Petyr Baelish

Lore & Background

Petyr descends from a Braavosi sellsword who served House Corbray. His father befriended Lord Hoster Tully during the War of the Ninepenny Kings, securing Petyr a wardship at Riverrun alongside Catelyn, Lysa, and Edmure Tully. Edmure nicknamed him 'Littlefinger' due to his short stature and family lands on the Fingers peninsula. As a child, Petyr challenged Brandon Stark to a duel for Catelyn's hand but lost; his life was spared only at Catelyn's request. During his recovery, he slept with Lysa while delirious, mistaking her for Catelyn. This resulted in a forced abortion and his banishment from Riverrun. Later, as customs officer at Gulltown under Lysa's patronage, his father died, passing him the 'Baelish Tower' and making him a lord. In King's Landing, he served as Master of Coin for Jon Arryn before betraying him by giving Lysa poison to kill her husband, framing House Lannister to spark the War of the Five Kings.

In Their Own Story

In A Game of Thrones, Littlefinger betrays Eddard Stark after Ned asks him to secure the City Watch. He hides Catelyn in a brothel and lies about the dagger used on Bran, leading to Tyrion's capture. By A Clash of Kings, he orchestrates an alliance between House Lannister and House Tyrell, defeating Stannis Baratheon. In A Storm of Swords, he arranges his marriage to Lysa Arryn and takes Sansa Stark away from King's Landing after Joffrey is poisoned in a plot with Olenna Tyrell. At the Eyrie, he pushes Lysa to her death when she threatens Sansa, blaming the minstrel Marillion. By A Feast for Crows, he names himself Lord Protector of the Vale and schemes to marry Sansa to Robin Arryn's heir, Harrold Hardyng. In The Winds of Winter, he plans a tournament to induct knights into the Brotherhood of Winged Nights, intending for Sansa to wed Harrold upon Robert Arryn's death to retake the North.

Reader's Guide

Littlefinger is never a point-of-view character; his actions are interpreted through Ned, Catelyn, Sansa, Tyrion, and Cersei. He is described as small, slender, with sharp features, laughing green eyes, a pointed chin beard, and silver threads in his hair, often wearing a silver mockingbird brooch. While he claims lingering love for Catelyn and the show adds Sansa to this list, others like Sansa insist 'the only person Littlefinger serves is Littlefinger.' He is an amoral opportunist who uses lies, treachery, and murder without scruple. His rise from a minor lord to Lord of Harrenhal and Lord Paramount of the Trident demonstrates his ability to turn chaos into profit. In the TV adaptation, he also brokers Sansa's marriage to Ramsay Bolton in Season 5, noting how past alliances brought down the Targaryens.

Did You Know?

• Edmure Tully nicknamed Petyr 'Littlefinger' because his family's lands were on the smallest of the Fingers peninsula.
• Petyr claimed to have lost his virginity to Catelyn Stark, but it was actually Lysa who was obsessed with him.
• In the books, Petyr inherited the unnamed 'Baelish Tower' only after his father died while he was working as customs officer at Gulltown.
• He orchestrated the poisoning of King Joffrey Baratheon alongside Olenna Tyrell to frame Tyrion Lannister.
• Petyr pushes Lysa Arryn to her death in the Moon Door, immediately implicating the only other witness, Marillion.