Jorah Mormont begins Game of Thrones in exile, only returning to Westeros when Daenerys Targaryen orders him to find a cure for grayscale. However, could he have been on the Wall when the show started? While his father was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jorah (played by Iain Glen in Game of Thrones'cast) was leagues away, trying to reclaim his place in Westeros by serving as Daenerys Targaryen's spy for Varys, before switching allegiances to Dany herself.
Jorah's story is therefore defined by his unwavering loyalty to (and love for) Khaleesi, even dying for her in Game of Thrones' finishing. He tries to be a man of honor, and this is partly a redemption for his past. His crimes were bad enough to catch Ned Stark's attention and force him to Essos. Ultimately, this was fortunate for Daenerys, even if it initially brought great shame to Jorah's family.
The full story behind Jorah Mormont's exile in Game Of Thrones
Game Of Thrones left out several details about Jorah's story
Jorah's exile occurs because he was caught selling poachers to Tyroshi slavers instead of sending them to the Night's Watch. The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros are a land filled with murder, but even there slavery is considered one of the most terrible crimes a person can commit. Rather than face Ned's justice, Jorah chooses to flee into exile in Essos.towards Lys. However, the decision was not just influenced by the desire to save his own neck.
The story of Jorah selling slaves is that he married a much younger and more beautiful woman, Lynesse Hightower...
The story of Jorah selling slaves is that he married a much younger and more beautiful woman, Lynesse Hightower, who he met at a tournament in Lannisport. When they returned to Bear Island, the ancestral home of the Mormonts, things turned sour as Lynesse, accustomed to the climate and elegance of the South, struggled to adapt to the harsh North. So Jorah spent and spent and spent trying to please his wife with gifts, food and trips to the south, but achieved financial ruin in the process.
His selling the poachers into slavery was a desperate attempt to earn money to pay off the debts he had accumulated, and going into exile was an equally desperate attempt to keep his life with Lynesse. The two went to Lys together because that was where she wanted to go, but eventually she found a new lover, and Jorah was forced by him to leave her behind, venturing further into Essos and spending time with the Dothraki. However, all the show reveals is that "he had no money and an expensive wife", who left him for another man.
Ned Stark wanted to kill Jorah Mormont
It doesn't seem like the Night Watch was an option
Ned Stark was a man bound by duty and honor. As Director of the North, it was his responsibility to deliver the king's justice to the people of the region. Typically, criminals have the option of wearing black, where their crimes will be forgotten as they enter a life of servitude to the Night's Watch. Ned knows better than anyone the importance of Surveillancewith his own brother, Benjen, serving there, so it's possible this was an option for Jorah. However, there are some lines in A Game of Thrones that suggest otherwise. Firstly, from Daenerys' point of view:
"'The Usurper wanted your head,' Illyrio told them. 'A petty affront. He sold some poachers to a Tyroshi slaver instead of turning them over to the Night's Watch. Absurd law. A man should be able to do what you want with your own movable property.'"
So, from Ned's point of view, in conversation with Varys:
“'Do you remember Ser Jorah Mormont?'
"I wish I could forget him," said Ned bluntly. The Mormonts of Bear Island were an ancient, proud, and honorable house, but their lands were cold, distant, and poor. Ser Jorah tried to fill the family coffers by selling some poachers to a Tyroshi slaver. As the Mormonts were vassals of the Starks, their crime disgraced the North. Ned made the long journey west to Bear Island, only to discover, when he arrived, that Jorah had embarked beyond the reach of Ice and the king's justice. Five years have passed since then.
- Ser Jorah is now in Pentos, eager to obtain a royal pardon that will allow him to return from exile - Robert explained. —Lord Varys makes good use of it.
"So the slaver became a spy," said Ned with disgust. He returned the letter. 'I would rather he became a corpse.'"
This would certainly imply that Ned's decision was to execute Jorah, similar to how he had to kill Will, the Night's Watch deserter. In Game of Thrones Season 1, Jorah himself says: "Ned Stark wants my head."
There's also no guarantee that Jorah would have chosen black: his father was at the Wall, and he would have had to go there and confront him for dishonoring and embarrassing his family, a meeting he would no doubt have preferred to avoid (though perhaps still preferable losing my mind, but maybe that's just me).
Jorah almost joined the Night's Watch - at the end of Game Of Thrones
He could have reunited with Jon Snow
Jorah may not have caught the black sooner Game of Thronesbut there were discussions about him doing it at the very end of the show. Before Season 8, the writers looked for ways to make Jorah survive Game of Thrones and ends on Wall, with writer Dave Hill saying:
“For a long time we wanted Ser Jorah to be on the Wall at the end. The three coming out of the tunnel would be Jon and Jorah and Tormund. But the amount of logic we would have to use to get Jorah to The Wall and have him leave Dany's side right before [the events in the finale] …there is no way to do this happily. And Jorah should have the noble death he so desires defending the woman he loves.
There would have been a sense of symmetry with Jorah at the Wall: Jon went there at the beginning of the series and was greeted by a certain Mormont, and then returned to find his son. But it is also impossible to imagine how this could have worked with the events of Game of Thrones Season 8: Even if Jorah had survived the Battle of Winterfell, he never would have sided with Jon over Daenerys. Ultimately, the writers made the right choice, as Jorah dying for Dany was the most suitable fate possible for him.