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| “ | There's no shame in fear, my father told me, what matters is how we face it.
— Jon Snow
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Jon Snow is a significant character from Goerge R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Jon was the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and the bastard son of Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark.
Although Jon enjoyed a warm relationship with his father and half-siblings but failed to get close to Ned’s wife Catelyn, who viewed him as a constant reminder of Ned’s infidelity. Because of the stigma associated with bastards, Jon desired to join the Night’s Watch where he wouldn’t be ostracized. Although Ned was reluctant about letting his son join, he decided to ultimately give his consent as King Robert Baratheon named him his Hand and a bastard like Jon could cause quite a stir in the capital.
As a ranger of the Night’s Watch, Jon was sent beyond the wall to investigate the wildlings and the threat posed by the Others. During this patrol, Jon captured a wildling spearwife Ygritte. Although commander Qhorin ordered him to kill Ygritte, Jon decided to release her, and the pair would be captured by the wildlings soon after. Facing execution, Qhorin ordered Jon to infiltrate the wildlings and allowed the bastard to kill him to prove his loyalty to the tribe.
Jon came to learn of the wildling’s desire to run from the Others and escape to the south, even crushing the Night’s Watch if necessary. Jon also began a relationship with Ygritte and became torn between his loyalties between the Watch and his new tribe. Nonetheless, he returned to Castle Black and helped defend it. During the battle, Ygritte was killed, causing Jon much grief. Having become sympathetic towards the wildlings, Jon attempted to negotiate with the wildling’s king Mance Rayder. When negotiations broke down, Jon was saved by the timely arrival of Stannis Baratheon, who crushed the wildlings with his army and took Mance prisoner. Jon was chosen as the new Lord Commander afterwards.
Stannis' arrival proved itself to be a burden as he attempted to use the Watch to bolster his forces in the War of the Five Kings, while Jon wished to maintain the Watch's neutrality. Jon decided to let the remaining wildlings settle in the sparsely populated regions of the North and let some join the Night’s Watch, stirring up controversy within the order. Jon would later learn that his sister Arya is being married to Ramsay Bolton to secure the Bolton hold on Winterfell but in truth, the bride is Jeyne Poole posing as Arya. Jon allows Melisandre to send Mance to rescue her. He later receives a letter from Ramsay claiming that Stannis, who marched on Winterfell, has been defeated and Mance is a prisoner. Ramsay demands hostages, threatening to march on the Wall and kill Jon if he is defied. Jon decided to confront and kill Ramsay himself, openly compromising his neutrality, but he is stabbed by his Night's Watch brothers in a mutiny.
Battle vs. Vin (by Leolab)[]
Jon Snow is walking in Luthadel at night, Ghost in tow, surrounded by the Mists. Vin is following silently on the rooftops, Burning Tin, and sees that he is making towards Keep Venture. Assuming that he is coming to assassinate Elend, she Pushes off of a coin and leaps in front of Jon Snow. Startled, He pulls out Longclaw while Vin Burns Pewter and takes out her Allomantic daggers, gifts from her now-dead mentor. Ghost then lunges for Vin.
Her Pewter-enhanced strength allows her to take the blow and throw Ghost off unharmed. The direwolf disappears into the mist. Jon and Vin now face off, and Jon tries to end the battle by closing the distance and slashing at his opponent. She jumps and then Pushes off of Longclaw, driving it into the ground and out of Jon’s reach while she soars overhead. She then Pulls on his armor, closing in and striking with one of her daggers. The strike cuts deep, slicing a gash in his off-hand forearm. The Mists obscure Jon’s vision enough that he can’t see Longclaw, and he pulls out his bow and arrow, not willing to close with his opponent again. Vin drinks a vial with Atium beads, and readies for Jon’s attack. She Burns Zinc and Brass, subtly Rioting Jon’s fear and Soothing his other emotions. The prevalence of fear in his mind makes his hand unsteady, and most of his arrows go wide. Vin takes a fistful of coins from a pouch in her belt and throws them at John, Pushing them so that they fly straight at him. Several hit, scoring deep cuts on the warrior.
John recovers in time to see that Vin has disappeared. He hears the sound of someone landing behind him, to find that Vin is now holding an enormous sword. She swings the sword she looted from a dead Koloss, her Pewter-enhanced strength allowing her to swing the sword in one hand, when even picking it up should be beyond the strength of a normal human. Jon pulls his dagger out, the only weapon he has left. The two duel, Jon ducking and rolling around Vin’s sword and Vin slashing with remarkable finesse at Jon. The duel continues until Vin feels her Pewter reserves burning low, and decides to burn Duralumin along with Pewter to throw the sword. Jon narrowly dodges, and he drops his dagger. Vin drinks a vial with Pewter and Duralumin, and gets ready to continue the fight. Ghost then reappears, leaping at Vin’s throat as Jon finally recovers Longclaw.
Vis starts Burning Atium, and easily dodges Ghost’s leap. She Pushes a coin, and it punches straight through Ghost’s eye. Still burning Atium, she takes out her Allomantic daggers and dodges around Jon’s swings, Atium making it child’s play. She sinks both her daggers into his neck, killing him as her Atium runs out.
WINNER: VIN
Expert's Opinion[]
While Jon Sow was formidable, Vin ultimately was more skilled and had a mastery over Allomancy that screwed Jon over.