History Characters / ASongOfIceAndFireHouseTarth

* HeroesPreferSwords: Played with. She's certainly very proficient with a sword, but when given a choice of weapons (for example when fighting [[spoiler:her third fiancé]] and at Renly's tourney) she prefers [[DropTheHammer maces]]. However, she adores [[CoolSword Oathkeeper]] and uses it whenever she can do so without attracting unwanted attention, being well aware of this trope InUniverse. It helps that Oathkeeper is a magical AbsurdlySharpBlade that can cut through plate like butter, negating the main disadvantage of longswords as a weapon in the setting.

* BoobsOfSteel: Deliberately and realistically averted. Brienne is physically the strongest woman in all of Westeros, the only one big, strong and fast enough to confidently take on and beat well-conditioned adult men in a physical fight. Because of her freakishly huge, manly musculature and massive bone structure (which WordOfGod notes is physically impossible for a woman to possess), she has a broad, flat, and visibly "thick muscular chest" and what little breast tissue she actually has are "pointy little buds that would have looked more natural on some ten-year-old".

* MeaningfulName: Her name, 'Brienne', is a variant of 'Brianne', the female form of 'Brian' - which means 'high' or 'noble'. She is also, bar none, ''the'' most noble and morally upright character in the entire series, coming closer than anyone else to being a true KnightInShiningArmor despite not technically ''being'' a knight.

* SkilledButNaive: Her first on-screen action is defeating [[MemeticBadass Loras]] [[KnightInShiningArmor Tyrell]], and when she and Jaime duel he mentions that she's incredibly strong and tireless, though not quite as fast as he is. As of the fourth book Brienne is probably the second most capable fighter of all the POV characters (first being [[WorldsStrongestMan Victarion]] [[OneManArmy Greyjoy]]), possibly first if her magical sword is taken into account, but her status as a WideEyedIdealist is not well suited to the WorldHalfEmpty she lives in.

* HeroicBuild: Deconstructed. In terms of appearance, build and proportions, Brienne is, quite frankly, a massive, muscular and beardless man with a vagina and ''very'' mild gynecomastia. However, because she is (as far as medieval medicine can tell, and thus as far as George Martin care]) female, she is constantly mistaken for a man (Jaime at one point implying that she's a male-to-female transsexual) and inspires confusion, horror and violent disgust in everyone around her once they realize she's a woman.

* TheTeetotaler: For practical reasons rather than any particular aversion to booze. While traveling, she always drinks cider, milk, or watered wine rather than beer or ale, to keep her wits about her.

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: She fights Rorge and Biter at the Crossroads Inn to protect some Riverlands children. During the battle, she is grievously wounded and falls unconscious, which [[spoiler:allows her to be taken into the custody of the Brotherhood Without Banners. They assume she's a Lannister collaborator due to her lion-themed sword (made from the melted-down Valyrian steel of the Starks' stolen family sword, to boot), royal order from King Tommen, and repeated muttering of Jaime's name in her sleep, and prepare to hang her]].

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: She fights Rorge and Biter at the Crossroads Inn to protect some Riverlands children. During the battle, she is grievously wounded and falls unconscious, which [[spoiler:allows her to be taken into the custody of the Brotherhood Without Banners. They assume she's a Lannister collaborator due to her lion-themed sword, royal order from King Tommen, and repeated muttering of Jaime's name in her sleep, and prepare to hang her]].

* TheTeetotaler: While traveling, she always drinks cider or watered wine rather than beer or ale, to keep her wits about her.

* CarryABigStick: The mace is her WeaponOfChoice, as it plays to her great strength and is more effective against an armored opponent. She ends up using a sword however during her quest to find Sansa Stark, which works well enough against the ill-equipped outlaws she goes up against.

** She also counts as one to [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Cersei]], providing a counterpoint as the other important woman in Jaime's life. Brienne is precisely everything Cersei is not; ugly where Cersei is beautiful, honorable where Cersei is treacherous, a warrior where Cersei is a plotter. Brienne is physically grotesque but noble in spirit, while Cersei is beautiful but monstrous. The more Jaime distances himself in spirit from Cersei, the closer he becomes in spirit to Brienne.

* SheCleansUpNicely: Nope. In armor, Brienne looks like a man. In a dress, she looks like a man wearing a dress. The very best she can hope for appearance-wise is "ugly, but not physically repulsive".

* HeroicBuild: Deconstructed. In terms of appearance, build and proportions, Brienne is, quite frankly, a massive, muscular and beardless man with a vagina and *very* mild gynecomastia. However, because she is (as far as medieval medicine can tell, and thus [[ShrugOfGod as far as George Martin cares]]) female, she is constantly mistaken for a man (Jaime at one point implying that she's a male-to-female transsexual) and inspires confusion, horror and violent disgust in everyone around her once they realize she's a woman.

* ThemeNaming: All of the Tarth women's names have "nne" at the end (Arianne, Alysanne, Brienne).

** She's the [[GoodCounterpart Good]] ''and'' DistaffCounterpart to The Hound. They both have what it takes to be a knight but neither are for different reasons. Brienne is idealistic while Sandor is jaded. Brienne remains loyal to her dead king Renly while Sandor deserted his king Joffrey. Jaime even calls her in one of his POV chapters, "The Hound with teats."
** Brienne also reminds Cat of her daughters. She's as gritty as Arya but idealistic like Sansa.
** She's also the [[GoodCounterpart Good Counterpart]] of Pretty Meris, a member of the Windblown. They both are tall, blond, ugly female warriors with marred noses and cheeks who are given ironic nicknames referring to their "beauty", and they have both been victims of sexual violence. But while Brienne strives to follow the precept of chivalry, Meris serves as the company's torturer; while Brienne is often mocked by her small bust size, underneath Meris shirt only scars are left by the men who cut off her breasts; and while Brienne is said to have astonishing blue eyes, Meris is said to have cold dead eyes.
** Ned Stark as well, for being two characters most well known for their strict HonorBeforeReason ideals. The difference is Brienne's stubborn ideals manage to not kill her unlike Ned's because she isn't in the viper's pit known as King's Landing.
** And to Barristan Selmy, another KnightInShiningArmor who left his Kingsguard after the king he was protecting died and went on the run. Both are continually underestimated by every opponent they run into, with fatal results for many of those opponents, and both had serious issues with Jaime Lannister at their introduction, but eventually come around to his way of thinking; Brienne after travelling with him and hearing him out, Barristan after being placed in a similar situation of ToBeLawfulOrGood and being well aware of the irony. As a result, both of them gain a moral flexibility. However, Barristan is at least a well-respected knight in Westeros, which Brienne is most definitely not but strives to be.