Khal Drogo

Khal Drogo is a fictional character from the book series Song of Ice and Fire by the writer George RR Martin . It is a barbarian chief (called in the work Dothraki ) known for his fierceness and his abilities as a warrior. Although it is only a main personage of the first volume of the saga, Game of thrones , its importance lies in that it was the first husband of Daenerys Targaryen .

In the television adaptation of HBO , Game of Thrones , the character is played by Hawaiian actor Jason Momoa , ¹ known for starring in the film remake of Conan the Barbarian .

Conception and design

Drogo is presented in the play as a merciless, ruthless and fearless warrior, with a terrible reputation, claiming that he leads the greatest khalasar of his time, with about 40,000 warriors. One example of its influence is that cities like Pentos paid tribute.

Physically, Drogo was described as an imposing man, both in stature and body. The most characteristic thing was a braid that carried at the height of the thighs, symbol among the Dothraki that had never been defeated. He also carried small little bells in his hair that commemorated every victory he had won.

History

Before the saga

Drogo was the son of Khal Bharbo, which made him the khalakka (heir in the fictional Dothraki language of the saga) of his father and his khalasar (his tribe). Throughout the work it is specified that Drogo is a feared and respected Khal who has accumulated great conquests and riches during his rule.

Game of Thrones

Khal Drogo arrives next to his khalasar to the city of Pentos , where the magician Illyrio Mopatis has agreed the marriage of the young princess Daenerys Targaryen with the own Drogo. The purpose of this marriage is for Drogo to grant his army to Viserys Targaryen , Daenerys’ elder brother and pretender to the Iron Throne, with whom to conquer the Seven Kingdoms.

Although the young Daenerys was shocked and terrified by the imposing and cold appearance of her new husband, the fact was that the marriage turned out to be surprisingly happy, since even though Drogo was a ferocious and merciless warrior, with her she showed tenderness and passion. On the other hand, the relations with Viserys were not so good, for he constantly despised the culture and customs of the Dothraki and urged the Khal to grant him the promised army. Jorah Mormont , a gentleman in exile at the service of the Targaryen, tried to explain to the arrogant Viserys that the Dothraki did not believe in the sale, and that Drogo considered Daenerys a gift of Viserys to his person, and that he would return the “favor” “When he saw fit. This was not enough to satisfy Viserys, who one night, drunk, wielded a sword in Vaes Dothrak (the sacred city of the Dothraki) and threatened Daenerys with her. Drogo, Drogo poured molten gold over his head, killing Viserys. ²

Drogo and Daenerys came to conceive a son, who was proclaimed in Vaes Dothrak as “The Stallion that will Mount the World,” a Dothraki who will take his riders to the ends of the world and conquer all that he finds; Daenerys decided to name him Rhaego. At first, Daenerys urged Drogo to go west to take the Iron Throne, but Drogo refused, because of the Dothraki’s ancient fear of the sea. However, after Daenerys suffered an assassination attempt by a poisoner sent by King Robert Baratheon , Drogo decided to give the Iron Throne to his wife and his unborn son, deciding to march on West. ³

Drogo and his khalasar are dedicated to take the lands to the south of the Dothraki Sea, in the zone of Lhazar. There, the khalasar of Drogo faces that of Khal Ogo. Although Drogo and his warriors were triumphant, Drogo was badly wounded. Daenerys worried about her husband’s injury, so she asked a maegi (witch) named Mirri Maz Duur to treat Drogo. But despite the woman’s care, Drogo continued to get worse and soon fell off his horse, symbol for the Dothraki that he could no longer lead them. Finding herself on the verge of death, Daenerys asked the maegi to heal her husband in return for the life of his unborn son. After a ritual with blood magic, Daenerys discovers that he has lost the child who was waiting and Drogo in catatonic state . Mirri Maz Duur tells him that everything is a revenge against her and her husband for having destroyed his town. Unable to restore her husband to normal, and seeing him in that state, Daenerys murders Drogo by suffocating him with a pillow. Daenerys then constructs a pyre for Drogo’s corpse, where he ties the maegi and places his three dragon eggs, then she throws herself on the pyre. When the flames died, Daenerys emerged unharmed with three small dragons hatching from the eggs; One of them received the name of Drogon , in honor to its late husband. ⁴

Television adaptation

The character of Drogo was taken to the series starring actor Jason Momoa, who got the role after playing in the audition the famous haka New Zealand . ⁵

In the HBO series the essence and stories of the literary character remained, with only a few brief changes to Martin’s original work. One of them is that Drogo does not die of the wounds received in the fight against another Khal of the Dothraki, but in a confrontation against a Dothraki that rebels against its authority.

After the end of the first season, actor Jason Momoa lamented the premature death of his character, and even insulted George RR Martin jokingly by this. ⁶