Tyrion Lannister

"A very short man can cast a very long shadow".


Tyrion Lannister, mockingly nicknamed the Imp and Halfman, is a malformed dwarf and is the third child of Tywin Lannister. He serves as the third-person narrator for forty-seven chapters throughout A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and A Dance with Dragons, and he is confirmed to narrate at least one chapter in the upcoming novel The Winds of Winter.He is intelligent, witty and shares his father's skill for political maneuvering. Because he is an outcast, he also has great sympathy for outcasts and the mistreated. However, he also shares many of his family's flaws, such as arrogance, cruelty and a manipulative nature. His mother died giving birth to him, and Tywin has never forgiven him. Tywin also hates him for his dwarfism, sharp tongue, and frequent visits to brothels. While Tyrion is hated by Tywin and his sister Cersei, his brother Jaime treats him with kindness and respect. In his youth, Tyrion married a young woman named Tysha after rescuing her from a band of rapists. When Tywin discovered this, he commanded Jaime to tell Tyrion that Tysha was a prostitute and that Jaime arranged everything. Tywin had his garrison rape Tysha and forced Tyrion to do the same. The event traumatizes Tyrion, but he is grateful to Jaime for allowing him to taste love, even if briefly. In A Game of Thrones, he is arrested by Catelyn Stark, who accuses him of trying to murder her son. He is brought to the Eyrie, where he demands a trial by combat and is championed by Bronn, a mercenary he befriended. Tyrion is acquitted, and he and Bronn make their way to the Riverlands. They are stopped by the hostile hill tribes, but Tyrion wins their support by promising to help seize the Vale of Arryn. With his new allies, he joins his father's army. Shortly after, Tywin sends him to serve as King Joffrey Baratheon's Hand of the King in his stead. Against the orders of his father, he takes his concubine Shae with him to King's Landing and takes great pains to hide her. He arrives in the capital in A Clash of Kings and immediately enters a bitter power struggle with Cersei and Joffrey. With his small army of hill tribe warriors and mercenaries and the unsteady support of the city watch, he becomes one of the most powerful men in the city. When Stannis Baratheon attacks the city with his fleet, Tyrion has already prepared a counter-attack with a massive chain boom and ships filled with the Greek fire-like wildfire. During the battle, he is betrayed and nearly killed by a knight of the Kingsguard. Although he loses his nose, he is saved by his squire Podrick Payne. When Tyrion recovers in A Storm of Swords, he finds that Cersei and Tywin have removed him from power and have sent away his men. Tyrion is made Master of Coin, the treasurer, and is left to untangle Petyr Baelish's labyrinth of investments. He is also forced to marry Sansa Stark to prevent her from marrying Willas Tyrell and to claim Winterfell. He does not force her to consummate the marriage, for which she is grateful. Tyrion is later falsely accused of poisoning Joffrey. He realizes that he cannot win in a normal trial and demands a trial by combat. He fails to convince Bronn to face Gregor Clegane, but he finds an unlikely champion in Oberyn Martell. Oberyn is killed, and Tyrion is condemned to execution. However, he is released from his cell by Jaime and Varys. Jaime rescues him out of guilt and confesses that Tysha was not a prostitute. In response, Tyrion lies and tells Jaime that he killed Joffrey, who is Jaime's son, and reveals that Cersei has been unfaithful to Jaime. He swears revenge on his father and siblings. Shortly after, he makes his way to Tywin's chambers and finds that Shae is there. He strangles her, and then he kills Tywin with a crossbow bolt. He arrives in Pentos in A Dance with Dragons. Upon the request of Illyrio Mopatis, he travels with Aegon VI Targaryen and Jon Connington to Meereen and hopes to help Daenerys Targaryen conquer Westeros. While visiting a brothel, he is recognized and captured by Jorah Mormont. Jorah intends to bring Tyrion to Daenerys, hoping that he will earn her forgiveness. On the journey, Tyrion meets and befriends a dwarf woman named Penny. The three are captured by slavers and sold, and they eventually find themselves in a camp outside Meereen. When a plague strikes the camp, they escape in the chaos. Tyrion joins the mercenary company the Second Sons. In exchange for membership, Tyrion promises the company the wealth of Casterly Rock, his birthright after Jaime renounced it. Although the company is contracted to fight Daenerys, he realizes they are on the losing side and hopes to convince the company to change sides. Tyrion Lannister is portrayed by Peter Dinklage in the HBO adaptation of the novels