Stygai

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Stygai by Dziga Kaiser ©

Stygai, also known as the City of the Night,[1] is a ruined city in the mountainous Shadow Lands of eastern Essos.[2]

Geography

The city lies on the Ash[3] in the Vale of Shadows, a river valley northeast of Asshai.[2]

History

Stygai is said to be a haunted corpse city. Twisted creatures, such as demons and dragons, are said to live in its vicinity, and even shadowbinders fear it.[3] Little is known of Stygai, bar that its byname comes from the fact it only sees the light of the sun for a brief period of time each day, around noon.[1]

Behind the scenes

The name Stygai may be a nod to Stygia from the short story "Shadows in the Moonlight" by Robert E. Howard. In an essay in his Dreamsongs anthology, George R. R. Martin cites reading Howard's story as a formative experience in his development as a reader of fantasy, and Martin quotes a passage referring to Stygia "with its shadow-guarded tombs."

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Stygai.
  2. 2.0 2.1 The Lands of Ice and Fire, The East.
  3. 3.0 3.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Bones and Beyond: Asshai-by-the-Shadow.