Sparrows (A Song of Ice and Fire)

The Sparrows are supporting antagonists in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, most notably in Cersei Lannister's storyline. During the aftermath of the first phase of the War of the Five Kings, they are a religious/disgust movement and sect that consists of pilgrims and war-refugees from the Crownlands and the Riverlands. 
Incensed by the atrocities committed during the war, most notably the despoiling of septs and attacks on men, women, and septas sworn to the Faith of the Seven, as well as the Lannisters' indifference towards it, the Sparrows travelled to King's Landing to protest the lack of protection from the nobility and demand protection from King Tommen I Baratheon. After Cersei was manipulated by the High Sparrow to restore the Faith Militant, most of the Sparrows became Poor Fellows.
== Appearance ==
Sparrows consist of despoiled men and women from the war-torn Riverlands and Crownlands, however, in the TV series, all Sparrows consist entirely of men.
== History ==
As mass death and destruction were left in the aftermath of the War of the Five Kings, along with increasing violence towards the smallfolk, there has been an increase in religious fervor in Westeros, as many people began turning towards the Faith of the Seven. Following the death of Lord Tywin Lannister, the Sparrows start appearing in mass groups in King's Landing. This is a result of the horrible atrocities and massacres committed by various factions and brutes of the war, including Ser Gregor Clegane and the Mountain's Men, Ser Amory Lorch, Vargo Hoat and his sellsword company the Brave Companions, Rorge (who posed as the Hound), the Lannister forces, and Robb Stark's northern army. Common criminals, such as deserters, outlaws, and broken men also committed war crimes during the War of the Five Kings.
In the Riverlands and the Crownlands, several septries (monastic communities), septs, and motherhouses (septa communities) in the Riverlands and the Crownlands have been destroyed, plundered, and burned by northmen, westermen, and the Brave Companions. In addition, men, women, and septas who are sworn to the Faith of the Seven were even attacked and raped. In response to the suffering caused by the War of the Five Kings the Sparrows, who originated from those two aforementioned war-torn lands, were left incensed and disgusted by the crimes that were committed against the Faith along with House Lannister's indifference towards it. These are the reasons on why they start appearing in King's Landing, as they had travelled to the capital with the remains of murdered holy men and women so they could protest the lack of protection from the nobility as well as demand King Tommen Baratheon to provide them protection. In addition, they began to openly preach that anyone who had a hand in the Red Wedding will be eternally damned in the eyes of the gods.
During a small council meeting, Ser Harys Swift, the Hand of the King, warns the small council that there already 2,000 Sparrows in King's Landing and as they (and the public) are furious with the Red Wedding, which resulted in the murder of Robb Stark, his mother, and most of their men while they were under Guest Right, Qyburn advises the small council to let a Frey be made a scapegoat in order to satisfy not only the Sparrows but also the North and the Riverlands. However, Grand Maester Pycelle opposes this as he knew that Lord Walder Frey, the head of House Frey, will never sacrifice a member of his family, but Cersei Lannister agrees with Qyburn's idea, and she muses that whoever succeeds the elderly, who are likely to die, Walder Frey might welcome the opportunity to eliminate rival claimants to the Twins by pinning the blame at them.
At Cobbler's Square, two Sparrows were observed by Ser Jaime Lannister as they are busy preaching to crowds of hundreds of Smallfolk. Later, though Septon Ollidor is the most likely candidate to become the next High Septon, however, he was secretly followed by Sparrows and he was disgraced when they dragged him out of a brothel. After the previous High Septon was secretly murdered on Cersei's orders, the Most Devout gathered at the Great Sept of Baelor to determine on who will become the new High Septon. Though Septon Luceon Frey is nine votes short of being chosen, however, the Sparrows, who had set up camp outside the sept, suddenly came bursting in, forcefully interrupting the selection progress. Wielding axes, they carried the bones of martyrs with them along with one of their leaders, a small unnamed traveling septon. Cowed, the Most Devout were forced to name the this Sparrow leader as the new High Septon, mocked by Moon Boy as the "High Sparrow".
As Cersei goes to visit the High Sparrow, her litter is unable to continue further, as the streets of King's Landing are packed with Sparrows. Outside the Great Sept of Baelor, she is horrified upon seeing the hundreds of Sparrows at the plaza and gardens of the Great Sept of Baelor. A pile of bones and skulls were piled up around the statue of King Baelor I Targaryen, famously known as 'the Blessed'. The bones were said to be the remains of leptons and septas who fell victim to the War of the Five Kings, as they were not provided with protection from the Crown.
When the High Sparrow summoned Cersei, he began discussing how the Crown had suddenly stopped paying the Faith its monthly due as part of a debt near one million dragons. Upon his urging, a manipulated Cersei decides to negotiate the debt's forgiveness by overturning the set of holy laws enacted by King Maegor I Targaryen, allowing the restoration of the Faith Militant in order to protect the Faith and the smallfolk from the nobility and its armies' abuses of power. Cersei thinks it is a great and wise political move, as she ends up specifically ridding King's Landing of the "plague" of sparrows overflowing the city to protest, annulling the Crown's near million debt with the Faith, and above all, creating a religious military opposition against her former brother-in-law, Stannis Baratheon, in order to raise the public against him more than the previous High Septon already did. Being convinced that the Faith is never going to accuse her of any sin, Cersei arrogantly believes to have gained another military force against House Baratheon, most notably Stannis. However, she remain completely oblivious of the Faith Militant's past history.
Due to the military order's revival, many Sparrows began joining the Poor Fellows, the lower order and one of the two branches of the Faith Militant, en masse. In the Riverlands, some Sparrows brought orphans to the Crossroads Inn so the Brotherhood without Banners can protect them. The Sparrows are presumably unaware that it has fallen low, due to Lady Stoneheart assuming leadership, after the original leader Beric Dondarrion sacrificed his life to revive her.
==Quotes==
==External Links==
*Sparrows on the A Wiki of Ice and Fire.
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