Lysa Tully
From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
 Illustration by Elia Fernandez© | |
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| Title | Lady of the Vale |
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| Allegiance | House Arryn |
| Born | In 266AL, at Riverrun |
| Died | In 300AL, at the Eyrie |
| Spouse | Jon Arryn 1st Petyr Baelish 2nd |
| Book(s) | A Game of Thrones (Appears) A Clash of Kings (Mentioned) A Storm of Swords (Appears) A Feast for Crows (Mentioned) A Dance with Dragons (Mentioned) |
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| Played by | Kate Dickie |
| TV series | Season 1 |
Lysa Tully (266AL - 300AL) is a member of House Tully. She is the daughter of Hoster Tully and Minisa Whent and wife of Jon Arryn. Since her husband's death, she is the Lady Regent of the Vale of Arryn. In the TV series, she is played by Kate Dickie.
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Appearance & Personality
Lysa is thick of body, pale and puffy of face. She has the blue eyes of the Tullys and a small, petulant mouth. She has long, thick, auburn hair. [1] See also this collection of images.
In her youth at Riverrun, Lysa was a slender, shy and delicately sweet girl who wanted nothing more than to marry the man of her dreams. She idolized her older sister Catelyn for her betrothal to the heir of Winterfell, Brandon Stark, and hoped to one day marry a man as noble and handsome as the young Stark heir.[2]
History
Life up to Robert's Rebellion
Lysa was born as the second daughter of Lady Minisa and Lord Hoster Tully, head of House Tully, Lord Paramount of the Riverlands. She had an older sister, Catelyn, and a younger brother, Edmure. Her mother died giving birth to her fourth child, who also died.
Lysa was raised at Riverrun alongside her siblings and her father's ward, Petyr Baelish. When they were young, Catelyn and Lysa first learnt to kiss by taking turns kissing Petyr. Catelyn recalls it being very innocent, though Petyr was more forward with Lysa, going so far as to French kiss her. During this time, Lysa fell in love with Petyr, but her feelings were not reciprocated. When Catelyn was about to marry Brandon Stark, Petyr challenged him for Catelyn's hand. Brandon wounded Petyr and Lysa offered to nurse him. She took advantage of him while drunk, after having been rejected and humiliated by Catelyn, and climbed into his bed to "give him comfort", during which Petyr called Lysa "Catelyn". Lysa became pregnant with Petyr's child as a result of this, but her father forced her to abort it and sent Petyr back to the Vale.[3]
Because Lysa was no longer a virgin, Lord Hoster found it difficult to arrange a marriage for her to someone of equal rank. A marriage to Jaime Lannister was discussed, but the deal fell through when Cersei Lannister pushed Jaime to join the Kingsguard. Tywin Lannister offered his younger son Tyrion instead but was rebuffed by Lord Hoster. During Robert's Rebellion, Lysa was married to Lord Jon Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale. Lord Arryn was already an old man without immediate heirs, and their marriage forged a useful wartime alliance with House Tully. She married Jon at Riverrun, in the same ceremony as her sister married Eddard Stark. Both men played key roles in the successful rebellion. After the war ended, King Robert I chose Jon Arryn as his Hand, a position that took him away to King's Landing for a long period of time.
When her uncle Ser Brynden Tully wished to leave the Riverlands to avoid perpetual feuding with Lord Hoster, Lysa's position as Lady of the Eyrie allowed him to serve House Arryn as Knight of the Gate.
Wife of Jon Arryn
Jon was already a fairly old man when Lya married him, and he was ever proud. Because of Lysa's soiled state and the age difference between them, there was not much love in their marriage. Like her mother, Lysa had many miscarriages (two in the Eyrie, three in King's Landing) and two stillborn children.[4][1] She eventually gave birth to a son, Robert Arryn. She became paranoid after the last stillbirth, seeing enemies everywhere.[5]
Robert was a sickly child, suffering from the 'shaking sickness'. Lysa was overprotective, spoiling him to such an extent that she breastfed him until he was six and denied him nothing. Jon was concerned about how weak his son was and arranged to foster him with Lord Stannis Baratheon on Dragonstone.
During those years, she lived with her husband in King's Landing. She maintained a relationship with Petyr and convinced her husband to appoint Petyr as manager of customs at Gulltown. This position eventually led to Petyr being appointed Master of Coin in King's Landing. Petyr had great influence with Lysa and knew about Jon's plot to foster her son with Stannis. Petyr easily persuaded her to poison Jon and accuse the Lannisters of the murder.[3]
After Jon's death, King Robert wanted Robert Arryn to become ward of Lord Tywin Lannister at Casterly Rock, as he feared that being raised by his mother would make his namesake weak. Lysa refused the suggestion brusquely and, against the wishes of the King, fled from King's Landing with her son back to the Vale of Arryn without bidding farewell.[6]
Recent Events
A Game of Thrones
The murder of Jon Arryn sets into motion a number of events which lead to complete war in the Seven Kingdoms. One trigger is a secret letter Lysa sends to Catelyn, in which she accuses the Lannisters and Queen Cersei in particular of having murdered her husband.[7]
Lady Catelyn sister takes Tyrion Lannister prisoner when she accidentally meets him during her journey back from King's Landing to Winterfell. To shake off possible pursuers, Catelyn goes to the Vale of Arryn. Catelyn has not seen her sister in years and is shocked by the changes in Lysa. She has grown fat, emotionally unstable and sees enemies everywhere.[1]
Lysa takes Tyrion as her own prisoner and tries to make him confess to the murder of her husband. Tyrion outsmarts her by demanding a trial by combat. His champion Bronn is able to win against Ser Vardis Egen, captain of the guard at the Eyrie, whom Lysa has urged into the duel.[8] Catelyn tries to persuade her sister to mobilize an army and join with their father and the North against the Lannisters, but Lysa refuses. Their uncle Ser Brynden the Blackfish, disgusted by Lysa's behavior, resignes as Knight of the Gate and leaves with Catelyn to fight for Riverrun. Before Catelyn leaves, she offers to foster Robert at Winterfell. Lysa responds by threatening to throw Cat out the Moon Door.
A Clash of Kings
Despite her kin fighting the Lannisters, Lysa keeps the Vale of Arryn neutral in the War of the Five Kings.
A Storm of Swords
At the time of the defeat of the Starks, Petyr Baelish has risen high in the counsel of the Lannisters and has been rewarded with the over-lordship of the Riverlands and the seat of Harrenhal. With this rank, he is now able to marry Lysa and get the position of regent for his stepson Robert. Petyr brings Sansa Stark with him to the Vale, disguised as his natural daughter "Alayne Stone", but he informs Lysa who she really is.[9]
Sansa looks very much like the deceased Catelyn. One morning, Lysa catches Petyr kissing Sansa. She blames Sansa and during a emotional row almost throws her from the Eyrie's Moon Door. Sansa is saved by the timely intervention of Petyr, who comes just in time to stop Lysa from sending Sansa to her death. After he has calmed her down, Petyr in turn throws Lysa from the mountain, framing her personal singer Marillion for the deed. Prior to killing her, Petyr confesses that the one woman he had ever loved was Catelyn.[3]
During her standoff with Petyr at the Moon Door over the kiss he gave to Sansa she says:
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Lysa: "I've always loved you. I've proved it, haven't I?" ...
"I gave you my maiden's gift. I would have given you a son too, but they murdered him with moon tea, with tansy and mint and wormwood, a spoon of honey and a drop of permyroyal. It wasn't me, I never knew, I only drank what Father gave me"...
"It was me who got you your first post, who made Jon bring you to court so we could be close to one another. You promised me you would never forget that."...
"You told me to put the tears in Jon's wine, and I did. For Robert, and for us! And I wrote Catelyn and told her the Lannisters had killed my lord husband, just as you said. That was so clever."
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Family Tree
References and Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 34, Catelyn.
- ↑ A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 80, Sansa.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 2, Catelyn.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 24, Bran.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 4, Eddard.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 6, Catelyn.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 38, Tyrion.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 68, Sansa.
