Potential Spoilers Below
First, I want to show you why I
believe the Aiel
and the Dothraki are the same with basically a few differences to
make them different which fits with the 180-degree twist that I have said keeps
happening to make the 2 stories unique. The Aiel will not
touch a sword and they don’t ride horses.
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| Aiel |
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| Dothraki |
“Aiel are hard,” Ingtar said. “Man and woman, hard. I've fought them, and I
know. They will run fifty miles, and fight a battle at the end of it. They're
death walking, with any weapon or none. Except a sword. They will not touch a sword, for some reason.
Or ride a horse, not that they need to. If you have a sword, and the
Aielman has his bare hands, it is an even fight. If you're good.
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| Ingtar |
The Dothraki traditionally fight with curved
swords known as arakhs,
and also employ bolas, daggers, and whips, or huge, recurved bows with
impressive range and striking power that can be fired from horseback. Dothraki warriors are commonly referred to as
"horselords". The Dothraki are
nomadic horse-mounted warriors, who sweep across the vast central
plains of Essos in search of plunder. Most of their society is centered around
their horses: even their name for themselves in their own language,
"Dothraki", literally means "riders".
The Dothraki are divided into
several nameless clans known as khalasars, led by a single leader, the
khal. Aiel are divided into septs, led by a single leader, the clan chief. The only Dothraki city is Vaes Dothrak, located to the far
north-east of the Dothraki sea. It is ruled by the Dosh khaleen, crones and wise women who were once the wives of now dead khals. The Aiel have a similar city called Rhuidean located in the Aiel Waste. Wise Ones are the matriarchal leaders
of the Aiel. Sept-chiefs who are chosen
to become clan chief are sent by the Wise Ones to see if they could pass the
test. Some Wise Ones are the wives of
clan chiefs.
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| Entrance to Vaes Dothrak |
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| Vaes Dothrak |
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| Woman of Dosh khaleen |
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| Women of Dosh khaleen |
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| Rhuidean |
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| Wise Ones |
I have told you all before
that the character of Rand al’Thor is too large to give to
one character so in ASOIAF it was divided amongst 3 characters – Jon
Snow, Daenerys and
Bran.
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| Jon Snow |
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| Daenerys |
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| Bran |
The Stallion Who Mounts the World is a prophecy in the Dothraki religion. According to
the prophecy, the Stallion is the "khal of khals" who will unite all the
Dothraki under his single khalasar and ride to the ends of the earth. The
prophecy states that "he will be the khal of khals, and all the people of
the world will be his herd." The Car'a'carn
("Chief of
chiefs" in the Old Tongue) is the Aiel term for the one who
will lead all Aiel, in accordance with the Prophecy of Rhuidean.
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| Rand becoming the Car'a'carn |
Drawing weapons or shedding blood is forbidden
inside Vaes Dothrak, although there are loopholes to the unspoken
rule of not killing anyone. “Amys
nodded. “You, Rand al'Thor, must go into the heart of Rhuidean, to the very
center. If you wish to go with him, Mat Cauthon, so be it, but know that most
men who enter Rhuidean's heart do not come back, and some return mad. You may
carry neither food nor water, in remembrance of our wanderings after the
Breaking. You must go to Rhuidean unarmed, save with your hands and your own heart,
to honor the Jenn. If you have weapons, place them on the ground before us. They
will be here for you when you return. If you return.”
I tell you all this because in
The Game of Thrones they are all about to meet in the Dragonpit to call a truce to hostilities to fight what is
believed to be the true enemy the White Walkers
and the Wights aka the Army of the Dead.
I tell you this because the same things happens in The Wheel of Time as
they meet in the Field of Merrilor where they broker a
peace treaty because of a similar threat of the Myrddraal and
Trollocs. At this point in the story the Cersei character
(Elaida)
had been removed from power and replaced by Egwene (Sansa). The downfall of both Cersei and Elaida comes
about because of prophecy. Cersei was
given a prophecy as a young girl which she desperately tried to change. Elaida had the talent of foretelling which
she tried to manipulate to fit her ambitions.
Both lead to the characters downfall.
The Tuon character
(Daenerys) was not present as it was she they had to convince to sign the truce
when all was said and done.
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| White Walkers leading Wights |
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| Myrddraal leading Trollocs |
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| Cersei |
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| Elaida |
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| Egwene |
“So you are going to work with
the others?” Perrin asked, looking up toward where Egwene and the other
members of the White
Tower were camped. “This looks an awful lot like armies gathering to fight one
another.”
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| White Tower |
I’ll make Egwene see sense,”
Rand said. “I’m right, Perrin. We need to break the seals. I don’t know why she denies
this.”
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| Broken seal |
“She’s the Amyrlin now.” Perrin rubbed his chin. “She’s Watcher
of the Seals, Rand. It’s up to her to make sure they’re
cared for.”
“It is. Which is why I will
persuade her that my intentions for them are correct.”
“Are you sure about breaking
them, Rand?” Perrin asked. “Absolutely sure?”
“Tell me, Perrin. If a metal
tool or weapon shatters, can you stick it back together and make it work
properly?”
“Well, you can? Perrin said.
“It’s better not to. The grain of the steel . . . well, you’re almost always
better off re-forging it. Melting it down, starting from scratch.”
“It is the same here. The
seals are broken, like a sword. We can’t just patch the pieces. It won’t work.
We need to remove the shards and make something new to go in their place.
Something better.”
“Rand,” Perrin said, “that’s
the most reasonable thing anyone has said on this topic. Have you explained it
that way to Egwene?”
“She’s not a blacksmith, my
friend.” Rand smiled.
“She’s smart, Rand. Smarter than either of us.
She’ll understand if you explain it the right way.”
“We shall see,” Rand said.
“Tomorrow.”
“From the south, Elayne’s
procession wound its way toward the meeting place, smack in the middle of the
Field. The Queen rode at the front. Her palace had burned, but she kept her
eyes forward. Between Perrin and Elayne, the Tairens and Illianers—Light, who
had let those armies camp so near one another?—marched in separate columns,
both bringing almost their entire forces.”
“Best to be quick. Her
presence would calm the rulers, perhaps prevent problems. They wouldn’t like
being near so many Aiel. Each clan but the Shaido was
represented. She still didn’t know if they’d support Rand or her. Some of the
Wise Ones seemed to have listened to Egwene’s pleas, but she had received no
commitments.”
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| Saerin |
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| Sea Folk |
Egwene shook her head. “No. I
thought there was little chance they’d side against Rand.”
“Light, Egwene thought. I wonder how long
it’s been since a meeting of this scale occurred. Nearly every nation was
represented, and then some, considering the Sea Folk and the Aiel.
Only Murandy,
Arad Doman
and the Seanchan-held
lands were missing.”
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| The Dragonpit |
“Sunlight shone down upon
Egwene as she approached the center. She couldn’t help but notice the large,
perfectly broken circle of clouds above the field. Rand did affect things in
strange ways. He needed no announcement to say that he was in attendance, no
banner. The clouds pulled back and sunlight shone down when he was near.”
This will be just the opposite
IMO. When Daenerys flies over on her
dragon the sunlight will be covered up to announce her arrival to the meeting.
“She trailed off as she saw
him coming. Rand strode across the browning grass of the field, wearing red and
gold. A
tremendous bundle hovered in the air beside him, held up by weaves
she could not see.
I can see Jon Snow approaching
with possibly his men carrying a large bundle containing the captured wight as a stand-in for Rand’s bundle.
“The oversized document was
filled with tight, cramped letters. “I call it the Dragon’s Peace,”
Rand said softly. “And it is one of the three things which I will require of
you. Your
payment, to me, in exchange for my life.”
“Let me see that.” Elayne
reached for it, and Rand obviously let it go, because she was able to snatch it
off the table before any of the other surprised rulers.
“It locks the borders of your nations to their
current positions,” Rand said, arms behind his back again. “It forbids country
from attacking country, and it requires the opening of a great
school in each capital—fully funded and with doors open to those who wish to
learn.”
“It does more than that,”
Elayne said, one finger to the document as she read. “Attack another land, or enter into a minor
armed border dispute, and the other nations of the world have an obligation to
defend the country attacked. Light! Tariff restrictions to prevent
the strangling of economies, barriers on marriage between rulers of nations unless
the two lines of rule are clearly divided, provisions for stripping the land
from a lord who starts a conflict . . . Rand, you really expect us to sign
this?”
“Yes.”
I don't know if they will have
formal paperwork typed up but similar terms will be made so that they can focus
on the real threat coming against the realm.
OK we know that the Dorthrai
are easily 10 times the treat of doing exactly what Daenerys just told the Ironborn that they couldn't do. So, what do you do with them if you want to
rule in peace? The Aiel in TWOT faced a
similar dilemma and here is how they solved it.
Will things be worked out in a similar fashion for the Dothraki?
“I demand my boon of you,” she
said. “This is it. Place the Aiel in your document, your ‘Dragon’s Peace.’ We will leave you
otherwise.”
“You don’t speak for all of
them, Aviendha,”
Rand said. “You can’t—” All of the tent’s Wise Ones stepped up behind Aviendha,
as if in rhythm together. Rand blinked.
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| Aviendha |
“Aviendha carries our honor,” Sorilea said.
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| Sorilea |
“Do not be foolish, Rand
al’Thor,” Melaine added.
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| Melaine |
“This is a thing of the
women,” Sarinde added. “We will not be satisfied until we are
treated equally with the wetlanders.”
“Is this thing too difficult
for us?” Amys asked. “Do you insult us by implying we are weaker
than the others?”
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| Amys |
“You’re all insane!” Rand
said. “Do you
realize that this would forbid you from fighting one another?”
“Not from fighting,” Aviendha
said. “From
fighting without cause.
War is your purpose,” Rand said.
“If you believe that, Rand
al’Thor,” she said, voice cold, “I have trained you poorly indeed.”
“She speaks wisdom,” Rhuarc
said, stepping up to the front of the crowd. “Our purpose was to prepare for your need of us
at this Last Battle—our purpose was to be strong enough to be preserved. We
will need another purpose. I have buried blood feuds for you, Rand al’Thor. I
would not take them up again. I have friends now that I would rather not kill.”
“Madness,” Rand said, shaking
his head. “All right, I’ll put you in.” Aviendha seemed satisfied, but
something bothered Perrin. He didn’t understand the Aiel—Light, he didn’t
understand Gaul,
who had been with him for so long. Still, he’d noticed that the Aiel liked to
be doing something. Even when they lounged, they were alert. When other men
gamed or diced, the Aiel were often quietly doing something of use.”
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| Gaul |
“Well, I just noticed
something. The
Aiel are like tools.”
“All right . . ”
“And tools that aren’t used grow rusty,”
Perrin said.
“Which is why they raid one another,”
Rand said, rubbing his temple. “To keep up their skills. That is why I exempted them. Light,
Perrin! I think this is going to be a disaster. If we include them in this
document . . .”
“I don’t think you have a
choice, now,” Perrin said. “The others will never sign it if the Aiel are left out.”
“Rand, don’t you see?” Perrin
said. “The
solution.”
Rand frowned at him.
“The Aiel,” Perrin
said. “The tool
that needs to be used. A treaty that needs to be enforced . . .”
Rand hesitated, then grinned
widely. “You’re
a genius, Perrin.”
“So long as it’s about
blacksmithing, I suppose I know a thing or two.
But this . . . this isn’t
about blacksmithing, Perrin . . .”
“Of course it is,” Perrin
said. How could Rand not see that?”
“Rand turned, no doubt ending
his weave. He strode up to the document, then held it up toward one of his
clerks in the back of the pavilion. “I want two provisions added. First, this
document is void if not signed by either the Seanchan Daughter of the Nine Moons or the
Empress. Second . . . the Aiel—all but the Shaido—are to be written into the
document as enforcers of the peace and mediators of disputes between nations.
Any nation may call upon them if they feel abused, and the Aiel—not enemy
armies—will provide redress. They can hunt criminals across national borders.
They are to be subject to the laws of the nations in which they reside at the
time, but they are not subjects of that nation.”
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| Daenerys is representative of the Daughter of the Nine Moons as:
“She had been born on Dragonstone nine moons after their flight,”
|
“Will you agree to this, Rhuarc?”
Rand asked. “Bael,
Jheran,
the rest of you? You claim to be left without purpose, and Perrin sees you as a
tool that needs to be worked. Will you take this charge? To prevent war, to punish those
who do wrong, to work with the rulers of nations to see justice served?
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| Rhuarc |
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| Bael |
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| Jheran |
Justice as we see it, Rand al’Thor,”
Rhuarc said, “or
as they see it?”
“It will have to be according to the conscience
of the Aiel,” Rand said. “If they call for you, they will have to know that they’ll
receive your justice. This will not work if the Aiel simply become pawns. Your
autonomy will be what makes this effective.”
So, could it be that the
Dothraki can also be made into peacekeepers?
Just throwing it out there. What
do you think?
Comments encouraged. Love to hear the
ideas of others. Most believe that since I present my idea’s as “fact
like” I’m not open to change my viewpoints which is far from the truth. I
simply look at the information presented and go from there. If you can
shine a light on another way of thinking that opens the door to debate.
nicely done 😊
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