What does Larys Strong’s bee sigil mean? In House of the Dragon, episode 6, Larys Strong reveals himself to be the TV series’ real villain (or one of them at least, Daemon Targaryen’s definitely not a good guy) after plotting with Queen Alicent to help her undermine Rhaenyra’s claim to the Iron Throne.
We saw Larys make his way to the Red Keep’s dungeons, where he freed a gang of murderers, thieves, and cutthroats, bringing them all into his employ – but not before cutting out their tongues. Larys sent these ne’er-do-wells to Harrenhal, where they started a fire that killed Lyonel and Harwin Strong.
To denote that these men were in his employ, Larys gave them all a small badge that was shaped like a small bee. The same sigil can be seen on Larys’ cane, but what does the bee mean? Well, don’t worry, we’ve done some digging, and we think we’ve got it worked out.
What does Larys Strong’s bee sigil mean?
According to the Game of Thrones wiki, Larys’ sigil may be a reference to a quote about him in the books. Mushroom, who served as a jester for Viserys and his family, said of Larys, “The words dripped from his lips like honey from a comb, and never did poison taste so sweet.”
Those working on the fantasy series likely took this quote and twisted it into the bee sigil. After all, bees make honey, and they can sting, which is kind of like poison. However, the symbolism likely goes a little beyond this and ties into another Game of Thrones character.
Larys is a lot like Littlefinger, a similarly ambitious manipulator who managed to cause a lot of chaos. Like Larys, Littlefinger cast aside his family heraldry and chose his own sigil, taking the Mockingbird as his personal emblem.
Having Larys do something similar serves as a shorthand to us, the viewer, about what we should think about the character. He’s a Littlefinger-eque trickster and not to be trusted. If you want to know more about the citizens of the Seven Kingdoms, check out our articles on Ser Criston Cole, Otto Hightower, and The White Worm.