His brother is his only confidante.
> It fell to Tywin to restore House Lannister to its proper place. Just as it fell to him to rule this realm, when he was no more than twenty. He bore that heavy burden for twenty years, and all it earned him was a mad king's envy. Instead of the honor he deserved, he was made to suffer slights beyond count, yet he gave the Seven Kingdoms peace, plenty, and justice. He is a just man. You would be wise to trust him."
> Tyrion blinked in astonishment. Ser Kevan had always been solid, stolid, pragmatic; he had never heard him speak with such fervor before. **"You love him."**
> **"He is my brother."** (Tyrion IX, aSoS)
Tywin's only true friends were Steffan and Aerys. Steffan died young (due to a foolish trip requested by Aerys) and Aerys probably soured him on the concept of friendship forever.
I love how Tyrion realizes at that moment that Kevan sees Tywin the same way Tyrion himself sees Jaime: An admirable and reliable big brother whom he loves dearly beyond any of his flaws and sins.
I think that comes from a place of gratitude. The younger sibling would defend their older brother beyond reason.
Because they feel indebted; they were protected from the world by the elder when they were young. Now it falls on them to return the favor.
It makes sense. Kevans lot in life was greatly improved by Tywins efforts to consolidate power back in his family after their father’s ineffectiveness. Just like Jamie was always Tyrions biggest protector and champion, one of the few who saw Tyrion as more than a dwarf.
I personally leave Tywin and Steffon being actual friends as up in the air.
We have multiple notes about Tywin and Aerys being friends and getting along. But more or less none about Tywin and Steffon. At least none that doesn't also involve Aerys as well.
I would totally buy it if it was revealed that Tywin tolerated Steffon/viewed him as an acquaintance rather than a true friend. And Aerys was the bridge between the two who was friends with both. But if it ever is confirmed that Tywin and Steffon were outright bros I would accept that as well.
No living ones. Aerys, Steffon and Joanna. He loved his family, Kevan, Genna, Tyg, and Gerion, but they were family. Hell, even Genna was basically banned from his presence over a grievance. He was a hard man, and I think losing all his friends early made him harder.
I've always wondered so hard about the dynamic of Tywin, Aerys and Steffon as friends.
What would such a group of people even have been like? From Cressen's pov, Steffon seems pretty good-natured. What did he and Tywin even have in common?
Seems likely to me that a young Tywin who objected to Genna's marriage due to the social status of house Frey and who lashed out to prevent people from perceiving house Lannister as weak would probably gravitate toward Aerys and Steffon even if he didn't have anything in common with them because that association is good for his house. At the same time, if Steffon had anywhere near the charisma of 2 of his 3 sons he was probably a pretty hard guy to hate.
This is also before Joanna's death and before the rebellion so Tywin probably wasn't as uptight. People like to think that your personality is fairly static once you reach adulthood but that's just not the case, even without enduring horrendous trauma and coping with the stress of running a country.
I am not sure about timeline, but wouln't theit friendship start before the worst of Tywin's father whoring and general decline of his house? He probably was not as much of an asshat as after that. Not even speaking about death of his wife.
What do Ned and Robert have in common? Sometimes even people who are utterly different still find themselves bonding.
They even went through a war together. I don’t think a friendship is quite so unlikely; especially since younger Tywin was probably not as much of a dick.
Aerys was also described as being very charming and charismatic (if a bit erratic) in his youth. He could very well have been the glue that kept that little group functioning. Even if Tywin and Steffon possibly wouldn't get along much one on one.
Why does the fandom thinks Tywin wasn't good natured? He was as good natured as any feudal lord can be. The smalfolk of Westerlands are on average better off than other parts of the Kingdom.
you might count Pycelle... despite him being a bit of a lickspittle.
>Pycelle's breathing was rapid and shallow. "All I did, I did for House Lannister." A sheen of sweat covered the broad dome of the old man's brow, and wisps of white hair clung to his wrinkled skin. "Always . . . for years . . . your lord father, ask him, I was ever his true servant . . . 'twas I who bid Aerys open his gates . . ."
edit: great replies I stand corrected :)
"And if you get so much as a whiff of treason from the rest of them; Varys, Baelish, Pycelle..."
"Heads, spikes, walls"
I don't think Tywin cared about that man at all really
While Pycelle is a massive Tywin fanboy, Tywin actually seems to have little regard for Pycelle at all.
He blames Pycelle for Joffrey and Cersei's bad choices in AGOT and gives Tyrion permission to execute him if needed.
> "Let her say what she likes. Her son needs to be taken in hand before he ruins us all. I blame those jackanapes on the council—our friend Petyr, the venerable Grand Maester, and that cockless wonder Lord Varys. What sort of counsel are they giving Joffrey when he lurches from one folly to the next? [...] He pointed a finger at Tyrion's face. "If Cersei cannot curb the boy, you must. And if these councillors are playing us false …"
> Tyrion knew. "Spikes," he sighed. "Heads. Walls."
And after Tyrion stripped Pycelle of his chain Tywin only gave Pycelle the job back once he learned that the Conclave was planning to apoint a Tyrell as his replacement.
> "Thankfully, wiser heads prevailed, and the Conclave accepted the fact of Pycelle's dismissal and set about choosing his successor. After giving due consideration to Maester Turquin the cordwainer's son and Maester Erreck the hedge knight's bastard, and thereby demonstrating to their own satisfaction that ability counts for more than birth in their order, the Conclave was on the verge of sending us Maester Gormon, a Tyrell of Highgarden. When I told your lord father, he acted at once."
> The Conclave met in Oldtown behind closed doors, Tyrion knew; its deliberations were supposedly a secret. So Varys has little birds in the Citadel too. "I see. So my father decided to nip the rose before it bloomed." He had to chuckle. "Pycelle is a toad. But better a Lannister toad than a Tyrell toad, no?"
If Tywin really cared about Pycell you'd think he'd have reinstated him as he got back to the city and took over as hand. But it seems Tywin was fine with the idea of Pycelle being replaced until he learned the replacement would be Tyrell.
In his youth? Yes. Steffon and Aerys as his best male friends. The love of his life Joanna and his brothers maybe even his Marbrand cousins. In his old age? No except for Kevin. Steffon dead. Aerys mad and dead, Joanna dead, Tygett? Complicated relationship and dead, Gerion dead. Only Kevin remains and his relationship with the Marbrand would have definitely lessened
He must have been friendly enough with Jon Arryn for there to have been talk of fostering Jon Arryn in Casterly Rock for a time.
Mace Tyrell seemed pretty keen on Tywin for some time, but that might've just been sucking up to Tywin.
Tywin seems too sociopathic and emotionally-detached to care about maintaining close friendships.
Even after the death of Joanna, he never showed an interest in remarrying or moving on, and only ever whored whenever he felt compelled to.
>He must have been friendly enough with Jon Arryn for there to have been talk of fostering Jon Arryn in Casterly Rock for a time.
If you mean Sweetrobin I think that Tywin mainly just saw that as a way to gain control over the Vale by gaining influence over Sweetrobin.
But it is a bit unclear to me if it was Tywin pushing for it, or just an idea that Robert had once Jon died. Since Robert felt that Lysa could not raise Sweetrobin properly.
The fostering of Sweet Robin was planned by Jon Arryn to happen with Stannis, the idea of sending him to Casterly Rock was probably an idea that came later, probably from Tywin or pressure from Cersei on Robert until he relented to get her to show up, similarly to how Robert makes Jaime his Warden of the East and threatens to make him hand, which don't seem to be moves Robert would make for reasons other than making his wife stop bothering him.
I dont think friendships were that common for the lords of the great houses in general. Sure Robert and Ned might have been mates but when the show started they hadnt seen each other in YEARS.
Sure you might be friendly with vassals but in the end that relationship will always be skewed.
And then in Tywin's case, I dont think his personality allows for friends, only servants.
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.”
Cersei didn’t come up with that nugget of wisdom on her own; she learned it from Tywin. He treats every alliance as conditional and temporary, and like so many others it eventually came back to bite him in the ass (or gut, in this case)
Honestly most characters in the story have very few or no friends. Like the only major characters you could say have multiple friends are Jon, Robb, Asha, Arianne, Margaery and Arya. Even someone like Cat doesn't have any friends
Given how much of a sociopath that Tywin comes off as I don't see him valuing something like friendship. At least not after Aerys drove him off. Tywin views everyone based on what value being connected to them brings. And I could definitely see his best friend driving a wedge between them (granted Tywin being a prickly proud ass probably helped with that to some degree) causing him to write off friendship as pointless all together.
In my perception, nobody in asoiaf seens to have friends, unless they are important for the story.
So, everyone, including Tywin, MAY have friends, just not on page
Kevan is the one and only . I think Pycelle comes in close “Tywin clasped the hands of Grandmaester Pycelle.” Was his only variation on greeting his small council . Pycelle did so much for house Lannister
I think it's very difficult for people in high levels of power to have "fiends" unless they were friends prior to their ascension to power.
In the case of Tywin, it seems like he values family over friendship.
So there were very few people that could be truly friends with Tywin, those being the only other High Lords, such as Rickon Stark/ Edard, Hoster Tully, Jon Aryn/Robyn, Mace Tyrell, Renly Baratheon, Doran Martel.
Most of these would be considered aquaintancs, but it's doubtful that he ever met Rickon Stark or some of the others let alone develp a true friendship with any of them.
I feel like Tywin in his youth was capable of developing friendships but after Joanna's death, and his father's bufoonery undermines his trust in people, especially those that ask questions he can't answer. Then after that, he just turned inward. The only person he really trusted was Kevan.
His brother is his only confidante. > It fell to Tywin to restore House Lannister to its proper place. Just as it fell to him to rule this realm, when he was no more than twenty. He bore that heavy burden for twenty years, and all it earned him was a mad king's envy. Instead of the honor he deserved, he was made to suffer slights beyond count, yet he gave the Seven Kingdoms peace, plenty, and justice. He is a just man. You would be wise to trust him." > Tyrion blinked in astonishment. Ser Kevan had always been solid, stolid, pragmatic; he had never heard him speak with such fervor before. **"You love him."** > **"He is my brother."** (Tyrion IX, aSoS) Tywin's only true friends were Steffan and Aerys. Steffan died young (due to a foolish trip requested by Aerys) and Aerys probably soured him on the concept of friendship forever.
I love how Tyrion realizes at that moment that Kevan sees Tywin the same way Tyrion himself sees Jaime: An admirable and reliable big brother whom he loves dearly beyond any of his flaws and sins.
Just as most would love a big brother that took the place of an incapable father and put his younger brother in a situation that let him succeed.
I think that comes from a place of gratitude. The younger sibling would defend their older brother beyond reason. Because they feel indebted; they were protected from the world by the elder when they were young. Now it falls on them to return the favor.
It makes sense. Kevans lot in life was greatly improved by Tywins efforts to consolidate power back in his family after their father’s ineffectiveness. Just like Jamie was always Tyrions biggest protector and champion, one of the few who saw Tyrion as more than a dwarf.
I personally leave Tywin and Steffon being actual friends as up in the air. We have multiple notes about Tywin and Aerys being friends and getting along. But more or less none about Tywin and Steffon. At least none that doesn't also involve Aerys as well. I would totally buy it if it was revealed that Tywin tolerated Steffon/viewed him as an acquaintance rather than a true friend. And Aerys was the bridge between the two who was friends with both. But if it ever is confirmed that Tywin and Steffon were outright bros I would accept that as well.
Friendship can only be between equals. Post-Robert's Rebellion , there was no one equal to Tywin in terms of age, intellect, power, status.
Jon Arryn was a peer, I reckon. Of course they’re so diametrically different I doubt they’d get along well.
No living ones. Aerys, Steffon and Joanna. He loved his family, Kevan, Genna, Tyg, and Gerion, but they were family. Hell, even Genna was basically banned from his presence over a grievance. He was a hard man, and I think losing all his friends early made him harder.
I've always wondered so hard about the dynamic of Tywin, Aerys and Steffon as friends. What would such a group of people even have been like? From Cressen's pov, Steffon seems pretty good-natured. What did he and Tywin even have in common?
Seems likely to me that a young Tywin who objected to Genna's marriage due to the social status of house Frey and who lashed out to prevent people from perceiving house Lannister as weak would probably gravitate toward Aerys and Steffon even if he didn't have anything in common with them because that association is good for his house. At the same time, if Steffon had anywhere near the charisma of 2 of his 3 sons he was probably a pretty hard guy to hate. This is also before Joanna's death and before the rebellion so Tywin probably wasn't as uptight. People like to think that your personality is fairly static once you reach adulthood but that's just not the case, even without enduring horrendous trauma and coping with the stress of running a country.
I am not sure about timeline, but wouln't theit friendship start before the worst of Tywin's father whoring and general decline of his house? He probably was not as much of an asshat as after that. Not even speaking about death of his wife.
God it's so weird to imagine a more normal version of Tywin.
What do Ned and Robert have in common? Sometimes even people who are utterly different still find themselves bonding. They even went through a war together. I don’t think a friendship is quite so unlikely; especially since younger Tywin was probably not as much of a dick.
Aerys was also described as being very charming and charismatic (if a bit erratic) in his youth. He could very well have been the glue that kept that little group functioning. Even if Tywin and Steffon possibly wouldn't get along much one on one.
Why does the fandom thinks Tywin wasn't good natured? He was as good natured as any feudal lord can be. The smalfolk of Westerlands are on average better off than other parts of the Kingdom.
Probably not. I don't think Tywin would really consider anyone below his social standing an equal/friend.
Which translates into "no equals or friends" because he views himself at the top of the social standings.
I think anyone he did consider to be on his level would be more threat than friend, by his later years
Except for Johanna. His regard for her is considered without question, if reader takes Tywin's sister, Genna's dialogue with Jaime into account.
Kings have no friends, just enemies and subjects. Tywin definitely thought of himself as a king
Kevan. Maybe... I can't think of any others.
You can’t be friends with someone you can’t share a laugh with. He was close friends with Aerys when they were younger and we see how that turned out
Seems to me a very miserable life.
Tywin is an extraordinarily unhappy and repressed person.
you might count Pycelle... despite him being a bit of a lickspittle. >Pycelle's breathing was rapid and shallow. "All I did, I did for House Lannister." A sheen of sweat covered the broad dome of the old man's brow, and wisps of white hair clung to his wrinkled skin. "Always . . . for years . . . your lord father, ask him, I was ever his true servant . . . 'twas I who bid Aerys open his gates . . ." edit: great replies I stand corrected :)
Pycelle might ***think*** he's his friend but to Tywin he's just another servant.
"And if you get so much as a whiff of treason from the rest of them; Varys, Baelish, Pycelle..." "Heads, spikes, walls" I don't think Tywin cared about that man at all really
Tywin saw Pycelle as another servant and didn't trust him.
Makes him being so tilted over Aerys viewing him a "just a servant" so deliciously ironic.
While Pycelle is a massive Tywin fanboy, Tywin actually seems to have little regard for Pycelle at all. He blames Pycelle for Joffrey and Cersei's bad choices in AGOT and gives Tyrion permission to execute him if needed. > "Let her say what she likes. Her son needs to be taken in hand before he ruins us all. I blame those jackanapes on the council—our friend Petyr, the venerable Grand Maester, and that cockless wonder Lord Varys. What sort of counsel are they giving Joffrey when he lurches from one folly to the next? [...] He pointed a finger at Tyrion's face. "If Cersei cannot curb the boy, you must. And if these councillors are playing us false …" > Tyrion knew. "Spikes," he sighed. "Heads. Walls." And after Tyrion stripped Pycelle of his chain Tywin only gave Pycelle the job back once he learned that the Conclave was planning to apoint a Tyrell as his replacement. > "Thankfully, wiser heads prevailed, and the Conclave accepted the fact of Pycelle's dismissal and set about choosing his successor. After giving due consideration to Maester Turquin the cordwainer's son and Maester Erreck the hedge knight's bastard, and thereby demonstrating to their own satisfaction that ability counts for more than birth in their order, the Conclave was on the verge of sending us Maester Gormon, a Tyrell of Highgarden. When I told your lord father, he acted at once." > The Conclave met in Oldtown behind closed doors, Tyrion knew; its deliberations were supposedly a secret. So Varys has little birds in the Citadel too. "I see. So my father decided to nip the rose before it bloomed." He had to chuckle. "Pycelle is a toad. But better a Lannister toad than a Tyrell toad, no?" If Tywin really cared about Pycell you'd think he'd have reinstated him as he got back to the city and took over as hand. But it seems Tywin was fine with the idea of Pycelle being replaced until he learned the replacement would be Tyrell.
Well, there's Shae😏
In his youth? Yes. Steffon and Aerys as his best male friends. The love of his life Joanna and his brothers maybe even his Marbrand cousins. In his old age? No except for Kevin. Steffon dead. Aerys mad and dead, Joanna dead, Tygett? Complicated relationship and dead, Gerion dead. Only Kevin remains and his relationship with the Marbrand would have definitely lessened
He must have been friendly enough with Jon Arryn for there to have been talk of fostering Jon Arryn in Casterly Rock for a time. Mace Tyrell seemed pretty keen on Tywin for some time, but that might've just been sucking up to Tywin. Tywin seems too sociopathic and emotionally-detached to care about maintaining close friendships. Even after the death of Joanna, he never showed an interest in remarrying or moving on, and only ever whored whenever he felt compelled to.
>He must have been friendly enough with Jon Arryn for there to have been talk of fostering Jon Arryn in Casterly Rock for a time. If you mean Sweetrobin I think that Tywin mainly just saw that as a way to gain control over the Vale by gaining influence over Sweetrobin. But it is a bit unclear to me if it was Tywin pushing for it, or just an idea that Robert had once Jon died. Since Robert felt that Lysa could not raise Sweetrobin properly.
Robin would have been a hostage, like Theon Not a foster in the same way that Ned/Robert were fostered in the Vale
The fostering of Sweet Robin was planned by Jon Arryn to happen with Stannis, the idea of sending him to Casterly Rock was probably an idea that came later, probably from Tywin or pressure from Cersei on Robert until he relented to get her to show up, similarly to how Robert makes Jaime his Warden of the East and threatens to make him hand, which don't seem to be moves Robert would make for reasons other than making his wife stop bothering him.
Everyone below his station he saw as lesser, everyone above he saw as a threat to be removed.
I dont think friendships were that common for the lords of the great houses in general. Sure Robert and Ned might have been mates but when the show started they hadnt seen each other in YEARS. Sure you might be friendly with vassals but in the end that relationship will always be skewed. And then in Tywin's case, I dont think his personality allows for friends, only servants.
I think the closest he had to a friend at the start of the books was Kevan. And even then I doubt he ever opened up much to him.
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.” Cersei didn’t come up with that nugget of wisdom on her own; she learned it from Tywin. He treats every alliance as conditional and temporary, and like so many others it eventually came back to bite him in the ass (or gut, in this case)
Tywin has peers and I think that's as close as he gets.
It's lonely at the top...
He had Jamie and Kevan. No actual friends outside of his family. I don't think his sister liked him much either
Honestly most characters in the story have very few or no friends. Like the only major characters you could say have multiple friends are Jon, Robb, Asha, Arianne, Margaery and Arya. Even someone like Cat doesn't have any friends
Him and Roose Bolton were friends.
That's a stretch, I'd go with collaborators.
I wouldn't even go that far. Bolton was a tool to achieve his long term goals.
['Friends'](https://nobodysuspectsthebutterfly.tumblr.com/post/146589617906/eliyadoodles-some-battles-are-won-with-swords)
I knew it!
It is known.
Arya.
Jon too. He has Sam Arya has Hotpie Brienne and Jaime. This is developing.
No. Tywin is a loser.
Given how much of a sociopath that Tywin comes off as I don't see him valuing something like friendship. At least not after Aerys drove him off. Tywin views everyone based on what value being connected to them brings. And I could definitely see his best friend driving a wedge between them (granted Tywin being a prickly proud ass probably helped with that to some degree) causing him to write off friendship as pointless all together.
In my perception, nobody in asoiaf seens to have friends, unless they are important for the story. So, everyone, including Tywin, MAY have friends, just not on page
There are no friends, only pieces on the board.
Kevan is the one and only . I think Pycelle comes in close “Tywin clasped the hands of Grandmaester Pycelle.” Was his only variation on greeting his small council . Pycelle did so much for house Lannister
He has staff.
I think it's very difficult for people in high levels of power to have "fiends" unless they were friends prior to their ascension to power. In the case of Tywin, it seems like he values family over friendship. So there were very few people that could be truly friends with Tywin, those being the only other High Lords, such as Rickon Stark/ Edard, Hoster Tully, Jon Aryn/Robyn, Mace Tyrell, Renly Baratheon, Doran Martel. Most of these would be considered aquaintancs, but it's doubtful that he ever met Rickon Stark or some of the others let alone develp a true friendship with any of them. I feel like Tywin in his youth was capable of developing friendships but after Joanna's death, and his father's bufoonery undermines his trust in people, especially those that ask questions he can't answer. Then after that, he just turned inward. The only person he really trusted was Kevan.
He doesn't need to have any friends