High Septon (Tommen)

This article is about the character after the Riot of King's Landing. For the title see High Septon (title).

High Septon
Political information
Title(s)	High Septon (formerly)
World of Westeros
Season(s)	3, 4, 5
Appeared in	6 episodes (see below)
First seen in	"Second Sons"
Portrayed by	Paul Bentley

"You are a sinner... and you shall be punished."

―Brother Lancel

This High Septon was appointed after his predecessor was killed in the riot of King's Landing.

Biography

Season 2

This High Septon was appointed after his predecessor was killed in the riot of King's Landing. Pycelle reports consulting the High Septon about King Joffrey Baratheon setting aside his betrothal to Sansa Stark.

Season 3

The High Septon presides over the wedding of Tyrion Lannister and Sansa Stark.

The High Septon talks about an orphanage in Flea Bottom to Margaery Tyrell. Margaery then stops by the orphanage while traveling from a sept to the Red Keep to talk with the orphans and give them some toys, surprising her betrothed Joffrey Baratheon.

The High Septon conducts the wedding of Tyrion Lannister and Sansa Stark at the Great Sept of Baelor.

Season 4

The High Septon presides over the wedding of Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell.

The High Septon conducts the marriage of Joffrey Baratheon and Margaery Tyrell.

He is present in the Great Sept of Baelor after King Joffrey's funeral, when Cersei Lannister, Tommen Baratheon and Tywin Lannister are privately mourning the death of the King before his body. After Tywin takes Tommen away, Jaime Lannister arrives and asks the High Septon to give the Queen a moment alone with her dead son, prompting them all to leave. The High Septon quickly complies and leads the attendant servants out of the Sept.

The High Septon crowns Tommen I Baratheon.

During Tommen's coronation in the Throne Room, the High Septon places the crown upon his head, officially announcing him as the new King.

Season 5

The High Septon later stands outside the Sept of Baelor immediately preceding the funeral of Lord Tywin. He suggests to Cersei that they start soon, since lords and ladies have come from all over Westeros, but she says they will wait a little longer while she has a moment alone with Jaime and Tywin's corpse.

The High Septon conducts the wedding of King Tommen to Margaery Tyrell. Some time later he visits Littlefinger's brothel, of which he's a recurrent patron, and engages in a sexual roleplay where the Father, a disguised Olyvar, rewards him by offering him one of six other members of the Seven to "worship". The High Septon chooses a prostitute portraying the Maiden, which he seems to constantly pick, as well as one portraying the Stranger. As the two whores approach him, Lancel Lannister along other Sparrows break into the chamber, attacking Olyvar and scaring the prostitutes away. The High Septon is aghast by the attack, but he's soon stripped of his clothes and paraded as a sinner through the streets of King's Landing; with a sparrow beating his hands when the High Septon tries to cover his genitalia. Beaten and humiliated, the High Septon approaches the small council and demands the execution of the Sparrows, particularly their leader, citing that an attack on his person is an attack on the gods themselves. Qyburn reveals to the council where the High Septon had been attacked, to which the old man replies he had been preaching to the whores for their salvation. Maester Pycelle seems particularly bothered by the Sparrow's treatment of the High Septon; indignantly stating that "a man's private affairs ought to remain private!" Despite this, Queen Cersei has him thrown into the dungeons of the Red Keep.

Season 8

After the Red Keep is destroyed by Daenerys Targaryen via dragonfire during the sack of King's Landing, the High Septon's fate remains unknown, though it is very unlikely that he survived the destruction.

Appearances

Template:Season Three Appearances Template:Season Four Appearances Template:Season Five Appearances

In the books

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the preceding High Septon was killed in the riot of King's Landing. Tyrion influences the Most Devout to choose this High Septon to replace him. Unlike his corrupt and fat predecessor, the new High Septon is considered to be a good man personally, but weak-willed, quietly obeying the Lannisters' political dictates. Tyrion scornfully describes the new High Septon as "a trained seal who barks prettily on command".

When a new High Septon assumes office, he renounces his given name and ever after becomes known simply as "the High Septon", so the name of this particular High Septon, like those of his predecessors, is never revealed.

Cersei grows disquiet about this High Septon because he was appointed by Tyrion, and perhaps Tyrion has told him certain things about her. Moreover, she suspects (correctly) that Lancel has confessed to him about their affair and about Robert's death. If Lancel confessed only that he slept with her, she can put it down as a bragging of a callow boy smitten by her beauty; but if he spilled the beans about Robert and the strongwine... that's a totally different matter. When the High Septon smiles at Cersei, she is uncertain whether it is a threatening smile full of unspoken knowledge, or just some vacuous twitch of an old man's wrinkled lips. She orders her henchman Osney Kettleblack to murder this High Septon, and he does that by suffocating him with a pillow.

After the High Septon's death, it is Septon Ollidor of the Most Devout, considered one the most likely candidates to become his successor, who is followed into a brothel by the Sparrows and dragged naked into the streets, not this High Septon. They were condensed together in the TV version. In the novels, there was no particular mention that Septon Ollidor was having sex with prostitutes dressed up as the Seven (though he could have been).

In the fourth novel, on the way to Riverrun, Jaime visits Lancel at Darry. Lancel, remorseful for his sins, confesses tearfully about being Cersei's lover and about his part in Robert's death - and that he told the High Septon those sins. Only then Jaime understands why the High Septon was killed, and by whose order.

After the High Sparrow has Osney Kettleblack tortured, he reveals that he murdered the High Septon at Cersei's orders. Thus, in addition to all the other heavy charges against Cersei (high treason, adultery, fornication, incest and regicide), she is also charged with deicide. Cersei almost laughs when she hears that "When did I kill a god?". Kevan, unamused, explains "The High Septon speaks for the Seven here on earth. Strike at him, and you are striking at the gods themselves". 

See also

• The High Septon on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (MAJOR spoilers from the books)
• Ollidor on A Wiki of Ice and Fire (MAJOR spoilers from the books)