Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season six.
The "Game of Thrones" season six premiere centered around Jon Snow, Sansa Stark, and the controversial Sand Snakes. But we also had a close look at Daenerys Targaryen's latest adventure in Essos.
Daenerys was last seen in season five in a field after she wandered away from Drogon — her gigantic dragon in need of some serious R&R. A khalasar of Dothraki found and captured her, and brought her back to their khal. We saw this play out in the first season six episode, when Daenerys was presented to Khal Moro and he threatened to rape her.
Daenerys managed to talk her way out of any abuse by convincingly informing Khal Moro that she was the former wife of Khal Drogo, and khaleesi to his khalasar. Thankfully, he takes her at her word and says she will not be touched by anyone in his khalasar. Sleeping with another khal's wife is against the Dothraki code of honor, even if he is dead.
But, when Daenerys requests that he help her return to Meereen, Khal Moro and his own khaleesi tell her there is only one place for the wife of a dead khal: Vaes Dothrak, the only Dothraki settlement.
If Vaes Dothrak doesn't sound familiar, it's because the last time it was mentioned was during season one. Khal Drogo brought Daenerys there when she was pregnant with his child.
New khaleesis have to visit Vaes Dothrak and be presented to the Dosh Khaleen — a group of former khaleesis who are revered and respected by the Dothraki.
The Dothraki people do not live in town or villages, and they don't build huts or permanent shelters. They roam through the Dothraki sea in groups (khalasars) and only return to Vaes Dothrak when they have conquered a group of people. Each time they pillage a new place, Dothraki take the statues and idols from the city and bring them to Vaes Dothrak.
The buildings in Vaes Dothrak were all built by slaves, never by the Dothraki themselves, and it is against Dothraki custom to allow steel blades to be drawn. Vaes Dothrak is a sacred place, and spilling blood there is sacriligious. That's one reason why Khal Drogo killed Viserys Targaryen with molten gold — he couldn't draw his blade in Vaes Dothrak.
In season one, Daenerys preformed a ceremonial horse-heart eating in front of the Dosh Khaleen, a scene many fans won't soon forget. While Khal Drogo watched and the Dosh Khaleen chanted, she chowed down on a raw horse heart using nothing but her hands and teeth.
The Dosh Khaleen range in age, since they join the club whenever their husband's die. In a violent and unpredictable place like the Dothraki Sea, that could mean when they're teenagers or when they're middle aged. Here's one look we got at a member of the Dosh Khaleen in season one:
The older women ("crones") are considered to be the respected and listened to almost like shamans or high priestesses. They are the only Dothraki people who live permanently in Vaes Dothrak.
Vaes Dothrak has no walls — just an entryway featuring two horse sculptures. This is what it looks like in season one:
HBO released a clip of Daenerys arriving in Vaes Dothrak in season six. The set has changed a lot since the first season. Now, the settlement is in a sandy desert area, and the horse statues are high above the people.
Take a look:
So Khal Moro and his khalasar are planning on bringing Daenerys to Vaes Dothrak, where she will be forced to live for the rest of her life — according to tradition.
Anyone who's been paying attention to Daenerys would bet that she won't be too happy at this plan. But under the watch of the khalasar, how can she escape? Perhaps Jorah and Daario will track her to Vaes Dothrak and rescue her.
Or maybe Drogon will wake up from his nap and realize his mother isn't where she's supposed to be. He did rescue her from the fighting pits in Meereen, after all. And if you've been keeping up with the trailers for the new season, it looks like Drogon may come to her rescue again.
Perhaps he will blowtorch Vaes Dothrak just like the Sons of the Harpy. We'll have to wait for another few episodes to know for certain, but at least now you'll understand this mysterious city a little more.
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