The Old Blood

The Old Blood of Volantis is the hereditary aristocracy that claims direct, unbroken lineage from the dragonlords of the Valyrian Freehold. Their exclusive right to reside within the Black Wall—a great oval of fused stone two hundred feet high that separates the inner city from the rest of Volantis—is the most visible marker of their caste privilege. Only those who can prove descent from Valyria itself are permitted to dwell inside this enclosure; outlanders, foreigners, and freedmen are forbidden entry save at the invitation of those within. The Old Blood alone are eligible to stand for election as triarch, the three co-rulers who govern the city for a year at a time. This political monopoly is reinforced by a rigid social hierarchy: beneath the Old Blood stand freeborn landholders (who may vote but rarely hold high office), and beneath them the vast slave population that outnumbers free men by as many as five to one.

Ideology and the Slave Economy

The Old Blood's identity is inseparable from the institution of slavery. Volantis, the oldest of the Nine Free Cities, was built on the slave trade, and the Old Blood's wealth derives from the labor of the tattooed slaves who work its fields, row its galleys, and serve in its households. The abolitionist campaign of Daenerys Targaryen is therefore perceived by the Old Blood not merely as a foreign policy dispute but as an existential threat to their way of life. When the Yunkish envoy Grazdan mo Eraz arrives in Volantis to hire sellswords for the war against Meereen, he finds a receptive audience among the Old Blood, who fear that the dragon queen's example will inspire their own slaves to revolt. The triarchs Malaquo (a tiger, favoring military action) and Nyessos (an elephant, favoring trade but deeply invested in the slave trade) both ultimately support the war, despite the peace party represented by the dying Yezzan zo Qaggaz.

The Red Temple and Popular Resistance

The Old Blood's authority is challenged from below by the growing popularity of the red temple of R'hllor. The high priest Benerro preaches to thousands of slaves and freedmen every night, proclaiming Daenerys Targaryen the fulfillment of the prophecy of Azor Ahai and declaring that Volantis will burn if the triarchs take up arms against her. The Old Blood view Benerro's sermons as incitement to rebellion; Malaquo attempts to hire the Golden Company to cleanse the red temple, but dares not use the tiger cloaks (the city's slave soldiers) because half of them worship the Lord of Light as well. The widow of the waterfront, a former slave who became a powerful merchant after her master freed and married her, tells Ser Jorah Mormont that the Old Blood's days are numbered: "I think that red R'hllor has more worshipers in this city than all the other gods together." She sends a message to Daenerys: "Tell her we are waiting. Tell her to come soon."

Narrative Significance

The Old Blood functions in the novel as a structural obstacle to Daenerys's westward ambitions. Their willingness to bankroll the Yunkish alliance and commit Volantene warships to the siege of Meereen ensures that the dragon queen cannot simply march home to Westeros; she must first break the power of the slaver cities. At the same time, the internal tension between the Old Blood and the red temple creates a volatile political situation that Tyrion Lannister, passing through Volantis as a captive of Jorah Mormont, observes with keen interest. The widow's offer of passage to Meereen and her promise of a slave uprising in Volantis if Daenerys should come suggest that the Old Blood's grip on the city may be weaker than it appears—a thread left unresolved at the novel's end.