7. The High Sparrow
The Sparrows are a group of people who worship the Faith of the Seven, formed early on in the War of the Five Kings in response to the suffering of common folk and attacks on members of the Faith. They arrive in Kings Landing after Tywins death, and set about attempting to restore religious order, starting with destroying Littlefingers brothels, where one of the regular customers is the High Septon, the current religious leader in the capital. The leader of the group is the High Sparrow, a nickname that was given to him by rivals in mocking, but has since been adopted by his followers. When Cersei first goes to meet him though, it turns out that hes just an elderly, humble man helping out the poor. She makes him the new High Septon, and its from there we truly get to see how far his power reaches. He has both Loras and Margaery arrested, is more than capable of holding his ground against any verbal sparring partner he comes up against, and then - when Cersei thinks she has him in her pocket - has her thrown in a cell as well. Hes one of the biggest and best new threats this season; a man who cant be corrupted. Thats a rare and dangerous thing in Westeros, and makes the High Sparrow a great addition to the show, one brilliantly portrayed by Jonathan Pryce.
James Hunt
Contributor
NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far.
A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.
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