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| “ | Lords and knights moved aside as he stepped through, tall and fleshless, a skeleton in iron mail, the King's Justice. | „ |
| ~ Arya Stark's description of Illyn Payne. |
Ser Ilyn Payne is a supporting antagonist in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. He serves as the King's Justice, or the royal executioner of the Seven Kingdoms.
He was portrayed by the late Wilko Johnson.
Personality and Appearance[]
He is a grim man, thin, with a beardless, pockmarked face. He has deep set of pale, colorless eyes and hollow cheeks. He is almost completely bald. He wears iron-grey chain mail over boiled leather with a large greatsword worn over his right shoulder.
It has been mentioned more than once in the story that Payne lives for nothing but killing.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Ser Ilyn Payne served as Tywin Lannister's Captain of the Guard, which was during the latter's time as Hand of the King to Aerys II Targaryen. When Ilyn was overheard saying that it was Twin who truly ruled over the Seven Kingdoms, the Mad King had his tongue removed with hot pincers as punishment. With the loss of his tongue, Ilyn lost the ability to speak. In the aftermath of Robert's Rebellion, he was promoted to the King's Justice by King Robert I Baratheon.
A Game of Thrones[]
Along with Renly Baratheon and Ser Barristan Selmy, Ser Ilyn Payne joined Robert's royal retinue in the Riverlands, at the Inn at the Crossroads, to welcome the king back from his stay at House Stark's seat, Winterfell, and join him on the way back to King's Landing as an honor guard. Sansa Stark was terrified of him but she apologized after thinking she had offended him. However, Ilyn just turned away without a word, as Queen Cersei Lannister and Barristan explained to Sansa how Ilyn is perfectly fit for the office of the King's Justice.
After an incident that involves Prince Joffrey Baratheon, in which he was attacked by Nymeria, the direwolf of Arya Stark, Robert has the wolf put to death, after confronting Arya and her sister Sansa Stark at Castle Darry. However, as Nymeria is nowhere to be found, as she was driven away by Jory Cassel and Arya, Ilyn Payne is expected to execute Sansa's direwolf, Lady, instead. This was nulled when Sansa's father, Eddard Stark, does the task himself.
Ilyn Payne executing Ned Stark.
When Tywin's bannerman Ser Gregor Clegane is reported to be ravaging the Riverlands with his warband, Ned, as Robert's Hand of the King, tasks Lord Beric Dondarrion instead of Ser Ilyn Payne to hunt down Gregor and bring him to justice. In response, according to Varys, Ilyn was not pleased with this, as he believes it to be his job, since he is the King's Justice. He later claims Eddard's Valyrian Steel greatsword Ice for himself after Eddard was arrested.
At the Great Sept Baelor, after Eddard's public confession of his crimes, the recently-crowned King Joffrey I sentences him to death and rashly orders Ilyn to bring him Ned's dead. Assisted by the Gold Cloaks and their commander Janos Slynt, the new Lord of Harrenhal, Ilyn uses Ice to behead Ned. Consequently, this caused the North to continue its rebellion against the crown, but now going as far as to reject the Iron Throne's rule and declare independence, crowning Ned's eldest son Robb as the King in the North, with the riverlords also crowning him King of the Trident.
One night, as Sansa Stark, now a prisoner, slept in Maegor's Holdfast, she had a nightmare of Ser Ilyn Payne, in which she hears the footsteps of the King's justice outside her door.
A Clash of Kings[]
As Ilyn was one of the people responsible for her father's death, Arya Stark adds him to her prayer kill list. When Tyrion Lannister arrives in the capital city, sent by his father Tywin to act in his stead as Hand of the King, to rule over Joffrey's erratic behavior, he confronts his sister Cersei, who is the regent ruler of the realm, over her defense that she "tried to stop" Eddard's execution, which infuriated the High Septon and the Faith of the Seven. Tyrion bluntly points out Joffrey wasn't the one holding the sword, yet both Cersei and Ser Ilyn simply went along with the boy-king's orders, when they could have easily just stopped what they were doing.
Ser Ilyn continues to serve King Joffrey as the War of the Five Kings continues to ravage much of the realm, especially the Riverlands. During the Battle of the Blackwater, Ser Ilyn accompanies Queen Cersei to Maegor's Holdfast. Though the Queen claims Ilyn is present to protect them and to deal with potential betrayers, she later admits to Sansa that Ilyn's true purpose is to execute her and Sansa, and possibly the rest of the ladies who have taken refuge in the holdfast, should Stannis Baratheon take the city. In the aftermath of the battle, in which of House Baratheon of King's Landing is victorious, when a bastard of House Florent and a group of other loyal men hail Stannis as the true ruler of Westeros and ridicule Joffrey, denouncing him as abomination born from incest, Lord Tywin orders Ser Ilyn to take him out for beheading, after Joffrey was excused out of the court session after cutting himself on the Iron Throne.
Notable Victims[]
- Lord Eddard Stark - Executed by beheading on King Joffrey I Baratheon’s orders.
Books Only:[]
- Florent bastard knight - Beheaded on King Joffrey's orders, either carried out or assisted Ser Meryn Trant to do it.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In the TV series, Ser Ilyn has a much smaller role than in the novels, and becomes absent after Season 2. This was due to the fact that Wilko Johnson had developed cancer after filming Season 1 and was unable to return. However, the Season 4 finale hinted that Ser Ilyn is still alive. During his recovering, Wilko Johnson also expressed interest to his possible return for his role as soon as he completely recovered, since he enjoyed the role even if he had no spoken lines though that never came to be and Wilko Johnson passed away in 2022.
- Ser Ilyn is still on Arya Stark's kill list in novels due to operating the execution of Ned Stark, while in the TV series Arya somehow removed him from her list.
- He is described by Jaime Lannister to be a sadistic individual, but it is unclear if this is actually true as he is only grimly following orders.
- During a Feast for Crows, Ilyn leaves his office as the King's justice after many years of service and spending most of this long period in King's Landing (except for certain occasions, like when he traveled with Renly and Barristan to the Riverlands in the first novel to welcome King Robert back from the North). While riding in the open fields, hills, and woods, Jaime notices Ilyn looking around, sitting, and walking around, enjoying nature and fresh hair, his eyes looking pleased by the sights and showing hidden happiness at having left his grim occupation in the noisy capital.
- It seems in A Feast for Crows Ilyn resigned from his position for good. Cersei also thinks she needs to find a new King's justice as Ilyn's replacement. Currently, there is no one filling Ilyn's office and his former underlings are taking care of everything.
- In the fourth novel, Jaime confessed his incestous affair with Cersei and many of his darkest secrets to Ilyn, who is mute and illiterate. Ilyn finds Jaime's secrets amusing and not shocking in the slightest, and silently mocks him for them.
- In the novels, Ser Addam Marbrand and Ilyn are the crippled Jaime's trainers for sparring matches. In the TV series, Addam and Ilyn were replaced by Bronn, who has no affiliation with Jaime in the books, and is now the new ruler of Castle Stokeworth and its lands.
- He is a cousin to Podrick Payne.
