Meanings
- slanglifestyleThe theory that the character Jon Snow, initially presented in A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones as the bastard son of Ned Stark by an unknown woman, is actually a secret child born of the union of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.
R+L=J: This is a heavily supported theory that has been referenced in the books.
2015 March, Ford Maddox Brown, “The Hand of the King”, in Starburst Magazine, page 212 more examples
This is particularly true of the “R+L=J” phenomenon, the theory that Jon Snow is actually the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, which is commonplace on “Westeros.org,” “Tower of the Hand,” and other sites of online fandom.
2015, Andrew Howe, "The Hand of the Artist: Fan Art in the Martinverse", in Mastering the Game of Thrones: Essays on George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (eds. Jes Battis & Susan Johnston), page 250Still, this evidence was strong enough that R+L=J was the default theory for most readers, to the point where some believed that the strongest evidence against it was that it was too obvious.
2017, Rowan Kaiser, 100 Things Game of Thrones Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, page 102
Cite this entry
R+L=J. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/R%2BL%3DJ
“R+L=J.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/R%2BL%3DJ. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “R+L=J,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/R%2BL%3DJ.
Source: R+L=J on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.