The Noble Houses are critical inGame of Thrones. Though there are endless characters to focus on, the camera tends to linger on the political battle between House Stark and House Lannister. The other families are worth watching, but the lions and wolves feel like perfect enemies. House Stark began when Bran the Builder constructed the Wall and Winterfell, undertaking the solemn duty of life in the frozen North. Naturally, House Lannister began with dirty tricks.
HouseLannister is a fascinating cornerofA Song of Ice and Fire. They find themselves in the villainous role more often than not. Cersei is an unrepentant monster groomed into callous genocide by her borderline-demonic father, Tywin. Her brother Tyrion is a chaotic neutral figure, while Jamie is seen as a criminal for the only good deed he ever accomplished. All their actions fall to Joffrey, the living embodiment of everything wrong with generational monarchy. Their virtues are buried by their sins, and their origin isn’t much better.
Who is Lann the Clever?
Lann the Clever is the progenitor of House Lannister. He was one of many critical figures in the mystical Age of Heroes. The Age of Heroes was a period long before the narrative’s events. It began after the First Men settled in Westeros and made peace with the indigenous species, theChildren of the Forest. The First Men and the Children of the Forest had no written languages. Subsequently, all the events of the Age of Heroes are more like legends than history. They’re epic tales of conquest and sacrifice that end with the creation of things that exist in Westeros. The stories of Lann the Clever and those who lived alongside him could befiction within the fictionalworld ofGame of Thrones.
Lann the Clever has several potential origin stories. It is sometimes said that he was a bastard born to one of Garth Greenhand’s daughters. Greenhand was the High Kingof the First Menand the distant progenitor of many Noble Families in Westeros. Others believe that Lann impersonated one of Greenhand’s descendants, making off with some of his inheritance. Lann is sometimes said to be an Andal. The Andals were an ethnic group who came to Westeros thousands of years after Lann would have arrived. Their invasionended the Age of Heroes. Lann may have been an Andal adventurer or an exiled outcast who sailed to Westeros early.
How did the Lannisters get Casterly Rock?
The Lannisters holdthe seat of powerin Casterly Rock. It’s said that Lann the Clever won Casterly Rock from House Casterly through trickery. The stories are unclear as to how he went about it. Several potential answers arise through the background. The possible methods aside, the Lannisters maintain blood relation to Lann the Clever as their excuse for holding Casterly Rock. Tywin Lannister, a man not known for being superstitious, once said:
We Lannisters claim our descent from the Andal invaders and, through the female bloodline, Lann the Clever. According to the legend, Lann, using only his wits, won Casterly Rock from the noble house of Casterly during the Age of Heroes.
The most “pragmatic” belief of Lann’s conquest of Casterly Rock is that Lann married one of Lord Casterly’s daughters and became the final male heir of the castle by marriage. That version of the tale is far less popular. The most frequent iteration sees Lann sneak into Casterly Rock by squeezing himself into an opening in the stone. He accomplished that feat by stripping nude and covering himself in butter. After making his way inside, he spent months convincing House Casterly thattheir home was haunted. He’d howl like a demon, whisper threats as they slept, or steal things from one brother and hide them in another’s room. Eventually, the Casterly’s abandoned their home, and he moved in. Other versions of the tale imagine him releasing vermin into the castle or sending in a pride of lions to eat the owners. Lann was said to have lived to the age of 312 and sired a hundred sons and a hundred daughters. Some say he stole gold from the sun to give himself brighter hair.
Whether Lann stole Casterly Rock through the old butter gambit or a strategic marriage, House Casterly is said to have vanished from the historical record. One way or another, House Lannister claimedcontrol of Casterly Rock, and House Casterly is nowhere to be found. Lann compares to a figure like Loki, whereas Bran the Builder of House Stark evokes a dramatized military figure like Hadrian. His legacy lives in the treachery and shrewdness of House Lannister, though few of his assets could be seen as virtuous. Though few in the modern era would want to be known for tricking others, there is brilliance in deceit. Lann the Clever represents the value of brains over brawn, even when using those gifts for less honorable goals.
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