'Game of Thrones': The real history behind 'Red Wedding' massacre

Jon Snow alive in the 'Game of Thrones' trailer

HBOOh hi, Jon.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for season six of "Game of Thrones," including speculation of future events.

HBO surprised fans by dropping a trailer for "Game of Thrones" season six on Tuesday. Naturally, fans began analyzing the video frame-by-frame, searching for every possible clue about the fates of their favorite characters. 

Jon Snow was an obvious focal point, given the huge debate on his possible return in season six. We are firmly in the "he's definitely going to be resurrected" camp, and the trailer provided lots of context clues for his return.

But people on Reddit think there's an even bigger clue hidden in the trailer footage. 
Head back to the trailer and stop around the 1:17 mark.
What do you see?

Here's a clearer look at the image. Fans think this is Jon Snow, riding into battle on horseback:

HBO 
Redditor RedBullRyan posted a screencap of this moment in the trailer announcement thread on /r/asoiaf. They titled the comment: "JON SNOW IS ALIVE CONFIRMED. GET HYPE." 
Let's zoom in a bit. 

HBO

The hair is definitely close to Jon's iconic curly locks, and the man's uniform looks similar to the

Stark armor Kit Harington (Jon Snow) was spotted wearing

on set over the summer.

Take a look:

Since Tuesday night, more individual discussion threads about a potentially alive Jon Snow have cropped up. Redditor OmarIzShady posted a new thread asking if the man in question was Jon. Fellow Redditor ajmeb53 said "can't see the face clearly but it is definitely Jon Stark." Others were applauding the "good catch"and were totally sold on the idea.

For our part, we aren't convinced this is definitely Jon. But we will admit it's very likely.

In addition to the Daily Mail photo above, set leaks surrounding a major battle have been reported by fan news sites Watchers on the Wall and Winter is Coming for months now. We know the Boltons are going up against northern lords and the wildlings in a major battle. 

HBOA still from the trailer shows Bolton soldiers facing off with an army.

The leaked set images from that battle matches the setting of the photo showing Kit Harington wearing Stark armor, so it logically follows that Jon Snow will be present (and alive) at the battle. 

Is it him in the trailer still? Maybe. Will Jon be alive in some capacity during season six? We're pretty sure the answer is yes. 

Take another watch of the trailer below. Again, the moment in question is at the 1:17 mark:

Tune into the season six premiere on April 24, and follow along with our "Game of Thrones" coverage here. 

Creator George R.R. Martin discusses the real history behind the infamous "Red Wedding" scene in an exclusive clip from "Game of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season." HBO Home Entertainment Richard Madden and Michael McElhatton in the infamous "Red Wedding" scene from "Game of Thrones."(Photo: Helen Sloan, HBO)

"The Lannisters send their regards."

There's a lot of Game of Thrones that's pure fantasy, such as dragons, three-eyed ravens, giants and those creepy old White Walkers. Yet George RR Martin has also worked some real stuff into the sprawling adventure and drama of his books and HBO TV series, including his infamous "Red Wedding" massacre.

Out Tuesday on Blu-ray and DVD, Game of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season lets fans catch up before new episodes begin April 24 and also features a special collection of bonus material that offers Martin and historians explaining how history has factored into Westeros mythology from the beginning.

This exclusive clip discusses the ninth episode from the third season — titled "The Rains of Castamere" — where the wedding of Edmure Tully (Tobias Menzies) and Roslin Frey (Alexandra Dowling) goes south when Walder Frey (David Bradley), the host of the occasion, perpetrates the murder of King Robb Stark (Richard Madden), his family and his men during the reception.

For inspiration, Martin pulled from two incidents that occurred in Scotland centuries ago: "The Black Dinner" of 1440, where a dispute with 10-year-old King James II led to the deaths of two important members of the powerful Clan Douglas, and the 1692 Glencoe massacre, where guests of the MacDonald clan slaughtered 38 of their hosts — though with the "Red Wedding," Martin admits he reversed that.

Adds the writer: "Scottish history is an amazing source for all of this because it's one of the most incredibly bloody histories of any country that I've ever studied."