Tyrion Lannister

"My brother has his sword, and I have my mind..."

- Tyrion Lannister

Tyrion Lannister is a major character in the first and second season. He is played by starring cast member Peter Dinklage and debuts in the series premiere. Tyrion Lannister is the youngest son of Lord Tywin Lannister, and uses his wit and intellect to overcome the prejudice he faces as a dwarf. He is falsely accused of the attempted assassination of Bran Stark and taken captive. His imprisonment triggers the War of the Five Kings despite his release after winning his freedom in a trial by combat. Tyrion rejoins his family and is made acting Hand of the King to his newly crowned nephew Joffrey Baratheon.

Background
Tyrion Lannister is the youngest son of Joanna Lannister and Lord Tywin Lannister. Tywin is the head of House Lannister, the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms and Lord Paramount of the Westerlands. The Westerlands are one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms and House Lannister is one of the Great Houses of the realm. He is the younger brother of Jaime and Cersei Lannister. His mother Joanna Lannister died giving birth to him. His father and sister blame him for the death.

He is a dwarf, causing him problems and persecution. This is mitigated by his intellect and his family's wealth and power. Had an infant with dwarfism like Tyrion been born a commoner, he'd have simply been left out in the woods to die. However, Tyrion was born into a powerful noble House, and was therefore spared. He is committed to the good of both his house and the realm.

When Tyrion was very young, he met a wheelwright's daughter named Tysha on the road, apparently the victim of an attempted rape. Whilst his brother Jaime ran off the attackers, Tyrion helped Tysha recover from the ordeal, and they became lovers. They found a wandering septon wiling to marry them and briefly, they lived as husband and wife. That is, until Lord Tywin learned what had happened. Jaime confessed that he organized the incident to make his brother happy, and Tysha was actually a prostitute. As a lesson, Tywin had his guards have sex with Tysha while forcing Tyrion to watch, paying her for each man with a silver coin. By the end, there were so many silver coins that they were running out of her hand onto the ground. Tyrion has reciprocated Tywin's hatred ever since.

Tyrion spends a lot of time at court in King's Landing to avoid his father. He gets on well with Jaime but has a cooler relationship with Cersei. He has a fondness for prostitutes and drink, but is also intelligent, cunning and educated.

Season 1
Tyrion accompanies King Robert Baratheon's party to Winterfell, but after weeks on the road he leaves the party and rides ahead to seek the pleasures of the winter town's brothels, where he makes the acquaintance of Ros. Jaime convinces him to join the family for dinner. Tyrion dawdles outside the feast hall, reluctant to make nice with the Starks and his own family, and as a result meets Jon Snow, Lord Eddard Stark's bastard son. He realises that Jon is something of a kindred spirit: "All dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes".

When Tyrion's nephew, Prince Joffrey Baratheon, refuses to pay his respects to Lord and Lady Stark after Bran's fall, Tyrion slaps him three times until he acquiesces. He then breakfasts with his family, where he reveals that he wants to go and visit the Wall before returning to King's Landing. He takes an interest in Bran's fall and how it happened, noting carefully his brother and sister's reactions to the news that Bran is likely to live.

On the road to Castle Black, Tyrion tells Jon that he likes to read as it keeps his wits sharp, just as his brother's whetstone keeps his sword sharp. Reaching the Wall, even Tyrion is temporarily rendered speechless by the size and scale of the structure. Later, Tyrion watches the new recruits train. Maester Aemon and Lord Commander Jeor Mormont ask him to use his influence at court to get more men and resources sent to the Night's Watch. Tyrion is sympathetic but doesn't believe that there is anything more dangerous than wildlings beyond the Wall. However, Benjen Stark's account of life beyond the Wall gives him pause. Tyrion befriends Yoren, a recruiter for the Watch, and they agree to travel back to the capital together.

Pausing at Winterfell on the return trip home, Tyrion gives Bran plans for a special saddle so that he can ride even in his crippled state. He taunts Theon Greyjoy about his family's defeat during their uprising before leaving. Stopping at the Crossroads Inn on the way home, he is surprised to meet Catelyn Stark, and even moreso when she denounces him as an attempted murderer and has him arrested to face the King's justice. Catelyn takes Tyrion, protesting his innocence, to the Eyrie. A sellsword from the inn, Bronn, accompanies them and notes Tyrion's wealth and a promise he will handsomely reward any man who aids him. Along the way they are attacked by some of the hill tribes and Tyrion kills his first man, bashing in the skull of an attacking tribesman with a shield. Tyrion warns Catelyn that her sister, Lysa, has become irrational with grief and will try to kill him. She is skeptical, but at the Eyrie Tyrion's warning proves accurate. Lysa hysterically accuses him of trying to kill not just Bran, but also her husband Jon Arryn. Tyrion is thrown into one of the Eyrie's 'sky-cells', dungeons which simply open on their fourth side to the open air with a drop of many thousands of feet to the valley below.

Tyrion bargains with his jailor, Mord, to get an audience with Lady Arryn. He 'confesses' to being a whoremonger and dwarf, but not to the crime of murdering Jon Arryn or trying to murder Bran. He demands a trial by battle as is his right and his wish is granted when the sellsword Bronn agrees to stand as his champion. Bronn defeats and kills Lady Arryn's champion, Ser Vardis Egen. By the laws of Westeros this means that Tyrion has proven his innocence in the eyes of the gods, and he is released from the Eyrie to face the perilous journey back through the tribesman-infested hills. Bronn accompanies him.

Tyrion establishes some ground rules with Bronn, saying he will pay more money than anyone else who attempts to bribe him to betray Tyrion. They are then surrounded by men of the hill tribes, led by Shagga. Tyrion uses his quick wits and words to win the allegiance of the tribes, offering to equip them for battle and help them conquer the Vale of Arryn in return for their help. Shagga agrees, thought notes that if Tyrion tries to renege on his promise he will cut off his manhood and feed it to the goats. The hillmen deliver Tyrion to his father's army, where he learns that Robb Stark is leading an army to war. Tyrion warns his father that Robb Stark should not be underestimated. Tywin agrees to honor Tyrion's alliance with the hill tribes. When Shagga says they will only fight if Tyrion is with them on the field, Tywin agrees, to Tyrion's dismay.

Tyrion is commanded by his father to lead the hill tribes into battle from the front. Feeling that his father means to kill him, Tyrion retires to his tent, where he finds that Bronn has found a prostitute for him, a girl named Shae. Tyrion attempts to learn more about Shae, but finds his questions deflected. Instead he tells her about his own past with Tysha, a wheelwright's daughter. They married and spent several happy weeks together until Lord Tywin learned of the matter. Tywin had Jaime tell Tyrion the truth, that Tysha was a prostitute Jaime paid to make his brother happy for a while. Tywin then gave her a piece of silver for every one of his guards she had sex with whilst Tyrion was forced to watch. Since then Tyrion has never attempted to take a wife or lover, only whores he can pay and send on their way.

Tyrion leads the tribes into battle, but is knocked out by one of his own warriors' mis-swung hammers just as the engagement begins. Recovering, Tyrion learns from his father that Robb Stark has pulled off a deception, delaying Tywin's army with a feinting force so the main Stark host can fall on and defeat Jaime's army in battle. With Robb's forces now allied to those of the Riverlands and both Stannis and Renly Baratheon claiming the Iron Throne, the odds have swung against the Lannisters and Tywin risks being caught between three armies, so he retreats to Harrenhal. Tyrion makes shrewd observations about the ominous turn the current situation has taken now that Joffrey has killed Ned Stark. Grudgingly impressed, Tywin orders Tyrion to report to King's Landing and act as the Hand of the King to try to keep Joffrey in line. Tywin forbids him to take "that whore" with him, but Tyrion defies him and asks Shae to come to King's Landing with him.

Season 2

 * Main: Tyrion Lannister Season 2

Tyrion arrives in King's Landing, accompanied by Bronn and members of the hill tribes, and takes up his role as acting Hand of the King to Joffrey Baratheon, who isn't happy to see him, unlike Myrcella and Tommen. After taking the seat of the Hand of the King at the small council, chambers, he clashes with his sister, Queen Regent Cersei Lannister, over her failure to stop the execution of Eddard Stark and allowing Arya Stark to escape. He has also brought his lover Shae with him, in defiance of his father's orders.

Tyrion warns Varys not to underestimate him after the Spider discovers Shae's presence and lets Tyrion know that he is aware of her. During a small council session, Tyrion finds himself the only sympathetic ear to a request of the Night's Watch for aid from the throne. He also criticizes Cersei's lack of talent for diplomacy when she rejects peace terms from Robb Stark brought by their cousin Ser Alton Lannister. Later, Tyrion invited Lord Janos Slynt for dinner and gets him to confess his part in the massacre of King Robert's bastards as well as his part in the betrayal of Ned Stark. After openly noting Slynt's lack of honor, Tyrion has Lord Janos exiled to the Wall as punishment, and installs Bronn as commander of the City Watch in his place.

Tyrion installs Shae as a handmaiden to Sansa Stark when she demands more freedom. He also tests the loyalty of the remaining small council members by feeding them varying plans to form marriage alliances by offering the hand of Princess Myrcella Baratheon. After being confronted by Cersei about sending Myrcella to Dorne as bethroted to the youngest son of House Martell, Tyrion has Pycelle thrown into the black cells, not before getting a confession of Pycell's role in the death of Jon Arryn and ordering Bronn to cut off the Grand Maester's beard. Later on, Tyrion is visited by Varys, who congratulates him both for installing Shae as Sansa's maid and particularly for the ploy to lure out the Queen's informant. In a different moment, Tyrion is also confronted by Petyr Baelish, who is angered for having been fooled; nevertheless, Tyrion recruits Littlefinger in a plan to convince Catelyn Stark to release Jaime, offering him Harrenhal and the title of Lord Paramount of the Riverlands.

Tyrion is shocked to find Joffrey ordering the public beating of Sansa for her brother's victory in the Battle of Oxcross. He orders a halt to the proceedings and warns Joffrey to consider his actions more carefully. Bronn suggests that Joffrey would benefit from sexual release. Tyrion arranges for two whores for his nephew but Joffrey forces one to beat another as a message to Tyrion.

Lancel Lannister visits Tyrion to demand the release of Pycelle on Cersei's behalf. Tyrion notes the lateness of the hour and traps Lancel into admitting his sexual relationship with Cersei. Tyrion uses the information to blackmail Lancel into acting as his informant. Tyrion brings news of King Renly Baratheon's death to his Cersei. She is pleased but Tyrion predicts Stannis Baratheon's imminent attack having assumed control of Renly's men. He tries to discuss plans for their defense but she insists on keeping them secret. He learns that she is reliant of the Alchemists' Guild from his Lancel. He visits Wisdom Hallyne of the guild and learns that they have stockpiled thousands of jars of Wildfire to use as catapult ammunition. Bronn sees this strategy as potentially disastrous because of the volatile nature of wildfire. Tyrion orders Hallyne to answer to him instead of Cersei. Tyrion also passes a street protest that blames him for the ills of the city, as they believe Tyrion to be manipulating Joffrey.

Tyrion and the court assemble at the shore of the Blackwater Bay for the departure of Princess Myrcella. Cersei remains angry about Tyrion's arrangements for her daughter. She threatens to one day deprive him of someone he loves. As they move through the city to return to the Red Keep they are confronted by angry crowds of starving Smallfolk. Joffrey is hit by thrown excrement and triggers a riot by demanding that his guards kill everyone in the crowd. Tyrion is horrified when the High Septon is torn apart by the crowd. He marshals his guards to lead him to safety.

Once he is safely separated from the riot Tyrion confronts Joffrey for triggering the riot and the war that preceded it. He slaps Joffrey when his nephew refuses to listen to the criticism. Tyrion orders the Kingsguard to retrieve the missing Sansa but they will not follow his missives. He is relieved when Sandor Clegane brings her to safety.

Quotes
"You might find it difficult to rule over millions who want you dead."

- Tyrion Lannister to Cersei Lannister

"I understand the way this game is played."

- Tyrion Lannister

"The King is a lost cause, its the rest of us I'm worried about"

- Tyrion Lannister on his nephew Joffrey Baratheon

"I will hurt you for this. A day will come when your joy will turn to ashes and you will know the debt is paid."

- Tyrion Lannister

"I would kill for you. I expect I’ll have to before this is over."

- Tyrion Lannister to Shae

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire books, Tyrion is in his mid twenties when the events of the series begin. As well as being a dwarf, he is misshapen and often described as ugly and having eyes of two different colors. His mother died in childbirth, the source of his father's anger towards him.