Olenna Tyrell
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Olenna Redwyne earns the name Queen of Thorns honestly: small, white-haired, and leaning on a cane, she is also the sharpest tongue in Westeros and the real head of House Tyrell, even though the title of Highgarden belongs to her son Mace. Widow of Luthor Tyrell, she steps into the story once Highgarden starts to matter in the war for the Iron Throne.
Nobody at court walks away from her questions or her mockery unscathed, not even her own family, whom she nonetheless defends with a loyalty that brooks no argument.
Origins
Early Life and Marriage
She was born at the Arbor, daughter of Lord Runceford Redwyne. At nine she was betrothed to Prince Daeron, son of King Aegon V Targaryen and Queen Betha Blackwood; the match fell apart years later when Daeron himself chose not to go through with it. She has always claimed she did her part to see that wedding never happen.
She ended up marrying Luthor Tyrell instead, who until then had been promised to Daeron's sister, Princess Shaera. Mace, Mina and Janna were born of that marriage, and in time Olenna became the dowager Lady of Highgarden.
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Highgarden
Petyr Baelish's Visit
After Renly Baratheon's death leaves House Tyrell without a king of their own, Petyr Baelish travels to Highgarden to sound out an alliance with the Lannisters, with Margaery's marriage at its center. Olenna receives him and asks him plainly what the boy they want to marry her granddaughter to is really like.
Littlefinger answers with praise, but quietly spreads rumors among Highgarden's servants that point the other way, planting doubt about his own words.
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King's Landing
Wedding of Joffrey and Margaery
Olenna arrives in King's Landing with her whole household for Margaery's wedding to King Joffrey, escorted by twin guards she calls simply Left and Right because she cannot tell them apart. At a dinner among noblewomen she presses Sansa Stark about what Joffrey is really like, and together with Margaery she quietly plots a marriage between Sansa and Willas Tyrell, a plan Petyr Baelish ends up ruining.
When the Dornish arrive she stirs up trouble by publicly calling Ellaria Sand the viper's whore, making no effort to hide her contempt.
She is present when Joffrey dies poisoned at his own wedding feast. By Littlefinger's later account to Sansa, he arranged it together with Olenna, and there is reason to think Margaery knew as well, since she was drinking from the same cup as the king.
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Wedding of Tommen and Margaery
She stays in King's Landing to negotiate Margaery's marriage to the new king, Tommen, with Queen Cersei Lannister, and gives no ground: she wants the wedding held soon and Margaery dressed in Baratheon colors rather than Lannister ones. She also attends Lord Tywin Lannister's funeral with the rest of her family.
During the negotiations she insists the couple share a bed on their wedding night, which horrifies Cersei and gets refused; Jaime Lannister is then given the job of making sure nothing happens between them that night.
Once the wedding is done, Olenna returns to Highgarden with her grandson Garlan.
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Gallery

Olenna Tyrell, image 2506 Margaery and Olenna discuss Loras.jpg · gameofthrones.fandom.com · this wiki publishes under CC-BY-SA 
Olenna Tyrell, image 3703 Lannisters Approaching Highgarden.png · gameofthrones.fandom.com · this wiki publishes under CC-BY-SA 
Olenna Tyrell, image 4Olenna Table TQJ.jpg · gameofthrones.fandom.com · this wiki publishes under CC-BY-SA 
Olenna Tyrell, image 5Olenna Podrick Kissed by Fire.png · gameofthrones.fandom.com · this wiki publishes under CC-BY-SA
Relationships
Family tree
The family of Olenna Tyrell
Tap any relative to put them in the centre.
Parents
Children
with Luthor
Family
- Runceford RedwyneFatherAppears in Early Life and Marriage
- Luthor TyrellSpousesAppears in Early Life and Marriage
- Mace TyrellIssueAppears in Early Life and Marriage
Others in their story
- Margaery TyrellAppears in Petyr Baelish's Visit, Wedding of Joffrey and Margaery, Wedding of Tommen and Margaery
- Petyr BaelishAppears in Petyr Baelish's Visit, Wedding of Joffrey and Margaery
- Daeron TargaryenAppears in Early Life and Marriage
- Aegon V TargaryenAppears in Early Life and Marriage
- BlackwoodAppears in Early Life and Marriage
- Shaera TargaryenAppears in Early Life and Marriage
- Renly BaratheonAppears in Petyr Baelish's Visit
- Sansa StarkAppears in Wedding of Joffrey and Margaery
- Willas TyrellAppears in Wedding of Joffrey and Margaery
- Ellaria SandAppears in Wedding of Joffrey and Margaery
- Oberyn MartellAppears in Wedding of Joffrey and Margaery
- Cersei LannisterAppears in Wedding of Tommen and Margaery
- Tywin LannisterAppears in Wedding of Tommen and Margaery
- Jaime LannisterAppears in Wedding of Tommen and Margaery
- Garlan TyrellAppears in Wedding of Tommen and Margaery
Appearances
By work
Played by: Diana Rigg
| Work | Format | Where it is told |
|---|---|---|
| A Clash of Kings | Book | Petyr Baelish's Visit |
| A Storm of Swords | Book | Wedding of Joffrey and Margaery |
| A Feast for Crows | Book | Wedding of Tommen and Margaery |
| Game of Thrones | Show | Wedding of Joffrey and Margaery |
Books and show
Where they differ
The show and the books do not tell the same story.
| Show | Books | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Dead | Alive |
| Died | 304 AC | — |
| Appears in | Game of Thrones | A Clash of Kings · A Storm of Swords · A Feast for Crows |
| Played by | Diana Rigg | — |
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