Dothraki religion



The religious beliefs of the Dothraki are complex, as there is little division in Dothraki society between what in other cultures might be called "religion" and "custom". The Dothraki acknowledge the existence of several deities, but the one they most highly revere is the "Great Stallion", mirroring the importance of horses in Dothraki culture.

Belief
The Dothraki are a very brave but also a very superstitious people, believing in a myriad number of signs and omens. A Dothraki khalasar will not go to war until various omens favor it, even if to all outside observers the time seems perfect to strike. While they will honor agreements they have made, it widely known that the Dothraki "do things in their own time", waiting for favorable omens.

The Dothraki believe that a prophesied leader, the "Stallion Who Mounts the World", will one day unite all of the Dothraki into one khalasar and conquer the world. Children are considered "blessings" from the Great Stallion.

The Dothraki believe that when they die, their soul rides with their ancestors in the Night Lands.

Practices
Worship of the Great Stallion does not seem to include any restrictions on the Dothraki lifestyle of pillaging surrounding peoples, killing their men, and raping their women. Nor do there seem to be rules against one Dothraki khalasar fighting another and enslaving the survivors. A successful warrior and mounted raider is highly esteemed. There is no religious restriction on slavery, such as the ban on the practice by the Faith of the Seven in Westeros. It is unknown if there are religious restrictions on kinslaying, incest, or bastardy, though there are probably social restrictions in any case.

The closest thing to a priesthood that the Dothraki have are the honored wise-women known as the dosh khaleen, crones who are widows of deceased khals. The dosh khaleen dwell in the only city of the Dothraki, Vaes Dothrak, located deep within the Dothraki Sea. The dosh khaleen conduct many religious rituals, interpret all manner of omens, and are held to possess great powers of prophesy. Carrying a sword or shedding blood within Vaes Dothrak is considered sacrilege, though should the need arise, loopholes such as strangling or burning a man to death are permissible.

The traditional Dothraki wedding ceremony is a daylong feast in which gifts are presented to the new couple. Displays of personal combat, duels to the death, and wild public orgies are commonplace at such a feast. A Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is considered a dull affair.

The Dothraki traditionally burn their dead in funeral pyres, so that their spirit may go on to the Night Lands. It is considered a terrible dishonor not to burn a dead Dothraki. The prospect of insects and worms eating through their corpse until it decomposes to nothing but bones is considered quite horrifying. Desecrating a corpse by dismembering or decapitating it, as one would cut up an animal, then leaving the individual pieces to rot, is considered tantamount to killing the corpse's soul itself.

Dothraki religion also rejects the employment of blood magic. For this reason, maegi are distrusted and hated by Dothraki.

In the books
The Dothraki believe that the first human in the world emerged from the Womb of the World lake near Vaes Dothrak, while riding the first horse, a thousand years ago. The dating of this isn't plausible as, unknown to the Dothraki, the civilizations on Westeros, and in the Valyrian Freehold, have written histories dating back roughly six thousand years.