Hizdahr zo Loraq

With notable Ghiscari ancestors such as Mazdhan the Magnificent, Hazrak the Handsome, and Zharaq the Liberator, Hizdahr zo Loraq becomes one of the key figures that influence the politics of Slaver’s Bay after Daenerys’s arrival. As one of the wealthiest merchants in Meereen, Hizdahr has many friends throughout the Free Nine Cities of Essos. His influence and connections stretch from Volantis to as far as New Ghis. Though he possesses great wealth and power, he has a calm attitude without malice, as noted by Ser Barristan Selmy. However, he becomes an obstacle to Daenerys’s rule after she vanishes on Drogon; this leads to his eventual arrest by Barristan Selmy.

Personal Details about Hizdahr

• Name: Hizdahr XIV zo Loraq.
• Lineage: The Old Empire of Ghis.
• Culture: Ghiscari.
• Allegiances: Hose of Loraq, House Targaryen.
• Wife: Daenerys Targaryen.
• Titles: Scion of Ghis, King of Meereen, Octarch of the Old Empire, Master of the Skahazadhan, King Consort.
• Aliases: Blood of the Harpy, Hizdak, Hizdahr of the Tepid Kisses, Fourteenth of That Noble Name.
• Year of Coronation: 300 AC.
• Year of Reign: 300 AC.
• Hair Color: Red-black.
• Skin Color: Amber.

Appearance

Hizdahr is a handsome man with a slender frame and long legs. His gentle hands compliment his perfect amber skin and calm demeanor. He has a long face with red-black ghiscari hair that looks like wings about to sprout and a beard, which adds more detail to his facial appearance. However, he cuts his beard for Daenerys.

As one of the wealthiest merchants in Meereen, Hizdahr is cunning and persuasive. He uses many strategies to get people to do what he wants; this includes attuning to their emotional state and preying on their vulnerabilities. Though cunning, he lacks the skill of political strategizing and falters when faced with problems.

With a high-born status, Hizdahr dresses in noble attires worthy of a king. He wears a tokar adorned with amethysts, pearls, and golden beads. However, on some occasions, he wears a plain robe with a quilted vest.

Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire

A Dance with Dragons

After taking over Meereen and killing the Great Masters, Daenerys becomes the Queen and abolishes slavery. However, the Sons of the Harpy begin a shadow war and start killing people and some of the Unsullied soldiers. Desperate to find a solution to end the crises, Daenerys holds court, where she meets Lord Ghael from Astaphor, begging for assistance against the Yunkish forces marching on Astaphor. At court, she meets Hizdahr zo Loraq, who had purchased the closed fighting pits for a low price. He petitions Daenerys to reopen them, but his requests fall on deaf ears.

With the resistance from the Sons of the Harpy Worsening, Daenerys meets the Green Grace, Galazza, who advises her that to end the conflict, she should marry Hizdahr. On meeting him, he promises Daenerys that he will end the attacks by the Sons of the Harpy if she gets betrothed to him. With no better solution, she agrees and gives him ninety days to curtail the unnecessary deaths caused by the shadow war.

After taking up her offer, Hizdahr visits eleven of the great pyramids and negotiates with the remaining nobles in the city to end the killings. His plans work, and the Sons of the Harpy commit no murders. However, tension begins to rise as enemy ships from Yunkai reach the coast of Meereen. Daenerys learns that Astaphor has fallen to Yunkai as many of the survivors from the war flock to Meereen. She prevents them from entering as the bloodyflux rampages among the survivors. With Hizdahr true to his words, Daenerys decides to get married to him.

As the preparations for her wedding to Hizdahr commence, Daenerys agrees for the fighting pits to get reopened. Though not interested in each other romantically, Hizdahr and Daenerys get married. Hizdahr holds a feast for his wedding to Daenerys, and Yunkai opens a slave market outside the city to spite her. Her new husband advises her to ignore the Yunkish forces, stating that they are only trying to get a reaction out of her and will end the market soon.

After the fighting pits get opened, Daenerys attends one of the ceremonies and witnesses the bloodiness of it. The noise attracts Drogon, and he causes a rampage. Hizdahr orders the dragon to get killed, but after two of the spearmen get burnt alive, Daenerys runs for Drogon. Climbing on him, she flies away from the city.

With Daenerys gone, Hidahr becomes the king. He removes most of his wife’s servants, including Skahaz mo Kondaq of the Brazen Beasts. The situation with Yunkai gets worse as they send an envoy with the head of Captain Groleo. The Yunkish forces demand that Daenerys’s remaining two dragons get killed in exchange for the hostages they took. Meanwhile, Barristan Selmy realizes that Hizdahr is a weak ruler, as most of the kings he served, including Robert Baratheon, would have killed the envoy.

Suspecting that Hizdahr also tried to kill Daenerys with poisoned locusts, Barristan meets with Grey worm and decides to arrest him. However, upon confronting him, Hizdahr swears he has nothing to do with trying to kill Daenerys. With Hizdahr detained, the Sons of the Harpy resume the killings.

Appearance in Adaptations

Hizdahr zo Loraq’s character got acted by Joel Fry in HBO’s Game of Thrones. Performing alongside Emilia Clarke, his character had a different storyline from the novels. Appearing in Game of Thrones seasons 4 and 5, Joel Fry’s performance was stellar, and he appeared in eight episodes, with his last being the Dance of Dragons. 

In the show, Hizdahr is a former slave trader and gets arrested by Daenerys after the Sons of the Harpy’s attacks. He agrees to follow Daenerys and advises her to reopen the fighting pits, which she does. During one of the tournaments, Jorah Mormont reveals himself to Daenerys with Tyrion Lannister as his prisoner. Later, the Sons of the Harpy attack the fighting pit, and Hzdahr gets stabbed. 

Hizdahr: The Silent King

Hizdahr is a character whose elusive presence drives a lot of impact on A Song of Ice and Fire. His interactions with the primary characters influenced their choices and the overall storyline. However, he lacked the gift of political prowess. Though he was a skilled tactician and cunning, he could not manage the brutal nature of politics; this made him the silent king.

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