Sir Ilyn Payne

• Individual Picture Notes
  • Wilko Johnson as Ilyn Payne in HBO Game of Thrones

• General Notes
  • 
    Ser Ilyn Payne served as the King's Justice (headsman) to King Robert Baratheon.  He is mute, as King Aerys II Targaryen once ordered his tongue cut out for boasting that it was the Hand who truly ruled the realm. 
    
    Payne is very thin and has long greying hair, though bald on the top of his scalp.  He has deep-set, pale eyes and a grim pockmarked face. Payne wears rusted ringmail over ragged clothing; his appearance as well as his silence makes Payne terrifying to many characters.
    
    Payne is an extremely skilled headsman, seldom requiring a second stroke to finish off his charges. It has been mentioned more than once that Payne has no life apart from killing. When King Joffrey sentenced Eddard Stark to death, it was Ser Ilyn who executed him with Lord Eddard's own greatsword, Ice.
    
    When Jaime Lannister went to Riverrun to end the defiance of Brynden 'Blackfish' Tully, he took Ser Ilyn with him.  Jaime  has been sparring nightly with Payne in order to learn how to fight with his left hand, since his right was cut off. Jaime choose Payne as his sparring partner because Payne could neither talk nor write.  As a result, Jaime has also been telling Payne all his previous dark deeds  -- even about the true relationship between him and Cersei -- knowing Payne can never reveal it to anyone.