Petyr Baelish

Petyr Baelish, popularly called Littlefinger, is a character in Game of Thrones. He is played by Aidan Gillen and debuted in the third episode of the first season.

Lord Petyr Baelish is an extremely minor lord, ruling over just a small area of the shores of the Vale of Arryn. Despite this, his extreme financial acumen has seen him rise to the small council and the rank of Master of Coin, the treasurer of the Seven Kingdoms, under King Robert Baratheon. He is a friend of Lady Catelyn Stark, one of the few contacts she has at court. He owns a number of brothels in King's Landing.

Lord Snow
Littlefinger greets Eddard upon his arrival in King's Landing and reports that the realm is six million crowns in debt, half of it to House Lannister alone.

Catelyn Stark and ser Rodrik Cassel arrive at King's Landing and attempt to sneak into the city, but are spotted by one of Littlefinger's men. They are taken to meet Littlefinger at a brothel he owns. Catelyn is angered by the way they've been treated, but asks Littlefinger for aid in finding the people who tried to have Bran killed. Littlefinger is able to answer this quickly: the elaborate dagger wielded by the assassin used to be his, but he lost it in a gamble with Tyrion Lannister.

Littlefinger fetches Eddard to meet his wife, but Eddard suspects a trick and pushes Littlefinger up against a wall outside the brothel wanting to know what his game is. Catelyn then appears and Eddard is pacified. After hearing her news, he vows to find the truth and expose the Lannisters to Robert and Littlefinger agrees to be his ally in this, for the affection he once bore Catelyn as a youngster. Eddard believes that Littlefinger is still in love with his wife.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels, Petyr Baelish's father made the acquaintence of Lord Hoster Tully during the War of the Ninepenny Kings, where they fought together. On the basis of this acquaintence, Petyr was sent to foster at Riverrun, where he met Hoster's own daughters, Catelyn and Lysa. Lysa developed a crush on Petyr, but Petyr preferred the older, more unobtainable Catelyn. When Catelyn was betrothed to Brandon Stark of Winterfell Petyr challenged Brandon to a duel of honour for Catelyn's hand, but was roundly defeated. Petyr returned home. He was later appointed as a customs official in Gulltown, the main city of the Vale, and his extreme success in raising funds led Lord Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, to appoint him to the small council as Master of Coin, a task at which Petyr has excelled.

'Littlefinger' is a nickname given to Petyr by Edmure Tully during their time at Riverrun together. It is a reference to the fact that Petyr Baelish's holdings are on the smallest of the Fingers, the numerous headlands and peninsulas protruding into the Narrow Sea on the Vale's east coast.