High Sparrow (character)

High Sparrow
A Song of Ice and Fire character Game of Thrones character
Jonathan Pryce as The High Sparrow
First appearance	Novel: A Feast for Crows (2005) Television: "High Sparrow" (2015)
Last appearance	Television: "The Winds of Winter" (2016)
Created by	George R. R. Martin
Portrayed by	Jonathan Pryce (Game of Thrones)
Information
Gender	Male
Title	High Septon Father of the Faithful Voice of the Seven on Earth

The High Sparrow is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of high fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation Game of Thrones. His real name is unknown. The High Sparrow first appears in A Feast for Crows (2005). He subsequently appeared in Martin's A Dance with Dragons (2011).

The character is portrayed by Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce in the HBO television series.

The High Sparrow is a small, thin, hard-eyed, grey-haired old man with a heavily lined face. He does not wear rich robes or any gold, instead just wears a simple white wool tunic.

The High Sparrow is not a point of view character in the novels, so his actions are witnessed and interpreted through the eyes of other people, such as Cersei Lannister. The High Sparrow is mostly a background character in the novels.

The High Sparrow is a prominent member of the "sparrows," a religious movement formed during the War of the Five Kings, is also a member of the Faith of the Seven.

In the aftermath of the War of Five Kings, "Sparrows", religious folk seeking the protection of King Tommen Baratheon following a spate of atrocities committed against members of the Faith of the Seven, converge on King's Landing. When the Most Devout convene to elect the new High Septon, the sparrows hijack the selection process and force the selection of their leader, who is dubbed the "High Sparrow" by the royal fool Moon Boy. Cersei Lannister permits the High Sparrow to re-establish the Faith Militant, the military arm of the Faith, in return for the Faith forgiving the Crown's debt to it and blessing Tommen. The Faith Militant subsequently arrest Margaery Tyrell and several of her cousins when Cersei's confidante Osney Kettleblack claims to having slept with the women. The High Sparrow is suspicious of Osney's testimony (not unfairly, as Osney had been persuaded to perjure Margaery by Cersei to shore up her own power) and has him tortured until he confesses not only that Cersei arranged for his false testimony, but also that she ordered him to kill the previous High Septon. When Cersei visits the Great Sept of Baelor, the High Sparrow has her arrested and imprisoned.