- "The tears of Lys, a rare and costly poison. Clear, tasteless and odorless. Dissolved in wine or water, it eats at a man's bowels. He dies in agony. Which will not appear unusual if the victim is old and sickly. A favorite tool of impatient heirs."
- ―Oberyn Martell
The tears of Lys is a rare and costly, but extremely deadly poison. It is clear and tasteless, and thus leaves no trace that might alert the target.
Jon Arryn dies after being poisoned with the Tears of Lys.
History
Season 1
Varys, the Master of Whisperers, warns Eddard Stark that he believes Jon Arryn, Stark's predecessor as Hand of the King, was actually poisoned using the tears of Lys.[1]
Season 4
When Littlefinger arrives at the Eyrie with Sansa, it is finally revealed by Lysa that she was the one who dropped the tears of Lys into Jon Arryn's wine.[2]
In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the tears of Lys are apparently made in the Free City of Lys. It is tasteless and odorless, hence easier to hide. Dissolved in wine or water, it causes extreme sickness in the bowels and belly, and kills very quickly. Not only is it difficult for the intended target to detect, its effects are subtle enough that they are easily mistaken for a very sudden and severe fever. Even upon examination of the corpse, it is difficult to discern if someone has been killed using tears of Lys.
