Tyene Sand

Tyene Sand is the bastard daughter of Prince Oberyn Martell, the half-sister to Obara Sand, and Princess Arianne Martell’s cousin and best friend. Upon her arrival at the Water Gardens, her relationship with the princess strengthens until they become almost inseparable. Tyene Sand is one of the eldest Sand Snake sisters. After her father gets killed at King’s Landing, Tyene and her older sisters Obara and Nymeria Sand try to petition Prince Doran Martell, the Prince of Dorne, to let them get revenge for their father.

Tyene Sand Personal Details

• Name: Tyene Sand
• Culture: Dornishmen.
• Father: Oberyn Martell.
• Year of Birth: 276 or 277 AC.
• Religion: Faith of the Seven.
• Hair Color: Golden.
• Eye Color: Deep Blue.
• Siblings: Obara Sand, Nymeria Sand, Sarella Sand, Dorea Sand, Loreza Sand, Obella Sand, Elia Sand.

Appearance and Personality

Tyene is a beautiful woman with deep blue eyes, soft pale hands, and golden hair. She is a fair maiden with dimples on a beautifully-carved face. She has a subtle, soothing voice that makes her appear innocent. She owns a clinging gown of pale blue samite with sleeves of Myrish lace. 

Tyene is a dangerous woman with a pious persona that makes her come off as a harmless lady. She has a cream and green gown with long lace sleeves and is a mistress of the art of poisons and different varieties to attack her enemies like her father, the Red Viper.

Biography

Early Life

As a baby, Tyene’s mother, a Septa, educated her on the holy teachings of the Faith of the Seven by reading from The Seven-Pointed Star. Her father soon came for her, and she moved to the Water Gardens, where she spent most of her teenage years. She met Arianne Martell, who became her best friend, and over the years, they learned to read, write, and dance together as sisters.

Tyene and Arianne grew closer as little girls and became almost inseparable. They shared everything, including onetime, a bottle of wine stolen by Princess Arianne, and almost lost their maidenheads together to Andrew Dalt but could not as he was not old enough.

As Tyene grew, she accompanied the adventure-hungry Arianne on many crazy journeys. Once, she fled Sunspear to marry Arianne to Willas Tyrell at Highgarden. However, she got caught by her father, Oberyn, at Vaith. As Tyene grew, she got attracted to her father’s specific skill of venoms and followed him, Arianne, and Sarella Sand to Shandystone, where she got shown how to milk vipers’ venom.

Recent History

After Viserys Targaryen and his mother, Rhaenys, fled King’s Landing, the young prince got taken to Braavos by Ser Willem Darry. To enable his rise to power, Willen signed a pact with Oberyn Martell, stating that she would marry Viserys once he was of age and Dorne would support his claim to the Iron Throne. Doran Martell kept the pact hidden from Arianne, as he knew she would tell Tyene, who would have told her sisters, the Sand Snakes.

Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire

A Feast for Crows

Tyene patiently waits for her uncle in the throne room of Sunspear to ask for vengeance for the death of her father, Oberyn, at the hands of Ser Gregor Clegane, who admitted to killing Elia Martell, Doran’s sister. As she waits, her sister, Nymeria Sand, arrives and beckons her to aid in assassinating Lord Tywin Lannister, Ser Jaime Lannister, Tommen I Baratheon, and Cersei Lannister.

Tyene refuses Nymeria’s offer, stating that she has a better plan that involves crowning Myrcella Baratheon Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. She explains that once the princess gets crowned, the Lannisters will rise in resistance, and the Dornishmen can kill them in the Dornish mountains.

After telling Doran her plan, he states he will think about it, and she asks him for his blessings. After laying hands on her, Doran gets checked for bruises by maester Caleotte. Doran later sends his guard, Areo Hotah, to detain Tyene and her sisters.

A Dance with Dragons

After Arianne’s plan gets foiled by Areo, she gets confined like the Sand Snakes. Later, Tyene, Arianne, and the rest of the Sand Snakes get freed and attend the feast Doran holds to welcome Ser Balon Swann, who brings Gregor’s skull as a gift. When a toast gets held, Tyene refuses to drink because of her father’s death. Later, she learns the truth about Doran’s plan and gets tasked with traveling to King’s Landing to gain the support of the High Sparrow.

Appearance in Adaptation

In HBO’s series, Tyene’s character got portrayed by Rosabell Laurenti Sellers. She was the eldest daughter of her father’s paramour, Ellaria Sand. In the series, the Sand Snakes were much more brutal. Tyene wielded a pair of long daggers with blades coated in venom. She also had the signature weapon of poisons and used it to commit heinous acts like killing Myrcella. She appeared in seasons 5, 6, and 7 and starred in 9 episodes. 

Tyene gets captured by Euron Greyjoy, who takes her to King’s Landing to meet Cersei. She and her mother get chained, and Cersei states Qyburn recreated the venom she used on her daughter. Poetically, Cersei kisses Tyene on the lips and leaves her till she dies.

Tyene: The Innocently-Dangerous Sand Snake

Tyene is a minor character that only gets revealed by George R. R. Martin in ‘A Feast for Crows.’ Though calm, she has a dangerousness that makes her persona a complete facade. George used Tyene’s character to show how dangerous a seemingly innocent person could be. Also, Tyene would likely have a role in the political atmosphere of Westeros in the future novels of A Song of Ice and Fire; this is because she got tasked to travel to King’s Landing and influence the High Sparrow.

FAQs