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"Mature Content Warning!" |
| “ | Why?! You ask that?! You who killed your mother to come into the world? You are an ill-made, spiteful little creature full of envy, lust, and low cunning. Men's laws give you the right to bear my name and display my colors since I cannot prove that you are not mine. And to teach me humility, the gods have condemned me to watch you waddle about wearing that proud lion that was my father's sigil and his father's before him. But neither gods nor men will ever compel me to let you turn Casterly Rock into your whorehouse. Go, now. And speak no more of your rights to Casterly Rock. Go! One more thing, the next whore I catch in your bed, I'll hang. | „ |
| ~ Tywin's hate-filled monologue to Tyrion after the latter asked a claim to Casterly Rock. |
| “ | Seven kingdoms united in fear of Tywin Lannister | „ |
| ~ Tyrion about his father. |
Lord Tywin Lannister is one of the main antagonists of the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and its television adaptation Game of Thrones.
He is Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport and Warden of the West. Tywin is one of the most powerful lords in Westeros. His parents were Tytos Lannister and Jeyne Marbrand, who had other four children: Kevan, Genna, Tygett, and Gerion, the last two being already dead (Tygett) or disappeared without a trace (Gerion) before the events of main series. He is the father of Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion Lannister, and is Joffrey Baratheon's sole grandfather (since Joffrey is a product of incest). While he holds the twins Cersei and Jaime in high regard, he possesses an irrational hatred for Tyrion, which stems from his belief that Tyrion is a shame to his family's name for his deformities, frequent whoring and drinking, and the fact that Tywin's beloved wife and cousin Joanna Lannister died giving birth to Tyrion.
He was portrayed by Charles Dance.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Evil?[]
Exclusive to the Books[]
- Forced his father's mistress to perform a walk of shame across all of Lannisport, saying to everyone that she is a golddigger when he caught her wearing his mother's jewels. She is then banished from the city with no clothes or money which means she presumably dies.
- When Aerys Targaryen is imprisoned at Duskendale by Lord Denys Darklyn, Tywin plans to have the city stormed and kill everyone inside if they don't surrender to his army, not caring that the captured Aerys would be executed as a result and even stating that Rhaegar would make a better King. He only doesn't do it because Barristan Selmy infiltrates Duskendale and rescues the King, after which Denis Darklyn surrenders to him.
- While he had Tysha gang-raped in both versions, in the books it is even worse, as he also made Tyrion join in, and it is confirmed later on that she wasn't set up for Tyrion by Jaime as Tywin had lied, but that she presumably genuinely loved him.
- Hangs the innkepeer of the inn where Tyrion was kidnapped even though she had nothing to do with the kidnapping.
- Agrees to Tyrion's plan to arm the mountain clans with weapons and armor which makes him indirectly responsible for their raids against the people of the Vale.
- Hires a notoriously psychopathic band of mercenaries called the Brave Companions who are infamous for their sadistic cruelty. He commands them to join Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch's men in pillaging the Riverlands. These raids claim countless lives with many people raped, tortured and killed and many villages destroyed.
- Punishes all the soldiers who fled during the Battle of Blackwater by having their knees broken, commenting that when people see them begging on the streets of King's Landing, it would serve as a warning to everyone.
- Listens to Littlefinger's idea to present the 12-year-old Jeyne Poole as Sansa Stark and give her to Roose Bolton, so she can be married to his son Ramsay. This makes the two of them indirectly responsible for the torture and abuse Ramsay inflicts on her.
Exclusive to the TV series[]
- When Ned Stark is wounded in a duel with Jaime earlier on, Tywin asked his son why Ned was still alive before displaying little concern when Jaime responded by saying that killing him like that would be dishonorable.
- When one of his men named Amory Lorch was shot by a poisoned dart, he vainly suspecting that the arrow was intended to reach him and allowed the hanging of many of his men to find the shooter.
- He appears to have encouraged Varys through his little birds to drive a wedge between Daenerys' advisors, by allegedly "accidentally" giving Jorah Mormont's letter of pardon to Ser Ser Barristan Selmy who gave it to Daenerys.
- In his last confrontation with Tyrion, he belittles and mocks him before admitting that he has always wanted him dead. When Tyrion fires a crossbow at him after Tywin calls Shae a whore when reacting indifferently to hearing about her death, Tywin angrily proclaims that Tyrion is not his son.
Both[]
- He was a bad parent to his own children through their childhood, pettily abusing Tyrion his whole childhood and afterwards, at one point, even having Tysha, a teenage girl who Tyrion married and was in love with, gang-raped just to punish him.
- He also he was often away from Jaime and Cersei as kids in King's landing, mostly having his servants raise them and being disciplinary and controlling towards them. As adults, he mostly tries to use them as tools to continue his legacy. This also makes their present villainy as adults at least partially Tywin's fault.
- Wiped out the Reynes and the Tarbecks, along with all their servants and peasants, which also includes children and even infants, for not paying back their debts and slighted House Lannister, even writing a song to gloat about it.
- During Robert's Rebellion, he stayed neutral, only joining the rebellion once it was ensured that Robert would win by feigning loyalty to Aerys before convincing him to open the gates. During the sacking the city, he allowed his men to rape and kill throughout which caused him to be hated by the citizens of King's Landing for many years after the event.
- To prove his loyalty to Robert and his cause, he had the Mountain and Amory Lorch murder the infant Aegon and the little girl Rhaenys Targaryen so there would be no challengers to the iron throne.
- Plus while he himself denies it, it is possible that Tywin had arranged for The Mountain to rape and murder Elia Martell as well, presumably out of petty revenge for her marrying Rhaegar instead.
- Asked Robert Stark to keep Ser Gregor as a knight despite his actions.
- When Tyrion is taken prisoner by Catelyn Stark, even though Tywin hates Tyrion, he still tries to get him back because that would be bad for the reputation of House Lannister if he didn't. Tywin soon does so by sending The Mountain and his army to rape, pillage, and burn the Riverlands. And all the while Tywin never even bothered to wonder as to why Tyrion was kidnapped in the first place.
- He led his men to fight against Robb Stark to crush the north army, which indirectly also caused his son to be taken prisoner. It is possible that he also order his men to find where the Brotherhood without Banners is to destroy them.
- During gathering of generals about the war in Stark, he erupts in rage at the advice of those present and orders one of them to return to his wife, before sending her his head.
- Has people taken prisoner and used for labor at Harrenhal. While in the TV series he did object to the pointless torturing there, that was only because it would be a better use of resources to put them to work instead of torturing them.
- Forced Tyrion and Cersei into marriage alliances with Sansa and Loras respectively even though his own children don't want it. And it is also pretty hypocritical since Tywin himself married for love, and never remarried after Joanna's death.
- In Tyrion's case, when he objected out of concern for Sansa's well-being and the fact that she is just a child, Tywin dismissed those concerns and even tried to assuage it to little avail. Later on Tywin ordered Tyrion to give an heir from Sansa and force her to "open her legs" even after Tywin is responsible for destroying her family, although Tyrion doesn't do it in the end. Furthermore, it is clear that Tywin had done it so he can take the North from the Boltons in the name of Sansa's son, who is deemed fit to rule it since he is a "Stark" (In practice the opposite happened and Sansa was taken to the Boltons for the same purpose).
- He helped Walder Frey and Roose Bolton orchestrate the Red Wedding, which resulted in the deaths of both Robb Stark and Catelyn Stark alongside the pregnant Talisa Stark; the direwolf Grey Wind; and thousands of people who were accompanying them. To do this, he granted Walder Frey his support and protection to let him perpetuate the event.
- Even if the deaths themselves were ignored, the act itself was thoroughly dishonorable - as Tywin had them butchered while they were celebrating and bonding, and at a wedding, and while they were supposed to be protected by guest right. Tywin later attempted to justify it by asking how it is "more noble to kill ten thousand men in battle then a dozen at dinner".
- Although this actually a logical statement, as not even Tyrion can come up with a rebuttal, this also unwittingly ends up making Westeros an even more dangerous place now that the sacred custom of guest right was broken - thus meaning a guest and host were no longer safe from each other under the same roof.
- However, the Red Wedding was an act of pragmatism, as opposed to wanting to minimise the loss of human life for moral reasons.
- Even if the deaths themselves were ignored, the act itself was thoroughly dishonorable - as Tywin had them butchered while they were celebrating and bonding, and at a wedding, and while they were supposed to be protected by guest right. Tywin later attempted to justify it by asking how it is "more noble to kill ten thousand men in battle then a dozen at dinner".
- When asked by Tyrion then he has ever done anything not for himself, but solely for the benefit of his family, Tywin professed that it was the day when Tyrion was born by revealing that he attempted to take the latter to he sea where he would drown to death; Tywin then stated that he only changed his mind because Tyrion was still his son and a Lannister.
- He is unhappy with Jaime after the latter makes it clear that he is going to remain in the Kingsguard.
- When Tyrion is accused of killing Joffrey at the Purple Wedding, Tywin is heavily implied to doubt Tyrion's guilt but still tries to get rid of him anyway - either by exiling him to the Night's Watch or execution. And during his trial, he has several people bear false witness against him.
- At Roose's request, he grants a legitimation order in Tommen's name to Ramsay Snow, despite his horrible nature, although it is debatable whether Tywin knew who Ramsay really was, but likely wouldn't have cared.
- When Ser Gregor brutally crushes Prince Oberyn's head with his bare hands and boasts about killing Elia Martell's children, then raping and killing her as well during Tyrion's trial by combat, Tywin doesn't seem particularly shocked or disgusted - in novel and show - to the point of appearing pretty unfazed by it. Instead he nonchalantly sentences Tyrion to death seconds later.
- Even though he despised whores, Tywin has no problem sleeping with with Shae - presumably to spite Tyrion. This led to Tyrion killing Shae after finding her naked in his father's chambers. This in turn makes Tywin responsible for Shae's death.
- His honor and standards are both pretty much just pragmatic and sometimes hypocritical, like his using people at Harrenhal as labor instead of pointlessly torturing them, the few times he recognizes Tyrion's brilliance are pragmatic, he doesn't want Joffrey being mindlessly bloodthirsty and sadistic because he knows Joffrey isn't going to last very long that way, which he is right about, and that is bad for his family's reputation, he most likely wants Tyrion sent to night's watch so he won't viewed as a kinslayer by the public, and he was upset when Ned Stark was executed only because it sent them into a pointless war when Ned could have made a valuable hostage.
- His love for Jaime and Cersei based more on his legacy and political power rather than genuine love, which causes the lack of a truly loving relationship no doubt to play a significant role to not only to Jaime and Cersei's present villainy as adults, but also to their incestuous relationship. Even Cersei states in-universe that Tywin cares more about his legacy than his actual children.
What Prevents Him from Being Pure Evil?[]
- He has a tragic backstory as he had to watch his house and his father being mocked by other houses, so it fell to him to restore the Lannisters to prominence, he was betrayed by his former friend, King Aerys Targaryen, who grew jealous of his accomplishments and started humiliating him in different ways, encouraged others to humiliate him as well and conspired against him to remove him from power, and his beloved wife died in childbirth, which is the reason he hates Tyrion, and it certainly made him harsher and colder.
- However, its not treated with too much sympathy in universe, so it is minor, especially the latter part since he was already a ruthless individual even before that and it is more just an extension of his next prevention.
- While his relationship with Jaime and Cersei is murky at best, he has some family members that he genuinely loves, such as his late wife Joanna, as he married her purely for love, and never remarried after her death. He also seems to love his father Tytos, calling him a good man though also a weak one, and possibly his mother as well, and his brother Kevan, who he as a good working relationship with, and never shown to manipulative towards him, and his grandson Tommen, whom he shields from having to witness Joffrey's death, and acts grandfatherly towards him and tries to mentor him when he is crowned king.
- In the TV series, he acted genuinely nice towards Arya Stark in Season 2 when he thought she was some girl who was his cup bearer. Despite Arya lying to him, he is genuinely impressed with her, tells her a bit about himself, lets her ask questions, offers her food, and even jokingly considers letting her devise battle plans.
External Links[]
- Tywin Lannister on the Villains Wiki.
- Tywin Lannister on the A Wiki of Ice and Fire.
- Tywin Lannister on the Wiki of Westeros.
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 Near Pure Evils
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