Highlights
- Bloodriders are highly esteemed warriors who serve as loyal protectors to the Khal and have a deep bond with their leader.
- A Khal may select as many Bloodriders as they want, but historically, each Khal has chosen only three.
- The Bloodriders’ lives are intertwined with their Khal, as they ride with him in battle, avenge his death, and ultimately sacrifice themselves to join him in death.
Every good king, queen, or ruler has specially selected noble people to serve directly beside them as strong and loyal warriors. These people have many names: knights, captains, generals, etc. For the Dothraki from Game of Thrones, these men are called Bloodriders.
Bloodriders hold the most prestigious position of the Dothraki’s most valued branch of military: the khalassar. The khalassar is the calvary of the Dothraki military, pretty much representing the entirety of the Dothraki militia. The size of the khalassar is dependent on the strength and success of the Khal. In Game of Thrones, the Khal leads the Dothraki army, but is assisted in combat by his most loyal, strongest soldiers; the Bloodriders.
RELATED: 7 Underrated Characters in Game of Thrones
Who Are The Bloodriders?
|
Dothraki Bloodriders |
|
|---|---|
|
Character |
Played by |
|
Qotho |
Dar Salim |
|
Aggo |
Nicolai McKinsky |
|
Rakharo |
Elyes Gabel |
|
Kovarro |
Steven Cole |
Simply put, the Bloodriders and sworn protectors of the Khal. Their responsibilities include riding alongside their Khal in battle, accompanying the Khal in his duties outside of combat, and, in some cases, leading other branches of the khalassar, in which case they also hold the position of “Ko”. Any Khal may select as many Bloodriders as he sees fit, there is no minimum, nor is there a limit that is generally known. However, each Khal in the history of the Dothraki had chosen only three. But in addition to being loyal warriors to their Khal, Bloodriders have a much deeper connection to their Dothraki leader that sets them apart from the other Dothraki warriors.
The Khal and his Bloodriders address each other as “Qoy Qoyi”, which translates to “blood of my blood”. A Bloodrider can only achieve such a position if they are specially selected by the Khal. Their oath reads as such (translated into English):
I ask your oath, that will live and die as blood of my blood, riding at my side to keep me safe from harm.
The oath is meant to be read literally. As such, a Bloodrider’s life will only last as long as their Khal’s. If their Khal should die in battle, his Bloodriders die alongside him, not immediately, however. Once a Khal dies in battle, the Bloodriders live for as long as it takes to honor him and avenge his death. Once they succeed in avenging their Khal, it is then their responsibility to take the Khaleesi, and escort her to Vaes Dothrak, where she joins the other Khaleesis who’ve lost their Khals in battle; also known as the “dosh khaleen”. Then, and only then, do the Bloodriders sacrifice themselves in the name of their Khal, and join him in death.
In addition to sharing blood, the Bloodriders also share numerous other livelihoods of their khal, including his wife. However, as is the case with any Dothraki warrior, not even the Bloodriders may share a Khal’s horse, for each warrior’s horse is theirs and theirs alone.
What Happens to the Bloodriders?
The first Bloodriders seen in Game of Thrones are that of Khal Drogo’s: Qotho, Cohollo, and Haggo. After Drogo shows weakness by falling off his horse after suffering from wounds in battle, Khaleesi Daenerys Targaryen and Cohollo see about his condition while the other two Bloodriders stay mounted on their horse. Qotho eventually turns against the Khaleesi, but is defeated by Ser Jorah Mormont in combat.
Without a Khal, Daenerys decides to lead the Khalasar as they venture across Essos to Meereen, where they hope to acquire a fleet of ships to sail to Westeros. Initially, Daenerys selects the Dothraki warriors Rakharo, Kovarro, and Aggo as her Bloodriders. But as their perilous journey continued in pursuit of Westeros, the Khaleesi needed to give her people hope.
And so, as the Dothraki were still about a week’s trip from Meereen, Daenerys decided to fetch Drogon, and ride above the khalassar before landing in front of them and delivering a speech where she proclaims every Dothraki person be her Bloodrider:
Every Khal who ever lived chose three Bloodriders to fight beside him and guard his way. But I am not a Khal. I will not choose three Bloodriders. I choose you all. I will ask more of you than any Khal has ever asked of his khalassar! Will you ride the wooden horses across the black salt sea? Will you kill my enemies in their iron suits, and tear down their stone houses? Will you give me the Seven Kingdoms, the gift Khal Drogo promised me before the Mother of Mountains? Are you with me? Now, and always?
From there on, every member of the khalassar was Daenerys’ Bloodriders. They remained in service of their Khaleesi until their honorable death during “The Long Night” (season 8, episode 3), where they fought against the Army of the Dead, but ultimately fell. The fall of the Dothraki marked the final Bloodriders to exist in the Game of Thrones universe.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones, based on the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin, tells the sprawling story of warring families in Westeros. This includes the Starks, the Lannisters, the Baratheons, and the Targaryens. Along with human conflicts, Westeros is also threatened by the re-emergence of dragons, and an undead enemy from beyond the Wall.
- First Episode Air Date
- April 17, 2011
- Where to watch
- HBO Max
- Spin-offs
- House of the Dragon
Leave a Reply