Player of Thrones: Petyr Baelish “Littlefinger”

Welcome once again to the Player of Thrones.

Player of Thrones posts will be utilized to highlight new characters from HBO’s Game of Thrones, and also return to some familiar faces.

I encourage you to discuss what role you think this character plays in the Game of Thrones. If you do choose to talk about the character with spoilers, please remember to use our spoiler veil of magic.

With that being said our fourth feature is focusing on a player that we are all familiar with. Some people love him, however most despise him. He is a heavy hitter when it comes to the Game, and just made a big play with acquiring Sansa. His name is Lord Petyr Baelish, or as some call him but never to his face, Littlefinger.

Let me tell you a story about the little boy Patter. Patter was the youngest of his lowborn family. He was skinny, lanky, and short. By now Patter was used to the daily routine. Wake up and go down to the rocky coast. Here he would swim all day, one day hoping he would be strong enough to swim  to the great castle. At the castle Patter felt like there was opportunity to rise higher than he had ever been. Patter kept on swimming and swimming but he could never make it. Before he could get to the castle he would get pulled back up stream, back to his dreary home. Day after day, week after week, month after month he kept trying only to get pulled back home.

Patter’s only friend was the Great Whisperer. The Great Whisperer would give Patter advice on how he could swim better to reach his destination. After every failed attempt Patter returned to the Great Whisperer. One day the Great Whisperer told Patter he had a secret that Patter had to keep to himself. This secret would get him not only to the great castle but eventually he could rule the kingdom. The young boy promised never to tell a living soul this secret. The Great Whisperer told Patter the Secret of the Lie.

He revealed to Patter that his whole life he had been swimming up the wrong stream to get to the castle. Patter was furious by the deceit of the Great Whisperer who had told him that that stream would get him to the castle if he kept trying. The Great Whisperer asked for forgiveness has he was only trying to help Patter. The power of the lie in fact kept Patter around so that the Great Whisperer had  a friend and someone to whisper to. He used the Secret of the Lie to help better his own position. Patter realized the power behind the lie and how he was so easily manipulated in staying there to be the Great Whisperer’s friend. He thanked the Great Whisperer for his lesson and asked for the true path to be revealed.  The Great Whisperer let Patter know he must lie to his dad in order to have passage to the great castle. 

Patter confronted his father. Patter told his father that he had seen a crime too horrible to speak of that he had to let the good lord of the castle know. Patter’s father who had fought in a great war with this lord sent a raven to the lord announcing his son’s confession. The following night patter was summoned to the great castle. Patter asked the Great Whisperer to show him the way for he knew not how to travel along the road. 

The Great Whisperer escorted Patter up the road towards the castle. Once Patter had made it The Great Whisperer was nowhere to be found. The lord of the castle took Patter in and listened to his confession. The lord determined that Patter had done a great service for him and that he should be awarded with a proper upbringing. He quickly became friends with the lord’s two daughters and son.

As the four children grew older Patter started feeling affectionate towards one of the daughters. The other daughter grew affectionate towards him. Patter made multiple attempts to woo the daughter of his choice. He cared so much for her that he dared not use the Secret of the Lie. She however loved him only as a brother, nothing more. The painful rejection and her betrothal to an older and more nobler man drove Patter jealous. He challenged the older man and lost. Saddened by this and the daughter never speaking to him again drove him to drink. The Great Whisperer found Patter buried in his sadness and drunken state. He convinced Patter that the only way he would be able to over come what had happened would be to lie. The other daughter then visited Patter as he grieved in his drunken state over his broken heart. He thought it was the daughter he loved and took her maidenhead. The other daughter grew infatuated with Patter. With fear of being removed from the castle he asked her to keep their relations a secret and to reveal them to no one. Patter became engrossed with this lie he now lived but it lived short for word got out. The lord asked Patter to leave for he had forsaken the lords trust. 

Patter was devastated for he would never see his love again. He fell deeper into darkness. His mind wandered and he gave into the darkness that shrouded him. The daughter whom he loved ended up losing her betrothed to the king of the realm’s treachery. Burned alive it was said but Patter did not care. Patter found a way back into the life of the daughter who loved him. Promoting a lie to her new husband Patter lied about his love for her. He leveraged her to become wealthy as a financial advisor for a small town. Once her husband became the closest advisor to the king he then rose to the greatest city of them all to become Master of Coin due to his success. His lying proved to be his biggest ally. The Great Whisperer helped him to become one of the most successful men in the kingdom and rise from the bottom to the close to the top. Close to the top, however, is not good enough for him. Patter wants to become the best, and rule the kingdom for himself. 

This story is loosely based on the story of Petyr Baelish. Littlefinger got his name from when he was a child. He grew up on the smallest part of The Fingers, the islands north of the Vale. The fingers were a wet and rainy desolate land, hence the name Patter, that offered nothing but a close trade route to Braavos.

Before Baelish was born, his father fought with Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun and became instant allies during the War of the Ninepenny Kings. The fingers were invaded by the mercenaries coming over from Braavos and Baelish’s father helped to fight off these warriors. When Petyr was born, his life was not that great. He was sent to Riverrun to become a ward of House Tully, and receive a better upbringing.

Lord Tully had three children Catelyn, Lysa, and Edmure. As Petyr and the children grew older, Petyr developed a strong affection for Catelyn. Who responded with the ultimate friend zone line “you are like a brother to me.” Ouch. He still held strong his feelings for her. Meanwhile Lysa felt strongly for Petyr. Petyr didn’t deny her but rather took her to bed one drunken regretful night. He even called her Catelyn. Dude…that’s messed up.

Petyr became jealous when Catelyn was betrothed to Brandon Stark, Lord Rickard Stark’s eldest son and heir to Winterfell. He challenged Brandon and got his ass whooped. In fact, Catelyn stepped in and kept Brandon from killing Petyr. Lysa cared for Petyr and Petyr took her to bed again. Catelyn told Petyr she would never speak to him and burned the only note that Petyr gave to her.

Lysa then became preggers which revealed Petyr as the father. This child was consummated outside of marriage which would have made it the Bastard of Riverrun. Lord Hoster wanted nothing to do with this and had Petyr sent away and had Lysa get rid of the baby.

When Brandon was murdered by King Aerys II, Baratheons and Starks rose up under the guidance of Jon Arryn of the Vale to end the madness of King Aerys II. Some pacts needed to be made to solidify armies and younger brother to Brandon stark, now made Lord Eddard Stark (due to his dad and older brother being killed by Aerys), married Catelyn Tully and Jon Arryn married Lysa Tully.

Petyr then continued his relations with Lysa and manipulated her in convincing Jon Arryn to make him customs control at Gulltown, major port city to the Vale. Petyr became very successful and rich while doing this.

Petyr Baelish is Played by Aiden GillenHe was so successful in fact that when Robert Baratheon became King of the Realm, Jon Arryn, now acting Hand of the King, asked for Petyr to become the Master of Coin for Kings Landing. He made a lot of friends in Kings Landing and became the biggest Pimp as well, literally. Through this new title of Master of Coin and his purchase of multiple brothels in Kings Landing he was able to buy his way into the allegiance of many important players in the game including the Lannisters.

When Ned shows up to become Hand of the King for Robert after Jon Arryn’s sudden death, Littlefinger does his best to advise Ned that he is there to help and that no one should be trusted.They both sit on the Small Council together.

While Ned is in Kings Landing, an assassination attempt is committed to kill Bran Stark, who knows about Jaime and Cersei’s incest. Catelyn then rides to Kings Landing only to be stopped immediately by guards and escorted to Baelish. She’s not happy especially being in a brothel with him. She asks him if he knows who the dagger belongs to. He lies and tells her that it belonged to Tyrion, when in fact it was his dagger that was lost and given to the assassin. He convinces both Catlyn and Ned to not make any moves against the Lannisters until they can prove it is theirs.

Catelyn doesn’t listen and captures Tyrion. Petyr’s lie started the events that lead to the War of the Five Kings.

When Robert dies in a boar accident Littlefinger tries to persuade Ned, that has just found out Joffrey is not the rightful king because he is the product of twincest, to let Joffrey succeed Robert to avoid war. Ned refuses and demands Petyr help him with providing him the city watch to kick out the Lannisters. Petyr agrees.

When Robert dies Ned is summoned to the court. He meets Baelish and the Gold Cloaks outside of the Throne Room confident he has them on his side. When he denounces Joffrey’s claim to the throne he is pronounced a traitor by the Lannisters. Ned gives Baelish the nod to take Joffrey by force but is then turned on by the Gold Cloaks. Baelish has turned his back on Ned to try to avoid war…

Ned is captured, Robb marches south, Ned is killed, Robb is killed and Petyr is awarded by Tywin who becomes acting hand to Joffrey. He is awarded the Lordship of Harrenhal and Lysa Arryn’s hand in marriage. He then departs the city to wed his new wife, but before leaving, hatches a plan with Lady Oleanna and Ser Dantos to kill Joffrey and provide Sansa. He does it in such a way it looks as if Tyrion kills Joffrey and is the scapegoat for Joffrey’s assassination. He is sailing with Sansa to the Vale to wed Lysa and return Sansa to her aunt.

By far one of the most careful and dangerous players of thrones is Petyr Baelish. He has risen from low birth to high nobility. He does this with his use of the lie and lack of loyalty. As soon as you become insignificant to him, you are disposable to him. He keeps the perception of himself clean because he never states his intentions or motifs.

He fell in love in a hopeless place with a woman that didn’t love him back. He used that rejection to motivate himself to become one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, and he won’t stop until he gets there.

What do you think of Petyr Baelish? Do you think he contends for the Throne? Please hide your secret spoilers with our “Vale of Secrets” <—See what I did there???

Petyr Baelish is played by Aiden Gillen who has a very impressive resume…

Until next time my friends…

Done in the light of the Lord

• Published on 05/01/2014 at 8:00 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:42 PM CDT