties. However, this is likely to revealed in Season 8 of Game of Thrones, as John Bradley recently revealed to Entertainment Weekly.

The final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones will begin on April 14.

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