On Game of Thrones, Ser Jorah Mormont is loyal to Daenerys Targaryen until the end. The exiled knight first meets the Targaryen princess in Season 1 and pledges his loyalty to her when she becomes queen. Jorah fights for Daenerys continuously and dies in her arms during Season 8’s “The Long Night.”
Dany and Jorah’s friendship isn’t perfect, however. Jorah betrays his queen and spies on her for Varys, sending her secrets across the Narrow Sea to Robert Baratheon. Meanwhile, Daenerys regards Jorah as her “dearest friend,” but there is sufficient evidence that suggests otherwise…
Daenerys Is His Queen
Daenerys Targaryen considers Jorah Mormont her friend, but she is his Queen first and foremost. Ser Jorah is the first person to swear fealty to Dany after the deaths of Viserys, Khal Drogo, and her unborn son Rhaego. Daenerys names him the first knight in her Queensguard as she prepares to conquer Westeros.
Although Dany and Jorah have been friends since the beginning of Game Of Thrones, their relationship changes when she becomes a queen. Her status means that Jorah has to obey her as his monarch and the power imbalance hurts their friendship.
Jorah Is In Love With Her
Jorah and Daenerys are friends only because Dany will not allow it to go any further. The exiled knight falls in love with the Targaryen queen in the first season of Game Of Thrones. His feelings for her are no secret, as Tyrion pointed out during his first meeting with Dany in Season 5.
Jorah tells Daenerys that he is in love with her in Season 6 after he contracts greyscale. Daenerys tells Jon Snow later in Season 8 after Jorah’s death that although he was a beloved friend, she could never reciprocate his feelings.
He Betrays Her
When Jorah Mormont first meets Daenerys Targaryen, he initially swears fealty to her brother Viserys before accompanying the khalasar to Vaes Dothrak. Jorah is spying on the Targaryens for Varys, however, and sends vital information about them across the Narrow Sea to King’s Landing.
Daenerys discovers Jorah’s betrayal in Season 4. Tywin Lannister instructs Varys to send one of his spies to Meereen and expose Jorah to weaken Dany’s forces. A devastated Daenerys banishes her friend from the city after learning the truth from Ser Barristan.
She Banishes Him Twice
Jorah’s betrayal causes Robert Baratheon to send assassins that almost kill Daenerys and her unborn child. The Targaryen queen cannot forgive Ser Jorah, and exiles him from Meereen.
Jorah returns to the city in Season 5 with Tyrion Lannister. Daenerys follows Tyrion’s advice and banishes him again. As a queen, Daenerys cannot afford to look weak by forgiving people who betray her.
She Makes Tyrion Her Hand Instead Of Jorah
Tyrion serves as an advisor to Daenerys for a shorter period than Jorah, but the Targaryen queen chooses to make the exiled Lannister her Hand instead. Jorah is more loyal to Dany than Tyrion even though he is less politically experienced. Dany’s conquest of the Seven Kingdoms could have had a different outcome if Jorah had been her Hand.
Admittedly, Jorah was searching for a cure for greyscale when Daenerys made Tyrion her Hand and set sail for Westeros. She apologizes to Jorah in Season 8 for her decision, and Jorah reassures her that she made the right choice.
Jorah Sold Slaves And Daenerys Opposes Slavery
Jorah Mormont is exiled from Westeros and stripped of his rights to Bear Island after selling poachers into slavery to appease his wife. Ned Stark exiles him, causing Jorah to flee across the Narrow Sea and join forces with the Targaryens.
Daenerys arrives in Astapor in Season 3 to purchase an Unsullied army and spends three seasons freeing slaves in Yunkai and Meereen. Although she considers Jorah’s help as recompense for his crimes, he still sold people into a trade that Dany actively fought against.
They Become Friends Because They Are Both Exiles
If Ser Jorah had never betrayed House Mormont and been exiled across the Narrow Sea, then he would never have met Daenerys Targaryen. His banishment is the only thing that leads him to Daenerys as he agrees to spy on her for Varys to receive a pardon from Robert Baratheon.
Jorah’s loyalty to Daenerys becomes genuine as the exiled knight spends more time with her and gets to know the Targaryen princess. However, if it wasn’t for his banishment then Jorah would have stayed loyal to the crown and would never have become her friend and advisor.
He Is The Reason Robert Baratheon Sent An Assassin To Kill Her
Jorah’s betrayal of Daenerys in Season 1 almost has dire consequences for the exiled Targaryen princess and her unborn son. After sending word to Varys informing him of Dany’s pregnancy, Robert orders an assassin to kill her before Rhaego is born, fearing a future invasion from the Targaryen prince and his Dothraki khalasar.
Jorah quickly realizes what is happening when the wine seller attempts to poison Daenerys, and saves her life. This prompts Khal Drogo to declare war on Westeros, and the Dothraki prepare to cross the Narrow Sea.
They Spend A Lot Of Time Apart
Ser Jorah remains at Daenerys’ side for the first three seasons of Game Of Thrones, but they’re separated for most of the later seasons. Daenerys is taken by the Dothraki in the Season 5 finale after flying away from Meereen on Drogon, and Jorah leaves her in Season 6 to find the cure for greyscale.
He’s Creepier In The Books
In the show, Ser Jorah is one of Dany’s closest advisors and is portrayed more sympathetically. In the books, however, Jorah is older and Daenerys is younger, making his feelings for her far more predatory.
In the books, Jorah attempts to kiss Daenerys after she rejects him and attempts to isolate her from her other male advisors. He tells Dany that she resembles his wife Lynesse Hightower, who abandoned him after he could no longer afford to pay for her luxurious lifestyle.
