Brienne of Tarth is a fictional character in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones. She is a prominent point of view character in the fourth novel, A Feast for Crows.
Brienne is introduced in the second novel of the series, 1998's A Clash of Kings, as a warrior fighting for the honor of serving in the Kingsguard of Renly Baratheon. She later swears her loyalty to Catelyn Stark and vows to return the captive Jaime Lannister to King's Landing in exchange for Sansa and Arya Stark, whom Catelyn believes are being held by the Lannisters. She additionally appears in A Feast for Crows (2005) and A Dance with Dragons (2011). Because she is a woman, Brienne is barred from serving as a knight, even though she is one of the most honorable and skilled warriors in all of Westeros. Her personal struggle towards honor, justice, and recognition has received significant critical attention, as has her complex relationship with Jaime, and she is one of the more popular characters in both the novels and television show.
In the television series, Brienne is portrayed by English actress Gwendoline Christie and is introduced in season two. After appearing as a recurring cast member for two seasons, Christie was promoted to the main cast from season four onwards. Christie has received significant critical praise for her portrayal. For her performance in season three, she was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television and for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, alongside the rest of the cast, for the third and fourth seasons. In 2019, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in the series's final season.
Contents
Character
Background
Brienne is the daughter and only surviving child of Lord Selwyn Tarth, lord of Evenfall Hall on the island of Tarth. House Tarth is a bannerman to House Baratheon, the lord paramount of the Stormlands. Brienne's mother died when she was a child; she had a single older brother, Galladon, who drowned when she was 8, and two younger sisters, both of whom died in infancy. As a child, Brienne was under the tutelage of Septa Roelle, who found fault in everything about her and destroyed her self-esteem. She told Brienne that, though a man would marry her, as she is heiress to her father's land, he could never desire her.
Brienne's father tried to find her a suitor to wed. This proved to be difficult, however, due to both Brienne's resistance and her ungainly appearance. Nonetheless, three successive but ultimately unsuccessful betrothals were attempted. The first was when she was 7 and her fiancé was 10, but he died of an illness. Next, a betrothal was brokered by the lord of the land, of poor House Connington, to his young, newly knighted heir, Ronnet, but young Ser Ronnet broke the betrothal the first time he met Brienne.
Brienne's father's last attempt was to betroth her at 16 to Ser Humfrey Wagstaff, a middle-aged friend of his who was castellan of another house. Humfrey informed Brienne that she was expected to give up her training and become more feminine after their wedding. Brienne rejoined that she would acquiesce, but only if Wagstaff could beat her in combat. Their fight resulted in three broken bones and a broken betrothal.
Brienne had begged Tarth's master-at-arms Ser Goodwin to teach her to fight. As her skills grew, so did her confidence. He made her get over her inability to inflict pain by slaughtering pigs. At one point in her history, Brienne met Renly Baratheon when he visited her island on a coming-of-age tour. He treated Brienne with courtesy and respect, and danced with her; as a result, she fell in unrequited love with him. When the War of Five Kings begins, with Stannis and Renly Baratheon both claiming the crown, Tarth remains neutral, but Brienne gets her father's permission to go independently and declare for Renly.
Appearance
Brienne is described as unfeminine in appearance and is considered unattractive. She is very tall, muscular, flat-chested, and ungainly, with straw-colored hair and broad, coarse features that are covered in freckles. Her teeth are prominent and crooked, her mouth is wide, her lips are swollen, and her nose has been broken more than once. However, her large blue eyes are described as rather beautiful by both Catelyn Tully and Jaime Lannister.
Personality and development
In the novel A Feast for Crows, Brienne describes herself as "the only child the gods let [my father] keep. The freakish one, one not fit to be son or daughter." In "Beyond the Wall", a collection of essays, Caroline Spector describes Brienne as a "study in heartbreaking contradictions. She embraces the romantic ideals of her culture, both emotionally and through her actions, but is continually betrayed by the real world simply because she cannot turn herself into the woman the Westerosi legends tell her she should be."
Charlie Harwood of HBO Watch describes Brienne as "loyal, stubborn, headstrong, and judgmental. Despite the repeated insults from knights, who mockingly call her 'Brienne the Beauty', she holds a simple idea of knighthood, believing that knights should be chivalrous and always honor their vows." In an interview for SFX magazine, Gwendoline Christie described Brienne as an outsider who has had to develop "outer strength that often matches or supersedes that of any man in order to be treated with equality. She doesn't want to get married...yet she's internally romantic...she has an overriding sense of honour and what is right, and that's what makes her such a brilliant character to play: that her outer is so stable and masculine, but inside she's so fragile."
Storylines
In the books
Brienne joins Renly Baratheon's army when he marches on King's Landing. She wins a melee at Bitterbridge held by Renly and is permitted to join Renly's Rainbow Guard as her prize. When it becomes apparent that Renly will be forced to battle his surviving brother, Stannis Baratheon, Brienne is assigned as his standard-bearer. However, before the battle, in which Renly intends his brother's death, Renly is assassinated by a shadow. Brienne is accused of the murder before Catelyn Stark is able to convince those present of her innocence, and Brienne accompanies Catelyn back to Riverrun. Although Brienne wishes to have revenge on Stannis for Renly's death, Catelyn persuades Brienne to serve her instead. Catelyn later goes to visit the captive Jaime Lannister in the dungeons; when Jaime begins to mock Catelyn's recently deceased husband Ned's infidelity, Catelyn calls for Brienne's sword.
Catelyn has Jaime sent to King's Landing to exchange him for her captive daughters, Sansa and Arya, escorted by Brienne and Jaime's cousin Ser Cleos Frey. They are attacked by outlaws, who kill Cleos, and Jaime tries to escape in the commotion. Brienne restrains Jaime, but they are captured by the mercenary company the Brave Companions, which is allied to House Bolton. When their leader, Vargo Hoat, cuts off Jaime's hand, Brienne convinces Jaime to live to have revenge on Hoat. In return, Jaime stops the Brave Companions from raping Brienne. The two prisoners are taken to Harrenhal, where Jaime reveals that he killed Mad King Aerys II Targaryen to stop him from burning King's Landing. Roose Bolton allows Jaime to return to King's Landing but allows Hoat to keep Brienne as his prize. Hoat attempts to rape Brienne, but she bites off his ear, and Hoat throws her into a bear pit before Jaime returns to have her released.
Brienne and Jaime arrive in King's Landing to find that King Joffrey Baratheon has been poisoned, the Freys have murdered Catelyn Stark, and both Arya and Sansa have fled the city. Renly's lover, Ser Loras Tyrell, accuses Brienne of Renly's murder, and Jaime has Brienne imprisoned for her own safety. Jaime allows Loras to speak to Brienne, and she convinces him of her innocence. Jaime releases Brienne and gives her a sword forged from Ned Stark's Valyrian steel sword "Ice"; Jaime asks her to name the sword "Oathkeeper". Jaime asks Brienne to find Sansa and fulfill her oath to Catelyn.
At Duskendale, Brienne encounters Tyrion Lannister's squire Podrick Payne and allows him to join her. During her journey through the Riverlands, she finds Ser Hyle Hunt, whom she knew from Renly's camp, and hires Nimble Dick Crabb as a guide. (He is killed when Brienne encounters some of the Brave Companions.) Brienne eventually arrives at an inn at the crossroads, where she meets Arya's former traveling companion, Gendry, now helping shelter a group of orphans. Another group of Brave Companions attacks the inn, and Brienne is forced to intervene to protect the children. She is grievously wounded by the outlaw Biter before the Brotherhood Without Banners arrives to kill the Companions. The Brotherhood takes Brienne, Podrick, and Ser Hyle Hunt—who had been following them—captive and presents them to their leader, Lady Stoneheart, whom Brienne is horrified to realize is a reanimated Catelyn Stark. Stoneheart accuses Brienne of serving the Lannisters and forces her to choose between killing Jaime or being hanged. When Brienne refuses to choose, Stoneheart orders her and her group hanged. Seeing Podrick dying, Brienne screamed a word.
In the show
Brienne is first introduced when she defeats Ser Loras Tyrell to win a sword tournament held by Renly Baratheon, who has declared himself king, and is rewarded with a place in his Kingsguard. Catelyn Stark arrives at Renly's camp shortly thereafter and successfully negotiates an alliance between Robb Stark and Renly. However, Renly is promptly slain by a shadow demon assuming the appearance of his brother and rival, Stannis, who has discovered his status as the rightful heir to House Baratheon. Renly had intended to eliminate Stannis the following day. Brienne kills two members of Renly's Kingsguard in self-defense when they attack her, believing she murdered Renly. Catelyn advises her to retreat with her back to Robb's camp in the Westerlands. Brienne then swears allegiance to Catelyn. At Robb's camp, Catelyn releases the prisoner, Ser Jaime Lannister, and assigns Brienne the task of escorting him to King's Landing, compelling Jaime to vow to return Sansa and Arya Stark to Catelyn in exchange.
In the Riverlands, Brienne and Jaime are captured by a squad of House Bolton soldiers. Jaime dissuades the soldiers from raping Brienne by claiming that her father will reward them with sapphires for returning Brienne unharmed, but their leader, Locke, cuts off Jaime's sword hand when he tries to bargain to be untied. Brienne and Jaime are taken to Harrenhal, where Jaime reveals to Brienne that he killed Mad King Aerys II Targaryen to stop him from burning King's Landing. Roose Bolton has Jaime released but keeps Brienne prisoner for abetting treason. Locke tries to ransom Brienne but is offended by what he perceives to be Selwyn Tarth's paltry ransom (compared to the sapphires Jaime had led him to expect) and instead throws Brienne into a pit with a bear and only a wooden sword with which to defend herself. When Jaime learns that Brienne has been left at Locke's mercy, he returns to Harrenhal, finds Brienne in trouble, and jumps in to save her by coming in between her and the bear. Jaime then forces Locke's men to pull up both Brienne and himself. They then complete their journey to King's Landing.
Brienne cannot return Sansa to Catelyn Stark, as the Freys have murdered Catelyn; Jaime argues that Sansa—now married to Tyrion—is safer staying in King's Landing. Brienne speaks with Margaery Tyrell and explains that she did not kill Renly, then attends King Joffrey Baratheon's wedding to Margaery. At the wedding, Cersei Lannister confronts Brienne and implies that Brienne loves Jaime, and Brienne witnesses Joffrey's death by poisoning. After Tyrion is accused of the murder, his brother Jaime gives Brienne a Valyrian steel sword (which Brienne names "Oathkeeper") and a coat of armor in support of her mission to find Sansa and take her to safety. He also gives her Tyrion's former squire, Podrick Payne, whose life is in danger after he refuses to offer false testimony against Tyrion.
Reception
A Song of Ice and Fire
Brienne has proved to be a popular character with fans of the Ice and Fire series. Her popularity has led to merchandising, and HBO has released a T-shirt with Brienne's house sigil on it. Brent Hartinger writes in his essay, "A Different Kind of Other: The Role of Freaks and Outcasts in A Song of Ice and Fire", that Brienne is a disappointment, even a freak, to her family and culture. He believes her character is a well-written departure from fantasy novels where the main characters are commonly "the slender, the heterosexual, the average-heighted, the conventionally abled and traditionally gendered." Writing for witandfancy.com, Samantha Mann describes Brienne as an "awesome" character who "sticks to her belief that a knight is an honorable person who always keeps their oaths," even in a story where "good people do bad things (and vice versa)." Arthur McCulloch, writing for chamberfour.com, states that "Brienne, who while unique as a character, is never really developed. Brienne's issues and struggles remain constant. The reader merely follows her on her quest, which is an unsatisfying one at best."
Feminist critique
In her essay "Power and Feminism in Westeros," Caroline Spector describes Brienne as a woman who does not conform and who defies cultural expectations. Her character highlights the perception of women in Westeros in that her fellow warriors assume that her sex is "something to be coerced or taken, not something over which she has control... So, too, the consistent rejection Brienne endures for failing to offer the men around her a pleasing countenance." Spector also observes Brienne as a woman who has "taken for herself most of the attributes of male power," and thus provides a "stark lesson how women who dare to take male power for their own are judged and treated not only in Westeros but in all conventionally patriarchal societies."