The Dothraki are wanderers and in many ways less civilized and advanced than other parts of the world. The Dothraki do not honor birthrights when it comes to choosing their ruler, but rather choose the strongest fighter who is able to kill all of their opponents in combat. They do not live in castles, but rather tents, and they do not wear armor or engage in complicated political based wars. Their village is marked with an arch of two stallions fighting, the grandest and most elaborate structure in their village (see top image).

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“Industrialization and colonization blurred the line between the known and the unknown. … the concept of the frontier—the unsettled space at the edge of westward colonial expansion—came to embody the great hope for the American dream of democracy and freedom” (O’Brien, Szeman, 2017).

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The Dothraki, similarly, is a blurred line between the known and the unknown because to some they are simply a legend due to how far away they are from the rest of civilization. The Dothraki are free people, and much closer to democracy than the other civilizations who can easily end up with cruel, dumb, or cowardly rulers. While fighting to the death isn’t exactly a democracy, it does at least ensure that their ruler is a skilled fighter.