⚔️ House Lannister · Deceased
Jaime Lannister
Also known as: The Kingslayer · The Young Lion · Goldenhand
Titles: Ser · Lord Commander of the Kingsguard · Warden of the West
Portrayed by: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau · Origin: The Westerlands · Seat: Casterly Rock · First appears: S1E1 “Winter Is Coming” · Fate: Crushed with Cersei beneath the Red Keep
“There are no men like me. Only me.”
Biography
Jaime Lannister was the youngest knight ever named to the Kingsguard — and the most reviled. At seventeen, sworn to protect King Aerys II, he listened for months as the Mad King burned men alive, and at the sack of King's Landing he heard the order that broke his oath: burn the city, kill them all. Jaime opened the king's throat instead and saved half a million people, then sat on the Iron Throne to wait, smirking, because the truth was unbearable and contempt was easier. 'Kingslayer' followed him for the rest of his life; he told the real story only once, in a bathtub at Harrenhal, to Brienne of Tarth.
The man who shoved Bran Stark from a tower window in the show's first episode — 'the things I do for love' — spent the rest of the series being painfully reassembled into someone better. Captured by Robb Stark, freed by Catelyn, maimed by Locke, he lost his sword hand and discovered it had been his entire identity. Brienne became his conscience: he leapt one-handed into a bear pit for her, armed her with Oathkeeper (forged from Ned Stark's own greatsword), and sent her to fulfill the oath to Catelyn he could not keep himself.
When Cersei refused to honor the pledge to fight the dead, Jaime rode north alone — the Kingslayer arriving at Winterfell to face the family of the boy he crippled. He fought the Long Night in the ranks, knighted Brienne in the great hall in the series' most tender scene, and then proved redemption is not a straight line: he left her weeping in Winterfell to die where he had always known he would, in the arms of the woman he came into the world beside. 'The things we do for love' — the line that opened his story closed it.
Attributes & statistics
Editorial scores (0–100) and metadata — our own estimates for comparison, not official canon.
| Combat | 90 |
|---|---|
| Intellect | 70 |
| Loyalty | 78 |
| Influence | 75 |
| Survivability | 76 |
| Moral compass | 60 |
Screen time: 230 min across 55 episodes · Named on-screen kills: 15 · Lore milestones: 10 · Debut: S1E1 (2011)
Timeline
- ⭐ PRE — Slays the Mad King: Kills Aerys II to stop the wildfire plot; earns the name Kingslayer.
- ⭐ S1E1 — Pushes Bran from the Tower: 'The things I do for love.'
- ⭐ S3E3 — Loses His Sword Hand: Maimed by Locke; his identity severed at the wrist.
- S4E4 — Gives Brienne Oathkeeper: Sends her to find and protect the Stark girls.
- ⭐ S8E2 — Knights Brienne: 'Arise, Brienne of Tarth, a knight of the Seven Kingdoms.'
- ⭐ S8E5 — Dies with Cersei: The twins die beneath the collapsing Red Keep.
Key relationships
- lover Cersei Lannister — Twin and lifelong lover; died together
- ally Brienne of Tarth — The knight who rebuilt his honor; he knighted her
- family Tyrion Lannister — Freed him from the black cells the night before execution
- enemy Bran Stark — Pushed him from the Broken Tower in S1E1
- rival Eddard Stark — Ned found him seated on the throne over Aerys's corpse
Trivia
- Jaime's golden hand was forged by Qyburn from the gold of Casterly Rock.
- He is the only Kingsguard knight in history to kill the king he was sworn to protect.
- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau learned to sword-fight left-handed for the post-maiming seasons.
- Oathkeeper is one of two swords reforged from Ice, Ned Stark's Valyrian greatsword — the other is Joffrey's Widow's Wail.
- His bathtub confession at Harrenhal was filmed in a single extended take.