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| “ | You are almost a man grown now, and my heir. You have given me no cause to disown you, but neither will I allow you to inherit the land and title that should be Dickon's. Heartsbane must go to a man strong enough to wield her, and you are not worthy to touch her hilt. So I have decided that you shall this day announce that you wish to take the black. You will forsake all claim to your brother's inheritance and start north before evenfall. If you do not, then on the morrow we shall have a hunt, and somewhere in these woods your horse will stumble, and you will be thrown to the saddle to die...or so I will tell your mother. She has a woman's heart and finds it in her to cherish you, and I have no wish to cause her pain. Please do not imagine that it will truly be that easy, should you think to defy me. Nothing would please me more than to hunt you down like the pig you are. So. There is your choice. The Night's Watch... [rips out a deer's heart.] Or this. | „ |
| ~ Randyll Tarly to his son Samwell. |
| “ | The gods made men to fight, and women to bear children. A woman's war is in the birthing bed. | „ |
| ~ Randyll to Brienne of Tarth. |
Lord Randyll Tarly is a supporting antagonist in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and its television adaptation, Game of Thrones.
He is the Lord of Horn Hill and head of House Tarly, a vassal house of House Tyrell from the Reach. He's married to Lady Melessa Florent and has five children: Samwell, Talla, two other girls, and Dickon. In battle, he wields the Tarly ancestral blade, Heartsbane, a Valyrian steel greatsword. Marcher lords of the Dornish Marches, the Tarlys are a family old in honor with rich lands and a strong keep.
He was portrayed by James Faulkner, who voiced King Arthur in Tales of Arcadia.
Personality[]
| “ | Tarly is the real danger. A narrow man, but iron-willed and shrewd, and as good a soldier as the Reach could boast. | „ |
| ~ Kevan Lannister's thoughts about Tarly, whilst comparing him with the Tyrells as a threat. |
| “ | Randyll Tarly is the finest soldier in the realm. A poor Hand for peacetime, but with Tywin dead there's no better man to finish this war. | „ |
| ~ Kevan Lannister, urging Cersei Lannister to have Randyll to succeed Tywin as Hand of the King. |
Randyll is a narrow man but iron-willed, shrewd, and capable, and he is considered one of the finest battle commanders in Westeros. He is a proud, strict disciplinarian, obedient to his superiors, and dutiful. He prizes courage and martial ability, which causes him to despise his eldest son, Samwell, because of his cowardice and softness, and strongly favor his younger son, Dickon, who is much more fierce and robust.
His character is very similar to Tywin Lannister; both have sons who's in their eyes are a disgrace to the family legacy, and both fathers are willing to do anything to get rid of them. Randyll is using whatever means necessary to achieve his goals without compassion or conscience for his family. Both are also respected as fine soldiers.
After Tywin's death, Keven Lannister suggests that Randyll might be a suitable replacement as Hand of the King to finish the War of the Five Kings, as he has strong will and good tactic skills in war and thought he would be a poor Hand during peace.
Quotes[]
| “ | Randyll: Clegane's turned outlaw. He rides with Beric Dondarrion now, it would seem. Or not, the tales vary. Show me where they're hiding, I will gladly slit their bellies open, pull their entrails out, and burn them. We've hanged dozens of outlaws, but the leaders still elude us. Clegane, Dondarrion, the red priest, and now this woman Stoneheart ... how do you propose to find them, when I cannot? Brienne: My lord, I ... all I can do is try. Randyll: Try, then. You have your letter, you do not need my leave, but I’ll give it nonetheless. If you’re fortunate, all you'll get for your trouble are saddle sores. If not, perhaps Clegane will let you live after he and his pack are done raping you. You can crawl back to Tarth with some dog's bastard in your belly. Brienne: If it please my lord, how many men ride with the Hound? Randyll: Six or sixty or six hundred. It would seem to depend on whom we ask. [starts to turn away] Brienne: If my squire and I might beg your hospitality until— Randyll: Beg all you want. I will not suffer you beneath my roof. Ser Hyle Hunt: If it please my lord, I had understood that it was still Lord Mooton's roof. Randyll: [with a venomous look] Mooton has the courage of a worm. You will not speak to me of Mooton. As for you, my lady, it is said that your father is a good man. If so, I pity him. Some men are blessed with sons, some with daughters. No man deserves to be cursed with such as you. Live or die, Lady Brienne, do not return to Maidenpool whilst I rule here. |
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Gallery[]
Randyll Tarly (novels).
Randyll Tarly (TV series).
Tarly with Heartsbane.
Randyll in his armor.
Tarly realizes Gilly is a wildling.
Randyll on the battlefield at the Goldroad.
Tarly confronts Cersei about Daenerys' dragons.
Randyll, with Dickon and Bronn, leading the Lannister army.
Trivia[]
- In the TV series Game of Thrones, he was cut from appearing until very late, being introduced in Season 6 at Horn Hill, while he was only an established and repeatedly mentioned character in previous seasons.
- Had the showrunners adapted the novels more closely and allowed using flashbacks more frequently, Randyll's first appearance would've been in Season 1, in a flashback of Samwell Tarly, which is when Randyll first appears in the novels, in a scene taking place at Horn Hill, when he disowns Sam. Always if the show followed the book more directly, Randyll's first appearance in present time would've been in Season 2, serving in Renly Baratheon's war council. However, in the show Randyll's role in Renly's army was only mentioned, while his character was omitted.
- In Season 1 of the TV series, there is a scene where Tywin Lannister is skinning a deer's carcass while speaking to his son Jaime. This was taken from Sam's flashback from the first book, where it is Randyll who is skinning his own hunted deer's carcass while speaking to Sam at Horn Hill. As the show's screenwriters generally refused to have flashbacks, with occasional exceptions, Randyll didn't appear in Season 1, and his deer-skinning scene was given to Tywin instead.
- In the TV series, the majority of the details of Randyll's abuse toward his son Sam was omitted: this included hiring ruthless masters-at-arms for him, beating him many times, starving him, dressing him in his mother's clothes and parading him in public wearing them, forcing him to sleep in chainmail, forcing him to watch animals getting slaughtered, having him bathed in aurochs blood by two Qartheen warlocks, nearly drowning him by throwing him into Horn Hill's pond to teach him to swim, allowing other boys to bully and prank him relentlessly, and once having him chained and manacled to a wall for three days, to discourage him from wanting to become a maester of the Citadel, since Sam was so "eager to wear a chain".
- In the novels, while serving in Renly's army, Randyll and his son Dickon stopped a cruel gamble between young knights, most of them in their late teens, which involved claiming the homely Brienne of Tarth's virginity, eventually leading to a forceful kiss and things getting too close to a possible rape. This led to Randyll ordering the boys to stop their wager at once, summoning Brienne for a meeting, in which he blamed her and her sex for "corrupting" the boys, criticizing her lifestyle, and trying to convince her to leave Renly's host and get a ship back to Tarth to live like a proper lady. This entire small story of Brienne was cut from the TV show, as it was never shown nor mentioned at any point.
- In the second novel, Randyll makes a remark to Catelyn Stark, criticizing her son, Robb Stark, for not coming himself to bargain with Renly for an alliance, insinuating that Robb hides under his mother's skirt, prompting Catelyn to coldly defend her son by reminding Renly and his vassals that he's fighting a war instead of playing warfare in tourneys. In the TV series, this part was kept, but the remark against Robb was given to Loras Tyrell, as Randyll was cut from the season.
- Also the place of the scene, where Catelyn meets Renly and Margaery Tyrell, differs between books and show: in the former, it happens at the castle of Bitterbridge, in the Reach, while in the latter this was changed with this happening somewhere in the lands around Storm's End, in the Stormlands.
- Randyll was also one of the commanders of Renly's army who was supposed to lead in battle against Stannis Baratheon at Storm's End, before Renly's assassination by a shadow put a stop to that. Throughout Catelyn's chapters spent with Renly's host, Randyll was featured, unlike the TV show.
- After Renly Baratheon's death, Randyll is the one who gives the biggest contribution for the Tyrells in preventing half of Renly's army in the Reach to go over to Stannis Baratheon, defeating, submitting or executing any feudal levies who attempted to declare for Stannis.
- He also participated in the Battle of the Blackwater, as part of the relief force with Tywin and Mace Tyrell. It is possible he also participated in the TV series, with his character being unseen.
- In the third novel, after Tywin Lannister took his office of Hand of the King in King's Landing to deal with politics and defend the city from Stannis Baratheon, Randyll took Tywin's place in managing the war in the Riverlands and the Crownlands as a general of the Iron Throne's forces, marching out of the city with an army of Reachmen and Stormlanders. It is Randyll during the third book who fights Robb Stark's rebel forces in Tywin's place, and he destroys most of Robb's foot army, with Gregor Clegane and his forces aiding him, much to Robb's dismay.
- Always during the third novel, on behalf of the Crown, Randyll captured the large walled port town of Maidenpool and its castle ruled by House Mooton, a family sworn to the Tullys and Robb. Randyll seizes power in the whole region ruled by that family and later marries his son Dickon to a daughter of Lord Mooton, fully establishing political power and influence there through marriage and future heirs.
- In Seasons 3, 4 and 5 of the TV show, however, Randyll's role in the War of the Five Kings after Renly's death was left unknown, and most of the war and battles of the rebel Northmen and Rivermen are no longer mentioned in Season 3. By the time of Season 6, Randyll is at his seat, the castle of Horn Hill.
- Always during the third novel, on behalf of the Crown, Randyll captured the large walled port town of Maidenpool and its castle ruled by House Mooton, a family sworn to the Tullys and Robb. Randyll seizes power in the whole region ruled by that family and later marries his son Dickon to a daughter of Lord Mooton, fully establishing political power and influence there through marriage and future heirs.
- Randyll's story in the fourth novel, where he rebuilds Maidenpool, rules and defends the lands in the eastern Riverlands, successfully hunting down and executing outlaws (causing a significant crime drop in that region), his campaign against Stoneheart, the Brotherhood Without Banners, and the Marauders of Saltpans led by the Hound "II", and his interactions with Brienne of Tarth were also entirely omitted in the TV series, as by then stopped adapting the majority of the novels in favor of its own original story.
- In Season 6 of the television series, Randyll met his son Sam again for the first time since he had forced him to take the black in Season 1, the two unhappily reuniting at Horn Hill as Sam was on his way to Oldtown. Sam initially planned to leave Gilly at Horn Hill to become a household servant there, while Sam would live at the Citadel in Oldtown. After a single day visit, however, in which Randyll officially banished Sam from Horn Hill, Sam stole House Tarly's Valyrian steel greatsword Heartsbane as he left with Gilly. In all his following appearances, Randyll's reaction about it was never shown and he made zero attempt to reclaim the sword, despite knowing Sam was headed to Oldtown.
- This story at Horn Hill is exclusive to the TV show and does not exist in the novels. In the latter, Randyll and Sam haven't met each other since the day Sam had to leave Horn Hill, and Randyll never met Gilly.
- Although in both books and show, Sam is eventually sent to Oldtown by Jon Snow, in the show Sam stays way longer at the Wall, leaving only in Season 6, while in the books Sam left early during A Feast for Crows, the fourth installment, accompanied by Gilly, Maester Aemon, and Mance Rayder's infant son disguised as Gilly's own son, who stayed at the Wall. In the written version, Sam and his crew sail to Braavos first, then from this city they sail all the way around Dorne to Westeros' western coast (Aemon dies at sea on a ship, unlike the show), eventually reaching Oldtown, thus never stopping to Horn Hill.
- However, in the novels Sam also plans to send Gilly and Mance's baby to Horn Hill, always to make Gilly a household servant for the Tarlys, while Sam has to spend years in training at the Citadel. However, unlike the TV show, in which the Reach is peaceful, in the novels the situation is far more chaotic and uncertain, as many lands and places of the Reach became warzones due to a destructive ongoing Ironborn invasion being led by King Euron Greyjoy, conquering, sacking and burning wherever they go, with Oldtown in a panic, making it unsafe for Gilly to travel to Horn Hill. Also in this version, Horn Hill is currently being ruled by either Randyll's wife, Melessa, another unknown male Tarly, or any other castellan, as Randyll himself is in King's Landing serving King Tommen, after having spent the previous two books in the Riverlands. Also, unlike the TV show, Randyll always carries Heartsbane with him, as this is his main weapon, while in the show it was unguarded on a wall and treated like a decoration.
- Although in both books and show, Sam is eventually sent to Oldtown by Jon Snow, in the show Sam stays way longer at the Wall, leaving only in Season 6, while in the books Sam left early during A Feast for Crows, the fourth installment, accompanied by Gilly, Maester Aemon, and Mance Rayder's infant son disguised as Gilly's own son, who stayed at the Wall. In the written version, Sam and his crew sail to Braavos first, then from this city they sail all the way around Dorne to Westeros' western coast (Aemon dies at sea on a ship, unlike the show), eventually reaching Oldtown, thus never stopping to Horn Hill.
- This story at Horn Hill is exclusive to the TV show and does not exist in the novels. In the latter, Randyll and Sam haven't met each other since the day Sam had to leave Horn Hill, and Randyll never met Gilly.
- Randyll's role in the fifth novel as the guardian of the girls Margaery, Alla, Elinor and Megga Tyrell, after the High Sparrow handed them over to him for custody until the day of their trial by the Faith, was also omitted from the TV show, which also omitted Margaery's three cousins.
- By the end of the fifth novel, Randyll became the new and current Master of Laws and Justiciar of King Tommen I Baratheon, currently serving at court in King's Landing, while also having custody of Queen Margaery and her cousin handmaids. However, the TV series also omitted this, with Randyll being cut from Season 5 and being at Horn Hill by the time of Season 6. In the show, Randyll only finally appears at court in Season 7, acting like the unofficial leader of the Lords of the Reach and being made a general for Queen Cersei Lannister.
External Link[]
- Randyll Tarly on the A Song of Ice and Fire Wiki.
- Randyll Tarly on the Wiki of Westeros.
