The second in our series on the deeper meaning of the Game of Thrones house symbols: find out more about the Lannister crimson & gold, their motto, and their animal, the lion.
Works Cited & Consulted:
* Martin, George R.R. “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Bantam Books.
* freeguess. “An Analysis of House Words.” /r/asoiaf on Reddit, 5 Jan. 2013.
* Empower Yourself with Color Psychology
* Color Wheel Pro
* Color Meanings
* Harris, Elena. “Lion Spirit Animal.” Spirit Animal.
* “Symbolic Meaning of Lions.” Whats-Your-Sign.com.
* “Lion Symbolism & Meaning.” Universe of Symbolism.
* Parisien, Erin. “Game Of Thrones: 15 Things You Need To Know About House Lannister.” ScreenRant, 27 June 2016.
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Transcript provided by Youtube:
00:03
The future of our family will be determined in these next few months.
00:07
We could establish a dynasty that will last a thousand years, or we could collapse
00:12
into nothing as the Targaryen’s did.
00:15
We talked about the overall significance of the house sigils in Game of Thrones
00:19
in our video about the Starks,
00:20
which you can watch by clicking on the “I” in the top right corner here or at the end of this video.
00:25
So, now let’s dig into the symbolism of the Lannister’s.
00:29
The Lannister’s sigil, a gold lion on a crimson field, projects royalty and nobility.
00:34
The symbols come from a centuries-old lineage but the current
00:38
image of the Lannister’s has been crafted by Tywin Lannister.
00:41
“It’s the family name that lives on. It’s all that lives on. Not your personal glory, not your honor, but family.”
00:51
Tywin’s own father, Tytos, was known as a weak man who was mocked and taken
00:56
advantage of by even his mistress.
00:58
“A weak man who nearly destroyed our house and name”
01:01
So proud, Tywin resolved to create a better reputation for his family and he
01:05
values that image and appearance of Lannister greatness above all else.
01:09
Key to the Lannister nature is that interplay between perfect outer
01:13
appearance and the uglier reality underneath.
01:16
“Everything they say is true about Jamie and me.”
01:18
“No”
01:19
“Your legacy is a lie.”
01:21
“No, I don’t believe you.”
01:23
The Lannister’s, as the house, embody pride
01:26
and the will of the self, or ego, which includes self-gain or selfishness,
01:31
self creation, and, as represented by incest between twins, self love.
01:36
“Everyone who isn’t us is an enemy.”
01:40
The official Lannister motto, “Hear Me Roar,” underlines
01:43
the Lion’s power, strength, and ferocity that the Lannisters want to project, but
01:48
this motto is rarely used. Behind closed doors the Lannisters are
01:52
defined by their unofficial saying, “A Lannister always pays his debts”
01:57
“And remind her that Lannister’s pay their debts”
02:00
“Tell him the Lannisters aren’t the only ones who pay their debts.”
02:04
“A Lannister always…” “Don’t say it. Don’t fucking say it.”
02:08
On one level the saying reminds everyone that the Lannisters are rich
02:11
their wealth defines them. They’re the haves and proud of it.
02:15
“More gold than you can spend if you lived a thousand years.”
02:18
The words position them almost as the bank of King’s Landing.
02:22
They understand that in their ultra-
02:24
political world, perception is everything. They can trade on their reputation for
02:28
having money and being reliable.
02:30
“I would be in your debt. I will owe you gold.”
02:35
On the literal level, ‘a Lannister always pays his debts’ means they can be trusted to
02:39
pay back favors or loans, but the motto has a dark flipside. If wrong a
02:44
Lannister will seek revenge and this reputation is also valuable.
02:48
“You’re going to die for quite a while.”
02:50
While the outer motto embodies the royal image the Lannisters
02:54
would like people to see, their true motto tells us what the Lannisters
02:57
really value most: their riches, their manipulative wits, and their vengeance
03:03
“I wonder if you’re the worst person I’ve ever met.”
03:06
The Lannister colors, gold and crimson, signal their desire to be royal. Gold is the color of a crown and the
03:13
color of the precious metal or money. So gold indicates sophistication, prosperity,
03:17
and rule. It’s an eye-catching color that demands
03:20
attention. We associate gold with being the best, as in a gold medal.
03:24
“Magnificent”
03:26
Just as the Lannisters see themselves as superior to everyone else,
03:29
Gold is linked to masculine energy, the power of the Sun, wisdom, and enlightenment.
03:34
We picture gold as illuminating its surroundings, as the
03:37
wealthy and cultured Lannisters might want to be seen, while in reality the
03:41
Lannisters expose who they actually are only in the shadows. Never out in the
03:45
open of golden daylight. The Lannisters picture-perfect looks and golden hair
03:49
likewise echo the sunny false appearance that couldn’t be further from their ruthless inner selves.
03:55
“I will hurt you for this. A day will
03:58
come when you think you’re safe and happy, and your joy will turn to ashes in
04:03
your mouth. And you will know the debt is paid.”
04:08
“Get out”
04:10
Meanwhile, the golden hair and green eyes typical of the Lannisters appearance
04:14
remind us of their money and greed. Thinking of oneself as gold, as the best,
04:19
and focusing on amassing gold are deeply egotistical behaviors.
04:24
Cersei’s character embodies the Lannister narcissism. She loves only herself, her twin Jamie, and
04:30
her offspring, all extensions of self.
04:33
Crimson, too, indicates nobility and status
04:36
This upscale red is infused with the royalty of purple.
04:40
In the Elizabethan era in Britain, only royalty and the wealthy were allowed to wear the color.
04:45
The Greeks and Romans used crimson for military robes, yet the Lannisters aren’t
04:49
true royalty. They grasp that power. Each one gains power through social climbing
04:54
and proximity to royalty. Tywin was the hand of the king, Jaime was in the King’s
04:58
Guard, and Cersei married King Robert Baratheon and destined her children to be kings.
05:03
“Long may he reign”
05:05
Even while maintaining their pure Lannister blood.
05:07
“My brother’s worth a thousand of your friend.
05:10
“Your brother, or your lover.”
05:12
So the Lannisters noble colors tell us not who the Lannisters
05:15
really are, but who they want to be and be seen as.
05:19
“You’re talking to a king”
05:22
The crimson and gold reflect the Lannister’s desire to rule and their
05:26
fierce will to dominate over others.
05:28
“A house that puts family first will always defeat
05:31
the house that puts the whims and wishes of its sons and daughters first.”
05:36
The lion on the Lannister sigil shows the family likes to imagine themselves as
05:40
the rulers of the kingdom.
05:42
“The lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of a sheep.”
05:45
The kings of the jungle, lions symbolize
05:47
wisdom, power, dignity, and like the Lannister colors, royalty.
05:52
To others, the crafty Lannisters might be better represented by a snake.
05:56
Yet the Lannisters
05:57
truly have created their house into something strong and majestic like a lion.
06:02
No animal on earth can rival a lion, but in Westeros there are also
06:06
dragons, and the biggest threat to the Lannisters comes from the mythical
06:09
superhuman power of Targaryen blood.
06:12
The Lannister who truly doesn’t fit the house personality is Tyrion.
06:16
“I would let myself be
06:17
consumed by maggots before mocking the family name and making you heir to Casterly Rock”
06:22
Hated by his father and sister, Tyrion copes with his situation of being wealthy and privileged, yet despised,
06:29
with wine and a cynical wit.
06:31
“The proud Lannister children: the dwarf, the cripple, and the mother of madness”
06:35
But now that he’s found Daenerys, unlike the other
06:37
Lannisters, he’s found a greater purpose to live for,
06:41
“Tyrion Lannister,
06:42
I name you hand of the queen”
06:43
and started to believe in a deeper magic than wealth or power.
06:47
A long-running fan theory believes Tyrion is also a Targaryen, that the Mad
06:51
King may have impregnated his mother Johanna. But either way, it’s safe to say
06:54
he’s not a Lannister in the mold of his father, at heart.
06:58
“You’re no son of mine.”
07:00
“I am your son. I have always been your son”
07:08
In recent seasons, Jaime has shown an un-Lannister, chivalrous side.
07:11
“Thank you, for my life.”
07:14
While Cersei’s youngest child, Tommen, actually seems to
07:17
have the potential to be a good and kind king.
07:20
“What kind of king do you think you’ll be?
07:23
“A good king”
07:26
“I think so as well”
07:27
But, spoiler alert, this goodness of
07:29
Tommen’s isn’t rewarded or allowed to exist in the Lannister world.
07:33
Cersei’s love for Jaime and even her children can’t overrule her own egotistical agenda.
07:38
“I choose violence”
07:40
Altogether, the Lannister symbols
07:41
represent a duality; their outer image signifies noble blood, royalty, and
07:46
legitimate rule, yet their inner world foils down to money, secrets, grudges,
07:50
illegitimacy, and power plays in the shadows.
07:53
“House Lannister has no rival”
07:58
After the Lannister family line is weakened by the end of season six,
08:03
the image of Cersei on the iron throne, a childless mother with no future to her
08:07
bloodline, represents more acutely than ever, the symbolism of the ego trying to
08:11
dominate for its own sake with no greater purpose.
08:15
The Lannister self will
08:16
never back down in its mission to win, to rule, and to shine.
08:20
“There are no men like me. Only me.”
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Photo credit: Screenshot from video