The floppy ears

The floppy ears is the derisive nickname given by the sellsword captain Brown Ben Plumm to the tokar, the traditional garment of the Ghiscari slaver nobility, which Daenerys Targaryen must don to be accepted as the Queen of Meereen. The term encapsulates the central political compromise of her reign: the conqueror must adopt the costume of the conquered to be seen as a legitimate ruler, a disguise that simultaneously signals her power and her alienation.

Definition and Appearance

The tokar is a long, loose, shapeless sheet of fabric that must be wound around the hips, under one arm, and over the shoulder, with its dangling fringes carefully layered and displayed. It is a clumsy and impractical garment; wound too loose, it is like to fall off, and wound too tight, it will tangle, trip, and bind. Even when wound properly, the tokar requires its wearer to hold it in place with the left hand and walk with small, mincing steps and exquisite balance to avoid treading on the heavy trailing fringes. It is not a garment meant for any man who has to work, but rather a master's garment, a sign of wealth and power. The tokar is a deliberate symbol of the old order, a uniform of the slave-owning class that Daenerys has overthrown.

Use and Operation

Daenerys is first introduced to the tokar by her advisors after the fall of Meereen. The Green Grace, Galazza Galare, warns her that "the Mother of Dragons must don the tokar or be forever hated," arguing that in the wools of Westeros or a gown of Myrish lace, she will remain a stranger, a grotesque outlander, and a barbarian conqueror. Brown Ben Plumm puts it more succinctly: "Man wants to be the king o' the rabbits, he best wear a pair o' floppy ears." Daenerys accepts this counsel, and the tokar becomes her daily attire for holding court. She struggles with the garment, requiring the help of her handmaids to wind it correctly, and she often finds it uncomfortable, kicking off the slippers that come with it and sitting with one foot tucked beneath her. The tokar is a constant physical reminder of the performative nature of her rule.

Key Occurrences and Consequences

The tokar is a recurring motif in Daenerys's chapters, appearing at nearly every public audience. She wears a sheer white linen tokar with a fringe of golden tassels for her first court after the murder of Stalwart Shield. For her wedding to Hizdahr zo Loraq, she is dressed in a white silk tokar fringed with baby pearls, a garment that symbolizes fertility but also her submission to Ghiscari tradition. The tokar is also a source of practical difficulty; during one audience, it begins to slip, and she must catch it and tug it back into place. The garment is a constant, tangible obstacle, a piece of clothing that literally constrains her movement and requires constant attention, mirroring the political constraints of her position.

Connections and Significance

The floppy ears are more than just a garment; they are a symbol of the fundamental conflict of Daenerys's rule in Meereen. She must wear the tokar to be accepted, but in doing so, she is adopting the uniform of the very class she has overthrown. The tokar represents the compromise she makes between her ideals of liberation and the practical necessities of governance. It is a disguise that allows her to rule, but it also distances her from the freedmen she calls her children. The term "floppy ears" itself, coined by a cynical sellsword, underscores the absurdity and the artifice of the entire enterprise, a reminder that Daenerys is playing a role, wearing a costume, in a city that will never truly be her home. The tokar is the physical manifestation of the question that haunts her: can a dragon ever truly be a queen of rabbits?