This Forgotten Season 1 Connection Between Jon & Daenerys Changes Everything About Game of Thrones’ Final Season

As Game of Thrones progressed, it became clear that one day, Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) would somehow find each other. After all, the hit HBO show is based on George R.R. Martin’s now-unfinished fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. Jon, being of House Stark and fighting ice zombies known as white walkers in the frigid North, represents ice. Daenerys, who hails from House Targaryen and brought dragons into the world by means of a pyre, represents fire. Though Jon and Daenerys spend most of the series’ run without ever interacting, with Jon at the Wall of Westeros and Daenerys journeying through the continent of Essos across the Narrow Sea, the two eventually encounter each other.

Before their stories officially become intertwined, however, Jon Snow and Daenerys share several key similarities. They are as close to series protagonists as Game of Thrones gets, and their arcs follow similar hero’s journey trajectories. While many of their commonalities serve to set up their eventual meeting in Season 7, it’s also worth noting that one often-overlooked similarity between the two helps shape both Jon and Dany into the people they are set to become when they eventually meet: both Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are mentored by members of House Mormont. Daenerys’ closest friend and ally throughout Game of Thrones is Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen), while Jon Snow starts his Night’s Watch journey by serving under Jorah’s father, the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Jeor Mormont (James Cosmo).

Who is Ser Jorah Mormont?

Early on in her story, Daenerys, while marrying the Dothraki horse lord Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), feels comforted when she meets another Westerosi, Ser Jorah Mormont. Jorah, an exiled knight, banished for selling poachers into slavery to support his wife’s lavish lifestyle, swears his sword to the service of Daenerys’ brother, Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd). It quickly becomes clear that Jorah holds no love for Viserys, and after Khal Drogo crowns the would-be king with molten gold, killing him, Jorah supports Daenerys, acting as her sworn sword, mentor, and best friend.

Jorah accompanies Daenerys throughout her Essosi adventures in Qarth, Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen. Jorah’s wisdom helps Daenerys on her quest to free the people of Slaver’s Bay, a cause to which the Mother of Dragons quickly devotes herself. However, while ruling in Meereen, Daenerys discovers a horrible truth: When they first met, Jorah had been spying on the Targaryens in hopes of receiving a pardon from King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), allowing him to come home to Westeros. Daenerys tearfully sends Jorah out of Meereen, sending the knight into exile once more.

Jorah, who by now has fallen madly in love with Daenerys, seeks to reenter her service, so he captures Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) in hopes that she’ll forgive him. On the road to Meereen, however, Jorah contracts the deadly disease Greyscale, and after Daenerys welcomes him back, she commands that he find a cure before rejoining her services, because she’ll need him at his strongest if she is to retake Westeros. Jorah heads to Oldtown, where he is cured by Maester in training Samwell “Sam” Tarly (John Bradley). Jorah then rejoins Daenerys on Dragonstone before heading north of the Wall with Jon Snow for the wight hunt.

Jorah gathers in Winterfell with the rest of Dany’s forces to prepare for the battle against the undead. There, Jorah reunites with Sam, who gives him Heartsbane, the ancestral sword of House Tarly, to use in battle. Sadly, Jorah falls defending the woman he loves from the undead. Jorah’s absence helps speed up Daenerys’ descent into madness, as it proved to be harder to keep her in check with fewer trusted advisors by her side.

Who is Lord Commander Jeor Mormont?

When Jon Snow first joins the Night’s Watch, Jeor Mormont serves as the 997th Lord Commander. Jeor is nicknamed “the Old Bear” both due to his gruff, no-nonsense attitude, and his house’s symbol, the bear. Jeor quickly takes a liking to Jon, seeing something special in the bastard boy. At first, Jon is upset when Jeor selects him for the order of stewards, as he’d had his heart set on becoming a ranger of the Night’s Watch. However, his attitude changes once Sam ascertains that Jeor is setting Jon up for a leadership position within the Watch by having him serve as the Old Bear’s personal steward. After Jon saves the Old Bear’s life from an undead attack, Jeor gifts Jon with Longclaw, the ancestral sword of House Mormont, which was meant for Jorah before his disgrace. Jon accepts the gift and accompanies Jeor beyond the wall.

When Jon joins forces with Qhorin Halfhand (Simon Armstrong) to infiltrate the Wildling forces, Sam steps up as Jeor’s steward. After an undead attack, Jeor, Sam, and the rest of the Rangers lie low at Craster’s Keep. Sadly, Jeor is killed shortly thereafter during a mutiny after his men kill Craster (Robert Pugh). Jeor’s objection to killing their host and ally, however awful he may have been, cost him his life.

How do the Mormonts Bring Jon and Dany Together?

Jon and Daenerys share similar values, in part due to a Mormont mentor figure. For example, both Jon and Daenerys learn to stand up for an oppressed group, with Jon championing the Free Folk beyond the wall and Daenerys working to free the slaves of Slaver’s Bay. While these causes are morally correct by any measure, they are also in line with the values of House Mormont. The words of House Mormont read “Here We Stand.” While partially a reference to the small house’s might, “Here We Stand” also encourages standing up for what’s right, including people who may not be able to stand up for themselves. Learning from people who have heard the phrase “Here We Stand” for their entire lives helped steer Jon and Daenerys into adopting their respective noble causes.

While Jeor dies before Daenerys ever arrives in Westeros, Jorah eventually meets and befriends Jon. In their interactions, the two prove similar, showing the Mormont values that live through Jon. The two men bond over their memories of Jeor, and Jon even offers Longclaw back to Jorah, who refuses, saying that Jeor wanted Jon to have the blade, not his dishonorable son. The quick connection between Jon and Jorah shows the effect that learning from Jeor has on them both.

Notably, when Jon Snow kills Daenerys in the final episode of the series, “The Iron Throne,” he uses a small dagger, rather than Longclaw, his usual weapon of choice. This small detail, which ultimately makes sense for a tactically sound kill, shows that even after House Mormont has become extinct, the ancestral blade of Jorah’s house would not harm Daenerys. Perhaps Jon refrains from using Longclaw to kill Daenerys out of respect for Jorah, as Jon would not want the sword that should have been Jorah’s to be used to slay the woman they both loved.

It is also worth noting that the Game of Thrones creative team originally planned to end Season 8 with Jorah’s survival. Jorah would have joined the Night’s Watch after Daenerys’ death, featuring in the final shot alongside Jon and Tormund (Kristofer Hivju) as they ventured beyond the Wall. The writers initially wanted Jorah to accompany Jon in order to echo the role Jeor played in Jon’s life and the Night’s Watch at the start of the series, but they ultimately decided that killing him off before he can see what becomes of Daenerys is a kinder fate for Jorah. Had Jorah survived, Jon would have spent most of his life under the guidance of a Mormont, bringing him closer to Daenerys even after her decent and death.