Pit fighters are slaves trained to fight and die in the fighting pits of Slaver's Bay for the entertainment of spectators. Some are trained since birth, while others are forced to fight after being captured or sold into slavery. Those who show great skill and become the best pit fighters are usually reserved for the largest fighting pits which draw huge crowds.
The combatants wear no armor in the fighting pits as it is blood the crowds have come to see.[1] They are usually bought, sold, and trained in Astapor and Meereen.
Known Pit Fighters
[edit]Quotes
[edit]I have heard your arguments so often I could plead your case myself. Shall I? The fighting pits have been a part of Meereen since the city was founded. The combats are profoundly religious in nature, a blood sacrifice to the gods of Ghis. The mortal art of Ghis is not mere butchery but a display of courage, skill, and strength most pleasing to your gods. Victorious fighters are pampered and acclaimed, and the slain are honored and remembered. By reopening the pits I would show the people of Meereen that I respect their ways and customs. The pits are far-famed across the world. They draw trade to Meereen, and fill the city's coffers with coin from the ends of the earth. All men share a taste for blood, a taste the pits help slake. In that way they make Meereen more tranquil. For criminals condemned to die upon the sands, the pits represent a judgment by battle, a last chance for a man to prove his innocence. There. How have I done?[2]
References
[edit]- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 67, The Kingbreaker.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 2, Daenerys I.