Jaime Lannister

Jaime Lannister
A Song of Ice and Fire character
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones
First appearance	Novel: A Game of Thrones (1996) Television: "Winter Is Coming" (2011)
Created by	George R. R. Martin
Portrayed by	Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Game of Thrones
Information
Aliases	The Kingslayer The Lion of Lannister The Young Lion
Title	Ser Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Warden of the West (formerly)
Family	House Lannister
Children	Joffrey Baratheon Myrcella Baratheon Tommen Baratheon (with Cersei)
Relatives	Tywin Lannister (father) Joanna Lannister (mother) Cersei Lannister (twin sister/lover) Tyrion Lannister (brother)
Kingdom	The Westerlands The Crownlands

Jaime Lannister is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. He becomes a prominent point of view character in the novels beginning in 2000 with the third installment, A Storm of Swords.

Jaime is a knight of the Kingsguard, and although he first appears to be arrogant and immoral, notorious for his slaying of King Aerys Targaryen, he later proves to be a far more complex character than he originally appears.

Jaime is portrayed by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on the HBO series Game of Thrones. He was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor on Television for his performance on the show's third season.

Storylines

In the books

A Clash of Kings

When Lord Tywin appoints Tyrion as Acting Hand of the King, Tyrion promises to help free Jaime to gain Cersei's support. Tyrion's plan to free Jaime with disguised soldiers is unsuccessful. For breaking his word not to try to escape, Edmure transfers him to the dungeons. He is kept chained and malnourished. During this period Cersei takes their cousin Lancel Lannister as her lover.

While the War of the Five Kings rages around him, Jaime continues to be imprisoned in Riverrun. Negotiations for his release lead to nothing. Tyrion swears in open court to trade Sansa and Arya Stark for the return of his brother. However, Robb Stark, now King in the North, declines this exchange. Distraught at the news of the alleged deaths of her sons Bran and Rickon Stark, Catelyn interrogates Jaime.

A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons

Jaime arrives at Raventree Hall, the last holdout of Robb Stark's supporters. The castle is under siege by Lord Jonos Bracken. Jaime finds the state of the siege to be dismal, and hopes to swiftly end it. His arrival is unexpected, and he strides into Bracken's tent while he is with a whore. Jonos fills Jaime in on the situation at hand, and Jaime finds the scene rooted in the age-old feud between Bracken and Blackwood.

Jaimes then treats with Lord Tytos Blackwood, who agrees to bend the knee to King Tommen and rescind his support of the Stark and Tully cause. In return, he must give up some of his lands to Jonos Bracken and send his son Hoster to the Red Keep as a hostage. Because of House Bracken's early support of Robb Stark, however, Jaime also requires Jonos to send one of his daughters to King's Landing as a hostage.

After settling matters at Raventree, Jaime and his men head back to Riverrun. They make camp at Pennytree, where the locals are still wary of travelers and "king's men," and will not allow Jaime's men to enter the holdfast. Jaime decides not to follow the advice of Ser Kennos of Kayce, who recommends that he storm the holdfast. While at Pennytree, Jaime receives an unexpected visit from Brienne of Tarth. She tells Jaime that she has found Sansa, who is a day's ride away. She claims, however, that Jaime must go with her alone or else the Hound will kill the girl. The scenario she describes, however, seems unlikely to be real, as Sansa was last seen by readers in the Vale, and Brienne knows that Jaime will likely take "The Hound" to refer to Sandor Clegane, whom Brienne has been told is dead (though Brienne herself now uses "The Hound" to refer to Lem, who has acquired Clegane's helmet).

In the series

Jaime returns to King's Landing a month prior to Joffrey's wedding, and is present when his son is killed by poison at his wedding. Cersei, believing Tyrion to be responsible, asks Jaime to kill him, but Jaime angrily refuses and forces himself upon Cersei in front of Joffrey's body. Jaime later helps Tyrion escape from execution.

Following the death of Oberyn Martell, the nephew of whom is betrothed to Jaime's illegitimate daughter Myrcella Baratheon, Cersei receives a threat from Dorne in the form of a viper with Myrcella's necklace in its mouth. Unaware that the threat was sent by Oberyn's paramour Ellaria Sand without the knowledge of consent of the Martells, Cersei sends Jaime to Dorne to smuggle her back to King's Landing, accompanied by Bronn. Jaime and Bronn infiltrate Myrcella's residence in the Water Gardens, but are confronted by Oberyn's bastard daughters Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene Sand, who plan to kill Myrcella to instigate a war with the Lannisters. A brief fight ensues before the five are detained by the Martell guards. Oberyn's brother Prince Doran Martell realises that Ellaria was behind the threat and sends Myrcella and her betrothed, his son Trystane, back to King's Landing with Jaime and Bronn. On the voyage home, Myrcella admits to Jaime that she knows and is happy that he is her father. The two share a brief embrace before Myrcella suddenly collapses and dies, having been poisoned by Ellaria prior to their departure.

Description

Coat of arms of House Lannister

Jaime originally appears as an arrogant, immoral man. He is widely reviled for having killed the Mad King, Aerys II, as he was part of Aerys' Kingsguard and as such swore an oath to defend him, protect his secrets, and serve him until death. Although Aerys was very unpopular, his death at Jaime's hands was seen as the sign of a man without honour, damning his reputation and earning him the epithet "The Kingslayer". This nickname would come to define a dangerous, unpredictable man few trusted. However, Robert Baratheon, after becoming king, pardoned him on the rationale that someone had to kill Aerys. Regardless, his reputation coupled with his cynical, arrogant manner makes him appear evil at the beginning of the series. Jaime is also witty and capable; although he shies away from power, he has the cunning to play the game of thrones. Often he will make funny remarks to lighten the mood, supremely confident in his legendary martial abilities and charm.

In reality, Jaime is far more complex. He grew up admiring the Kingsguard knights of his early youth, all noted warriors and true knights, honourable and brave. He aspired to be like them and was honoured to be inducted into the Kingsguard. However, he became less pleased when he realised his appointment was to spite his powerful father, Lord Tywin Lannister, and to deprive him of his heir (Kingsguard resign all claim to land); further disillusionment came with having to listen to the king violently rape his wife but being forbidden to act by his brothers-in-arms, as his vow was not to question Aerys. Nonetheless, he held to his post, despite steadily seeing and doing nothing as per his oath, as his king descended further into madness. When Tywin Lannister's forces sacked King's Landing, Aerys ordered his pyromancers to destroy the city with the volatile substance wildfire. Hearing of the plot, Jaime decided to act. Knowing it was against his oath to the king, but equally that to not act would be against his oath as a knight to protect the weak, he chose the latter. Jaime was forced to kill Aerys before the order could be given and tracked down the pyromancers who had attempted to instigate the plot, saving the population of the capital. When Eddard Stark found him in the throne room, Jaime didn't tell him the reason why he had killed Aerys, partly due to the fact Eddard judged him before hearing a word, and partly because he kept his oath to hold the King's secrets, the only oath that didn't contradict his virtuous knightly ones. The shame of being called Kingslayer and the bitterness turned Jaime from the idealistic - if cocky - young man he had been into a more callous version of himself, arrogant and disdainful of others. Nonetheless, although he committed violent acts, they were always in protection of his family and his killing of Aerys weighed on his mind.

After having his hand removed by the cruel mercenary Vargo Hoat while travelling with Brienne, he began to try and rebuild himself and strove to become the man he once was. He begins to reorganise the Kingsguard on his appointment as Lord Commander, seeking to make it great again, and becomes far less arrogant and cynical. He also notes his small entry in the White Book of the Kingsguard (which lists their achievements) as a challenge to become something good before he passes.

Extremely handsome, Jaime has golden hair, green sparkling eyes and a "smile that cuts like a knife." He is tall and a very respected warrior, being one of the greatest, if not the greatest, swordsman alive at the time of King Robert's reign. Even his enemies acknowledge this fact and it is justified on several occasions, namely after a failed, but almost successful lone attempt to escape his cell in the second book, and his duel with Brienne in the Riverlands, where, despite being half-starved for a year and chained as he fought, he managed to wound Brienne and sustain no cut himself. Brienne, herself a formidable swordswoman, later marvels at his speed, and acknowledges how close she came to death. However, Jaime is skilled at little else, having never bothered with anything except his martial pursuits. He comes to regret this upon the loss of his good hand.

Family tree of House Lannister

• See: Extended family tree of House Lannister