A Song of Ice and Fire/Characters/House Lannister

This is a listing of member of House Lannister that appear in the Fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. Visit here for the main character index.


The richest house in Westeros. They control the Westerlands, with its hills and rich gold mines, and claim to descend from a mythical Trickster Archetype, Lann the Clever, who is said to have stolen sunlight for his hair. The Lannisters are powerful and controlling, and completely merciless to those they view as weak. They are effectively the royal house and become the nemeses of the Starks early on. They have notable similarities to the historical Borgia dynasty, as well as drawing some inspiration from various members of the Wars of the Roses. They have a second, unofficial motto--"A Lannister always pays his debts"--which is an invitation to Good Samaritans and a warning to Bad ones. Their members are beautiful, with Green Eyes and blonde hair, and their sigil is a golden lion.

Tywin Lannister
""If your enemy defies you, serve him steel and fire. But if he bends the knee, you must help him back to his feet, else no man will ever kneel to you"."

The patriarch of House Lannister, and former Hand of the King. He is the archetype of the powerful father. Obsessed with control and absolutely ruthless to enemies, he will destroy anyone who stands in his or his children's way. Tywin became cold and hard after spending a lifetime watching his kind and generous Lord Father being constantly manipulated and walked over by his bannermen and mistresses. He only became utterly cold after the death of his beloved wife, who was giving birth to Tyrion. Tywin is an extremely harsh and unforgiving man, terribly efficient at his job, and can't stand it when people laugh at him. It is well known that Tywin has never been seen smiling except on his wedding day and at the birth of Cersei and Jaime. Inspiration for the character likely comes from Duke Richard of York, and Edward I of England, aka 'Longshanks'.

"And Robert's relief was palpable. As stupid as he was even he knew 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."
 * Abusive Parents: His cruel treatment of his son Tyrion was unforgivable. When the deformed boy met the only girl who ever loved him, Tywin convinced him she was a paid whore only to break his spirit. Not only that, but he made his entire garrison violently gang-rape the poor 13-year old girl before Tyrion's eyes. And then forces Tyrion to participate as well.
 * Tywin's own father was a kind, light hearted man who was thought weak and laughed at by his own bannermen, so Tywin resolved not to let this happen to himself.
 * Badass Boast : He had "The Rains of Castamere" played whenever he wanted to remind people how dangerous it was to cross him. Listening to the song is often enough to make his enemies reconsider their positions.
 * Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: His orders to kill the Targaryen children is seen as this, and he even lampshades when talking about it.


 * Bald of Evil: When he started to lose his hair, he had his head shaved completely; Tywin Lannister does not believe in half-measures. He kept his prodigious sideburns, though.
 * Batman Gambit:  Tywin has capitalized on a single mistake by   and turned it into a victory. Throughout the entire book he is just sitting there waiting for his plan to come together because he has already won and nobody else knows it. Holy. Shit.
 * Big Bad: Tywin is the most important antagonist to the Starks for the first few books, and doesn't hesitate to be a cold bastard when he has to.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Tywin's timely arrival during the Battle at Blackwater Bay saw King's Landing saved from Stannis's onslaught just as the tide turned against the Lannisters. Subverted somewhat in that Joffrey's callous regime (which Tywin managed to save) was probably the greater of two evils.
 * The TV series plays with this even further by having Cersei on the verge of poisoning the entirely innocent Tommen to keep him from becoming Stannis' prisoner because she thinks the battle's lost, only for Tywin to charge dramatically into the room. It thusly manipulates the viewer into being glad he turned up at that point.
 * The Chessmaster: So far, the most obvious example.
 * Death Glare: A man once made the joke about him shitting gold in his hearing at a feast. Tywin just stared at him throughout the entire meal until the man couldn't stand it anymore and left the hall.
 * Disproportionate Retribution: It's a bit of an ongoing theme with him.
 * His handling the Tarbecks and the Reynes (see ""The Villain Sucks" Song" below)
 * His betrayal of Aerys. According to both Jaime's and Cersei's narration, he resigned his Handship because Aerys refused the offer of Cersei's hand for Prince Rhaegar, claiming Tywin had not earned such an honor. This was a pretty mad thing to say to the man who has been running your kingdom for you for twenty years, especially when he then turned around and said that Tywin was his most faithful servant, but princes don't marry their servants' children. It's also implied that Aerys did it to spite Tywin for marrying Joanna, who he loved.
 * The Red Wedding. Yeah.
 * Possibly what Ser Gregor did to Elia Martell; her brother recounts that their mother took them to Casterly Rock as children to try and arrange marriages between the family, him to Cersei and Elia to Jaime. Tywin refused them, explicitly stating that Cersei was to marry prince Rhaegar(see above) and insultingly offering to arrange a marriage between Elia and the newly born Tyrion. In the end, the Martell's mother arranged for Elia to marry Rhaegar instead of Cersei. Her brother, Oberyn, speculates that Tywin ordered Gregor to rape and murder her as a way of "paying the debt". Tywin himself denies this, claiming to Tyrion that he only ordered the deaths of the children(to remove their claim to the throne) and that he didn't mention Elia to Gregor at all, he simply hadn't realized what Gregor was at the time.
 * The Dreaded
 * Evil Chancellor / The Good Chancellor: Played with. While Kings Aerys and Joffrey were busy being insane, Tywin was an extraordinarily competent Hand, precisely because he was willing to take "evil" actions. Also, he betrayed King Aerys during the war, preferring to win than be loyal. So we've either got a Deconstruction or a World Half Empty.
 * The Extremist Was Right: As much of a heartless bastard as Tywin is, and as ruthless as he can be, he was an extremely capable leader and administrator when he served as King's hand; Westeros enjoyed peace and prosperity under his leadership, as did his home province. Similarly, he makes considerable progress to restoring order to Westeros after
 * Of course as the Reynes of Castamere might point out, Tywin's peace tended to be that of the threatened sword than the open hand, making him more of a Villain with Good Publicity during his original tenure as Hand. People tended towards obedience not out of respect, fealty, and love but because they were afraid that if they didn't, he'd destroy their homes and slaughter their families and smallfolk.
 * Green Eyes: Flecked with gold.
 * The Gwen Stacy: Tywin was never the same after his wife Joanna died giving birth to Tyrion.
 * Hypocrite: Oh, where to start. The most blatant example would be how he has no problem sleeping with whores, in spite of all the hell he gives Tyrion over that same behavior. There's also his borderline obsession with marrying his children and grandchildren off to other families to create powerful alliances, when he himself married his cousin for love, and never remarried after despite several eligible women that would have made equally solid alliances.
 * Idiot Ball: For all his Chessmastering ability, Tywin carries this from time to time. His disdain for Tyrion causes him to believe what Cersei and others tell him about the defense of King's Landing(which was pretty much all Tyrion) and only say that his chain across the river was "passing clever". He also fails to understand the depth of Littlefinger's ambitions, believing that he would be content with marrying Lysa.
 * I Have No Son: When Jaime refuses to leave the Kingsguard to inherit Casterly Rock, Tywin tells him that he is "no son of mine". Presumably, the fact that that would only leave Tyrion to inherit the Rock played a big part of that. He scarcely needs to say it to Tyrion, the way he treats him, but he still manages to, late in A Storm of Swords..
 * Inadequate Inheritor: Played straight with Tywin and Tyrion, as Tywin flat-out refuses to give Tyrion possession of Casterly Rock, which should have passed directly to him, since Jaime is now in the Kingsguard (who forfeit all lands and titles) and Cersei is a woman.
 * Inverted with Tywin and his father Tytos. Tytos was weak and rather incompetent as a lord, and he lent his vassals so much money it bankrupted House Lannister and practically turned them into a laughing stock. This gives us a little insight into why Tywin is such a hardass.
 * The Man Behind the Man: was this to King Aerys in large part. Subverted in that everyone knew Tywin was in charge and loved him for it.
 * Manipulative Bastard: Is sufficiently powerful and feared to be more domineering and openly bullying than most manipulative bastards, but people do usually end up doing exactly what he wants, even if the manipulation is fairly indirect.
 * Memetic Badass: His destruction of the Reynes and the Tarbecks grants him this status in-universe. A single verse of The Rains of Castamere is often enough to quell any resistance. Even Roose Bolton respects his villainy.
 * The Mourning After
 * Morality Pet: Apparently his wife Joanna was this. Unfortunately, she died years prior to the main events of the series.
 * Odd Friendship: A Dance with Dragons explains why Aerys would pull Tywin (of all people) to Hand for him: they were close friends in their youth.
 * (This also throws some more light onto why Tywin was so slighted when Aerys turned down Cersei, as mentioned above. How lame is it to be friends with someone for decades, but then turn around and call them an unsuccessful servant?)
 * Offing the Offspring: It's heavily implied that he hopes Tyrion will get killed in one of the many dangerous tasks he assigns to him.
 * Papa Wolf: To Jaime and Cersei. Never to Tyrion. If he ever does do anything to protect Tyrion, it's only for the sake of defending the honor of the family name.
 * Though both Jaime and Cersei note that he's perfectly happy to treat them ill without compunction if it will benefit the Lannister legacy at all. If there's anything Tywin could truly said to be a Papa Wolf too, it's likely House Lannister as a whole rather than any particular person in it.
 * Parental Favoritism: Greatly prefers Jaime and Cersei to Tyrion. The fact that his relationship with Jaime and Cersei is cold at best shows just how badly he mistreats and disregards Tyrion. It is also suggested that he prefers Cersei to Jaime (or has in the past) since Cersei reminisces about how she and her mother were the only people Lord Tywin ever smiled at.
 * Pragmatic Villainy: So pragmatic that how "villainous" he is is one of the most debated questions in the fandom.
 * Rags to Riches: Part of his back story is how he singlehandedly returned House Lannister to its former glory.
 * Selective Obliviousness: Absolutely cannot, or will not, see Tyrion's full value. Most characters, even those who acknowledge Tyrion's cunning, underestimate him because he's a dwarf. Even so, this is Tywin's one major weakness,
 * This is played out to a lesser extent with his other children as well. Tywin wanted a powerful Lannister ruler--Jaime--and a second by the side of the king--Cersei. He got exactly what he wanted, but Gender Flipped, and could never quite get over that.
 * Solid Gold Poop: it is rumored that he produces this, the Lannisters being as rich as they are. Becomes a Brick Joke later. (Yes, seriously.)
 * The Starscream: Became this to Aerys eventually, with successful results.
 * Straight Edge Evil: He is a hardworking man of great dedication and discipline, and the joke about him shitting gold is not only a reference to his vast wealth, but also to him seeming too perfect to defecate like ordinary people.
 * The Strategist: His one mistake of  notwithstanding, Tywin is very good at this, and is greatly feared as a battle commander. In some ways, he is the finest example in the series. Unlike Robb, he builds the alliances and conducts the diplomacy to gain any possible advantage.
 * The Stoic: A Tyrion chapter notes that Tywin never, ever smiles. This is later contradicted by Cersei, who claims that she and her mother were the only people he ever smiled to. (Tyrion obviously has never seen his mother, and other characters have mentioned that Joanna's Death by Childbirth was something of a Despair Event Horizon for Tywin.)
 * "The Villain Sucks" Song: "The Rains of Castamere", which details how two of his bannermen, the Tarbecks of Tarbeck Hall and the Reynes of Castamere, rebelled against his rule. It ends with him killing them all. Tywin loves hearing it. His enemies don't.
 * Villain with Good Publicity: A rare example in that it's partially justified.
 * When She Smiles: Played with. As mentioned above, he has not smiled in recent memory, but Tyrion is present on several occasions when Tywin almost smiles, but instead of being a heartwarming moment, the look is described as "terrible", probably because the context suggests it would be a Slasher Smile. The only time a true smile appears on Tywin's face is
 * The one time we definitely know Tywin smiled was when Tarbeck Hall collapsed in flames. Yeah.
 * Xanatos Speed Chess: Given that this is a medieval fantasy setting where everything, especially communications and troop movements, require several days (at minimum) to happen, it's debatable whether he qualifies for this. However, it is certain that, while a very serious blow, did not stop him from regaining control of the situation. It should also be noted that any decent battle commander would need to be quite good at this to get anywhere, and he is greatly feared and very experienced.
 * The Stoic: A Tyrion chapter notes that Tywin never, ever smiles. This is later contradicted by Cersei, who claims that she and her mother were the only people he ever smiled to. (Tyrion obviously has never seen his mother, and other characters have mentioned that Joanna's Death by Childbirth was something of a Despair Event Horizon for Tywin.)
 * "The Villain Sucks" Song: "The Rains of Castamere", which details how two of his bannermen, the Tarbecks of Tarbeck Hall and the Reynes of Castamere, rebelled against his rule. It ends with him killing them all. Tywin loves hearing it. His enemies don't.
 * Villain with Good Publicity: A rare example in that it's partially justified.
 * When She Smiles: Played with. As mentioned above, he has not smiled in recent memory, but Tyrion is present on several occasions when Tywin almost smiles, but instead of being a heartwarming moment, the look is described as "terrible", probably because the context suggests it would be a Slasher Smile. The only time a true smile appears on Tywin's face is
 * The one time we definitely know Tywin smiled was when Tarbeck Hall collapsed in flames. Yeah.
 * Xanatos Speed Chess: Given that this is a medieval fantasy setting where everything, especially communications and troop movements, require several days (at minimum) to happen, it's debatable whether he qualifies for this. However, it is certain that, while a very serious blow, did not stop him from regaining control of the situation. It should also be noted that any decent battle commander would need to be quite good at this to get anywhere, and he is greatly feared and very experienced.

Queen Cersei Lannister*
""I would open my legs for every man in King's Landing if that was what I had to do to keep my children safe.""

Wife and Queen of King Robert. Twin sister of Jaime, older than him by perhaps a minute. A very ambitious and cunning woman, she hates the restrictions put on her because of her gender. She is a physically beautiful but morally repulsive Mama Bear/Evil Matriarch combination, and fiercely protective of her children.

"Ned: I remember Robert as he was the day he took the throne, every inch a king. A thousand other women might have loved him with all their hearts. What did he do to make you hate him so? Cersei: The night of our wedding feast, the first time we shared a bed, he called me by your sister’s name. He was on top of me, in me, stinking of wine, and he whispered Lyanna."
 * Abusive Parent: When Tommen stands up for himself for possibly the first time in his life, Cersei...doesn't beat his whipping boy, Pate. Oh no. Instead she orders Boros Blount to force her eight year old son to beat Pate himself, 'until both cheeks bleed', and lets Tommen know that if he refuses or protests at all the boy's tongue will be cut out in front of him.
 * Acceptable Targets: Cersei is one in-universe. Her reputation as "the slutty and evil Queen" tends to be exaggerated, and other characters often blame her for Joffrey's insane deeds.
 * Which isn't to say that any of that is inaccurate. She does sleep around a lot, she is extremely evil, and she's primarily to blame for Joffrey's deeds, albeit indirectly by raising him as a spoiled, spiteful little demon rather than directly by telling him to do it.
 * Batman Gambit: She tries a couple of them in A Feast For Crows.
 * Because Destiny Says So: At a young age, Cersei received a prophecy:.
 * Freudian Excuse: Said prophecy now motivates her entire personality, as an attempt to...
 * Screw Destiny, but her paranoia about it is making it more of a...
 * Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
 * Prophecy Twist:
 * Exact Words:
 * Lost in Translation:
 * Blondes Are Evil
 * Break the Haughty:
 * Come to Gawk:
 * Daddy's Girl: Not anymore. When she was a child, she was one of the two people Lord Tywin ever smiled at (the other being his beloved wife), and he would share some of his plans with her and trust her to keep silent. However, she could never forgive him for failing to fulfil his promise to get her married to Rhaegar Targaryen, and landing her with the fat, lecherous, alcoholic Robert Baratheon instead. It is likely that their relationship started to sour at this point, or maybe it was just a case of her growing older and being expected to "do her duty" as a daughter of House Lannister.
 * Depraved Bisexual: Subverted. She's definitely depraved, and quite willing to use sex or sex appeal to get what she wants, but the one time she has a same-sex encounter she doesn't enjoy it.
 * Evil Matriarch
 * Fawlty Towers Plot: Her attempt to discredit Margaery becomes this. Played for Drama, with very unpleasant results.
 * Foil: For Catelyn, to whom she is something like an Evil Counterpart.
 * Genre Blind: One of the things that makes her such an incompetent ruler. Her chain of thought regarding politics runs somewwhat akin to: "anyone who is not my loyal, fawning servant = an enemy, even if they're a key ally we need to keep power = snub and offend them at any opportunity to put them in their place". She has an incredible talent for antagonising people she needs, especially the Tyrells and the Iron Bank of Braavos.
 * God Save Us From the Queen
 * Green Eyes
 * Half-Identical Twins
 * Hoist by His Own Petard: Her  appear likely to backfire spectacularly.
 * Hot Mom: Though as of the end of A Feast For Crows, her looks are starting to go, which is one of many things that frightens her.
 * Humiliation Conga:
 * If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him: The text has lately been drawing comparisons between her and . She's not winning.
 * It's All About Me
 * Kick the Dog: Happens continuously throughout the series, but then in A Feast For Crows she gives Qyburn a maid who she suspects has been spying on her, to torture and experiment on. Then she starts turning over prisoners, enemies and Falyse Stokeworth when she becomes inconvenient.
 * Kissing Cousins: With Lancel.
 * Lady Drunk: She seems to be on her way to becoming one, which is one of the reasons Jaime begins to recoil from her.
 * Mama Bear: Her love for her children is one of her few redeeming features. Alas, even that goes overboard. Cersei often recalls an incident when Robert struck his son over "some nonsense over a cat". The nonsense was that the cat was pregnant and Joffrey wanted to see the unborn kittens. So he slit the cat open to dig them out.
 * Her uncle Kevan tells her point blank that she made a complete hash of raising Joffrey; it's obvious he fears she'll do the same to Tommen if she gets to keep her claws in him.
 * As more of her abusive relationship with Tommen develops, it becomes obvious that she loves her children much as she loved Jaime: because she sees herself in them, and she only truly loves herself. Any time a child ceases to act like her (such as when Tommen wants to be kind and gentle to the smallfolk of King's Landing) causes absolute fury.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * My Beloved Smother: She's so determined to protect Tommen from the tricks and wiles of his new wife that she tries to prevent practically anyone having access to him at all.
 * Prophecy Twist: It's quite possible that she's misinterpreted the prophecy she was given; see Because Destiny Says So above.
 * Royal Brat: We only get a few glimpses of Cersei as a child, from Prince Oberyn's recollections and her own, but they go a long way in confirming where Prince Joffrey learned his...charming way with people.
 * Regent for Life: She seems to want to be this, but it doesn't look good for her.
 * Replacement Goldfish: played with. She feared becoming Robert's substitute Lyanna, but ultimately that didn't happen. Why that is depends on whether you're in the book canon or TV canon.
 * She briefly starts using her cousin Lancel for sex because he's the closest thing she can get to Jaime.
 * Or, more specifically, The books seem to be developing some parallels between her and Mad King Aerys, such as Cersei's newfound love of destroying things by fire.
 * Secret Relationship: At first, with Jaime.
 * Small Name, Big Ego: This is Played for Drama, with suitably horrific consequences.
 * Smug Snake: The Cersei chapters of A Feast For Crows are so packed with her arrogance, smugness, paranoia, self-satisfaction, willful blindness and most of all blatant stupidity that it's almost nauseating. She thinks she was born to rule, but while she's good at plotting, backstabbing and treachery, as a ruler she's incredibly incompetent.
 * Sympathetic POV: Averted; readers finally get a glimpse inside her head in A Feast For Crows, but she remains as villainous as ever.
 * Twincest/BrotherSisterIncest: She began "experimenting" with Jaime when they both were nine.
 * The Unfair Sex: The victim of this, not surprisingly at that time. Sure, Robert is the king, so her affairs put the royal lineage in danger, and her children are a result of an incest. But still she gave birth to three bastards, while her husband produced sixteen. The idea of Robert executing her and her offspring if he ever finds out? Perfectly understandable. Cersei not wanting Robert's illegitimate children near the court? What a bitch.
 * Cersei's less a bitch because she doesn't want Robert's bastards near court, and more because she doesn't want them near court because she doesn't want them used as proof of her incestuous affair and she thus tries to have them all slaughtered, from the teenagers down to babies less than a year old.
 * The Vamp: "Tears are not a woman's only weapon. You've another one between your legs. Best learn to use it."
 * Villain Decay: Partially for the viewers, partially in-universe. Before she becomes a viewpoint character and while she has to deal with a lot of strong-willed influences, Cersei seems a lot more cunning, bordering on being at least a small-scale The Chessmaster. Once you actually see her thought processes and she's given actual power, it becomes obvious she's a complete moron, and thereafter stumbles from one idiotic decision to another. (There doesn't seem to be a single other person in all of Westeros that thinks allowing the Faith to militarize again was a good idea, other than Cersei and the Faith itself.)
 * Villainous Incest
 * Villain Protagonist: In A Feast For Crows.
 * When She Smiles: one time Tyrion was giving her some good news that put her in a good mood he notes that he is possibly getting an insight into what Jaime sees in her.
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: The second all checks on her power are removed, she runs herself into the ground.
 * Wrong Name Outburst: Cersei never loved Robert, but she might have been a decent wife to him, until he did this.
 * Wrong Name Outburst: Cersei never loved Robert, but she might have been a decent wife to him, until he did this.


 * Your Cheating Heart: All over the place. Not that it's that uncommon for noble women in this setting, but Cersei's affairs have consequences far more devastating than most, most notably

Jaime Lannister*
""There are no men like me. There's only me.""

Jaime is one of the most beautiful and dangerous men in Westeros. A knight of the Kingsguard, he developed a bad reputation after backstabbing the King he swore to defend, causing him to be nicknamed "Kingslayer." He is the twin brother of Cersei, and the two share a strong resemblance. Jaime seems to be little more than a Jerkass until the third book, when he becomes a POV character and much, much more sympathetic.

""Do you think the noble Lord of Winterfell wanted to hear my feeble explanations? Such an honorable man. He only had to look at me to judge me guilty.""
 * Abhorrent Admirer: A tragic example. Pia, the buttery girl from Harrenhal, has had a crush on him since girlhood, and even used this to cope with being raped. He lets her down gently, and feels terrible about it.
 * Anti-Hero / Anti-Villain
 * Armor-Piercing Question:
 * The Atoner: Gradually morphs into one after and travelling with Brienne. He still has some distance to go, though.
 * Badass
 * . Of course, it's been shown a few times that the series makes use of Unreliable Narrator, so it's quite possible that Jaime.
 * Memetic Badass: In-universe. He was such a good fighter that after he killed King Aerys, King Robert still wanted him for the Kingsguard.
 * He became a fandom memetic badass in Suvudu.com's "cage matches." The site pit 32 fictional characters against each other in one-on-one fights to the finish. Due to reader votes, Jaime Lannister defeated Hermione Granger, Cthulhu, Temeraire, and Kvothe in spite of being so obviously overmatched due to a lack of magical ability and . Rising backlash over his success ultimately caused him to lose to Rand al'Thor in the final round, though George R. R. Martin did pen a very good short story on how he believes the duel should go, which manages to pay tribute to his late friend's work as well as examine the fundamental differences in their worlds.
 * Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: How his murder of Aerys Targaryen was viewed by Robert and Ned.
 * Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work: How his murder of Aerys Targaryen was viewed by Robert and Ned.

"spoiler: "Jaime," Brienne whispered. "Jaime, what are you doing?" "Dying," he whispered back." "No," she said, "no, you must live." He wanted to laugh. "Stop telling me what to do, wench. I'll die if it pleases me." "Are you so craven?""
 * Beard of Evil: Subverted, as.
 * Big Damn Heroes: His rescue of.
 * Blood Knight: He says he never feels alive unless he's fighting (or with Cersei.)
 * Bodyguard Betrayal: His killing of King Aerys.
 * Break the Haughty
 * Bullying a Dragon: With Merrett Frey. Jaime was the dragon.
 * Byronic Hero: He's on the darker end of this trope, Tyrion's on the lighter end, though the two seem to be drifting in the opposite direction, with Jaime becoming lighter and Tyrion becoming darker.
 * Character Development: And HOW! Probably the best example in the series.
 * Damn You, Muscle Memory!: He wants to learn to fight as well with his left hand as he can with his right. It's been difficult.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Damn You, Muscle Memory!: He wants to learn to fight as well with his left hand as he can with his right. It's been difficult.
 * Deadpan Snarker

""Aerys, Jaime thought resentfully. It always turns on Aerys.""
 * Even Jaime Has Standards: In A Feast For Crows he threatens Edmure Tully with the death of his baby son. He considered it a low blow and reckons that if Edmure had called his bluff, he wouldn't have gone through with it. In the TV series he's disgusted when one of his men-at-arms interrupts his duel with Ned by stabbing him in the back of the leg and actually punches him in the face for doing so.
 * It is notable that, while Jaime does several bad things throughout the series, he never does anything that he sees as needlessly cruel - he is disgusted by Joffrey's behaviour towards Sansa Stark, still more disgusted that Ser Meryn Trant aided him in this. He also thinks that Ser Gregor's murder of a stable lad during  was dreadful, and that his father and sister's treatment of his brother Tyrion is unfair.
 * Evil Former Friend: He pretty much is this to the Tully family. Prior to joining the Kingsguard, the young Jaime was going to have an arranged marriage to Lysa Tully, and so spent time at Riverrun, at which he was friendly with Lysa and Cat and idolized the Blackfish. This history combined with his more recent actions is probably why the Tullys have a particular hatred of Jaime.
 * Expository Hairstyle Change: Following his time on the road with Brienne, Jaime continues to wear a beard, which symbolizes his development into a better person. In part, this is because it is a physical symbol of him realizing he's a very different person than his half-identical twin, Cersei.
 * A Father to His Men: One of his viewpoint chapters shows him passing through his army's camp, where people of much lower rank invite him to join their meals and ask his advice on battle tactics (and do so sincerely rather than because they want to suck up.) Even people like Ned Stark advise against this level of familiarity with their subordinates, so it says a lot about Jaime that they're so comfortable around him, and vice versa.
 * His squires love him as well, even though two of them are from rebel houses.
 * Good Feels Good: He starts to discover this, and while at first he brushes off his heroic actions with an It Amused Me excuse, by the time he beheads the man who tried to rape Pia, it is clear that her smile means a great deal to him.
 * Green Eyes
 * Guile Hero: After he swears an oath not to take up arms against House Tully and, he's forced to become one, and actually does a pretty good job of it. Unfortunately, doing so has required him to threaten to Kick the Dog several times, and everybody believes his threats because he's the Kingslayer and has no honor.
 * Half-Identical Twins
 * Happy Place: Jaime tends to "go away inside" when he's in a situation he can't do anything about. He first learned to do this when he was in Aerys' Kingsguard and had to stand by and watch as the King he was sworn to protect burned people alive and brutally raped his wife.
 * Heel Face Turn
 * Hidden Depths: Another great example. Before we get a look inside his head, he seems like a grade-A douchebag.
 * Honor Before Reason: Jaime has an... unconventional approach to honour. He realises that because of his kingslaying no-one will ever trust him to act honourably or give him any credit for decency. He also realises that this basically gives him free reign to be as dishonourable as he likes, since if he's already dishonoured then what does he have to lose? But he wants to be honourable and will often go to extreme lengths to avoid doing "dishonourable" things (breaking his oath-at-swordpoint to never again bear arms against Stark or Tully, finishing off Ned Stark after their duel is interrupted by a man-at-arms because "it wouldn't have been clean" etc). This causes him considerable angst at times.
 * Another interesting thing about Jaime is that, regardless of how "honourable" he is, he is one of the most honest characters in the series. He very rarely actually lies, and when he does so it is a deliberate attempt to get a good outcome rather than because of some self-serving scheme. Generally, his own code of honour seems to be going along the lines of "the end justifies the means", and an action is good if it has a good outcome (which is why he considers betraying the Mad King and saving King's Landing his finest act), in contrast to Ned Stark, who proceeds with the "honourable" course despite it being explained to him in some detail that it will start a war in which thousands will die.
 * He has also tried to persuade Cersei to marry him openly, and tells her that he's not ashamed of loving her, only of what they've done to hide it. He has also never lied to or cheated on her, and is genuinely heartbroken when he finds out that she has not returned his faithfulness.
 * Hot Dad: Though only biologically. Jaime has very little emotional attachment to his biological kids. As of book four he's been making an effort with Tommen, but even he acknowledges he does way better as a cool uncle than he would as a father.
 * How Do I Shot Web?:
 * Important Haircut
 * In-Series Nickname: The Kingslayer.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He starts off the series as an arrogant, self-serving bastard at best, and for a long time seems like the stereotypical fantasy villain... but in the third book he's revealed as feeling enormous guilt over many of his past actions, as well as being capable of compassion and valor.
 * While the heart of gold didn't really get a chance to shine until he got his own POV chapters, it was hinted at in the first book; his fury over Tyrion being taken hostage and potentially being executed, for example.
 * It was further expanded upon in the second book, when Tyrion thinks that the only person who could possibly find it in themselves to rescue him from a life-threatening situation out of kindness is Jaime.
 * He also went to enormous lengths to save Brienne from being raped despide being a prisoner like her, having declared his disliking of her to the world and before his.
 * Kick the Dog: Out of a window.
 * His second moment was when he "chastised" Eddard by killing his guardsmen and friends in front of him.
 * Although the second one is actually a lot less evil seen from his perspective: The goddamn Starks had just.
 * His offer to deliver an enemy's newborn son to his father with a trebuchet might be this, but there are some indications that he's bluffing. It's open to interpretation, and since the enemy backs down at this point, it's never shown if he would actually follow through.
 * Might be? That takes place during his own viewpoint chapter and thus the reader can see him preparing himself to play the part of a heartless bastard so he can end the siege without breaking his oath to Catelyn.
 * In fact, Jaime as a whole might be seen as a subversion or as Playing With this trope. The cruelest thing Jaime did was throw  out the tower, and even then the decision was, if not justifiable, then understandable from his perspective: if   had told anyone it would have meant the death of his sister and her three children, and it isn't like   had to go and look. Throwing him from the tower was evil, but from his perspective it was a necessary one. He wouldn't choose to throw children out windows, but he will in order to protect his "family". For the rest of the series, he never does anything wantonly cruel, and indeed he spends more time petting dogs than kicking them.
 * Love Makes You Evil: Invoked: "The things I do for love."
 * Master Swordsman: He serves as the Memetic Badass of his generation, and only four people have ever defeated him in tourneys or combat--Sandor Clegane, Loras Tyrell, Robb Stark and several northern knights, and.
 * Morality Pet: Brienne. To a certain degree, Tyrion is this as well.
 * Also, he is fond of the squires he gains when he goes to reclaim Riverrun, and Pia, the sexually, physically and emotionally abused girl who has been the sex toy of several different factions by the time Jaime meets her again at Harrenhal. He beheads one man for trying to rape her, and tells one of the squires who has a crush on her that he is not to touch her without her consent, and to treat her gently if she gives it.
 * My Master, Right or Wrong:
 * Never Live It Down: An in-universe example. Jaime is more often than not referred to as "Kingslayer" because he killed Aerys Targaryen, whom he had sworn to protect. However, the people who think of him as an "oathbreaker" and declare that he has no honor always seem to conveniently forget that Aerys was an Ax Crazy Caligula, and unknown to everyone still alive but Jaime is the fact that Aerys was . Jaime has only told the truth of the matter to Brienne, and then only because he was feverish (or so he tells himself). See Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work for more.

"“I’m the bloody Kingslayer, remember? When I say you have honor, that’s like a whore vouchsafing your maidenhood.”"
 * Noodle Incident: What he did to Merrett Frey when Frey tried to bully him when they were both squires. Whatever it was, it completely broke Merrett's hold over the other squires and made him a laughing stock.
 * Not So Different: One possible interpretation of a comment he makes about Ned Stark condemning him after he killed Aerys: "By what right does the wolf judge the lion? By what right?". It's up to personal opinion whether he means "how dare a lowly wolf judge something as superior as a lion!" (which is what Cersei and Tywin would say), or whether he means "the wolf and lion both slaughter those weaker than themselves, so how can he claim the moral high ground?". Since he's in the middle of his gradual Heel Face Turn at this point, it could be either.
 * The Oathbreaker: Infamously.


 * Odd Friendship: Him and Briene.
 * Pet the Dog: What is it with him and Ugly Cute characters?
 * Redemption Quest: His oath to Catelyn to return her daughters unharmed and to never take up arms against the Starks or Tullys again.
 * Reformed but Rejected
 * Scars Are Forever: When
 * Shoot the Dog: How Jaime views his slaying of King Aerys the Mad, who was going to . The fact that everyone else views it as a Moral Event Horizon is basically the character's dramatic tension.
 * Single-Target Sexuality: Jaime has this for Cersei, to the point of being squicked out when he experiences attraction to another woman.
 * However, after  his chapter in ADWD shows him noticing another woman in a sexual manner, so he may be moving past this.
 * Skilled but Naive: Subverted in everything but his family: he genuinely believed that Cersei and Tyrion never ever lied to him. Also, in a dream where he faced the ghosts of Rhaegar and the former Kingsguards members, he said that he didn't do anything to protect Elia and her children 'cause he thought that Tywin wasn't going to hurt them.
 * Smug Smiler: Deliberately used. Jaime does this a lot (which fits with his first appearance as a stereotypical fantasy villain), but the chapters written from his POV show that he consciously puts on a knowing smile whenever he's unsure of the situation, because he's learned that it makes people nervous, and that they will read lots of different things from it depending on what the issue is.
 * Sympathetic POV
 * Team Dad: He fulfills this role to his squires and Pia, especially in regard to his treatment of Peck and Pia's relationship.
 * To Be Lawful or Good: Jaime's struggles with this question are a large part of his character arc.
 * Twincest: Since he was nine years old.
 * Villain Ball Magnet
 * Villainous Incest: At first played straight; later subverted, as even after his Heel Face Turn he's still really only attracted to his sister, though this may change (see Single-Target Sexuality above)
 * With My Hands Tied:  is amazed at how competent he is in a fight despite being manacled and half-starved at the time.
 * The Woobie: Post his Heel Face Turn - certainly, many in the fandom hope that he can find redemption and happiness.
 * "The things I do for love." Holds the page quote.
 * Zero-Approval Gambit: His  turns out to have been one of these.

Tyrion Lannister*
"Tyrion: What sort of man do you take me for? Cersei: A small and twisted one."

The last and least son of Tywin Lannister, Tyrion is a deformed dwarf nicknamed "the Imp." Though many scorn him for his hideous appearance and he is an embarrassment to the perfectionist Lannisters, Tyrion is the most compassionate and genuinely heroic of his family. He is also extremely smart and cunning like his father Tywin, but his family never appreciates what he does (except for Jaime). Tyrion is a favorite of author George R. R. Martin, and is probably the most popular character in the series.

"Tyrion: I have never liked you, Cersei, but you were my own sister, so I never did you harm. You've ended that. I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid."
 * Action Survivor: He does take up a weapon at some points (he seems to prefer an axe, which almost certainly is a reference to the kind of dwarfs more commonly found in fantasy novels), but because of his stature he normally does his best to just stay out of the way.
 * Agent Scully: Despite or because of being well versed in ancient lore, Tyrion is shown on several occasions to be extremely skeptical of manifestations of magic returning to the world. It's implied, especially where dragons are concerned, that as in other aspects of his life, he used to believe but had his idealism crushed.
 * Anti-Hero: Originally a Type III. Since  he's moved into Type V territory
 * Arc Words: "Wherever whores go."
 * Badass Boast: As part of his attempt to manipulate Cersei prior to the battle of King's Landing.

""They call me half a man. What does that make the lot of you?" That shamed them well enough."
 * See Cersei's section of this page for why, by sheer coincidence, it turns out to have been the absolute perfect thing to say.
 * As well as simultaneously the absolute worst thing to say.
 * Badass Bookworm: While not a scholar, he's very intelligent and is fond of reading, and despite his lack of size and training proves very capable whenever he's forced into battle.
 * Berserk Button: He has angry -- but fairly calm -- reactions to anyone talking crap about or attempting to abuse Shae. But he completely loses his shit whenever Joffrey mistreats Sansa, even going so far as to threaten to cut off Joffrey's dick in front of the entire court at Tyrion and Sansa's wedding. It's very clear that he doesn't love Sansa, but given everything that his family has done to hers, he seems to want to at the very least keep her safe.
 * Butt Monkey: His immediate family all treat him callously, with the exception of Jaime.
 * Characterization Marches On: He's introduced doing an acrobatic leap off a gargoyle, which Martin has said is an artifact of his original ideas for the character. Soon afterward, he's firmly established as someone with no physical strengths at all, who must rely purely on his wits. Although interestingly, in the fifth book we learn that he has some tumbling skills learned when he was younger, and could walk on his hands along the length of a table--until Tywin found out about it.
 * He does mention to Jon Snow that he has decent upper body strength, it's just that his arms are too short to wield a sword properly.
 * The Chessmaster: In most works of fiction, he'd count as a full-fledged Magnificent Bastard. The standards of Westeros, however, are much higher, although Tyrion still has his shining moments.
 * Convicted by Public Opinion: When Tyrion is accused of, it doesn't take much evidence to convince the majority of people of his guilt due to his hideous appearance and evil reputation.
 * Deadpan Snarker: So very much.
 * Disabled Snarker
 * Depraved Dwarf: Subverted. Though this is what he is widely believed to be, he is actually a generally decent and honorable person (despite a few moments of cruelty and a penchant for boozing and whoring).
 * Dogged Nice Guy: Towards
 * Evil Uncle: Subverted - everyone thinks he's this, but he's actually one of the more decent and honorable members of his family. Ironically, the two people who seem most capable of seeing his true character are his niece and nephew Tommen and Myrcella.
 * Expy: He's a dwarf in a highly martial society and subject to dislike and mistrust for it, and he'd be even worse off if he wasn't lucky enough to be born to an aristocratic family with strong ties to the royal family. Luckily, he's an excellent schemer and strategist. In fact, he had an early Crowning Moment of Awesome when he talked the warriors who had captured him into working for him, instead. Oh, and his brother's a Badass with some serious issues. He's Richard of Gloucester in a darker family and world.
 * Feed the Mole: At one point during his stint as King's Hand Tyrion does this when he realizes that . It works.
 * The Grotesque
 * Guile Hero: He's a Chessmaster (well,technically a cyvasse master), yeah, but not as villainous as Tywin. Still.
 * Hero with Bad Publicity: Like most of the characters in the series he's pretty morally ambiguous, but thanks to the beliefs of everyone around him he never gets any credit for his heroic actions while being frequently blamed for crimes he didn't commit.
 * While being acting Hand of the King, he's blamed for Joffrey's unpopular edicts while getting no credit for his actions for the benefit of the city.
 * In-Series Nickname: The Imp.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Kill It with Fire:
 * Kick the Dog: In order to prevent Tywin and Cersei finding out about Shae, he gives Bronn the go-ahead to take care of a singer who threatens to blackmail him. It's strongly implied that the singer will end up on the menu in a pot shop in Flea Bottom.
 * Kick the Son of a Bitch: The are pretty brutal, but both victims are such unlikable characters that it's hard not for many readers to cheer him on.
 * Like Father, Like Son: Though Tywin would rather die than admit it. Lampshaded by Tywin's sister Genna, when Jaime attempts to offer reassurances by casting himself as his father's son. His aunt replies that Jaime is many things, but Tywin's true son is Tyrion. True to the above statement, when she told Tywin that, he refused to speak to her for six months. This itself is a Meaningful Echo of one of Tyrion's first lines: "All dwarfs are bastards" (illegitimate) "in their father's eyes."
 * Ironically,
 * Looking for Love In All the Wrong Places:.
 * Mismatched Eyes: One of Tyrion's eyes is green and the other black.
 * "No Respect" Guy: Tyrion is simply one of the most talented people on the Lannister side, a superb administrator, a cunning player of the Game of Thrones and even an outright Badass in battle. Yet no-one except Jaime, least of all their father, gives him any credit for anything. During his time as Hand he does much to try to improve the situation in King's Landing, but winds up getting the blame for the problems he's trying to fix instead, and none of the credit for things he does get to fix, just because he's a dwarf. His practically saves King's Landing single-handed at the Battle of Blackwater, but only receives any credit for coming up with the strategy to block the river with a giant chain.
 * Not Helping Your Case: His lack of tact is one of his major weaknesses, and his inability to resist making snarky jibes at inopportune times costs him, most notably when.
 * Prank Date: Horrifyingly subverted, when Tywin had the whole garrison gang-rape Tyrion's date Tysha.
 * Put on a Bus: He's one of the characters who doesn't appear at all in A Feast For Crows, which given his popularity resulted in some unhappy readers.
 * Tragic Anti-Hero
 * Shaming the Mob: He does this during when his soldiers are reluctant to charge into the wildfire-strewn battlefield:
 * Shaming the Mob: He does this during when his soldiers are reluctant to charge into the wildfire-strewn battlefield:
 * Shaming the Mob: He does this during when his soldiers are reluctant to charge into the wildfire-strewn battlefield:


 * Sherlock Scan: starts exhibiting this in Dance. Upon meeting Griff, he instantly has suspicions about the man--whom, it should be pointed out, Tyrion has probably never met in his life; he was nine the last time Griff was famous--and is dropping veiled hints about "winged lions" within a couple of pages.
 * Too Clever by Half
 * The Unfavourite
 * Villain Ball Magnet
 * Younger Than They Look: He's about twenty-eight, give or take.
 * Possibly even younger. Jaime and Cersei are stated to be 17 at the time of Robert's rebellion, which occured about 13 years ago, placing them in their early thirties. And Oberyn Martel says that the twins were 8 or 9 when Tyrion was born. He's in his early twenties.
 * This troper made him to be twenty five: in AFFC Jaime mentions moving in to his Kingsguard room 18 years ago, and he was 15 when he was accepted into the Kingsguard, making him 33. Assuming Oberyn is correct about the twins' ages, that would make Tyrion 25 as of ADWD.

Kevan Lannister*
Tywin's brother and right-hand man for many years, Kevan has, by choice, mostly lived his life in Tywin's shadow. He is known to be stolid and reliable, and doesn't come across as particularly villainous, and in later books is revealed to be a pretty decent man. He married Lady Dorna Swyft and sired four children, amongst them Lancel Lannister. He and Tywin are the only two remaining sons of Tytos Lannister; their younger brothers Tygett and Gerion both having predeceased them. They also have a sister, Genna, who married Emmon Frey, second son of the Late Lord Walder; her children include the late and unlamented Ser Cleos Frey.


 * The Dragon: To Tywin.
 * Noble Top Enforcer
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Tywin.
 * The Good Chancellor: When he takes over the Regency from Cersei, he immediately starts making progress towards fixing the mess she created.
 * The Lancer: Tyrion observes that he's too humble to ever take power of his own volition.
 * Nice to the Waiter: Nice to everybody, actually. Including Tyrion and other "undesirables".
 * Only Sane Man: He's picked up most of Tywin's wisdom but is not as ruthless as his brother. He's also one of the first people to call Cersei on her idiocy, demanding she give up her regency for the good of the realm.
 * Overshadowed by Awesome
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Token Good Teammate:
 * Yes-Man: Subverted. Cersei thought he qualified because he followed his older brother, and thus believed she could easily push him around. To her surprise, it turned out that he followed Tywin because he thought Tywin was right most of the time, and was much more vocally critical towards Cersei.
 * Token Good Teammate:
 * Yes-Man: Subverted. Cersei thought he qualified because he followed his older brother, and thus believed she could easily push him around. To her surprise, it turned out that he followed Tywin because he thought Tywin was right most of the time, and was much more vocally critical towards Cersei.

Lancel Lannister
The teenaged son of Kevan Lannister and younger cousin to Jamie, Cersei and Tyrion. The squire of Robert Baratheorn. Initially described as something of a wannabe Jamie, he serves as a side character during the first four books.


 * Arranged Marriage: In A Feast For Crows, the Lannisters marry him off to Ami Frey, a female line descendant of House Darry, all the male members of which died during the War of the Five Kings, so the Lannisters can claim the Darry lands for themselves. This causes problems with the now devoutly religous Lancel, and the fact that Ami has a reputation as being very promiscuous does not help matters.
 * The Atoner: Ends up becoming The Fundamentalist in an attempt to make up for his earlier behaviour. Subverted in that this does not make him much more sympathetic at all.
 * Bishonen: Described as very fair-haired and looking slightly like a younger, less manly Jamie. The TV series picked this description up and ran with it, making him look positively girly.
 * Butt Monkey: Robert mocks and dislikes him. Cersei manipulates him. Tyrion blackmails him. He's nearly killed . Then he's forced into an Arranged Marriage so that the Lannisters can get their paws on a castle whose male heirs got killed off during the war. Finally, he just gives up and, making his father practically disown him.
 * The Fundamentalist: Becomes this in A Feast for Crows.
 * Kissing Cousins: During a period in which she is separated from Jamie, Cersei uses Lancel as a replacement.
 * Knight Templar: Rather literally, as he eventually joins the militant and knightly branch of the Faith.
 * Replacement Goldfish: He essentially becomes this to Cersei after she's separated from Jaime, and he's explicitly said to resemble Jaime in his youth.
 * Smug Snake: Gets a little too big for his britches after . Tyrion rapidly shows him otherwise.

Gregor Clegane
""Elia of Dorne. I killed her screaming whelp. Then I raped her. Then I smashed her fucking head in. Like this." * CRUNCH* "

Called "The Mountain That Rides," Ser Gregor Clegane is the biggest man in Westeros. Apart from his freakish size, he is feared for his cruelty and unstoppable force on the battlefield. His most famous deed was smashing the baby Aegon's head apart against a wall and then raping his mother Princess Elia with the infant's brains still covering him before killing her. As the older brother to Sandor Clegane, he's responsible not only for Sandor's horrific burn scars, but also for the murder of their little sister and miserable childhood that made the Hound such a brutal and cynical man. He is a Complete Monster even among other Complete Monsters, and his overlord Tywin Lannister often uses him as a scourge and enforcer to spread terror.


 * Ax Crazy: Highly unstable with a violent temper, Gregor is prone to flying into murderous rages at the slightest provocation.
 * The Berserker: See Ax Crazy.
 * Blood Knight: He enjoys fighting, especially the "hurting" and "killing" parts.
 * The Brute
 * Cain and Abel: Gregor and Sandor.
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: He's quite fond of this, sometimes because he wants information, but as often as not because he just enjoys hurting people.
 * The Dreaded: his infamous reputation is widespread across Seven Kingdoms.
 * Eviler Than Thou: He's bad enough that a face-off against Smug Snake Oberyn "The Red Viper" Martell leaves the guy with a snake theme looking like a Lovable Sex Maniac in comparison.
 * Face Palm of Doom: How he kills.
 * For the Evulz: Gregor takes a sick pleasure in the rape, torture and slaughter of innocents, with looting as an afterthought. This is called "foraging" in polite conversation.
 * I'm a Humanitarian: No, Gregor doesn't eat people. He forces them to cannibalize themselves as a punishment.
 * Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Referenced in-universe Conversational Troping to highlight how repellent he really is. Seriously, Gregor is practically an Expy of Pyramid Head.
 * Serial Killer: He murdered his father, his younger sister and his two wives. And members of his household. And numerous peasants. And many, many others.
 * If not stopped, he would have probably killed his younger brother, who got off "just" with half his face being burned.
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: Gregor is a one-man checklist of Complete Monster traits; Sandor is... kind of a dick. This fits the setting.
 * World's Strongest Man Among other examples, he wields a gigantic two-handed greatsword, and at one point is noted as waving it around "like it was a dagger."
 * Would Hurt a Child: And how.
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: Gregor is a one-man checklist of Complete Monster traits; Sandor is... kind of a dick. This fits the setting.
 * World's Strongest Man Among other examples, he wields a gigantic two-handed greatsword, and at one point is noted as waving it around "like it was a dagger."
 * Would Hurt a Child: And how.