“A dozen crystals, no larger than seeds, rattled across the parchment he’d been reading. They shone like jewels in the candlelight, so purple that the maester found himself thinking that he had never truly seen the color before… In the Citadel, it was simply called the strangler.” -Clash of Kings
” The Strangler”
To make your own Tears of Lys, or other Westerosi “poisons”, you’ll need a few simple things.
- rock candy, in purple, clear, and other colors of your choice
- small glass vials
Break the candy up into individual crystals. Try not to overhandle it, as the dye is usually applied to the outside of the candy, rather than mixed in with the sugar. Divide a few crystal between the vials, and hand out to guests as party favors. Remember that these are costly and rare poisons, so a few go a long way. For extra instructions, as well as printable Westerosi “poison” labels, check out the GoT party planning guide.
“This is a crueler poison, but tasteless and odorless, hence easier to hide. The tears of Lys, men call it.” -A Feast for Crows
Party Game: try to sneak your “tears” into others drinks throughout the evening. Whoever gets a crystal in his/her glass is “dead” for the purposes of the game. Anyone left alive wins. If there are multiple winners, decide the champion by how many other guests he/she “killed”. You can also use “poisons” of different colors, especially if the drink of choice is white wine or something similarly see through.
We used to play assassination games like this, but with flat glass beads so they wouldn’t dissolve. Good times.
I thought about that too. I bet it looks way prettier, but I was worried that with my luck someone would actually choke on a real crystal…then I’d be the Strangler for real!
I don’t mean to be super nit-picky, but I’m pretty sure you meant this to be Strangler…
“A dozen crystals, no larger than seeds, rattled across the parchment he’d been reading. They shone like jewels in the candlelight, so purple that the maester found himself thinking that he had never truly seen the color before… In the Citadel, it was simply called the strangler.” (ACOK, 20-21)
…rather than Tears of Lys, which I think is a clear liquid.
“This is a crueler poison, but tasteless and odorless, hence easier to hide. The tears of Lys, men call it.” (AFFC, 736)
It’s easy to confuse the Tear’s of Lys with poison used later in the books, I don’t know, since I don’t use poison they’re all the same in my mind. One definitely sounds cooler than the other.
Great catch! I always thought the Tears of Lys were the purple crystals, probably because they sound prettier and are more memorable. Post has been duly altered. :)
Hi, just recently discovered your website. I’m amazed with the research and details. Congratulations on the site, it’s perfect! Waiting for the book to come out.I’m planning a GoT themed party, and you guys helped me A LOT . Thanks.
p.s.: I’m Brazilian and wondering if the book is coming to this side of the world as well. ^^
Thanks so much! I’m glad you found us, and we’ll do what we can to encourage the publishers to publish a translation and send boxes and boxes off to Brazil! :)
This sounded like heaps of fun to me, but whenever I mentioned it to friends they got a bit uneasy and started calling it the date rape game. I’m a bit bummed out, as their reaction probably rules it out from my upcoming party. I still think it’s a great idea, but it might be worth thinking about it very carefully and only playing it where there’s a real bond of trust.
Great game idea. I am definitely playing that at our next medieval,feast. After everyone signs a waiver, of course! :p
Having A got GoT dinner party for opening night if any one would like to bring a dish and meet other fans email me we RE IN THE WESTERN MASS AREA Crystaleighs@gmail.com