Why Tyrion Didn't Understand Varys' Riddle on Power...

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Did you know in the books Tyrion didn't understand Varys power riddle? This short uses evidence from A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons and The Winds of Winter.
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[@romanyukhaev4549]

He clearly meant Littlfinger who must have convinced Joffrey to execute Ned Stark instead of exile to the wall to start the war.

[@alantyndall85]

He also said something similar to Ned when Robert was dying. I think it's a test; are they truly players or just pieces? Both fail.

[@axis7879]

That mfr of Littlefinger needs to pay fr

[@shubhamdebnath9752]

Little man .... little finger...it makes sense now😂

[@Daniel-ug4pu]

Heent ned killed himself

[@Josuegurrola]

I think he ralks about Ned here. He believed in the word they gave him. He chosed wrong.

[@movieloverfan18]

Watch the execution scene again. When Joffrey orders the execution you have Cersei immediately confronting Joffrey. Also Varys and Pycelle rush over to Joffrey protesting. Only Littlefinger is not surprised. When the execution is about to take place you can see Littlefinger smiling while Varys stares at him glaring. And I heard an interesting theory about Jaqen H'gar. Ned was to go to the wall and that is why the Night's Watch was there to take him. So how did Jaqen the Assassin happen to be on that same transport. It is highly unlikely that he could be caught, much less held, unless he planned to be on this trip to the Wall with Ned. Either Littlefinger worried that Joffrey would be persuaded by someone else not to do it, and he needed Ned dead for the Northern armies to march. Or maybe Cersei who saw him as an enemy, but didn’t want to be blamed by her father. Both of them had the money to hire a faceless man.

[@evok3226]

If they had planned to use Jaquen anyway then why would cersei and the others try to stop the execution. I am sure that having Jaquen execute Ned would have been far less problematic for them to handle since the faceless men pass their murders for natural causes. The whole war could have been avoided

[@Gynvir]

The problem with that hypothesis is that Baldish only knows how to pretend to make money while he's actually not good at it apart from the brothels which he uses for gaining information and not gaining coin. He would have never been able to pay a faceless man with money.

[@italianmiltyfriedman6264]

Sir, i believe you are a victim of conspiracy and happenchance..

[@movieloverfan18]

@@Gynvir Littlefinger is great at making money. In the books he has gotten enormous amounts of money. The has an army of people appointed to offices who give him bribes and kickbacks. He takes crown revenues through clever accounting, and then as the crown needs money he takes out loans in the crown’s name, then he makes that money disappear. He uses the money to buy brothels, but also all kinds of other businesses. He buys warehouses, where he stocks up goods like grain when plentiful and sells them when prices rise. Littlefinger has stockpiled a massive amount of food and grain. He then starts the war between the Starks and Lannister. Getting Ned killed got the armies of the North moving south, the Lannisters created huge disruptions in the Riverlands. The Baratheons fighting in the Stormlands. All of that food he has stockpiled in warehouses is now worth a fortune. He also loans a lot of money himself to nobles. Lords all over Westeros having financial problems find themselves reliant on Littlefinger, and he intended to use that power when he means to go after the throne

[@Nerdixy]

It doesn’t matter if he had money or not, the price of hiring a faceless man varies individual to individual depending on their circumstance.

[@natemyers4946]

"You're a fool if you think he's the most powerful man in Westeros." - Tywin on Joffery "Littlefinger was born with no lands, no wealth, no armies. He has acquired the first two. How long before he has the army? Perhaps you'll laugh, but I know him better than most, and this is the truth. Littlefinger is one of the most dangerous men in Westeros." - Varys

[@omponog3652]

He's the only one who knows to play game

[@natemyers4946]

@@omponog3652 He reminds me of Prop Joe from the wire. A schemer who pit people against each other.

[@smithical100]

​@@natemyers4946 prop joe and tywin got done dirty.

[@Carmen_Sandiego7]

Littlefinger killed Ned. He’s the one who poisoned Jon Aryn with Lysa, which started the wheel of fate spinning.

[@eevve9894]

Books may have different way to handle it.

[@fort809]

@@eevve9894no this is literally from the books. Littlefinger almost certainly convinced Joffrey to kill Ned

[@kirby7294]

And the likely possibility that he told Brandon Stark that Rhaegar kidnapped Lyanna to stoke him to do something impulsive and get himself killed.

[@FindingYaya]

Tywin: What killed him? Arya: Loyalty.

[@SergioMendoza760]

I think Tyrion just never thought more of it. He clearly should have because Varys was kinda blatantly speaking on littlefingers actions and not exactly Tyrions most recent ones of throwing pycelle in the black cells. But regardless I think Tyrion just never listened to what exactly Varys was trying to say, more often than not Varys will straight up tell people what they want to hear. Even if what he says is a straight up double meaning and could also relate to someone else entirely.

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

But Tyrion also came to his own conclusions that LF was a problem for him - slightly paraphrased, 'LF- he'd learned some disquieting information about him' (I don't think we learn precisely what the 'disquieting information' is, unless I missed it) -- & I personally think he also underestimated LF's anger over being deceived in the Myrcella betrothal-thing. Once Tywin was in the city, & he got the sideways promotion of Master of Coin, he stresses about how hard it is to make head or tails of the Crown's finances, because of the unclear ways LF had dispersed funds - the debts are clearly stated, but what cash the Crown has access to is a whole different story... I agree that he wasn't listening to *what* Varys saying, nor _how_ he was saying it -- what is power, if you lack the means to reward the loyal? What is the point of holding the Capitol, if it's on the verge of starvation & riot, or surrounded by enemies & blockaded from getting in supplies- with the little that remains going to the handful with money? How much power does a ruler really have, if they don't know where their money's going? Who's going to fight, when the basic principles of reciprocity are not being met? The feudal system is one of mutual obligation, above & below- & when that breaks down, the whole of the society breaks down...

[@natemyers4946]

In the books Tyrion was always suspicious of LF. In fact he originally meant to have him whacked but events didn't play out that way.

[@NANINANI-cs6rn]

​@@natemyers4946i think everyone was suspicious on littlefinger . and i won't called them events i call them masterplane, it start from mandon more trying to kill tyrion in Lf ordres, to LF creating an animosity between joffrey and tyrion which lead to tyrion almost excuted. so basically LF was just better player than tyrion

[@GreensleevesII]

His words may also relate to Aegon, “Cloth Dragon” and all that.

[@DeathRecon]

This has nothing to do with why he didn't understand nor is it "quite different".

[@lluewhyn]

It's not explained in this video, but an important part is that Varys hints that there was *someone else* responsible for Ned Stark's death, with the fan theory being Littlefinger (for a couple of minor clues that would require long explanations). In the first book, he gives a vague description of someone possibly responsible for Jon Arryn's death and Ned believes the hints refer to Jon's squire Hugh, but the description also describes *Littlefinger*. Here, he is likewise giving a vague description of Littlefinger manipulating events and Tyrion thinks Varys is talking about Tyrion. Maybe not "quite different", but the show leaves out this hidden meaning entirely.

[@mori1bund]

@@lluewhyn GRRM is IMHO the master of the Unreliable Narrator perspective. He often tricks you into assuming that the unreliable POV is an objective truth. Tyrion is a great example for this: Tyrion thinks of himself as a very smart "player" so as a reader of his POV you might also assume he's a smart player, but in reality he's only able to trick someone like Pycelle while both Varys and Littlefinger a running circles around Tyrion, who never realizes that. 😂😂🤣

[@quid435]

Just hit me how MUCH Tyrion was ego tripping in the beginning. Dude thought he could get away with casually joking about murdering varys

[@StrongLIfePower]

Chaos is a Ladder aka: Littlefinger

[@neilhannan5112]

So, power is power because leaders like Tywin or Stannis make people believe it is something else 🤔

[@romanyukhaev4549]

Yes.

[@bryantgolden6215]

Yes, power is making the people believe where the power lies

[@simval84]

All power rests upon the consent of the governed. Take a rich warlord, who rules all he sees, and one moment everybody decides to stop taking his money or his orders, even his own soldiers. That man loses all his power in one instant. Power, on a social level, requires the acceptance of everyone to abide by the dictates of that power, or at least of enough men with the strength to bully the rest into submission.

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

@@simval84 It's also a question of _why_ they aren't? I more or less said it in another response; reciprocity is the key to every relationship- & in a pseudo-feudal world, even more so: what is power, if you lack the means to reward the loyal? What is the point of holding the Capitol, if it's on the verge of starvation & riot, or surrounded by enemies & blockaded from getting in supplies- with the little that remains going to the handful with money to access them? How much power does a ruler *_really_* have, if they don't know where their money's going? Who's going to fight, when the basic principles of reciprocity are not being met? The feudal system is one of mutual obligation, above **&** below- & when that breaks down, the whole of the society breaks down...

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

@@bryantgolden6215 There's also a power in holding sway in the shadows - which is why I never accepted the show-premise that LF wanted to become king -- in the books, he's the ultimate _eminence grise`_ - the power behind the throne; he pulled immense strings, just in his minor role in the Vale (we can't forget that he also highly capitolised on his relationship with Lysa, but she didn't make his success- she only helped him get noticed) he performed so well that Jon Arryn elevated him to Master of Coin - over the years he's basically got his own people in every subsidiary role associated with his office- & by Book 5, he's moving people into other areas - he ensures the 3 Kettleblack brothers are ostensibly working for Tyrion/ Cersei, when they go sellsword hunting against one another; Cersei thinks they're loyal to her- Tyrion thinks they're his double agents, & all the while, they're LF's men; they start out as Cersei's household guard, one's eventually elevated to the Kingsguard, & another gets moved to command of the City Watch -- Tyrion's pleased to have eyes & ears with Cersei (though he doesn't completely trust them, & they testify against him at his trial) - & Cersei needs strong men to protect her & Joffrey/ Tommen (she doesn't trust them either, but counts on her status as Regent, & a Lannister -- but it all goes tits up, as usual- because she's after swift gratification, & not thinking about the medium & long-term implications of her schemes). In the books, LF's scheme for taking control of the Vale & hobbling the Vale lords who are against him is executed so flawlessly, that I am hanging out to see who/ what ultimately brings him down...

[@Souplord1]

I think book Varys adds that shadows can kill which is foreshadowing Renly.

[@danielhughes5932]

Man that last line needed to be in the show so we could get at least one heavy piece of closed foreshadowing when he tricks on him to Dany

[@kingofbel6499]

I feel like he was hinting on Littlefinger being the real culprit.

[@NANINANI-cs6rn]

tyrion actually had a Big possibility to win the game of thrones,if varys and littlefinger weren't players too

[@YOU_SHALL_NOW_PASS]

And if Tywin wasn’t there

[@NANINANI-cs6rn]

@@YOU_SHALL_NOW_PASS true in my opinion even cersei didn't make mistakes as much as him, him bringing shae was fatal, cersei becaming mad was after tyrion leaving

[@blue-yp4bw]

baelish was the actor behind ned's execution

[@southie3177]

I like Cerseis theory on power. Power is Power 😂

[@lorenzkoch6407]

I always the riddel is a trick and varys want to know what tyrion answers. A test does he belives in the king, the gods, the money or something oters

[@noahmay7708]

ill in pain is a sick rapper name

[@felooosailing957]

He is talking about him and Littlefinger, both. AND he Is olaying into Tyrion's ego

[@fidjeenjanrjsnsfh]

Mummer's trick. Not murmurs trick.

[@alihashim3855]

The calculus of power killed ned stark. And his failure to track and harness it.

[@KindredKeepsake]

And Tyrion's shadow was only beginning to spread...

[@Urgh_I_have_to_go]

I think like tyrion, you didnt understood the riddle. The small man big shadow thing doesnt mean Tyrion but is discribing little Finger

[@KindredKeepsake]

@@Urgh_I_have_to_go I still don't think it was Littlefinger, even after all these years. That would be too obvious. By that point in the story, Littlefinger is SO not a "little man", especially politically and economically. But Tyrion? He's just been given a GREAT seat of power, and started to dip his toes into the Game. Season 2 was the beginning of his greatness, but also his darkness. He was still one of the "good guys", but he did some really sketchy things. It was only the beginning compared to his antics in the later books. But the Tyrion of Book 2 couldn't have known the future extent of his shadow.

[@Urgh_I_have_to_go]

@@KindredKeepsake nah at that point petyr was still a small fish for all the nobles and high Born. Everyone thought of him as usefull but harmless (at least in the books) so no one suspecst him

[@mori1bund]

@@KindredKeepsake Book-Littlefinger is literally a "little man". Not as little as Tyrion, but he's rather small.

[@tonyjunior-thefirstgentlem410]

"Might is everything and if you do not have it, you cannot hope to protect anything you value, starting with yourself." - Virgil in "Devil May Cry 3".

[@thefunnyfunpeople]

You still didnt explain why Tyrion didnt understand the riddle

[@thedrummererik99]

I love tyrion and varys' conversations in the books

[@maylabrown4584]

I wonder if there was some way that Tyrion could have saved Ned, that is if he cared at this point which he didn’t.

[@carastone3473]

I literally just watched that episode today!

[@AbooRasta]

fucking tired of your click bait tiles "Why didnt tyrion understand blah blah blah.." good question im not gonna answer in this video.

[@mori1bund]

At least it's answered in the comments. :-)

[@MrNinja543]

He didnt say this? I remsmebr varys's voice saying "a very small man can cast a very large shadow"

[@swanswanswanswanswanswanswan]

the video is about the books

[@digit-zero]

Ser Ill In Pain 💀 goofy subtitles

[@deathmachine808]

MUMMERS trick jeez

[@FerroSapien]

He also misspelled Payne and head ache (he wrote headache)

[@FerroSapien]

When copying text from the book there should not be so many mistakes

[@kdallas3966]

He's right too

[@luckyadrianhutapea]

Crazy.... The writing is crazy

[@SicFromTheKush]

SHADOW ON THE WALL!

[@rishivegesna9611]

Where is the comic from?

[@sku7842]

Literally our money system

[@jakemccarroll9414]

Ned got himself killed when he tried to usurp the throne

[@georgejosephk669]

He didn't try to usurp the throne. He tried to defend the throne from usurpers and died because he didn't do it in a smart way.

[@Konspiracie]

Found the Lannister

[@-youngish]

Um, that’s basically the same thing and the same final point.

[@secrectpirate3096]

He was hinting at littlefinger and the small man with large shadow is also LF, tyrion thought himself

[@-youngish]

@@secrectpirate3096 oh. got it.

[@lluewhyn]

@@secrectpirate3096 Yep, he does pretty much the exact same thing to Ned Stark (likewise Hand) in the first book and Ned thinks he's talking about Ser Hugh when he's actually talking about Littlefinger.

[@juani666]

I READ THAT TYRION CHAPTER YESTERDAYYYY

[@charlottescrafts]

"A murmer's trick"

[@doolysand6496]

I wouldn’t be surprised if Div 3 is cancelled 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@tom3167]

Sounds like a jon snow prophecy to me

[@hydroking2969]

pls dont, as much as i love jon snow and he's in my top 3 fav, we gotta stop the glazing. the context is who killed ned, a person who tricked people into believing power resided in others while he's power less and a murmurs trick, these 3 all link to littlefinger

[@whimsicalendeavors]

Geoffrey

[@TokenTombstone]

The intro art is a joke. Tyrion has blonde hair green eye and black eye.

[@ultors_bane3588]

nobody cares

[@khitabsingh848]

He meant himself not tyrion. Tyrion is surely a small man but a person without power tend to give news about what is happening can surely provide false information and can cause wars. Or I could be wrong and he was talking about tyrion as well.

[@mori1bund]

He meant Littlefinger.

[@jay_ds4800]

Idk that’s pretty similar if you ask me

[@blizzardgaming7070]

It's nice the editing is only slightly aneurism inducing this time round, these videos are a feat of editing I want to be able to enjoy them without taking breaks so my eyes don't explode.

[@Qasibr]

Whatever happens to Ilyn Payne?

[@chaosh7040]

Actor got sick so parts of his from the book (in book he was the one to spar with Jamie after he lost his hand because he wouldn't be able to talk about Jamie's lack of skill to others) got transferred to Bronn's character & they just wrote out the rest of his story. On account of it...he is the only character from Arya's list in the show to survive.

[@ino7604]

It was never a riddle. More of a philosophical outlook or observation

[@oldchild527]

Eddard stark killed himself... His damn honor

[@KHN.RVA.28]

Cerseis display of power with littlefinger was more powerful

[@Yourmom_dotcom]

Right? Power is power. One of my favorite pieces of dialogue from Cersei. So good

[@zmeyagosho]

God, I hate this man's (G.R.R. Martin) stupid obsession with the words "murmur" and "murmurer"! He uses these words 20 times per page... its' atrocious! :( Haven't he heard of synonyms??!!

[@Dattebayo04]

The show's version was better

[@redthaalshemari5282]

Honestly, I agree

[@mori1bund]

Only if you also don't understand what Varys meant. ^^

[@peterhoffert1461]

This account straight up stealing content?

[@Haldaemon]

The people killed ned stark.

[@pratkier]

Ned Stark killed himself by not paying attention to his surroundings.

[@demigodLuis]

How does a person get that fat?

[@pinkace]

His death on S8 was so well done. And some idiots still insist S8 was terrible when it was full of moments like that. 😢

[@deadwinterrider4104]

Bad baiting

[@pinkace]

@@deadwinterrider4104 huh?

[@mori1bund]

@@pinkace bad baiting means no one buys you really believe that. It's just too ridiculous. 🙂 Try something else! ^^

[@pinkace]

@@mori1bund when Tyrion told him 'it was me'... seriously that wasn't great? It was heartbreaking :-( but if you're biased you can't see that.

[@mori1bund]

@@pinkace naaaah! Still don't buy it! Try harder... 😁😁