Olenna Tyrell

"But once the cow's been milked, there's no squirting the cream back up her udders, and here we are to see things through."

- Olenna Tyrell

Olenna Tyrell, née Redwyne, is a character in the third season. She is played by Diana Rigg.

The elderly matriarch of House Tyrell, Lady Olenna has been a master of court politics and intrigue par excellence throughout her life. She's also known for her wit and sarcasm. As a result, Lady Olenna is popularly nicknamed the Queen of Thorns, in reference her House's sigil and her cutting barbs.

Olenna is pronounced Oh-lenn-ah.

Background
Olenna Tyrell is the widow of Lord Luthor Tyrell and the mother of Mace Tyrell, the current Lord of Highgarden, Warden of the South, Lord Paramount of the Reach, and head of House Tyrell. She is the grandmother of his children Willas, Garlan, Loras, and Margaery. She was born into House Redwyne.

Season 3
At some point following her granddaughter's engagement to Joffrey Baratheon, Lady Olenna moved to King's Landing, mostly likely to work behind the scenes to cement the Tyrells' position. Reasoning that Sansa Stark was the best person to ask about Joffrey, Olenna invited her to a lunch of lemon cakes (Sansa's favorite) and cheese (her own favorite). After much prodding, Sansa finally broke down and admitted Joffrey was a monster. Lady Olenna was disappointed but unsurprised at the revelation.

Behind the scenes
She was first mentioned in the House Tyrell family tree issued by HBO for the first season in 2012. She was confirmed as a role for the third season in May 2012.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, her family remains the same. In her youth she almost married a member of House Targaryen, but Olenna did everything she could to make sure it never came to fruition. She is described as a wizened, cunning old woman with a wicked wit and a sharp tongue. She is known as the "Queen of Thorns" for her sarcasm and the rose thorns in the sigil of House Tyrell. In many ways, the cunning Olenna is the true leader of House Tyrell, masterminding political intrigues which her son, Lord Mace Tyrell, then follows. Despite this she has a loving relationship with her family, including her grandchildren. Olenna is particularly close with her granddaughter Margaery Tyrell, whom she has mentored in the skills of court intrigue.