Game of Thrones: Tyrion Was Never the Actual Killer of Tywin Lannister

Summary:

• Oberyn Martell wanted to avenge his sister Elia by killing Tywin Lannister and making Gregor Clegane publicly confess his crimes.
• During their duel, the Mountain admitted that he’d killed Elia Martell and her children right before crushing Oberyn’s skull.
• Before the duel, Oberyn poisoned Lord Tywin with Widow’s Blood that would have killed him even if Tyrion didn’t interfere.

Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper, died trying to avenge his sister’s murder, and his death was as gruesome as they come. Every fan’s face matched the sheer horror of Oberyn’s wife, and many were furious that the Dornish Prince messed up his quest so tremendously. But the thing is that in reality, the Red Viper did all he wanted to do.

Oberyn wanted to make the Mountain publicly admit his crimes and kill Tywin Lannister, and he achieved both his goals. Yes, including the second part!

Oberyn Martell Risked Everything to Avenge His Sister

Elia Martell was Oberyn’s sister, the wife of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, and the mother of the Iron Throne heir’s children. At the end of Robert Baratheon’s rebellion, both Elia and her kids were brutally murdered by Gregor Clegane, the Mountain, on the orders of Tywin Lannister as part of his extermination of the Targaryens.

For many years, Oberyn Martell wished to avenge his sister and reveal the truth to the world: while many suspected that Lord Tywin was behind the murder, it was never officially admitted. When Tyrion Lannister was accused of killing Joffrey Baratheon and chose trial by combat, the Red Viper became his champion.

Knowing he’d go up against the Mountain, Oberyn saw their duel as the perfect opportunity to finally reveal the Lannisters’ hideous crime. He almost defeated the Mountain and made him publicly acknowledge what he did to Elia Martell and her children, but then he was caught off guard and killed in Clegane’s last attack.

Oberyn got Clegane to admit his crimes. But he didn’t kill Tywin Lannister, did he?

Oberyn Martell Killed Lord Tywin Before Tyrion Did

The Red Viper was notorious for his proficiency with poison: he used it to defeat his enemies just as often as he used his spear. Even before the trial by combat, Oberyn coated his spears in deadly poison which was only discovered after the duel. But it wasn’t just the Mountain who fell victim to the Dornish Prince’s venomous tricks.

Oberyn Martell poisoned Tywin Lannister, too!

During Tyrion’s trial, Grand Maester Pycelle accuses Lord Tywin’s son of stealing Widow’s Blood from him. Widow’s Blood is a poison that “shuts down the bladder and bowels until the person dies from the body's own poisons.” Of course, it wasn’t Tyrion who stole the vial — it was the Red Viper who was eager to put it to good use.

Tyrion found his father in a precarious situation the night he killed him: Tywin Lannister was suffering from severe constipation. After his humiliating death, Lord Tywin’s body showed the telltale signs of being affected by Widow’s Blood, too: accelerated decomposition and horrible smell added to the list of evidence.

Together, these symptoms could only mean one thing: Tywin Lannister had been poisoned by Widow’s Blood. Oberyn Martell wanted the Lannister patriarch dead more than anyone else, and poisons were his trade. The Red Viper managed to poison his sister’s murderer before his unfortunate duel with the Mountain.

Even if Tyrion didn’t kill his father, Tywin Lannister was in for a humiliating finale. From beyond the grave, he was sentenced to death by Elia Martell’s grieving brother.