Bastards born in the North carry the surname of “Snow” in Game of Thrones, and the reasoning stems from a system put in place throughout Westeros.
Bastards born in the North carry the surname of “Snow” in Game of Thrones, and the reason for the GOT bastard names stems from a system put in place throughout Westeros. Kit Harington’s character, Jon Snow, was the most prominent person from the HBO series to hold that last name and although Jon was later revealed to be a Targaryen, he was originally thought to be the illegitimate son of Ned Stark and raised as a member of House Stark. Seeing as he was often reminded that he was a bastard before his true heritage was unearthed, the surrounding stigma bastardy came into focus from time to time.
Game of Thrones uses the term “bastard” to refer to any human born out of wedlock throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Driven by religious beliefs, bastards in Westeros were viewed negatively, lacking the rights to inherit noble titles or land ownership. Based on their discrimination and unequal treatment, many bastards in Westeros turned to the Night’s Watch since members of the Brotherhood separate their past allegiances and find a purpose. Still, there’s some confusion over where their last names come from and why they’re different depending on region.
Northern Bastards Are Called Snow Because Of The Climate
Based on the cold nature of the North, as well as the presence of frozen precipitation, the official surname of the North became “Snow.” A handful of other surnames were put into place throughout Westeros, creating a system of identifiers for bastards that identified them based on the region they came from. The most famous Snows in the series are Jon Snow and Ramsay Snow, who would later gain his father’s surname and become legitimized as Ramsay Bolton. However, the fact the battle between Jon and Ramsay became known as the Battle of the Bastards makes it clear that the stigma surrounding bastards persists even on the rare occasion they are bestowed a family surname.
Bastards In Dorne Are Called Sand
Outside of The North, the area of Westeros where bastards get the most focus on Game of Thrones is Dorne. The Dornish people do not concern themselves as much with whether or not a child is trueborn or a bastard. Prince Oberyn Martell had eight bastard daughters known as the Sand Snakes who he raised in court and around the rest of the royal family. Although the series only features three of the Sand Snakes, Obara Sand, Nymeria Sand, and Tyene Sand, Oberyn does confirm that he has more. Also, his paramour Ellaria Sand holds a great deal of power, proving the things that matter in other kindoms aren’t as important in Dorne..
Bastards In The Stormlands Are Called Storm
In Game of Thrones, one of the most notable Bastards of the Stormlands is Gendry, though because he is never officially acknowledged by his father King Robert Baratheon, he doesn’t receive the same name as Robert’s other bastards. Gendry finds out his parentage when he is taken by Melisandre who wants to use his king’s blood to help Stannis Baratheon defeat his enemies. He is legitimized by Danaerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones’ maligned final season and thus becomes Gendry Baratheon. In the books, part of Gendry’s storyline is filled by the character of Edric Storm, a bastard Robert acknowledged who is taken by Stannis only to be freed by Davos Seaworth.
Bastards In The Crownlands Are Called Waters
As the Crownlands are not mentioned in Game of Thrones as being part of Westeros, there are not any notable bastards with the surname Waters in the show. However, three key characters who are technically bastards of the Crownlands are Joffrey Baratheon, Myrcella Baratheon, and Tommen Baratheon. Although they hold Robert Baratheon’s surname, they are bastards of Cersei Lannister and Jaime Lannister. Other notable bastards of the Crownlands include Daemon Waters, the bastard son of King Aegon IV Targaryen who renamed himself as Blackfyre, forming House Blackfyre which eventually led to the Blackfyre Rebellion.
Bastards In The Iron Islands Are Called Pyke
The Iron Islands are known for breeding tough and rebelious people with Balon Greyjoy and Euron Greyjoy each crowning themselves as King of the Iron Islands. However, as prominent as the Iron Islands are in the series, there are no Pyke bastards featured. In the books, the most well-known bastard of the Iron Islands is Cotter Pyke, a member of the Night’s Watch and Lord Commander of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.
