Brienne of Tarth

Brienne of Tarth, primarily called Brienne Tarth, is the only living child and oldest daughter of Lord Selwyn of Tarth of Evenfall. She is a masculine woman who becomes a knight for Lord Renly Baratheon when he declares his right to the Iron Throne. After an accident occurs, Brienne swears loyalty to Lady Catelyn Stark. After the Battle of Winterfell at Ramsay Snow’s hands, Catelyn tasks Brienne with returning a prisoner, Ser Jaime Lannister, to King’s Landing, in exchange for Arya Stark and her sister Sansa Stark.

Brienne of Tarth Profile

• Name: Brienne of Tarth.
• Year of Birth: 280 AC at Evenfall Hall.
• Father: Lord Selwyn Tarth.
• Allegiances: House Tarth, House Baratheon of Storm’s End, House Stark, House Tully, Brotherhood without Banners.
• Aliases: Brienne of Tarth, Brienne the Beauty, The Maid of Tarth, Wench, Brienne the Blue, Rainbow Guard.
• Religion: Faith of the Seven.
• Culture: Stormlander.
• Eye Color: Blue.

Appearance and Personality

Brienne is an unattractive woman mocked for her coarse and manly features. She is muscular and tall and has broad shoulders and brittle hair. Her lips are so plump they appear swollen, and her nose got broken more than once, giving it a crooked look. Though her features are unattractive, Brienne has big beautiful blue eyes. Almost no part of Brienne’s body got spared from her manliness, as even her fingers are thick and rough.

Standing almost the same height as King Robert Baratheon, Brienne is one of the tallest women in Westeros. Her looks made her an object of mockery, and her behavior only worsened things. After failing to act like a lady due to a lack of feminine social graces, she picked up the sword to become a fighter; this increased people’s resentment of her. Deep down, Brienne longs for respect and admiration. She became a knight to get praise and recognition from those who could not see beyond her looks. However, she only got insulted by other knights, as she was considerably stronger yet a woman.

Brienne wears breeches, boots, a velvet doublet quartered rose-and-azure, and chain mail. She uses cobalt steel armor and wields a sword. During melees, she uses a blunt Morningstar. Brienne can fight with a battle axe. She rides a black horse.

Biography

Brienne was born to Lord Selwyn Tarth and an unknown woman. Her mother died while she was still young, and her older brother drowned when he was 8, and she was four. Brienne had two younger sisters, but they died before leaving the cradle. With her as the only living heir of Evenfall Hall, her father tried matching her up with suitors. However, it proved to be a difficult task as she got rejected for her appearance and manliness. With little desire to be a wife, Brienne learned how to fight from Evenfall’s master-at-arms Ser Goodwin. She also got trained by Septa Roella. 

After a tedious search, Lord Selwyn found three suitors for his daughter. The first, a younger son of Lord Bryen Carol, died from the chills two years after his engagement. The second man she was to get betrothed to was Ser Ronnet Connington. However, on their first meeting, he gave her a rose, stating that was all she would get from him as she was a freak.

The last man Brienne got betrothed to was Ser Humfrey Wagstaff, a knight who insisted she must act like a proper lady for their wedding to work. Brienne agreed to change if only Ser Humfrey could win her in a fight. By the end of the match, he had three broken bones. Frustrated, Lord Selwyn stopped arranging marriages for his daughter.

Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire

A Clash of Kings

When Lord Renly Baratheon declares his claim to the Iron Throne, Brienne supporters him. She travels from Tarth to Highgarden and cries when he marries Lady Margaery Tyrell. Outside Renly’s camp, she gets mocked for her looks, and some men place a wager on who gets to take her maidenhead first. However, Lord Randyll Tarly ends the twisted game.

When Renly marches on King’s Landing during the War of the Five Kings, she joins him. After defeating Ser Loras Tyrell and many knights in the melee at Bitterbridge, Renly asks her to name a prize, and she states she wants to be a member of the Rainbow Guard.

Lady Catelyn Stark arrives and tries to talk with Renly on Robb Stark’s behalf. However, Renly tells her he will only accept her son’s surrender. While with Catelyn, he learns that his brother, Stannis Baratheon, has besieged Storm’s End. After an unsuccessful attempt at making Renly and Stannis settle, both parties prepare for battle. 

While preparing Remly for battle, Brienne watches a shadow assassin kill Renly. Ser Emmon Cuy accuses her of killing Renly, but she denies it and flees with Catelyn back to Robb Stark. When Loras learns what happened, he kills Ser Emmon Cuy and Ser Robar Royce. On reaching Riverrun, Brienne decides to kill Stannis, but Catelyn convinces her otherwise, and she comes under her service.

A Storm of Swords

After hearing the news of Bran and Rickon’s deaths, Catelyn frees Jaime and tasks Brienne with taking him to King’s Landing in exchange for Arya and Sansa. Edmure sends out a message to anyone that can recapture Brienne and Jaime. Though the group escapes some captors, they fall into the hands of the Brave Companions, led by Vargo Hoat. Four bloody mummers beat up Brienne, and Jaime’s sword hand gets cut off. Without his fighting hand, Jaime falls into despair. However, Brienne tells him to live for revenge. He later protects her from getting raped. 

Vargo and his prisoners arrive at Harrenhal, and Jaime meets Lord Roose Bolton. Roose frees him and sends him to King’s Landing, leaving Brienne behind as Vargo’s prize. However, Jaime returns and frees Brienne. On reaching King’s Landing, Ser Loras Tyrell, now a member of the Kingsguard, accuses Brienne of killing Renly. However, the charges get dropped. Jaime gives Brienne the Valyrian Steel sword his father gave him and tasks her with finding Arya and Sansa. She names the sword Oathkeeper and heads out on her new mission.

A Feast for Crows

After Joffrey’s death and Jaime’s arrival at King’s Landing, Queen Cersei Lannister sends him to subdue all rebellion in the Riverlands as he is the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Unknown to Brienne that Sansa is at the Eyrie, she searches for her throughout the Crownlands. She visits the Dun Fort and has her shield painted in the arms of Ser Duncan the Tall. She also meets Podrick Payne, Tyrion Lannister’s squire, and takes him to find Sansa and her sister. 

Upon arriving at Maidenpool, Brienne gets word of Sansa’s whereabouts. She learns from a sellsword that Sandor Clegane was seen with Sansa and begins searching for him. On arriving at the Inn at the Crossroads, Brienne gets into a fight with former members of the Brave Companions. Though she rescues Gendry, she gets taken into custody and meets Lady Stoneheart, the undead Catelyn Stark. Lady Stoneheart accuses Brienne of working for House Lannister and orders her to find and kill Jaime. When she refuses, she gets hanged. Upon seeing Podrick, Brienne screams a word.

A Dance with Dragons

Brienne briefly appears at Pennytree, asking Jaime to help her save Sansa Stark from Sandor Clegane. Jaime leaves with her, and Cersei gets word of her brother disappearing with a woman in the Riverlands.

Appearance in Adaptation

In HBO’s hit tv series Game of Thrones, actress Gwendoline Christie portrayed Brienne of Tarth. She appeared in seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 and starred in 42 episodes. Her hair was a squirrel’s nest of dirty straw, and her manly looks made her a joke. Brienne has a good relationship with her father, and there is no specific mention of her mother, who died when she was young. 

Upon arriving at King’s Landing with Jaime, Loras confronts Brienne, but Jaime stops him, stating she is as strong as Ser Gregor Clegane. After leaving to find Sansa Stark and her sister, the Elder Brother tells Brienne that Arya was with Sandor; this makes her confront the Hound. Brienne eventually rescues Sansa and fights in the Battle of the Bastards.

Brienne of Tarth: A Maid of Honor

Brienne of Tarth is one of the most honorable people in A Song of Ice and Fire. She always upheld her promises and defended the weak against those who caused death and destruction. Though she got shunned and mocked by many, she was the primary definition of a knight and was the only one who upheld the rules of knighthood.

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