[Spoiler warning: This post contains potential spoilers and speculation about “A Song of Ice and Fire.”]  With less than three months to go until HBO’s “Game of Thrones” kicks off its fifth season, fans are busy investigating clues and theories about the future of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire.” The fantasy writer is expected to release two more books in the series, “The Winds of Winter” and “A Dream of Spring.”  The latest evidence to emerge involves one of ASOIAF’s biggest fan theories: R+L=J, which posits that Jon Snow’s real parents were Rhaegar Targaryen and Ned Stark’s sister, Lyanna. In a recent post about Easter eggs on the show, Moviepilot showed an image in which the letters “R L” appear to be carved into a wooden beam at Castle Black, with none other than Jon Snow right next to it.  I went back to find the exact scene to make sure it wasn’t Photoshopped, and found it: season 1, episode 4 (“Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things”). The scene begins at around 38:34, and involves a conversation between Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly inside the Night’s Watch common hall. The two new friends are getting to know each other, and start talking about how inexperienced they are with women. (Watch the scene here, although the video quality is low.)  The letters can be seen above Jon’s right shoulder on the wooden beam in the background. We learn that Jon had the opportunity to sleep with the prostitute Ros, but ultimately abstained. But why? Here’s Jon and Sam:  Jon: “And why is my surname ‘Snow’?”  Sam: “Because you’re a bastard from the north.”  Jon: “I never met my mother. My father wouldn’t even tell me her name. I don’t know if she’s living or dead. I don’t know if she’s a noblewoman or a fisherman’s wife or a whore. So I sat there in the brothel as Ros took off her clothes, and I couldn’t do it. ‘Cause all I could think was, ‘What if I got her pregnant and she had a child, another bastard named Snow?’ It’s not a good life for a child.”  While Jon reveals reveals these important details, the camera shows his head blocking the letters in the background. After he finishes his speech and goes back to scrubbing, “R L” again appears clearly in the frame, hovering between Jon and Sam.  A moment later, Jon goes over to join Sam on the other side of the table, when Alliser Thorne walks in. The camera frames Jon immediately to the right of “R L”—just for a moment—setting up a physical representation of R+L=J.  Perhaps someone working on the set took liberties and added the letters in for fun. But the combination of how centrally located the letters are in the frame, combined with Jon’s speech about the mystery of his mother, makes this seem unlikely.  Furthermore, we know how important Jon Snow was in forging the relationship between Martin and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. When the duo first met with the fantasy writer to talk about bringing “Thrones” to television, Martin asked them at the end of their three-hour conversation, “Who is Jon Snow’s real mother?”  It’s also worth remembering that these letters appeared in the first season, before anyone knew “Game of Thrones” would become a cult phenomenon and HBO’s most popular show. It’s conceivable that both the showrunners and Martin were much more open to playful winks and embedding Easter eggs (the letters also appear in episode 3, “Lord Snow”) for insiders during these early days, when the show’s style was still developing. Martin himself even made a cameo, which was never used, as a guest at Dany’s wedding.  I tried to find the letters in later seasons, but the setting either didn’t apply to the storyline, when the Night’s Watch marched beyond the wall, or the surroundings in the hall were too dark. I couldn’t find it again.  Readers: What do you think? Was this just a coincidence, or something more?  Write to Robin Kawakami at Robin.Kawakami@wsj.com. Follow @robinha  For the latest entertainment news Follow @WSJSpeakeasy
A look back at season 1 of HBO's "Game of Thrones" provides new evidence supporting popular fan theory R+L=J.