Summary

• Bastards in Game of Thrones were given different surnames based on the region they were born in, such as Snow in the North and Sand in Dorne.
• Bastards faced discrimination and lacked inheritance rights throughout the Seven Kingdoms, leading many to the Night's Watch for a sense of purpose.
• House of the Dragon, the prequel series to Game of Thrones, will explore the consequences of being a bastard and the division it can cause within noble families like the Targaryens.

Bastards born in the North carried 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 though 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 stigma surrounding bastardy came into focus from time to time.

Game of Thrones used 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 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 which 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. Though 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. Though 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 rebellious 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.

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Bastards In The Westerlands Are Called Hill

The Westerlands are only briefly seen in Game of Thrones as Tyrion Lannister plans an attack on his family home of Casterly Rock. No bastards of the area are mentioned in the series but House of the Dragon season 2 could feature one as Ser Tyler Hill, known as the Bastard of Lannisport, fought for the Greens in the Dance of Dragons.

Bastards In The Vale Of Arryn Are Called Stone

The Vale of Arryn is a memorable setting in Game of Thrones as it was where Littlefinger killed Lysa Arryn by pushing her through the Moon Door. However, there is not much known about the people of The Vale meaning there are no bastards mentioned in the series. In the books, the most notable bastard is Mya Stone, another bastard of Robert Baratheon.

Bastards In The Reach Are Called Flowers

The Reach is represented memorably in Game of Thrones by characters like Margaery Tyrell and Olenna Tyrell, however, few of the bastards from The Reach appear in the series. A notable one is Jafer Flowers, a ranger of the Night's Watch who goes missing beyond the Wall only for Jon Snow's direwolf to find his severed hand revealing the bodies of Jafer and other missing Night's Watch brothers. It is possible that one notable bastard of the Reach could appear in House of the Dragon as Tom Flowers, known as the Bastard of Bitterbridge, was known to have fought for Rhaenyra Targaryen in the Dance of the Dragons.

Bastards In The Riverlands Are Called Rivers

The Riverlands play a big role in Game of Thrones as Catelyn Stark and her family of House Tully come from this area of Westeros. However, the bastards of the Riverlands play key roles in the history of Westeros as well. Brynden Rivers was the son of King Aegon IV Targaryen and went on to become Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Though there is no hint of it in Game of Thrones, there is also a theory that Brynden Rivers is the Three-Eyed Raven. Black Walder is also a bastard of the Riverlands and Walder Frey's oldest bastard son. Another bastard of the Riverlands is set to appear in House of the Dragon season 2 with Alys Rivers who forms a relationship with Aemond Targaryen.

House Of The Dragon Shows Even More Severe Consequences For Bastards

House of the Dragon reveals that life for bastards in Westeros isn't any better in the prequel series. As of now, Rhaenyra has (rightfully) been accused of siring three bastards, presumably with Ser Harwin, since none of them look like her husband Ser Laenor Velaryon - something that causes even more division in the Targaryen family, especially from those who wish to make it a publicly known fact. This revelation would certainly cause a major stir in Westeros, even though Ser Laenor was very aware of the truth and appeared to willingly accept the boys as his heirs even if they weren't his biological sons.

Though Rhaenyra Targaryen's children haven't been given "bastard names" because of their mother's protection, accusations of bastardy have been tearing her family apart. A show based on the importance of family names is sure to heighten the drama by further exploring the idea of bastards, bringing back a concept that played a huge part in Game of Thrones for House of the Dragon.