A Wiki of Ice and Fire - User contributions [en]

Varys

2014-03-20T10:53:11Z

Nidhoeggr: /* A Feast for Crows */ typo

{{Infobox character
| Character_name = '''Varys'''
| image = [[File:Varys_by_Amoka.jpg|250px]]
| image_caption = Varys Portrait by Amoka©
| Alias = The Spider The Eunuch Rugen
| Title = [[Master of Whisperers]]
| Allegiance =
| Race =
| Culture =
| Spouse =
| Place_of_Birth =
| Date_of_Birth =
| Place_of_Death =
| Date_of_Death =
| Books = [[A Game of Thrones]] (Appears) [[A Clash of Kings]] (Appears) [[A Storm of Swords]] (Appears) [[A Feast for Crows]] (Mentioned) [[A Dance with Dragons]] (Appears)
| coat-of-arms =
| Played_by = Conleth Hill
| TV_series = [[Game of Thrones - Season 1|Season 1]] {{!}} [[Game of Thrones - Season 2|Season 2]] {{!}} [[Game of Thrones - Season 3|Season 3]] {{!}} [[Game of Thrones - Season 4|Season 4]]
}}

Lord '''Varys''', called '''"the Spider"''', is the enigmatic member of the [[small council]] and [[Master of Whisperers]], or spymaster, for the [[Iron Throne]] of the [[Seven Kingdoms]]. In the [[Game of Thrones|TV series]] he is played by Conleth Hill.<ref>[http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html#/game-of-thrones/cast-and-crew.html/eNrjcmbOYC5kzlfPz0lxzEvMqSzJTA5ITE-1S8xN1SzLTEnNh4k65+eVpFaUsEknlpbkF+QkVtqWFJWmcjIysgEhAGCyFzg= HBO: Game of Thrones: cast and crew]</ref>

==Character & Appearance==
Varys is a [[eunuch]]; he is plump, completely bald and effeminate. He has soft white hands. He powders his face {{Ref|aCoK|3}} and smells of lilacs. {{Ref|aGoT|30|p 320}}

He prefers comfortable clothing, fine silks (often in outrageous colors), velvets, the richest damasks and soft slippers that allow him to walk without making any sound. His outward manner is obsequious, mysterious, and squeamish. He is a master of disguise and can easily change his appearance, gait, smell, and costume to become unrecognizable.

Secrets are Varys’s trade, and his skill at acquiring them has earned him a reputation for being seemingly omniscient. Crucial to his trade is a spy network of children that he refers to as his ''"little birds"''.

His history of providing information to all sides, of aiding enemies, of pitting rivals against one another, and of manipulation to achieve his ends has earned him a reputation of being distasteful and untrustworthy amongst the nobles at court. In private, however, he claims to value order, stability, and peace above all, and professes loyalty to those who work for those goals as well.

==History==
[[File:Pojypojy_young_Illyrio_&_Varys.jpg‎‎|In [[Pentos]], young Varys befriended a poor sellsword named [[Illyrio Mopatis]] - by Pojypojy ©|thumb|300px|right]]
Though nothing that Varys says can be completely trusted, he claims to have been born a slave in [[Lys]]{{Ref|aGoT|25}} that was sold and apprenticed to a traveling folly, a troupe of mummers who worked the [[Free Cities]], [[Oldtown]], and occasionally [[King's Landing]], by means of a fat little [[Ships|cog]] owned by the troupe's master. During their stay in [[Myr]], a man offered a large sum of money for Varys, an offer his master found too tempting to refuse. The man gave Varys a potion that made him powerless to move or speak, but did nothing to dull his senses as his manhood was cut off at the stem, then burnt in a brazier in a [[Blood Magic]] ritual. Varys claims to have held a hatred for all things magical ever since.{{Ref|aCoK|44}}

With the ritual complete, the man had no further use for Varys and tossed him out on the streets. Varys asked the man what he should do, to which the sorcerer replied he supposed that he should die. Varys to spite him vowed to live.{{Ref|aCoK|44}}

By that time the mummers had sailed and Varys was left alone. He resorted to begging, prostitution and thievery and soon was as good a thief as any in Myr, eventually becoming recognized as the best thief in the city until a rival forced him out and he fled to [[Pentos]].{{Ref|aCoK|44}}

In Pentos, Varys befriended a poor sellsword named [[Illyrio Mopatis]] and they started a business where Varys would steal objects from lesser thieves and Illyrio would get the objects back for their original owners for a small fee. Soon, every man and woman in Pentos who ever had valuables stolen from them all knew who to ask to get their valuables back. In addition, the thieves in Pentos soon began to seek Illyrio and Varys out, half to try (and failing) to kill them, the other half to sell them the objects they stole in order to prevent Varys from stealing them back. Varys and Illyrio grew very rich.

Varys came to the realization that information was much more valuable than gold and gems and began training his spy network, then known as ''"little mice"'', to acquire the information, letters, ledgers and charts of the wealthy and powerful. The "mice" were orphans purchased by Varys; he chose those that were small, quick, and quiet, and taught them to read and write, as well as the skills required for sneak thievery such as climbing walls and slipping down chimneys, so that they might copy the information Varys desired without disturbing or alarming their targets.

These secrets increased Varys and Illyrio's wealth tenfold, and in time Varys became so infamous that word of his talents reached the ears of [[Aerys II Targaryen|King Aerys]] across the [[Narrow Sea]], who in his growing paranoia no longer trusted his [[Rhaegar Targaryen|son]], his [[Rhaella Targaryen|wife]], or his [[Tywin Lannister|Hand]]. {{Ref|aDwD|5}}
[[File:Ryan Barger city of spidersI.jpg|350px|thumb|Varys gathering intelligence. © FFG]]
As spymaster in [[King's Landing]], Varys's influence grew with Aerys's paranoia, as he was quick to point out traitors and schemers to his liege. Varys mastered the secret passages within the [[Red Keep]] and made good use of them with his spy network, who became known as his ''"little birds"''. He had them memorize the passages and come to him whenever one discovered something of importance. Notably, Varys alerted Aerys to the possibility that his son [[Rhaegar Targaryen|Rhaegar]] was using attendance at the [[Tourney at Harrenhal]] as a pretext to rally Lords to his cause in removing Aerys as king, causing Aerys to attend the tournament, the first time he had left the Red Keep in years since the [[Defiance of Duskendale]].

Following the [[Battle of the Trident]] during [[Robert's Rebellion]], Varys counseled Aerys to close his gates to [[Tywin Lannister]], as he could not be trusted. Aerys, however, listened to Grand Maester [[Pycelle]] and opened the gates to the Lannister forces, who proceeded to sack the city and kill the remaining Targaryens present.

Though he continued in his post for [[Robert Baratheon|King Robert]], Varys's loyalty seemingly remained with [[House Targaryen]]. He kept a secret arrangement with [[Illyrio Mopatis]], who seeks to put a Targaryen back on the [[Iron Throne]]. In fact, it was revealed that Varys switched the baby [[Aegon Targaryen|Aegon]] with that of a [[pisswater prince|peasant baby]]. With the realm and [[Robert Baratheon|Robert]] falsely believing him dead, Varys had Aegon smuggled across the Narrow Sea to be raised by [[Rhaegar Targaryen|Rhaegar's]] friend and exiled Hand of the King, [[Jon Connington]]. To conceal Connington's activities, Varys concocted the false story that Connington had drunk himself to death after being caught stealing from the [[Golden Company]].

==Known Disguises==
Varys employs the use of various disguises to go about unnoticed. Upon seeing one of the disguises Tyrion remarks,

{{Quote|''"A different look, a different smell, a different way of walking ... most men would be deceived".'' {{Ref|aCoK|44}}}}

*As a stout man in a heavy brown robe in roughspun {{Ref|aGoT|30|p 319}} – in cracked, mud-caked boots smelling of sweat. His face hidden by a cowl, hands drawn up into voluminous sleeves. At first he speaks in a strange low voice. [[Ned]] is astonished to realize it is Lord Varys. Ned notices his usual cloying tones are gone and his voice is a thin and sharp as a whip.
*As a [[Begging Brothers|begging brother]] {{Ref|aCoK|44}} – in filthy patched robes, bare feet crusty with dirt, a bowl hung about his neck on a leather thong where a [[septon]] would have worn a crystal. The smell of him would have gagged a rat. He has a mouth full of rotted teeth.
*As a woman {{Ref|aSoS|12}} – plump, soft, matronly, with a round pin moon of a face and heavy dark curls. For one horrid moment Tyrion thinks its [[Lollys]].
*As a dungeon turnkey named [[Rugen]]

==Recent Events==
===A Game of Thrones===
[[File:MarcSimonetti Varys the spider.jpg|300px|thumb|Varys ushering someone into one of his clandestine entrances. © MarcSimonetti]]
After the [[Hand's Tourney]], Varys disguises himself and comes to meet the [[Hand of the King]], Lord [[Eddard Stark]], at his chambers. He warns Eddard that Queen [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] is trying to kill King [[Robert Baratheon|Robert]]. He states that his goal is peace and stability and professes to assist Lord Eddard in his investigations against [[House Lannister]]. Varys also reveals that the former hand, [[Jon Arryn]], was poisoned with the [[Tears of Lys]] for the crime of ''"asking questions"''.{{Ref|aGoT|30}}
[[File:Mike Capprotti Whisper Campaign.JPG|300px|thumb|© FFG]]
Varys brings Ser [[Jorah Mormont|Jorah Mormont's]] report of [[Daenerys Targaryen]] being pregnant to the [[Small Council]], which results in King Robert's command to assassinate both her and her unborn child. He meets Illyrio below the Red keep where they discuss how to delay a war between Stark and Lannister until the right time.{{Ref|aGoT|32}}

When King Robert is slain, Varys remains master of whisperers for King [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey]]. When Joffrey demands that someone take blame for his father's death, Varys suggests Ser [[Barristan Selmy]]. Joffrey and [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] dismiss Selmy, a move many outside the council saw as a folly.{{Ref|aGoT|57}} Selmy later joined [[Daenerys Targaryen]] in the east as a result of his dismissal (this was most likely Varys plan the whole time). {{Ref|aCoK|63}}

After Eddard Stark is imprisoned, Varys visits him disguised as a jailor. When tells Ned that his blood is that last thing he desires Ned points out that Varys stood by the queen, watched and said not a word as his personal guard was slaughtered. Varys replies that he was unarmed, unarmored and surrounded by [[Lannister]] swords. He then looks a Ned curiously, tilts his head and tells him,
{{Quote|''"When I was a young boy, before I was cut, I traveled with a troupe of [[mummer]]s through the [[Free Cities]]. They taught me that each man has a role to play, in life as well was mummery. So it is at court. The [[King's Justice]] must be fearsome, the [[Master of Coin]] must be frugal, the Lord Commander of the [[Kingsguard]] must be valiant … and the [[Master of Whisperers]] must be sly and obsequious and without scruple. A courageous informer would be as useless as a cowardly [[knight]]".''{{Ref|aGoT|58}}}}
Varys persuades Ned that for the sake of his daughter Sansa's life he must falsely confess to treason so Cersei will allow him to take the black, thus delaying a war between [[House Stark|Stark]] and [[House Lannister|Lannister]]. When Ned shows reluctance, Varys insinuates that the Lannisters will kill Sansa if Ned continues to defy them. Ned asks who Varys truly serves, and Varys claims that the purpose of his machinations is not for personal power, honor, or loyalty, but simply the best intentions for the realm as a whole.{{Ref|aGoT|58}}

Despite Varys's intentions to spare Eddard Stark's life, Joffrey goes against the council's wishes and decides at the last minute to have Ned Stark executed instead of allowing him to take the [[Night's Watch|black]] much to the shock of Varys and the other onlookers.{{Ref|aGoT|65}}

===A Clash of Kings===
[[File:Varys TheMico.jpg|Varys - by TheMico ©|thumb|200px|right]]

[[Tyrion Lannister|Tyrion]] returns to the [[Broken Anvil]] after breaking the news to [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] that he is acting [[Hand of the King]] to find [[Varys]] there with [[Shae]], much to his dismay. After some veiled threats between them, Varys asks if Tyrion has seen the Red Comet, and Tyrion replies he is not blind; on the Kingsroad it had seemed to cover half the sky. Varys tells Tyrion that on the streets it is called the Red Messenger. “They say it comes as a herald before a king, to warn of fire and blood to follow.” Before Varys leaves he poses a riddle to Tyrion:{{Ref|aCoK|3}}

{{Quote|''"In a room sit three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man with his gold. Between them stands a sellsword, a little man of common birth and no great mind. Each of the great ones bids him slay the other two. ‘Do it’ says the king, ‘for I am your lawful ruler.’ ‘Do it’ says the priest, ‘for I command you in the names of the gods.’ ‘Do it’ says the rich man, ‘and all this gold shall be yours.’ So tell me-who lives and who dies?”''}}{{Ref|aCoK|3}}

An uneasy alliance formed between Varys and Tyrion, with Varys providing Tyrion with information as to the goings-on in the city and the capital. Varys assists Tyrion in gaining control of the [[City Watch of King's Landing|city watch]] and informs him that Ser [[Lancel Lannister]] was sleeping with queen [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]].{{Ref|aCoK|8}}{{Ref|aCoK|29}}

Varys assists Tyrion in protecting [[Shae]], setting a up a secret route through which he can visit her and keep her true identity secret from Cersei.{{Ref|aCoK|8}} During their work togther, Varys reveals to Tyrion the origins of how he became castrated.{{Ref|aCoK|29}} It is also revealed that Varys was the one who sent [[Gendry]] with [[Yoren]] to join the [[Night's Watch]], so the boy would not be killed by Cersei's agents simply for the crime of being [[Robert I|Robert]]'s bastard.

===A Storm of Swords===
After [[Tyrion Lannister]]'s recovery following the [[Battle of the Blackwater]], he seeks out Varys and seeks to resume their alliance, which includes his assistance in continuing to facilitate his trysts with [[Shae]]. Varys obliges him, though when Tyrion is put on trial for the murder of [[Joffrey Baratheon|King Joffrey]], Varys testifies against Tyrion, providing notes on conversations between the two and a great deal of seemingly damning evidence.

After Tyrion is condemned to die, however, Varys is forced by [[Jaime Lannister]], at swordpoint, to release Tyrion. He does so, and on the trip through the secret tunnels beneath the Red Keep leads Tyrion past a ladder that the dwarf recognizes as leading to the chamber of the Hand of the King, leading him to inquire how to access his old quarters to seek out his father. Varys makes a curiously weak & obligatory protest against this course of action, advising him to make haste & flee...while also giving precise directions on how to reach Tywin. Tyrion then ascends the ladder to kill his father [[Tywin Lannister|Tywin]]. With this outcome & his subsequent arrangement for Tyrion to fit in to his master plan, it is very likely it was more than the threat of violence from a crippled Jaime that caused Varys to release the dwarf. As a loyalist, & knowing Tywin's threat to a Targaryen restoration, plus the fact he attempted to prevent rectification of Cersei's grievous errors, it is most likely he purposefully arranged Tywin's murder, but which strings he pulled and how are currently left unclear as Varys is a master of obfuscation.

Meanwhile, encamped outside [[Meereen]], Ser [[Barristan Selmy]] reveals to Queen [[Daenerys]]’s horror that Ser [[Jorah Mormont]] has been spying on her on behalf of Varys and the [[small council]] for gold and in hopes of gaining a royal pardon. Barristan tells her that she is watched and since the day of her wedding to Khal [[Drogo]] there has been an informer at her side {{Ref|asos|57|p 652}} – Dany knows that it can only have been Jorah.

After [[Meereen]] is taken Dany confronts Jorah in the [[Great Pyramid]] with regard to his spying on her on behalf of Varys. He confesses that he took the eunuch's gold and learned some ciphers and wrote some letters. {{Ref|asos|71|p 812}} He admits to her that that he suspected that the wine intended for her in [[Vaes Dothrak]] had been poisoned after reading a letter from Varys brought there by caravan. He tells her that Varys wanted her watched, but not harmed. {{Ref|asos|71|p 813}} Dany banishes Ser Jorah for his betrayal - which means that Varys lost an excellent means of gathering intelligence on her.

===A Feast for Crows===
[[File:Varys HBO.jpg|250px||thumb|right|Conleth Hill as Varys ([[Game of Thrones|TV series]])]]
After Varys's part in Tyrion's escape and Tywin's murder, he vanishes without a trace. A dungeon turnkey named [[Rugen]] disappears as well. In Rugen's living space a Tyrell coin is discovered and shown to Cersei, increasing Cersei's already-abundant mistrust of [[House Tyrell]]. It is believed by many readers that Rugen is an alias of Varys's, due to the identical description of the turnkey with Varys when he visited Ned Stark in the Black Cells.

[[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]], now ruling in King's Landing as Queen Regent to her son [[Tommen Baratheon|Tommen]], appoints [[Qyburn]] to fill the position of Master of Whisperers. Qyburn notes that many of Varys's spies came to him with secrets to sell, reinforcing Cersei's belief that Varys had always oversold his value to make people dependent on him and more vulnerable to his schemes.

[[Jaime Lannister]] also starts to suspect that maybe Varys had a hand in [[Tyrek Lannister]]'s disappearance during the [[Riot of King’s Landing]], his reasoning being that Tyrek as the late King [[Robert Baratheon|Robert's]] former squire would have had a deal of knowledge about the king's activities including his death and knowledge like that was always valuable, a fact which Varys knew better than anyone else. In addition, Varys did not go down to the docks with the rest of the court the day [[Myrcella Baratheon|Myrcella]] was sent to [[Dorne]], nor did he give Cersei any warning of what was about to happen, and it would have been a easy thing for Varys to spark a riot and have agents of his snatch Tyrek in the confusion. {{Ref|aFfC|27}}

Readers also speculate that Varys was behind a puppet show in [[King's Landing]] that had become quite popular among the population. The show was about the kingdom of the beasts was ruled by a pride of [[House Lannister|Lions]] that grew arrogant and began to devour their own subjects, when the noble [[House Baratheon|Stag]] makes objections they eat him too and state that it is their right as the strongest of beasts. At the end of the show a [[House Targaryen|Dragon]] hatches from an egg and devours all the lions. When [[Cersei Lannister]] learned about the show from [[Qyburn]] she ordered the puppeteers put to death and those who watched it were to lose half their wealth if they were rich and to lose an eye for watching treason if they were poor. {{Ref|aFfC|24}}

===A Dance with Dragons===
Varys employs the secret passages to enter the chambers of Grand Maester [[Pycelle]] and kill him. He then dispatches one of his "little birds" to fetch [[Kevan Lannister]], now Lord Regent after Cersei's disgrace, under the pretext that the Grand Maester has a message for him.

Upon his entering the rookery, Varys shoots Kevan with a crossbow, going on to apologize and note that his actions are not out of malice but rather because Kevan's competent leadership threatened to undo Cersei's follies and years of Varys's careful planning. He explains to Kevan that [[Aegon Targaryen]] is still alive, and notes the preparations being made to make him the true leader, noting that his death will sow further dissent between the Lannisters and Tyrells, making the realm easy prey for Aegon to arrive and be proclaimed King, for the good of the realm. Varys then summons several of his "little birds" to end Ser Kevan's suffering.

[[File:Varys.jpg|250px|thumb|Varys the Spider, by Sir-Heartsalot]]

==Quotes by Varys==
{{Quote|The storms come and go, the waves crash overhead, the big fish eat the little fish, and I keep on paddling. {{Ref|aCoK|8}}}} – Varys to [[Tyrion Lannister|Tyrion]]

{{Quote|A eunuch has no honor, and a spider does not enjoy the luxury of scruples, my lord. {{ref|agot|58}}}} – Varys to [[Eddard Stark|Ned Stark]]

{{Quote|There is no creature on earth half so terrifying as a truly just man. {{ref|agot|58}}}} – Varys to Ned Stark regarding [[Stannis Baratheon]]

{{Quote|Why is it always the innocents who suffer most, when you high lords play your game of thrones? {{Ref|aGoT|58}}}} – Varys, to [[Ned Stark]]

{{Quote|Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less. {{Ref|aCoK|8}}}}
– Varys to [[Tyrion Lannister|Tyrion]]

{{Quote|[[Barristan Selmy|Ser Barristan]] loves his honour, Grand Maester [[Pycelle]] loves his office, and [[Petyr Baelish|Littlefinger]] loves Littlefinger.{{Ref|aGoT|30}} }} – Varys, when commenting to [[Eddard Stark]] about the weaknesses of [[Robert Baratheon|King Robert's]] allies within his court

{{Quote|Secrets are worth more than silver or sapphires. {{Ref|aDwD|5}}}}

==Quotes about Varys==
{{Quote|That cockless wonder.{{Ref|agot|69}}}} – [[Tywin Lannister]]

{{Quote|There are things I might tell you of that eunuch that would chill your blood. . .{{Ref|aCoK|25}}}}
– Grand Maester [[Pycelle]], to [[Tyrion]]

{{Quote|He smelled as foul and sweet as flowers on a grave. {{Ref|aGoT|20|p 191}}}} – [[Ned Stark]], to himself

{{Quote|You think you’re the only one he whispers secrets to? He gives each of us just enough to convince us that we’d be helpless without him. He played the same game with me, when I first wed Robert. For years, I was convinced I had no truer friend at court, but now. . . {{Ref|aCoK|54}}}} – [[Cersei]], to [[Tyrion]]

{{Quote|[[Barristan Selmy|Ser Barristan]] once told me the rot in King [[Aerys II Targaryen|Aerys]]'s reign began with Varys. The eunuch should never have been pardoned.{{Ref|aSoS|36}}}} – [[Stannis Baratheon]]

{{Quote|He has some dark art, [[Ned]]. I swear it.{{Ref|aGoT|20}}}} – [[Catelyn Stark]]

{{Quote|I hold the man’s balls in the palm of my hand. . .or would, if he were a man, or had any balls. You see, if the pie is opened, the birds begin to sing, and Varys would not like that.{{Ref|aGoT|20}}}} - [[Littlefinger]], on Varys to [[Catelyn Stark]]

{{Quote|Lord Varys, sometimes I feel as though you are the best friend I have in [[King's Landing]] and sometimes I feel you are my worst enemy.}} – [[Tyrion]]

==References and Notes==
{{references|3}}
{{EnWP|Characters from A Song of Ice and Fire|small=yes}}

===See Also===
* See also the [http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Varys article on Varys] on the Game of Thrones wiki.

[[Category:Smallfolk]]
[[Category:Characters from Lys]]
[[Category:Members of the Small council]]
[[Category:Eunuchs]]
[[es:Varys]]
[[fa:واریس]]
[[fr:Varys]][[ru:Варис]]
[[pt:Varys]][[zh:瓦里斯]]

Tywin Lannister

2014-03-19T17:46:41Z

Nidhoeggr: typos

{{Infobox character
| Character_name = [[File:House_Lannister.png|50px|left]] [[File:House_Lannister.png|50px|right]] '''Tywin Lannister'''
| image = [[File:Tywin.jpg]]
| image_caption = Tywin Portrait by Amoka©
| Alias = The Lion of Lannister The Old Lion The Great Lion of the Rock
| Title = Lord of [[Casterly Rock]] Shield of [[Lannisport]] [[Warden of the West]] [[Hand of the King]] Savior of the City (of King's Landing)
| Allegiance = [[House Lannister]]
| Race =
| Culture =
| Spouse = [[Joanna Lannister]]
| Place_of_Birth =
| Date_of_Birth = +/- {{Date|244}}<ref>In [[A Feast for Crows-Chapter 33|Chapter 33]] of [[A Feast for Crows]], [[Genna Lannister]] is described as three years younger than Tywin and seven years younger than her husband, [[Emmon Frey]].</ref>
| Place_of_Death = [[King's Landing]]
| Date_of_Death = {{Date|300}}
| Books = [[A Game of Thrones]] (Appears) [[A Clash of Kings]] (Appears) [[A Storm of Swords]] (Appears) [[A Feast for Crows]] (Mentioned) [[A Dance with Dragons]] (Mentioned)
| coat-of-arms =
| Played_by = [[w:Charles Dance|Charles Dance]]
| TV_series = [[Game of Thrones - Season 1|Season 1]] {{!}} [[Game of Thrones - Season 2|Season 2]] {{!}} [[Game of Thrones - Season 3|Season 3]] {{!}} [[Game of Thrones - Season 4|Season 4]]
}}

'''Tywin Lannister''' is Lord of [[Casterly Rock]], Shield of [[Lannisport]] and [[Warden of the West]]. The head of [[House Lannister]], Tywin is one of the most powerful lords in [[Westeros]], and is the father of [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]], [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]], and [[Tyrion Lannister]]. He loves his children Jaime and Cersei, but despises Tyrion. This is partly because Tyrion is deformed, but also Tywin blames his son for causing his beloved wife [[Joanna Lannister|Joanna]]'s death during his birth, as well as for shaming the family name with his frequent whoring.

==Character and Appearance==
:''See also [[:Category:Images of Tywin Lannister|this collection of images]]''

Tywin Lannister is a calculating, intelligent, politically astute, ruthless, and controlling man. Tywin dedicated his life and efforts into maintaining the Lannisters' prestige, ensuring House Lannister is respected or at least feared. He is a proven battle commander and politician and has a very powerful presence combined with an unflinching gaze that can make lesser men swiftly turn away.

Tywin is a tall, slender, broad-shouldered man in his fifties. He has kept his head shaved ever since he started going bald, but grows out bushy golden side-whiskers and has green eyes flecked with gold. In battle, he wears deep crimson armor highlighted with gold, with a cloth-of-gold cape.{{Ref|aGoT|56}}

==History==
===Early life===
Tywin was born to [[Tytos Lannister]]. Not much is known of Tywin’s childhood, but his early years were formative ones, shaping his mind and resolve for the life that lay ahead of him. Tywin was forced to watch his mighty house nearly brought to ruin through his father's actions. His father while a gentle and amiable man was also weak willed and eager to please, loans went unpaid and his bannermen did what they pleased mocking him in their cups or openly defying him. Perhaps the most important moment for Tywin was the realization of what power meant, which was driven home when his father, tried to quell Lord Tarbeck, his most disloyal bannermen by having him imprisoned. Lord Tarbeck's wife responded by capturing three Lannisters and threatening to harm them if her husband was not returned. Tywin counseled his father to send Lord Tarbeck back to his Lady in three pieces, one for every Lannister captured, but Tytos was a gentler man than that, and he caved in to Lady Tarbecks demands further weakening the position of their house.{{Ref|aSoS|44}}

As a result of his father's follies Tywin Lannister never laughed as he mistrusted laughter, hearing too much of it directed at his father and House Lannister in his youth. Tywin also seldom smiled when he was young and never smiled again after his wife's death.{{ref|AFFC|33}}

===In power===
[[File:Tywin and Aerys.jpg|thumb|350px|Tywin appointed as [[Aerys II Targaryen|Aerys II]] [[King's Hand]]]]
[[File:Tiziano Baracchi Tywin face.png|Tywin has a very powerful presence combined with an unflinching gaze. By Tiziano Baracchi © FFG|thumb|300px|right]]
House Lannister's reputation was low because of Tywin's weak father, Tytos.{{Ref|aSoS|66}} Tywin had to take ruthless steps to rectify the situation restoring the family honor and fortune from its near ruin. Tywin took upon himself the task of putting down his two most unruly houses, [[House Tarbeck]] and [[House Reyne]], for their [[Reyne-Tarbeck Rebellion|defiance]]. He did so with ruthless efficiency, destroying both houses entirely so that their lines were ended, leaving their ruined and shattered castles as a mute testimony to the fate that awaits those who scorn the power of [[Casterly Rock]].{{Ref|aSoS|19}} Such was the brutality of Tywin's destruction of House Reyne that a song called "[[The Rains of Castamere]]" was written as a tribute to the event. Indeed when Lord [[House Farman|Farman]] of [[Faircastle]] grew truculent Tywin sent a messenger with a lute instead of a letter and once the "Rains of Castamere" was played Lord Farman caused no further trouble.

When Tywin's father Tytos finally keeled over of a burst heart while climbing a flight of steps to visit his mistress,{{Ref|aFfC|3}} Tywin became the Lord of Casterly Rock and [[Warden of the West]]. Upon his father's death Tywin found his father's mistress trying on one of his late mother's gowns. A common-born woman and the daughter of a chandler, the mistress dominated Tytos utterly, ordering about the household knights and dismissing servants and helping herself to his late wife's jewelery.{{Ref|aSoS|66}} Tywin had her stripped naked and forced the sobbing woman to walk the streets of [[Lannisport]] to confess to every man she met that she was a thief and a harlot before banishing her from the [[Westerlands]].{{Ref|aFfC|3}}

Tywin married his cousin [[Joanna Lannister]] and from all reports the marriage was a happy one. [[Genna Lannister]] said that Tywin smiled on the day he wed Joanna.{{Ref|aFfC|33}} It was said that though Tywin ruled the Seven Kingdoms ([[Hand of the King|as Hand]]) he was ruled at home by his lady wife. Joanna gave him twins, [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] and [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]] that he hoped would one day be Queen of Westeros and Lord of Casterly Rock, but then disaster struck when his beloved wife died giving birth to [[Tyrion Lannister|Tyrion]], considered a hideous monster. Tywin was devastated by Joanna's untimely death and took no further wife. [[Gerion Lannister]] once told his nephew Tyrion that the best part of Tywin died when Joanna did.{{Ref|aSoS|38}}

Tywin's ability came to the attention of King [[Aerys II Targaryen]], who, impressed with the young and capable heir to Casterly Rock, appointed Tywin, who was twenty at that time, to be his [[Hand of the King]]. Tywin proved himself a brilliant administrator and held the post for twenty years of peace and plenty. Some people joked it was he and not the king who really ruled the land. It ended when Aerys' increasing paranoia and jealousy drove the two into several bitter disagreements. According to Ser [[Barristan Selmy]], Aerys lusted after Tywin's wife when she was alive<ref>Aerys's own unhappy marriage was arranged</ref> which caused further friction between the two. Tension increased at the [[Tourney for King Aerys II]] in [[Lannisport]] in {{Date|276}} when Aerys refused Tywin's offer to betroth [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] to his heir, Prince [[Rhaegar Targaryen|Rhaegar]]. In {{date|281}} Aerys raised [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]], Tywin's fifteen-year old son, to the [[Kingsguard]], robbing Tywin of his prized heir; Tywin understood that the king’s motivations were to make Jaime a hostage to use against his father. Upset at Aerys's treatment of Jaime at the [[Tourney of Harrenhal]], Tywin resigned his position on some thin pretext and returned to [[Casterly Rock]].

===Robert's Rebellion and aftermath===
[[File:Nachomolina_Tywin_Lannister.jpg‎ ‎|Tywin Lannister - by Nacho Molina ©|thumb|430px|right]]

When [[Robert's Rebellion]] began, Lord Tywin sat at Casterly Rock and waited, ignoring King Aerys's orders to arm, taking no side until after [[Robert Baratheon]]'s decisive victory at the [[Battle of the Trident]]. After the battle, Tywin mustered his forces and rode for the capital of [[King's Landing]]. After Aerys was convinced by Grand Maester [[Pycelle]] that Tywin had come to aid him, he ordered the gates of the city opened for Tywin. The Westerlanders proceeded to [[Sack of King's Landing|sack the city]]. Aerys was killed by Jaime before Tywin's forces arrived at the Red Keep, but [[Gregor Clegane]] and [[Amory Lorch]], knights sworn to Tywin and under Tywin's orders, slew Rhaegar's wife [[Elia Martell|Elia of Dorne]] and her two young children, [[Rhaenys Targaryen (daughter of Rhaegar)|Rhaenys]] and [[Aegon Targaryen|Aegon]]. Tywin wrapped the bodies in crimson Lannister cloaks to better conceal the blood and presented them to Robert Baratheon as a token of fealty. When asked by his son Tyrion years later why Tywin did not let Robert bloody his own hands, Tywin's replied:

{{Quote|We had come late to Robert's cause. It was necessary to demonstrate our loyalty. When I laid those bodies before the throne, no man could doubt that we had forsaken House Targaryen forever. And Robert's relief was palpable. As stupid as he was, even he knew that Rhaegar's children had to die if his throne was ever to be secure. Yet he saw himself as a hero, and heroes do not kill children.{{Ref|aSoS|53}}}}

While earning House Lannister the hatred of both [[House Martell]] of [[Dorne]] and the population of [[King's Landing]], this act also secured the marriage of the new king, Robert Baratheon, to Tywin's daughter [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]], whose proposed betrothal to Prince [[Rhaegar Targaryen]] had been rejected by Aerys much to Tywin's bitter disappointment. Cersei's marriage to the new, young, and popular king did much to make up for Tywin's earlier disappointment.

After the rebellion, Tywin returned to [[Casterly Rock]], where he continued to serve as Lord and Warden of the West. In {{date|289}} Lord [[Balon Greyjoy]] began the [[Greyjoy Rebellion]] against King Robert by burning the Lannister fleet anchored at Lannisport. After the defeat of the Greyjoys, Tywin rebuilt his fleet<ref>So Spake Martin: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/The_Lannister_Fleet The Lannister Fleet]</ref> and hosted another [[tourney at Lannisport]]. Due to King Robert's financial mismanagement of the realm, as well as his own new connection to the throne by marriage, Lord Tywin frequently lent money to the crown, placing the court in King's Landing in debt of over three million [[Currency|gold dragons]] to House Lannister.

Though ruthless, Tywin Lannister is an able and shrewd ruler who brought great prosperity during his tenures as the King's Hand. He is especially talented at the raising of funds, leading to a persistent jest that he must "shit gold."{{Ref|aCoK|30}} The common folk of Lannisport cheered twice as loud for Tywin at the [[Tourney for King Aerys II]] as they did for their actual king. Even so, Tywin is more respected than loved in the [[Westerlands]] and he became despised in [[King's Landing]] after his house treacherously sacked the city.

===Children===
When Tywin discovered his son [[Tyrion Lannister|Tyrion]] wed a common girl, [[Tysha]], which in Tywin's eyes would make the house a laughingstock again, Tywin taught him a sharp lesson. He commanded Tyrion's brother [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]] to name her a prostitute and made Tyrion watch as Tywin gave Tysha over to his garrison of guards, having each man pay the girl a silver coin after raping her. He forced Tyrion to do the same but pay the girl a gold coin.{{Ref|aGoT|42}} He earned the enmity of his son forever for that act, but Tywin did not care, for it was on his other children that he placed all his hopes.

Tywin later refused to allow Tyrion to travel and see the world as Tywin's brothers had in their youth, fearing he would bring further shame on House Lannister and as a "gift" for Tyrion's sixteenth [[Nameday|nameday]] he put his son in charge of cleaning all the drains of [[Casterly Rock]].{{Ref|aDwD|8}}

When Tyrion became 16-years-old, the official age of adulthood, he believed he would be free to do as he wished. Tywin disillusioned him, replying:

{{Quote|No man is free. Only children and fools think elsewise.{{Ref|aDwD|8}}}}

Though Tywin's children also greatly respect him, none of them have been able to conform to the paths he had laid out for them, which causes many difficulties.{{Ref|aFfC|44}}

==Recent Events==
===''A Game of Thrones''===
[[File:Tywin Lannister3.png|thumb|350px|Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister]]

Believed to be responsible for hiring an assassin to murder [[Bran Stark]] while he lay in a coma, Tywin's son [[Tyrion Lannister|Tyrion]] is arrested at the [[inn at the crossroads]] by [[Catelyn Tully]], the wife of [[Eddard Stark]], current [[Hand of the King]]. She takes him to her sister [[Lysa Tully|Lysa]], at the [[Eyrie]], for trial. Though Tywin does not care about Tyrion's welfare, he sees the arrest and kidnapping as a direct slight on House Lannister's honor which he will not tolerate. In response Tywin sends Ser [[Gregor Clegane]] and his men, disguised as brigands, to sack and pillage various villages and hamlets across the [[Riverlands]], Catelyn's homeland.{{Ref|aGoT|43}} These raids mark one of the seminal points in what is to become the [[War of the Five Kings]].

Tywin's aim is to draw Eddard out of King's Landing, capture him, and exchange him for the freedom of his son.{{ref|ASOS|17}} Eddard, however, is injured in a skirmish on the streets of King's Landing with Tywin's son [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]] (Jaime was unaware of Tywin's plans) and sends Lord [[Beric Dondarrion]] in his stead. When Beric's forces reached the [[Mummer's Ford]], soldiers of Tywin's and Gregor's [[Battle at the Mummer's Ford|attacked from all sides]], routing Dondarrion's host. Dondarrion himself is mortally wounded, though he would be revived by [[Thoros of Myr]] and go on to form the [[Brotherhood Without Banners]], which would continually harass the Lannister forces for the duration of the war.

As the war gains momentum, Tywin's forces take the majority of the Riverlands and lay siege to [[Riverrun]] before meeting their first real opposition in the [[Battle of the Green Fork]]. Just prior to the battle, Tyrion, having won his freedom from the [[Vale of Arryn]] via [[trial by combat]] and earned the loyalty of many of the [[mountain clans]] along the way, meets with his father. Tywin sends Tyrion and his clansmen into the battle on the left flank, believing the undisciplined men likely to rout, but giving the northern commander, which Tywin believed to be the young and inexperienced [[Robb Stark]], a chance to over-commit and be annihilated.{{Ref|aGoT|62}} The clansmen do not rout, however, and the northern commander is not Robb but instead the more cautious and experienced [[Roose Bolton]]. The battle is a Lannister victory, but it buys enough time for a separate northern force under Robb Stark's command to cross the [[Trident]] at [[The Twins]] and lift the siege of Riverrun, capturing Tywin's other son, [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]], in the process.

After the death of King [[Robert Baratheon|Robert]], Tywin is named Hand of the King for his grandson [[Joffrey Baratheon]].{{Ref|aGoT|57}} After the battle, he sends Tyrion to King's Landing to serve as Hand in his stead, and to prepare the city's defenses in anticipation of an attack from one or both of Robert's brothers, [[Stannis Baratheon|Stannis]] and [[Renly Baratheon|Renly]], both of whom have laid claim to the Iron Throne, while Tywin manages the war with [[the North]] and the Riverlands.{{Ref|aGoT|69}}

===''A Clash of Kings''===
The loss of Riverrun means that Tywin is not able to pursue and destroy Roose Bolton's forces. Instead he marchs south to [[Harrenhal]] while he ponders his next move. When Robb Stark marches from Riverrun and invades the [[Westerlands]], smashing a new Lannister host being raised and trained by [[Stafford Lannister]] at [[Battle of Oxcross|Oxcross]] and turning his forces loose to scour the Westerlands, Tywin leaves Harrenhal and marches his forces west in pursuit. Robb's plan is to lead Tywin's army on a long chase across the Westerlands, bleeding his forces and living off of their lands. However, [[Edmure Tully]], who had been tasked with holding Riverrun but was unaware of Robb's plan, meets Tywin's army in the field in the [[Battle of the Fords]].{{Ref|aCoK|45}}

Tywin's forces are bloodied and thrown back, but the delay allows word to reach Tywin that Stannis Baratheon has murdered his brother Renly and laid claim to much of his army, and that he is marching and sailing on King's Landing with an enormous force. Tywin turns his force southeast on a forced march to King's Landing, joining with the newly-allied forces of [[House Tyrell]]. Together they arrive just in time for the waning moments of the [[Battle of the Blackwater]], where they are able to break and drive away the majority of Stannis' army, which had been on the cusp of victory, by taking them in the flank.{{Ref|aSoS|14}} Tywin commands the host's right flank during the battle.{{Ref|aCoK|62}} Tywin is declared Savior of the City by [[Joffrey Baratheon|King Joffrey]].<ref>Which is ironic as Tywin was responsible for the previous Sack of the city during the [[War of the Usurper]]</ref> Tywin's son Tyrion, who had done much for the city's defenses, is critically wounded in the fighting.{{Ref|aSoS|4}}

===''A Storm of Swords''===
Tywin's timely arrival at the Battle of the Blackwater allows him to take the majority of the credit for the Lannister victory. Tywin assumes his official position as King Joffrey's Hand,{{Ref|aCoK|64}} while giving Tyrion, after his recovery, the position of [[Master of Coin]], which Tyrion sees as a demotion and an insult. Tywin arranges for Tyrion to be wed to [[Sansa Stark]]{{Ref|aSoS|19}} before she can be betrothed to [[Willas Tyrell]], giving him claim over [[Winterfell]] and directly denying Tyrion's ambition to inherit [[Casterly Rock]].{{Ref|aSoS|4}} He also makes plans to find a suitor to marry his widowed daughter, Queen [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]], though they are never realized. He offers her to Willas Tyrell but [[Mace Tyrell]], after being hectored by his mother, [[Olenna Redwyne]], refuses the match. Tywin demands that Tyrion act as if the offer were never made.{{Ref|aSoS|32}}

After learning that Robb Stark has unexpectedly wed [[Jeyne Westerling]] and that [[House Westerling]] has gone over to the Starks, Tywin remains in communication, via raven, with Jeyne's mother [[Sybell Spicer]]. He also communicates with [[Roose Bolton]], who has switched sides to the Lannisters after taking Harrenhal, and Lord [[Lord Walder Frey|Walder Frey]], who sees Robb's marriage to Jeyne as an insult to [[House Frey]], as it breaks a marriage pact Robb had previously made to wed a Frey girl. The [[Red Wedding]] is the direct result of their correspondence, which sees Robb Stark betrayed and murdered along with the vast majority of his host, effectively ending the war with House Lannister the victor.

Tywin Lannister has [[Ice]], the [[Valyrian steel]] greatsword of [[Eddard Stark]], melted down and reforged into two longswords as gifts, [[Widow's Wail|one]] for Joffrey on his wedding day and [[Oathkeeper|the other]] to Jaime.{{Ref|aSoS|32}} Not long after, King Joffrey is poisoned and dies at the feast following his wedding to [[Margaery Tyrell]]. Tywin's son Tyrion is falsely accused of the crime, and Tywin agrees to be one of Tyrion's three judges, alongside [[Oberyn Martell]] and [[Mace Tyrell]], at his trial. When it becomes clear that he is going to be found guilty, Tyrion demands trial by combat, and Oberyn surprisingly volunteers to champion him. Cersei, being Tyrion's accuser, selects Ser Gregor Clegane to represent the crown. Gregor, despite being poisoned by Oberyn during the trial, wins the duel, slaying Oberyn, and Tyrion is thus found guilty.{{Ref|aSoS|70}}

Tywin faces huge political ramifications from the trial. Before slaying Oberyn, Gregor roars his guilt in slaying [[Elia Martell]] and her [[Aegon Targaryen|son]] for all the realm to hear. Tywin fears [[Dorne]] might join [[Stannis Baratheon]], which could prolong the [[War of the Five Kings|war]] for years. He plans on having Gregor executed to appease [[House Martell]], but needs it to be seen to be the [[Ilyn Payne|King's Justice]] who carries out the deed, not poison. Tywin commands [[Pycelle]] to heal Gregor, but Pycelle's efforts prove fruitless.{{Ref|aSoS|72}}

Awaiting his sentencing, Tyrion is freed from the Red Keep's dungeon by his brother Jaime and a reluctant Varys. During his escape, Jaime reveals the truth about Tyrion's first wife Tysha, saying she was not a whore but a girl just met on the road and Tywin had made Jaime speak the lie to Tyrion. Tyrion is enraged by this and has Varys show him to a ladder that leads directly into the [[Tower of the Hand]], Tywin's residence, Tyrion finds his ex-lover [[Shae]] in Tywin's bed, wearing nothing but his father's golden chain of office. Tyrion strangles her to death with it. He then takes a crossbow from the wall and finds Tywin in the privy and confronts him about Tysha. Tywin remains belligerent, repeatedly calling her a whore, which Tyrion sees as the final insult; shooting him through his bowels with the crossbow, mortally wounding him. Tywin dies while seated on the privy, his bowles loosening in the moment of death causing Tyrion to think as he left his father's body:

{{Quote|But the stink that filled the privy gave ample evidence that the oft-repeated jape about his father was just another lie. Lord Tywin Lannister did not, in the end, shit gold.{{Ref|aSoS|77}}}}

===''A Feast for Crows''===
After Tywin's body is discovered, it is prepared for a state burial. [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] has the [[House Kettleblack|Kettleblacks]] remove the body of [[Shae]] and swears she will have the tongue removed of any man who mentions Shae was ever there.{{Ref|aFfC|3}} The remains of Lord Tywin are shown for seven days in the [[Great Sept of Baelor]] before making its way west with an entourage of knights and lords from the [[Westerlands]]. The smell of the body is so bad many of the mourners grow sick or faint from being too near. A drying of the mouth also causes Tywin's lips to curl up and make him appear to smile.{{Ref|aFfC|8}} This disturbs Jaime and Cersei, because Tywin Lannister seldom smiled.

===''A Dance with Dragons''===
Ser [[Kevan Lannister]] thinks of how Tywin would never have dreamed his golden daughter [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] would experience a similar fate, a walk of shame, as Tywin made their father [[Tytos Lannister|Tytos's]] mistress suffer.{{Ref|aDwD|Epilogue}}

==Quotes by Tywin==
{{Quote|And dismissing [[Barristan Selmy|Selmy]], where was the sense in that? Yes, the man was old, but the name of Barristan the Bold still has meaning in the realm. He lent honor to any man he served. Can anyone say the same of the [[Sandor Clegane|Hound]]? You feed your dog bones under the table, you do not seat him beside you on the high bench.{{ref|agot|69}}}} — Tywin to [[Tyrion Lannister]]

{{Quote|One man on a wall was worth ten beneath it.{{ref|acok|49}}}} - recollection by [[Tyrion Lannister]] of Tywin's advice

{{Quote|Some battles are won with swords and spears, others with quills and ravens.{{Ref|aSoS|4}}}} - Tywin to [[Tyrion Lannister]]

{{Quote|'''Tyrion:''' Could the [[House Westerling|Westerlings]] and [[House Spicer|Spicers]] be such great fools as to believe [[House Stark|the wolf]] can defeat [[House Lannister|the lion]]? 
'''Tywin:''' The greatest fools are ofttimes more clever than the men who laugh at them.{{Ref|aSoS|19}}}}
— Tywin and [[Tyrion Lannister]]

{{Quote|There is a tool for every task, and a task for every tool.{{Ref|aSoS|32}}}} - Tywin to [[Tyrion Lannister]]

{{Quote|When your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to you. And any man who must say ‘I am the king’ is no true king at all. [[Aerys II Targaryen|Aerys]] never understood that, but you will. When I’ve won [[War of the Five Kings|your war]] for you, we will restore the king’s peace and the king’s justice.{{ref|aSoS|53}}}}
— Tywin to [[Joffrey Baratheon]]

{{Quote|I did not fight [[War of the Five Kings|a war]] to seat [[Robert Baratheon|Robert]] the Second on the [[Iron Throne]].{{ref|aSoS|53}}}} - Tywin to [[Cersei Lannister]]

{{Quote|You are not my son. You say you are the [[Lord Commander of the Kingsguard]], and only that. Very well, ser. Go do your duty.{{Ref|aSoS|62}}}}
— Tywin to [[Jaime Lannister]]

{{Quote|'''Tywin:''' I suppose the steward sent her on her way. I never thought to inquire. 
'''Tyrion:''' On her way '''where'''? 
'''Tywin:''' Wherever whores go.{{ref|asos|77}}}} — Tywin and [[Tyrion Lannister]] regarding [[Tysha]]

{{Quote|'''Tywin:''' You shot me. 
'''Tyrion:''' You always were quick to grasp a situation, my lord, that must be why you’re the [[Hand of the King]]. 
'''Tywin:''' You ... you are no ... no son of mine. 
'''Tyrion:''' Now that’s where you’re wrong, Father. Why, I believe I’m you writ small. Do me a kindness now, and die quickly. I have a ship to catch. {{Ref|asos|77}}}}
— Tywin and [[Tyrion Lannister]]

{{Quote|You cannot eat love, nor buy a horse with it, nor warm your halls on a cold night.{{ref|affc|7}}}} - recollection by [[Cersei Lannister]] of Tywin to [[Jaime Lannister]]

==Quotes about Tywin==
{{Quote|I would sooner entrust a child to a pit viper than to Lord Tywin.{{Ref|aGoT|4}}}} — thoughts of [[Eddard Stark]]

{{Quote|A fool more foolish than most had once jested that even Lord Tywin’s shit was flecked with gold. Some said the man was still alive, deep in the bowels of [[Casterly Rock]].{{ref|AGOT|56}}}}
— thoughts of [[Tyrion Lannister]]

{{Quote|Every once in a very long while, Lord Tywin Lannister would actually threaten to smile; he never did, but the threat alone was terrible to behold.{{Ref|aSoS|19}}}}
— thoughts of [[Tyrion Lannister]]

{{Quote|'''Joffrey:''' You talk about [[Aerys II Targaryen|Aerys]], Grandfather, but you were scared of him. 
'''Cersei:''' Joffrey, apologize to your grandfather. 
'''Joffrey:''' Why should I? Everyone knows it’s true. [[Robert Baratheon|My father]] won all the battles. He killed Prince [[Rhaegar Targaryen|Rhaegar]] and took the crown, while '''your''' father was hiding under [[Casterly Rock]].{{Ref|aSoS|53}}}}
— [[Joffrey Baratheon]] and [[Cersei Lannister]]

{{Quote|'''Kevan:''' Tywin seems a hard man to you, but he's no harder than he's had to be. [[Tytos Lannister|Our own father]] was gentle and amiable, but so weak his bannermen mocked him in their cups. [[Reyne-Tarbeck Rebellion|Some saw fit to defy him openly]]. Other lords borrowed his gold and never troubled to repay it. At court they japed of toothless lions. Even his own mistress stole from him. A woman scarcely one step above a whore, and she helped herself to my mother's jewels! It fell to Tywin to restore [[House Lannister]] to its proper place. Just as it fell to him to rule this realm, when he was no more than twenty. He bore that heavy burden for twenty years and all it earned him was [[Aerys II Targaryen|a mad king]]'s envy. Instead of the honor he deserved, he was made to suffer slights beyond count, yet he gave the [[Seven Kingdoms]] peace, plenty and justice. He is a just man. 
'''Tyrion:''' You love him. 
'''Kevan:''' He is my brother.{{Ref|aSOS|66}}}}
— [[Kevan Lannister]] and [[Tyrion Lannister]]

{{Quote|Lord Tywin Lannister did not, in the end, shit gold.{{Ref|asos|77}}}} - thoughts of [[Tyrion Lannister]]

{{Quote|I have served six kings, but here before us lies the greatest man I ever knew. Lord Tywin wore no crown, yet he was all a king should be.{{ref|aFfC|8}}}}
— [[Pycelle]] at Tywin's funeral

{{Quote|Men say Tywin never smiled, but he smiled when he wed [[Joanna Lannister|your mother]], and when [[Aerys II Targaryen|Aerys]] made him [[Hand of the King|Hand]]. When [[Tarbeck Hall]] came crashing down on [[Ellyn Tarbeck|Lady Ellyn]], that scheming bitch, [[Tygett Lannister|Tyg]] claimed he smiled then, and he smiled at your birth, Jaime, I saw with my own eyes.{{ref|AFFC|33}}}}
— [[Genna Lannister]] to [[Jaime Lannister]]

{{Quote|I was seven when [[Walder Frey]] persuaded [[Tytos Lannister|my lord father]] to give my hand to [[Emmon Frey|Emm]]. His ''second'' son, not even his heir. Father was himself a thirdborn son, and younger children crave the approval of their elders. Frey sensed that weakness in him, and Father agreed for no better reason than to please him. My betrothal was announced at a feast with half [[Westerlands|the west]] in attendance. [[Ellyn Tarbeck]] laughed and the [[Red Lion of Castamere|Red Lion]] went angry from the hall. The rest sat on their tongues. Only Tywin dared speak against the match. A boy of ten. Father turned as white as mare's milk, and Walder Frey was '''quivering'''. How could I not love him after that? That is not to say I approved of all he did, or much enjoyed the company of the man he became ... but every little girl needs a big brother to protect her. Tywin was big even when he was little.{{Ref|aFfC|33}}}}
— [[Genna Lannister]] to [[Jaime Lannister]]

{{Quote|Are you down in some hell, Father? A nice cold hell where you can look up and see me help restore [[Aerys II Targaryen|Mad Aerys's]] [[Daenerys Targaryen|daughter]] to the [[Iron Throne]]?{{Ref|aDwD|5}}}}
— [[Tyrion Lannister]]

==Family==
Tywin married his cousin [[Joanna Lannister]], with whom he had three children: [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]], [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]] and [[Tyrion Lannister|Tyrion]]. Joanna died when giving birth to Tyrion. It is unknown why Tywin named his first son Jaime, after no one known, and gave the traditional Lannister prefix of "Ty" to his deformed second son, Tyrion.

{{Lannister tree}}

==References and Notes==
{{references|3}}
{{EnWP|House Lannister|small=yes}}
{{Template:Hands of the King}}
[[Category:House Lannister]]
[[Category:Characters from the Westerlands|Lannister, Tywin]]
[[Category:Nobles|Lannister, Tywin]]
[[Category:Hand of the King|Lannister, Tywin]]
[[Category:Members of the Small council|Lannister, Tywin]]
[[Category:Warden]]

[[es:Tywin Lannister]]
[[fa:تایوین لنیستر]]
[[fr:Tywin Lannister]]
[[pt:Tywin Lannister]]
[[ru:Тайвин Ланнистер]]
[[zh:泰温·兰尼斯特]]

Bronn

2014-03-19T12:02:48Z

Nidhoeggr: typo

{{Infobox character
| Character_name = [[File:CoatBronn.png|50px|left]] '''Bronn''' [[file:Stokeworth.png|50px|right]]
| image = [[File:Bronn.jpg|250px]]
| image_caption =
| Alias = Ser Bronn of the Blackwater Lord Stokeworth
| Title = Ser Lord Protector of Stokeworth
| Allegiance = [[House Stokeworth]]
| Race =
| Culture =
| Spouse = [[Lollys Stokeworth]]
| Place_of_Birth =
| Date_of_Birth = circa [[268 AL]]<ref>Bronn's Age (June 05, 1999) [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Category/C91/P225/ So Spake Martin]</ref>
| Place_of_Death =
| Date_of_Death =
| Books = [[A Game of Thrones]] (Appears) [[A Clash of Kings]] (Appears) [[A Storm of Swords]] (Appears) [[A Feast for Crows]] (Mentioned) [[A Dance with Dragons]] (Mentioned)
| Played_by = [[List of actors of the televised series#Jerome Flynn,Bronn|Jerome Flynn]]
| TV_series = [[Game of Thrones - Season 1|Season 1]] {{!}} [[Game of Thrones - Season 2|Season 2]] {{!}} [[Game of Thrones - Season 3|Season 3]]
{{!}} [[Game of Thrones - Season 4|Season 4]]}}

'''Bronn''' is a low-born [[sellsword]] of great skill and cunning. In the [[Game of Thrones|TV series]], he is played by Jerome Flynn.

==Appearance and Character==
Bronn has a lean, wolfish appearance, with has dark hair{{Ref|aCoK|17}}, dark eyes{{Ref|aGoT|42}} and a stubble of beard. He has a black sense of humor, and a pragmatic, thoroughly amoral philosophy.

==History==
Bronn supposedly had a rough childhood and killed for the first time before the age of twelve.{{Ref|aGoT|62}}

==Recent Events==
===''A Game of Thrones''===
[[File:Bronn.png|250px|left|thumb|Jerome Flynn as Bronn ([[Game of Thrones|TV series]])]]

Bronn, along with his fellow sellsword [[Chiggen]], is a patron of the [[Crossroads Inn|inn]] in which [[Catelyn Stark]] calls for loyal men to help her arrest [[Tyrion Lannister]] for the attempted murder of her [[Bran Stark|son]]. Bronn and Chiggen heed Catelyn's call and help escort Tyrion to the [[Eyrie]]. During the journey Bronn survives an attack on their party by members of a [[Mountain clans|clan]] of the [[Mountains of the Moon|mountains]] and becomes closer to Tyrion, to Catelyn's unease.

Tyrion notes that Bronn and Chiggen only came to Catelyn's aid because they were sellswords and were hoping for a reward. During a later ambush, Chiggen is mortally wounded and Bronn discreetly finishes him off, claiming to Lady Catelyn that Chiggen died from his wounds.

During Tyrion's trial Bronn volunteers to champion him in [[trial by combat]] and kills Ser [[Vardis Egen]], saving Tyrion's life. He did so for the promise of wealth and made no secret of his motives. Thereafter he enters into Tyrion's service as a hired sword.{{Ref|aGoT|40}} Prior to the [[Battle of the Green Fork]] he finds [[Shae]] for Tyrion amongst the camp followers and later takes part in the battle.{{Ref|aGoT|62}} He then accompanies Tyrion to [[King's Landing]].
[[File:Bronn_sketch.jpg|Bronn - by Pojypojy ©|thumb|200px|right]]

===''A Clash of Kings''===
In [[King's Landing]], Bronn becomes the captain of Tyrion's guards.{{Ref|aCoK|17}} During his time at King's Landing, Bronn is tasked with hiring sellswords for the upcoming hostilities and familiarizes himself with the politics within the [[Red Keep]]. Bronn also survives the initial spark of the [[Riot of King's Landing|riots]] that ravages the city due to famine, afterwards moving to protect Tyrion from the Kingsguard knights he argues with. Tyrion assigns him to head the relief effort to ensure that the fires started by the rioters are extinguished.

When [[Stannis Baratheon]]'s host finally arrives, Bronn is put in charge of pulling the massive chain tight across the Blackwater at the right time, a position of vital importance during the [[Battle of the Blackwater]]. The operation is a success and much of Stannis's fleet is destroyed.{{Ref|aCoK|59}} For his contribution, [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] and [[Tywin Lannister]] put him forward for knighthood. He calls himself ''Ser Bronn of the [[Blackwater Rush|Blackwater]]'' and takes as his sigil a green, flaming chain on a smoking grey field, in commemoration of his role in the battle. He is knighted by a member of the [[Kingsguard]].{{Ref|aCoK|67}}

===''A Storm of Swords''===
Tyrion has Bronn discreetly kill the singer [[Symon Silver Tongue]] after Symon tries to blackmail Tyrion. It is implied that his body is disposed of in one of [[Flea Bottom]]'s pot shops.

When Tyrion is accused of murdering his nephew King [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey]], Bronn refuses to champion him a second time in a trial by combat against the monstrous Ser [[Gregor Clegane]], taking an offer from Cersei instead to marry into the wealthy [[House Stokeworth]]. He does not forget Tyrion completely, however.

===''A Feast for Crows''===
Lady [[Tanda Stokeworth]] informs [[Cersei Lannister]] that Bronn names his wife [[Lollys Stokeworth|Lollys]]'s bastard son [[Tyrion Tanner|Tyrion]], in dubious honor of his former employer.{{ref|AFFC|16}}

Bronn soon takes four knights into his household, although Ser [[Balman Byrch|Balman]] tells [[Cersei]] that they are upjumped [[sellsword]]s, with not a thimbleful of chivalry to be found amongst the four of them.<ref>[http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Feast_for_Crows-Chapter_24 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 24]</ref> This leads Queen Cersei to fear that he is still in league with Tyrion, and causes Cersei to conspire with Bronn's good-sister [[Falyse Stokeworth]] and her husband Ser [[Balman Byrch]] to have Bronn killed.

Ser Balman, ever chivalrous, challenges Bronn to a duel, but Bronn kills Ser Balman using dirty tactics and expels Lady Falyse from the castle. Upon Ser Balman's death, Bronn is unopposed as the Lord Protector of Stokeworth, a claim derived from his wife's new position as Lady Stokeworth.

==Quotes==
{{Quote|I sell my sword, I don’t give it away.}}

==Quotes about Bronn==
{{Quote|She had seen Bronn fight on the high road; it was no accident that he had survived the journey while other men had died. He moved like a panther, and that ugly sword of his seemed a part of his arm.{{Ref|aGoT|40|p 435}}}} – [[Catelyn Stark]], to herself

{{quote|Is it your fault that Bronn’s an insolent black-hearted rogue? He’s always been an insolent black-hearted rogue. That’s what I liked about him.}} – [[Tyrion Lannister]] to [[Podrick Payne]]

{{Quote|Bronn was no [[knight]], that was true. Bronn was a battle-hardened killer.{{Ref|affc|33}}}} – [[Cersei]]

==References and Notes==
{{References|2}}

===See also===
[http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Bronn Bronn] on the [http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Main Game of Thrones wiki].
{{EnWP|Characters from A Song of Ice and Fire|small=yes}}

[[Category:Mercenaries]]
[[Category:Knights]]
[[Category:Nobles]]
[[Category:Sellswords]]
[[Category:House Stokeworth]]
[[fr:Bronn]][[ru:Бронн]]
[[es:Bronn]][[zh:波隆]]