Fighting Pits

The fighting pits of Meereen, known collectively as the mortal art, are vast brick amphitheaters sunk into the city's face, the largest of which is Daznak's Pit. They are not mere arenas but the heart of an ancient Ghiscari religious practice, a blood sacrifice to the gods of Ghis. The combats are profoundly religious in nature, a display of courage, skill, and strength most pleasing to the gods. Victorious fighters are pampered and acclaimed, and the slain are honored and remembered. The pits also serve as a brutal form of justice, offering condemned criminals a last chance to prove their innocence through trial by combat on the sands.

Daenerys's Abolition and the Pressure to Reopen

Upon taking Meereen, Daenerys Targaryen, the Breaker of Shackles, closes the fighting pits, a decision that alienates many of her new subjects. The Meereenese, both highborn and freedmen, yearn for the return of the mortal art. The nobleman Hizdahr zo Loraq, who has bought up most of the pit shares after their value plummeted, repeatedly petitions her to reopen them, arguing for their cultural, economic, and religious significance. He brings famed former fighting slaves like Goghor the Giant, Barsena Blackhair, and Khrazz to plead their case, insisting that they wish to fight for gold and glory, not for a master. Daenerys is trapped; she freed them, but they now ask to return to the sands. Her advisors, including Reznak mo Reznak, the Shavepate, and the Green Grace, all pressure her, citing the tax revenue, the need to appease the gods, and the necessity of winning support against the Sons of the Harpy.

The Reopening as a Price for Peace

Daenerys ultimately agrees to reopen the fighting pits as a condition of her marriage to Hizdahr zo Loraq, a political union meant to secure peace for Meereen. She tells him, "After the wedding Hizdahr will be king. Let him reopen the fighting pits if he wishes. I want no part of it." This decision is a bitter compromise, a bride price paid in blood. She attends the reopening games at Daznak's Pit, where she is horrified by the violence, including the death of the popular fighter Barsena Blackhair, who is gored by a boar. The spectacle culminates in the arrival of her dragon Drogon, who descends into the pit, kills the boar and several men, and ultimately carries Daenerys away on his back, ending the games in chaos and bloodshed.

Narrative and Thematic Significance

The fighting pits serve as a central symbol of the moral and political compromises Daenerys must make to rule. They represent the clash between her ideals of freedom and the brutal realities of Meereenese culture. Her initial abolition is an act of liberation, but the pressure to reopen them demonstrates the limits of her power and the necessity of appeasing the very traditions she sought to destroy. The pits are also a crucible for character; they are where former slaves like Strong Belwas and the pit fighters find a new, if bloody, form of agency. The catastrophic reopening at Daznak's Pit, which leads to Daenerys's flight, marks a pivotal turning point in her arc, shattering the fragile peace and leaving Meereen in chaos. The pits are thus not just a setting for violence but a recurring thematic touchstone for the cost of power, the persistence of tradition, and the impossible choices faced by a conqueror who would be a liberator.