House Baelish

House Baelish
Coat of arms	A grey stone head with fiery eyes, on a light green field (Vert, a stone head cendrée, orbed gules)
Seats	Unnamed tower Harrenhal
Head	Lord Petyr Baelish
Regions	Vale of Arryn Riverlands
Titles	Lord of Harrenhal Lord Paramount of the Trident
Overlords	House Arryn House Baratheon of King's Landing
Founder	A Braavosi sellsword

House Baelish is a noble house from the Vale of Arryn. Their seat is an unnamed, old flint tower, which commands no more than a few stony acres on the smallest of the Fingers. House Baelish's smallfolk consists of a village of a dozen families in huts of piled stone beside a peat bog.^[1][2]

The current lord, Petyr Baelish, is only the second generation of the landed family. His grandfather had been a landless hedge knight, and his father the smallest of lords.^[3] While the traditional arms of House Baelish depict the Titan's head,^[2] Petyr's arms are a field of silver mockingbirds on green, according to a semi-canon source.^[4]

History

The house began with Petyr's great-grandfather, who was born in Braavos and came to the Vale as a sellsword employed by House Corbray. His son took the head of the Titan of Braavos as his sigil when he was knighted. His arms were a grey stone head with fiery eyes, on a light green field.^[2]

During the War of the Ninepenny Kings, Petyr's father became friends with Lord Hoster Tully. He later "cashed in" on the friendship to have Petyr fostered at Riverrun.^[5] Petyr fell in love with Hoster's daughter, Catelyn, and Lysa Tully fell in love with him. After challenging Brandon Stark for Catelyn's hand, and after secretly impregnating Lysa, Petyr was sent home in disgrace.^[6][7]

In 289 AC, Petyr Baelish was given a minor sinecure in customs by Lord Jon Arryn,^[3] on the suggestion of his wife Lysa.^[7] There, Petyr distinguished himself, bringing in three times as much as any other collector. Petyr's rise to King's Landing was a swift one, and within three years after his arrival at court, he sat on the small council of King Robert I Baratheon.^[3]

Recent Events

A Clash of Kings

The simple, unnamed tower of House Baelish.
Art by PHATandy

Lord Petyr Baelish offers himself as the envoy to the Reach to win their support for House Lannister. Following the Battle of the Blackwater, Petyr receives Harrenhal and is titled Lord Paramount of the Trident, as a reward for arranging the alliance between Houses Lannister and Tyrell and the betrothal of Margaery Tyrell to King Joffrey I Baratheon.^[8]

A Storm of Swords

Harrenhal is recaptured from the Brave Companions by Ser Gregor Clegane and the Mountain's men.^[9]

Petyr suggests that Sansa Stark use his mother's name (Alayne) while disguising herself as his bastard daughter.^[2]

A Feast for Crows

In no hurry to occupy Harrenhal, Petyr Baelish assumes power as the Lord Protector of the Eyrie and the Vale of Arryn following the death of Lady Lysa Arryn, who had granted him the title after their marriage.^[10]

House Baelish at the end of the third century

The known Baelishes during the timespan described in A Song of Ice and Fire are:

• Lord Petyr Baelish, Lord of Harrenhal, Lord Paramount of the Trident, and Lord Protector of the Eyrie and the Vale of Arryn, formerly master of coin under King Robert I Baratheon and King Joffrey I Baratheon.
  • Lady {Lysa Tully}, his wife, widow to Lord Jon Arryn. Defenestrated at the Eyrie, in 300 AC.
    • "Alayne Stone", his natural daughter. Actually Sansa Stark.

Household

• Umfred, Lord Petyr's steward.
• Grisel, a former wetnurse to Lord Petyr, now keeper of his tower.
• Bryen, the old captain of the guards at Lord Petyr's tower.
• Kella, a servingwoman and shepherd.
  • Kella's daughter, an infant.
• Ser Bonifer Hasty, called Bonifer the Good, captain of the Holy Hundred and declared castellan of Harrenhal by Ser Jaime Lannister.
• Ser Lothor Brune, a knight and former sellsword in Lord Petyr's service.
• Oswell Kettleblack, a grizzled man-at-arms in Lord Petyr's service.
• Ser Shadrich of the Shady Glen, called the Mad Mouse, a hedge knight in Lord Petyr's service.
• Ser Byron the Beautiful, a hedge knight in Lord Petyr's service.
• Ser Morgarth the Merry, a hedge knight in Lord Petyr's service.

Historical Members

• Baelish, a Braavosi sellsword.
  • Baelish, his son, a hedge knight.
    • Lord Baelish, the sellsword's grandson and father of Petyr Baelish.
    • Alayne, wife of Lord Baelish and mother of Petyr.

Quotes

His face swam up before her; a boy's face, though he was a boy no longer. His father had died several years before, so he was Lord Baelish now, yet still they called him Littlefinger. Her brother Edmure had given him that name, long ago at Riverrun. His family's modest holdings were on the smallest of the Fingers, and Petyr had been slight and short for his age.^[1]

—thoughts of Catelyn Stark

Littlefinger was no threat to anyone. A clever, smiling, genial man, everyone's friend, always able to find whatever gold the king or his Hand required, and yet of such undistinguished birth, one step up from a hedge knight, he was not a man to fear. He had no banners to call, no army of retainers, no great stronghold, no holdings to speak of, no prospects of a great marriage.^[3]

—thoughts of Tyrion Lannister

Petyr: My grandfather's shield. His own father was born in Braavos and came to the Vale as a sellsword in the hire of Lord Corbray, so my grandfather took the head of the Titan as his sigil when he was knighted.

'Sansa: It's very fierce.

Petyr: Rather too fierce, for an amiable fellow like me. I much prefer my mockingbird.^[2]

—Petyr Baelish and Sansa Stark

References

v d e Houses of the Vale of Arryn   At the start of A Game of Thrones Great House Arryn of the Eyrie Lordly Houses Baelish Belmore Borrell1 Coldwater Corbray Elesham Grafton Hunter Lynderly Longthorpe1 Pryor Redfort Royce Ruthermont Sunderland1 Tollett Torrent1 Waynwood Knightly Houses Hardyng Shett of Gull Tower Shett of Gulltown Templeton Waxley Woodhull Other Houses (noble rank unknown) Arryn of Gulltown Breakstone Crayne Donniger Dutton Egen Hersy Lipps Melcolm Moore Upcliff Wydman Extinct Houses Shell Brightstone   At the end of A Dance with Dragons Great House Arryn of the Eyrie Lordly Houses Baelish Belmore Borrell1 Coldwater Corbray Elesham Grafton Hunter Lynderly Longthorpe1 Pryor Redfort Royce of Runestone Royce of the Gates of the Moon Ruthermont Sunderland1 Tollett Torrent1 Waynwood Knightly Houses Hardyng Shett of Gull Tower Shett of Gulltown Templeton Waxley Woodhull Other Houses (noble rank unknown) Arryn of Gulltown Breakstone Crayne Donniger Dutton Egen Hersy Lipps Melcolm Moore Upcliff Wydman Extinct Houses Shell Brightstone 1 Sistermen Houses

v d e Houses of the Riverlands   At the start of A Game of Thrones Great House Tully Lordly Houses Bigglestone Blackwood Bracken Butterwell Chambers Charlton Darry Deddings Frey Goodbrook Lychester Mallister Mooton Nutt Perryn Piper Roote Shawney Smallwood Vance of Atranta Vance of Wayfarer's Rest Vypren Wayn Whent Knightly Houses Cox Paege Wode Other Houses (noble rank unknown) Blanetree Erenford Grell Grey Haigh Hawick Keath Lolliston Nayland Pemford Ryger Terrick Extinct Houses Fisher Harroway Hoare Hook Justman Lothston Mudd Qoherys Strong Teague Towers   At the end of A Dance with Dragons Great House Baelish Lordly Houses Bigglestone Blackwood Bracken Butterwell Chambers Charlton Deddings Frey of Riverrun Frey of the Twins Goodbrook Lannister of Darry Lychester Mallister Mooton Nutt Perryn Piper Roote Shawney Smallwood Vance of Atranta Vance of Wayfarer's Rest Vypren Wayn Knightly Houses Cox Paege Wode Other Houses (noble rank unknown) Blanetree Erenford Grell Grey Haigh Hawick Keath Lolliston Nayland Pemford Ryger Terrick Deposed Houses Darry Slynt Tully Whent Extinct Houses Fisher Harroway Hoare Hook Justman Lothston Mudd Qoherys Strong Teague Towers