The Dothraki

The Dothraki are a nomadic warrior people who roam the vast grasslands of the Dothraki sea, a great ocean of grass stretching from the Forest of Qohor to the Mother of Mountains and the Womb of the World. Their entire culture revolves around the horse: they ride from childhood, fight from horseback, and measure wealth in herds. A Dothraki khalasar is a mobile horde that can number tens of thousands, organized under a khal and his bloodriders, sworn companions who share the khal's life and death. The Dothraki have no cities, no written language, and no interest in the settled peoples beyond their sea, whom they despise as "kneelers." Their religion centers on the dosh khaleen, the crones of the khalasar who interpret omens and bless marriages, and on the belief that the stars are a great herd of horses ridden by the dead across the nightlands.

Role in Daenerys Targaryen's Rise

Daenerys Targaryen's marriage to Khal Drogo, brokered by Magister Illyrio Mopatis, is her entry into Dothraki society. She is given the title Khaleesi and begins to adopt their dress, language, and customs. The Dothraki provide the army that Viserys Targaryen had hoped to use to reclaim the Iron Throne, though the Dothraki do not buy or sell—they give gifts and receive them, a principle Viserys fatally misunderstands. After Drogo's death, Daenerys walks into his funeral pyre and emerges unburnt, with three hatched dragons, an event that the Dothraki interpret as a sign of immense power. She is thereafter known as the Mother of Dragons, a title that carries weight even among the horselords.

Culture and Customs

The Dothraki have a strict code of honor and a deep aversion to settled life. They consider the sea to be "poison water" that horses cannot drink, and they refuse to travel by ship. Their warriors fight with arakhs, curved swords designed for slashing from horseback, and they braid bells into their hair to mark their kills. The dosh khaleen, the crones of the khalasar, are revered as wise women who can see the future. The Dothraki also practice a form of blood sacrifice, offering horses and captives to their gods. Their law is simple: strength rules, and the weak are trampled. Daenerys's own bloodriders—Aggo, Jhogo, and Rakharo—are sworn to protect her with their lives, a bond that transcends mere loyalty.

Political and Military Significance

Throughout the narrative, the Dothraki remain a potent but unpredictable force. Khal Pono, Khal Jhaqo, and Khal Zekko are mentioned as roaming the grasslands with their khalasars, and their movements threaten the settled lands of the Rhoyne and Slaver's Bay. Daenerys uses her Dothraki riders to subdue the hinterlands of Meereen, but they are ill-suited for urban warfare. The Dothraki also serve as a source of fear for the Yunkish slavers, who hire sellswords to counter them. In the end, Daenerys's connection to the Dothraki remains a double-edged sword: they are her first army, but their culture is fundamentally incompatible with the settled, slave-free society she tries to build in Meereen.