"House Lannister"[3] is the twenty-third short of the first season of Histories & Lore. It is the twenty-third short of the series overall. It was released on March 6, 2012 in Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season. It was narrated by Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister and written by Bryan Cogman.
Premise[]
The Lannisters are the wealthiest family in Westeros and certainly one of the most influential. They rule the Westerlands as Wardens of the West, from their ancestral seat of Casterly Rock. House Lannister's sigil is a golden lion, and their words are "Hear Me Roar!" Here, Tywin Lannister chronicles the rise of the Lions of Lannister during the Age of Heroes, their reign as Kings of the Rock, and their partnership with the ascendant Targaryen Dynasty.[3]
Narration[]
Tywin Lannister: On the far western coast of the continent, high atop a rocky promontory overlooking the Sunset Sea, sits Casterly Rock, ancestral seat of House Lannister.
Below it lies Lannisport, one of the great cities of Westeros. A center of trade, culture, and the great Lannister fleet.
There are a number of gold and silver mines in the Westerlands, making it the richest region in all of Westeros.
One of our most productive gold mines lies beneath Casterly Rock itself, making House Lannister the wealthiest of all the noble houses. This allows House Lannister to fund many endeavors of other noble houses. Even the king himself has sought credit from Casterly Rock from time to time.
We Lannisters claim our descent from the Andal invaders and, through the female bloodline, Lann the Clever.
According to the legend, Lann, using only his wits, won Casterly Rock from the noble house of Casterly during the Age of Heroes.
The Lannisters reigned as Kings of the Rock for thousands of years and worked to make it the envy of the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. Our time as kings ended, however, when Aegon Targaryen, otherwise known as Aegon the Conqueror, arrived in Westeros with his army.
The last King of the Rock, King Loren Lannister, joined forces with King Mern Gardener, the King of the Reach. Together, with sixty thousand men, they met the Targaryen host in open battle.
History tells us that Aegon unleashed all three of his dragons, slaughtering four thousand men at what came to be known as "the Field of Fire."
King Mern himself was burned alive that day, and House Gardener turned to ash with him.
Seeing both the threat and opportunity the Targaryens represented, Loren wisely surrendered and aided Aegon in his further conquest of Westeros. The Lannisters were thus appointed Lords Paramount of the Westerlands and Wardens of the West, titles we hold to this day.
Let us be clear. It is neither luck nor royal favor that makes our House prosperous. There have been times in our history when some have considered thought us weak, lazy, or opulent.
My father, Tytos Lannister, nearly bankrupted our House with his poor investments and allowed himself to be mocked openly at court.
When our vassal, the Reynes of Castamere, dared to rise against the Lannisters, they learned how dangerous it can be to taunt a lion.
I, Tywin Lannister, personally led the assault on Castamere to put down this rebellion. I made an example of them, to anyone who doubts our might.
They even made a quaint song about the fate of the Reynes of Castamere. But sadly, there are no Reynes left to hear it.
Today the golden Lion of Lannister is rightly admired and feared throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Our words are "Hear me Roar," but there are of other words that should be remembered when crossing a lion of Casterly Rock. "A Lannister always pays his debts."
Appearances[]
Individuals[]
- Lann the Clever
- King Loren I Lannister
- King Mern IX Gardener
- King Aegon I Targaryen, the Conqueror
- Balerion, the "Black Dread"
- Vhagar (unnamed)
- Meraxes (unnamed)
Houses[]
Locations[]
Cultures[]
- Andals (mentioned)
Events[]
Titles[]
Miscellaneous[]
- Dragon
- "The Rains of Castamere" (unnamed)
Cast[]
Behind the scenes[]
- The official motto of House Lannister Hear me Roar! is confirmed in this feature. It has been mentioned only once in the show ("The Winds of Winter"), and only once in the novels[5] (in addition to the appendices). The Lannisters' unofficial motto "A Lannister always pays his debts" is mentioned far more often, both in the show and the novels.
- According to the novels, House Tarbeck participated in the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt; Tywin does not mention that house, neither in this short nor in "The Westerlands", as if the Reynes alone rebelled against the Lannisters; Cersei does not mention the Tarbecks either when she speaks about the rebellion in the show ("Second Sons"). Only in "The Rains of Castamere" it is explicitly said that the Tarbecks participated in the rebellion.
In the books[]
- The short is adapted from the following chapters of A Storm of Swords:
- Chapter 19, Tyrion III: A Lannister relates to the story about the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt, and to the song about it.
- Chapter 66, Tyrion IX: A Lannister tells how the Lannisters' bannermen used to openly mock Lord Tytos Lannister.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Jacob Klein (March 4, 2012). Game of Thrones DVD & Blu-Ray Available 3/6!. HBO Watch. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
- ↑ Histories & Lore: Season 1, Short 23: "House Lannister" (2012).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season (2012).
- ↑ Dan Selcke (September 20, 2017). Bryan Cogman is developing a fifth Game of Thrones prequel series for HBO. Winter is Coming. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ↑ A Game of Thrones, Chapter 56, Tyrion VII (1996).