The truth is that Cersei has hated Tyrion from the moment he was born. However, what those who have not read the books don’t know though, is that there is another reason Cersei despises Tyrion. A prophecy given to her when she was a child predicted her death and right or wrong Cersei immediately assumed Tyrion would be the one to kill her. What’s important to note here, is that Cersei is very likely misinterpreting the prophecy, or otherwise guaranteeing that it will come to pass.
Cersei Hated Tyrion Since He Was Born
There might have been a chance, just a slim one, that Cersei could have had a better relationship with her brother had things gone slightly differently in their early childhoods. What ultimately triggered Cersei’s hatred of Tyrion was an event completely outside his control: the death of their mother, Joanna Lannister. The Lannisters weren’t always the manipulative snakes they were portrayed as in the show. For a time, despite Tywin’s political scheming and established ruthlessness, he was actually a much happier man, as were Jaime and Cersei. This was all thanks to Joanna’s presence, who acted as a source of compassion for the family and ultimately was the stabilizing influence it needed.
This all came undone when Tyrion was born. No one could have predicted what happened, but Joanna died in the process of giving birth to her second son. Her death greatly affected her family, and they never truly got over it. Tywin never remarried and would secretly blame Tyrion for her death for the rest of his life, becoming much more cold and aloof with his children. Cersei however, never made her hatred for Tyrion a secret. At the time, she was only seven years old, so it is somewhat understandable how a child, still learning about how the world works, especially one as volatile as Westeros, would latch onto the first thing that helped explain why she had to endure this kind of suffering. For better or worse, Cersei blamed Tyrion, practically assigning intent to murder him for the death of their mother.
Joanna Lannister was actually Tywin’s cousin.
Had she matured a bit more, perhaps she might have gotten past her irrational hatred of Tyrion, but the new family dynamic would never give her the opportunity to grieve properly, much less heal. With Tywin unable to fulfill his emotional duties as a father, Cersei was left to raise herself. This resulted in her frankly immature personality that would last throughout the rest of her life. More than once, even by her own actress, Cersei has been described as an angry teenage girl within a woman’s body. She can never really move past her own prejudices and try to see things from another person’s point of view, and this forms the foundation for her lifelong loathing of Tyrion.
A Prophecy Cemented Her Loathing
Cersei’s grudge against Tyrion was already guaranteed to make their relationship miserable for both of them, but one event from her early life instilled fear into Cersei. This would have the unintended consequence of putting her into survival mode around her brother. That moment was when she visited the supposed witch, Maggy the Frog. Even at the young age of fifteen, Cersei had all the arrogance of a Lannister, embodying the worst of her family’s traits. She all but barged into Maggy’s hut and demanded that her future be told by the witch. The show actually did a good job of showing what Maggy predicted for Cersei, but it left out one last prediction she made that would alter the course of Cersei’s life.
Maggy correctly foretold that Cersei would not marry Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, but the King of Westeros, who would end up being Robert Baratheon. She also predicted that Cersei would have three of her own children, while Robert would have several of his own, providing a cryptic warning for Cersei about Robert’s serial unfaithfulness in their marriage and how Cersei would end up having children with her brother, Jaime, as well as their deaths. The last prediction Maggy made on the show was that Cersei would be deposed by a younger, more beautiful queen, but it is Cersei’s final fate that the show omitted.
Cersei’s friend Melara accompanied her to meet Maggy, who predicted she would die that night, likely by Cersei’s hand to prevent people from learning of the prophecy.
In the books, Maggy told Cersei that when her tears had drowned her after losing everything, the “valonqar” would strangle her to death. Cersei fled from Maggy after this, but the prophecy would haunt her for the rest of her life. Eventually, she learned that “valonqar” was High Valyrian for “little brother.” To Cersei, this could only mean that Tyrion would one day murder her. Cersei already hated him because of the death of their mother, but now she had cause to fear him as well, making her his enemy all their lives. What most book readers and viewers of the show know though, is that prophecy is rarely as straightforward as Cersei believed it to be.
Cersei May Be Misinterpreting the Prophecy
Prophecy is often a double-edged sword in the world of Game of Thrones. George R.R. Martin himself has stated that, oftentimes, prophecies themselves might not even be real, but just a means of propping up potential rulers. In this case, it would seem that Maggy did possess magical foresight, as all of her other predictions came true. This means that, despite the show’s botched eighth season denying Cersei the death she deserved, Cersei will likely be killed by her younger brother. Note though, that the phrase “younger brother” instead of “Tyrion” was used here.
This is because, within House Lannister, Cersei doesn’t have one younger brother, but two. Cersei is actually older than Jaime, making him another candidate for her future murderer. There is certainly evidence in the books and shows to back this up, as the twins, once as close as two people can possibly be, have slowly drifted apart as Jaime begins to desire a more honorable way of living his life. It is conceivable that at some point Cersei may cross a line and Jaime, to either protect the Seven Kingdoms from her or to avenge himself, ends her life. The only reason Cersei never considered that Jaime could be the one the prophecy spoke of is because it justified her hatred of Tyrion. She was still a child when she heard the prophecy and so, like a child, looked for the most obvious answer to her problem. Unfortunately, that continued immaturity prevented her from thinking beyond her own spitefulness and may end up costing her what little she had left once her life burned down.
Cersei never told anyone about the prophecy, fearful that it would guarantee it would come true if more people knew.
What’s truly tragic about this is that Cersei could have circumvented the prophecy by being a kind and loving sister. If she had found it in herself to let go of the idea that Tyrion murdered their mother, even if it was forgiving him for something he was blameless for, then she would have had a loyal companion for life. Look at how Tyrion loved and supported Jaime for being one of the few people in his life to show him affection. Cersei could have had someone almost as intelligent as her father in her corner, but she denied herself that to satisfy her childish ego. Even if she is correct that Tyrion will one day kill her, as he is still not ruled out as a candidate, then Cersei basically guaranteed that it would happen because she was so hateful. Her actions largely pushed him into the arms of Daenerys Targaryen, making him her established enemy. Either way, Cersei will end up destroying herself.
