What Is a Trial of Seven? Game of Thrones’ Newest Piece of Lore, Explained

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As a huge fan of the Game of Thrones universe, I was really intrigued by A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and it totally delivered! It actually adds a brand-new piece of lore from George R.R. Martin that neither the original series nor House of the Dragon ever touched on. The story kicks off with Dunk getting on the bad side of Aerion Targaryen, and things quickly escalate. Aerion decides the only way to deal with it is a classic Trial of Seven – talk about a brutal way to settle things!

As a longtime viewer of Game of Thrones, I’ve definitely seen my share of trials by combat – Tyrion Lannister’s case springs immediately to mind. These are usually simple one-on-one duels, either between the accuser and accused, or champions fighting on their behalf if they can’t fight themselves. Honestly, if Dunk had won his fight, things would have likely been over. But Aerion Brightflame decided to make things much more complicated, choosing a fight with multiple knights on his side instead of a straightforward duel.

A Trial of Seven, Explained

A Trial of Seven pits two sides of seven champions against each other – fourteen fighters in total. This tradition originated with the Andals, who introduced it to Westeros when they arrived from across the Narrow Sea. The number seven is significant because it represents the seven gods of the dominant Faith, including the Father, the Mother, the Warrior, the Smith, the Maiden, the Crone, and the Stranger.

The idea behind the trial is to let the gods decide the outcome by having seven warriors on each side. As demonstrated previously, if the accused can’t assemble six knights, the trial can’t proceed, and the gods automatically find them guilty. Whoever is killed or gives up first is considered the guilty one.

In George R.R. Martin’s stories, we only know details of two Trials of Seven. Because of this, it’s unclear exactly how these fights are conducted. For example, we don’t know if the combatants begin on horseback, like a jousting tournament, or if it’s simply a fight between fourteen people on foot, similar to a regular duel. Besides the trial involving Dunk, the only other one Martin has described featured Maegor I Targaryen, who defeated his challenger, Ser Damon Morrigen, and was the last man standing.

Martin first introduced the Trials of the Seven in his novella, The Hedge Knight, published in 1998. Given that he had ample opportunity to include them in his main A Song of Ice and Fire series or other works, it’s curious why he never expanded on this Andal tradition.

Perhaps people simply aren’t aware of this tradition because it’s so old. Even Maekar Targaryen, a prince of royal blood, didn’t know about it. This trial with Dunk is particularly unusual – it’s the first of its kind in over a hundred years, making it a truly rare event.

There are a couple of reasons why Martin might not have included many Trials of Seven in his books. He could be saving one for a particularly important moment later in the series. Or, he might be avoiding it because of how brutal it is. Once a Trial of Seven begins, anything goes – there are no rules. Family members can fight each other, and people of any social status can kill anyone else, using any weapon they choose.

Who Is Fighting in Dunk’s Trial of Seven?

The story quickly establishes the situation surrounding Dunk’s trial, and fortunately, Dunk manages to gather six champions to fight for him. Some of those fighting alongside Dunk include Lyonel Baratheon, Humfrey Beesbury, Humfrey Hardyng, and Robyn Rhysling. Egg is introduced to Rhysling, who is recognizable by his missing eye.

Raymun Fossoway signed up to fight with Dunk when his cousin, Steffon, chose to support Aerion. Lyonel quickly knighted Raymun to make him eligible. Adding to Dunk’s forces was Baelor Targaryen, who surprisingly offered to fight, even wearing his son’s armor. While Baelor was once a renowned knight, it had likely been many years since he’d last fought, potentially endangering both himself and the realm.

Facing Dunk are Aerion Targaryen, his father Maekar, Daeron (who intends to leave quickly), Steffon Fossoway, and three members of the Kingsguard. This is a tricky situation because the Kingsguard are sworn to protect the royal family and can’t attack Prince Baelor. However, Dunk is outnumbered, facing them all alone. He’ll have to defeat Aerion in a duel to prove his honesty to both the gods and the realm, putting his claims of chivalry to the ultimate test.

New episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiere every Sunday on HBO.

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2026-02-09 06:06