Game of Thrones Filming Location Could Possibly Confirm A Popular Fan Theory

Suffice it to say that this article will be laden with spoilers from Game of Thrones' 5th season so if you haven't seen it yet and want to avoid spoilers, turn back now.

So the season 5 finale of Game of Thrones left us with what is perhaps the biggest cliffhanger of the series yet. Jon Snow, who was made Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, was left in the snow to die after he gets stabbed by his fellow crows. This death didn't sit well with the fans, who have spent the month after theorizing about how Jon Snow can escape his death. But other fans however also have another theory concerning the Lord Commander that have been making its rounds in the internet ever since George R.R. Martin published his 'A Song of Fire and Ice' novel. This theory involves Jon Snow's actual parents.


As we are all told in the series and books, his parents are obviously Ned Stark, the previous Warden of the North, and a woman he met while he was away from Winterfell.  But fans are quick to ignore that explanation, as Ned is thought to be the most honorable man in Westeros, and having a bastard child would be out of character for someone like him.

For the hardcore fans, there is a known theory that says Ned Stark is not the real parent of Jon Snow. They call this theory 'R + L = J', and now that the filming locations for Season 6 have been announced, this theory is apparently going to be explored next season.

'R + L = J' says that the 'J' represents Jon Snow, while 'R' and 'L' represents Jon Snow's real parents. Who are these people? Two candidates have been pointed out by avid book readers who have read all the chapters: Rhaegar Targaryen, the son of the Mad King, and Lyanna Stark, Ned Stark's sister.

Long story short, Rhaegar and Lyanna were said to have disappeared together. Robert Baratheon, who was betrothed to Lyanna, got mad at Rhaegar thinking he kidnapped her and decided to start a rebellion, which becomes successful as he is crowned king by the time the series started. Ned Stark searched for his sister everywhere, eventually finding her at the Tower of Joy located in Dorne. He fought the guards there only to discover Lyanna in a 'bed of blood'. We don't get the full story however, and much has been left in Ned Stark's recollection of what happened. What the readers are left with is Lyanna's final words to her brother, which are "Promise me, Ned." This is the phrase that became the basis of the 'R + J = L' theory, which suggests that Lyanna asked Ned to raise her and Rhaegar's child as his own.

"What does this have to do with the filming location?", you might ask. Well now that season 6 has started shooting, several filming locations were announced via the Spanish Site Movistar, that includes the Castillo de Zafra in Guadalajara, Spain. This castle with a solitary tower would be a safe bet to become the Tower of Joy in the series. It is also located in Spain, which HBO treats as a stand-in for the fictional country of Dorne.

There's also a new character being cast for next season, described as 'a great swordsman and a paragon of knighthood' and carrying a famous sword on his back. The description leads fans to believe that this knight is Ser Arthur Dayne carrying his ancestral blade, 'Dawn'. Ser Dayne is one of the people present at the tower of Joy when Ned Stark found Lyanna.

All in all, it seems like the events that happened in Tower of Joy will be showed in a flashback next season. Perhaps serving as the start of the season, just as Cersei's flashback started season 5. Although there is still a possibility that the events will not be shown it its entirety, leaving the fans questioning if Jon Snow was actually found there or not.

What do you think of this theory? Do you think they will finally reveal the history between Jon Snow's parents? Tell us in the comments below.