The Names of the Great Houses of Westeros, Explored and Explained

House Lannister

House Lannister is another interesting case. The name “Lannister” has a Roman background. A lanista was the owner of a ludus, a gladiator school in ancient Rome. Of course, this wasn’t a school as we understand it today. The gladiators were slaves of the lanista, albeit among the most well-off slaves in all the empire, and fought to earn money for their owner.

How does that fit House Lannister? I propose that to do their job, a lanista would have to have had a level of cynicism we see in members of House Lannister. A lanista had to watch people get slaughtered without remorse, letting loose wild animals on innocents, all the while getting richer and richer. The lion, as it happens, is a staple in the gladiatorial arena.

We also cannot forget the historical War of the Roses, where the Houses of Lancaster fought the House of York for control of the English crown. This conflict was a pretty clear influence on George R.R. Martin when he was conceiving the War of the Five Kings. Lancaster and Lannister, Stark and York — I think that speaks for itself.