The High Sparrow is a unique kind of character in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's Game of Thrones: a man with humility and pure motives. Some of our more savvy players have tried to get close to him to learn how he can be manipulated only to be rebuffed. We are lead to believe that he really is that sincere in his beliefs. In a world where almost every character has an angle, where all of the institutions are corrupt, the High Sparrow is a man who is what he says he is: a simple man devoted to the Seven above all things. Or is there more to this mysterious character than we have been lead to believe?
Before we actually meet him in the flesh, we do hear about the High Sparrow here and there in the books. Martin seeds mentions of him for careful readers and his presence is established in Westeros at least as early as the War of the Five Kings. However, we know almost nothing about his backstory or any deeper motivations so all we have to go on is what little he tells us and his actions, which taken at face-value paint the picture of a pious and humble man.
Perhaps the most suspicious thing about him is his lack of a real identity. The other characters seem to automatically take his High Sparrow identity for granted due to the way that he presents himself and that he has thousands of loyal followers. No one in the books or show ever really vets him or asks him who is. You would think that someone who is essentially assuming the role of High Septon, would need to be somewhat of a known quantity but the High Sparrow seems to come out of nowhere and our characters conveniently fail to ask important questions about who he is.
Now, Martin's books and the HBO series from which they are adapted have got me a bit cynical but I can't help but think that this High Sparrow is not who he says he is. Humility aside, the Sparrow seems to have quickly amassed a consequential amount of power in King's Landing and the realm thanks to his ability to capitalize on Queen Cercei's misteps. He has an army of the devout and has effectively counterbalanced the political power of the Lannisters and other nobles. He seems to be playing the game quite well for a simple unwashed holy man.
But to what end? If we accept things on face value, the purpose of the High Sparrow's movement is to turn the Realm into some sort of egalitarian theocracy and rid Westeros of vice and corruption but from what we've seen this is not something that is likely to stick. The people of Westeros, particulalry King's Landing, really love their vice and corruption. If the High Sparrow were a serious reformer who's intent was to create long-lasting change, he would affect incremental manageable reforms easily supported by the masses. But what the Sparrow is doing instead is sudden and drastic and will face a certain public backlash. He's essentially destabilized Kings Landing and the Seven Kingdoms and created a chaotic situation.
Therefore, I think the High Sparrow is merely a tool being used by another. So, if the High Sparrow has a master who would it be? Who benefits from the Lannisters being neutralized and distracted? Who wants to see chaos in Kings Landing?
Despite the very public and showy destruction of his brothel by the Faith Militant, Littlefinger is the character who best benefits from this movement and one of the few people cunning and cynical enough to pull it off. And he is conveniently out of town when all of this happens. In the show, he absolutely takes advantage of the Sparrows to ensnare Cercei to the benefit of himself and his Tyrell co-conspirators. While we don't yet know Margaery's fate on the show, in the books at least she is quickly released from her imprisonment. One definitely gets the impression from the books that Cercei is getting the worst of it. Indeed, when Olenna Tyrell confronts him about the seemingly sorry state of their alliance, Baelish essentially plays his Sparrow card. He is at the very least involved enough to get get Lancel to the High Sparrow and likely a lot more.
Patrick Garone
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