House Lannister of Westerlands & Casterly Rock

House Lannister of Casterly Rock is one of the principal houses of Westeros. They govern The Westerlands, placed at the far west of the continent of Westeros. Much of the area is covered with hills and mountains, and is rich with gold and silver, so the House Lannister is the richest of the big houses in Westeros.

Even though the Lannisters are often heard to say “A Lannister always pays his debts“, the actual motto of the family is “Hear me roar”. The sigil of this house is a lion of gold on a crimson background, which depicts the motto vividly.

The House of Lannister rules from a castle known as Casterly Rock – a fortress that is carved from a single rock. However, the principal city of the Westerlands is Lannisport, and this is where the most business bringing the fortune to the House Lannister is done.

There is not much said about the history of the House Lannister, but some facts are known. In the time of Andals, a Kingdom of the Rock has been established in the Westerlands.

When Targaryens conquered the Westeros and established the one kingdom as a union of Seven Kingdoms, the House of Lannister became one of the prominent houses, ruling as Wardens of the West once they bent the knee after the battle know as The Field of fire.
During the rule of Tytos Lannister, Tywin Lannister’s father, the power of the house was almost diminished, until Tywin took things into his own hands. Their power grew even more when Tywin held the position of the Hand of the King, for King Aerys II, of House Targaryen.

Tywin Lannister, portrayed by Charles Dance in the series, is the head of the Lannister family. His cunning approach to politics and wars helped the family to always be among the most powerful families in the Westeros.

He ruled as the Hand of the King to Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King; chose the right moment to switch sides and marry his daughter Cersei to the new king Robert Baratheon; and even became the Hand of the King to his grandson Joffrey. As the story unfolds, it seems that Tywin is the one pulling all the strings in the events that take place.

Cersei Lannister, portrayed by Lena Headey, is Tywin Lannister’s daughter, queen of Robert Baratheon, mother of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen Baratheon. Beautiful from the outside, rotten from the inside, Cersei’s only human feature is her love for her children, and in part, her brother and lover, Jaime.

Cersei Lannister has had an incestuous relationship with her twin brother Jaime since they were children. Even after the wedding with Robert Baratheon, she continued the relationship with Jaime, resulting in three children, but she managed to sell them off as Robert’s children.

While Ned Stark has been a Hand to Robert, he found out about this fact, and threatened Cersei, which made her arrange Robert getting killed. After her son Joffrey became the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, she became his regent.

Her lust for power and disrespect for those who she rules lead to many plots and intrigues which make the story so tangled.

Jaime Lannister is a brother to Cersei and Tyrion, and a son to Tywin Lannister, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. He is a brave knight who became a member of the Kingsguards at an early age.

Despite his relationship with his sister, and him murdering Aerys II Targaryen, which brought him the title of Kingslayer and Oathbreaker, he seems to be a good guy in the story.

Being held captive by Robb Stark, Young Wolf and King of the North, he is let free by Catelyn Stark, as a hostage exchange for her daughters Sansa and Arya Stark, Robb’s sisters that are presumably held in King’s Landing.

On the road with Brienne of Tarth, it is revealed that Jaime killed king Aerys II with noble intentions. He is the only one who treats Tyrion Lannister, his dwarf brother, with respect and love. His love for Cersei is what made him do all the cruel things in his life, like pushing Bran Stark of the tower, after Bran witnessed an intercourse between Jaime and Cersei Lannister.

Tyrion Lannister, played by Peter Dinklage, is a dwarf son of Tywin Lannister. Often called The Imp, and mistreated by his father and his sister Cersei, he learned to use his wits and brains to find his way.

Tyrion Lannister’s witty and sarcastic replies and comments make him one of the favorite characters to many. When Joffrey Baratheon became the king, Tywin sent Tyrion to be the Hand of the King in his place.

Tyrion is mostly responsible for the successful counter-strike of King’s Landing to the Stannis Baratheon’s attack, but not many people know about it due to Cersei’s plots.

Later in the story, when Tywin comes to rule as a Hand to the King, he makes Tyrion a Master of Coin, and keeps him under constant surveillance through spies and servants. Tyrion’s love for whores and drink is well known, but he remains loyal to a whore named Shae, who shows true feelings for him.

Even though Joffrey Baratheon, played by Jack Gleeson, carries the name of Robert Baratheon, he is actually a son to Cersei and Jaime, same as his sister Myrcella and brother Tommen. Myrcella and Tommen Baratheon are shown as good and kind children, unlike Joffrey.

After Robert is killed by a wild boar, Joffrey Baratheon becomes the king, but his right to rule is questioned by many as Stannis Baratheon reveals the story of the incest between Cersei and Jaime.

Even before Joffrey Baratheon became the king, he was portrayed as a spoiled brat. He enjoys torturing others, humiliating Sansa Stark, who is his betrothed, and making his soldiers kill people for his own joy.

Lancel Lannister is a nephew of Tywin Lannister, a squire to Robert Baratheon, played by Eugene Simmons. He helped Cersei get Robert killed, after she seduced him.

Tyrion Lannister learns the truth and uses Lancel Lannister as his own spy against Cersei. He is the son of Ser Kevan Lannister, played by Ian Gelder, the brother to Tywin Lannister

I've always been a Stark person, but you have to respect Lannisters. As in my previous article about Stark Family, I've given only short description of characters, not revealing too much of the TV show's content. For all those spoiler hungry, we have a year ahead of us - there will be plenty of spoilers :)

My plans now are to do house Targaryen soon, and then to move on other topics as The Long Wait for the season 8 takes its toll.

Let me know what you think and what you would like me to write about.