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Messages - Hasagende

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Beginners / Re: No word for thank you?
« on: April 25, 2011, 01:21:39 pm »
I'm no expert on languages but I've studied quite a few cultures and some rely, like its been stated, on gratitude through gifting or action, I scratch your back you scratch mine. Dothraki are primitive, possibly a young culture of people who have had to fight and kill to survive. I too have not read the books and am only 40+ pages into the first of the series, so I don't know the history. By young I mean around 500+ years, possibly 700+ by the sheer volume of warriors they have in their horde (100,000 riders, and we know from both episodes Dothraki like to have sex, its conceivable that they also make a lot of children).

That kind of living off the land and taking what you want creates a certain mentality in the culture. Not one that says, that group of people have a certain precious metal, so I'm going to go take it because I have at my disposal a thousand riders with twenty kills to each of their names. It isn't so much entitlement as it is ego, they can take what they want through force, but they know if they kill everyone, there isn't going to be anything left to take.

Which brings me to my point: If a culture is birthed out of violence and not having guilt for doing what they do because if they didn't kill and destroy they would be the ones dead and gone, it gives the mentality that by their own will and strength and cunning they are alive and able to thrive, not by the will of someone else. I'm trying to avoid circle talk, so I apologize if I'm long winded.

Not having a word or phrase for "thank you" stems from their culture and their actions in history. The Dothraki owe no gratitude to another tribe for their existence, items are material and what is valued is warrior prowess. And when that culture places the ability to kill above all else, never is it conceivable that another warrior will thank his battle brother for being better than him, respect is paid and they move on.

I understand "thank you" to be a slight admission of guilt, if someone does something for you, you thank them, because you were not skilled enough or had no time to do it. That might make me sound high and mighty, I still say thank you, in our culture we often take on too much and so others must perform tasks with/for us, for modern society we use it as a courtesy gesture. In its essence, I don't like thanking people, I do things myself, for myself and usually by myself, if I need someone else to help me, obviously I thank them but its a ding in my pride that I needed assistance. Its an honest example of what the Dothraki mentality might be, they are a simple culture, hunting and warring being its primary focus and like our modern trades, probably take on apprentices to learn on the job instead of being taught vocally. I think it makes the most sense, as the Dothraki seem, to me, a do or die culture. They don't have a hundred thousand skilled riders because everyone and their mum kills, their social situation is that the better you are at killing, the more respect you get, and if a tribe is able to muster 100,000+ skilled riders, then they're obviously very good at what they do.

In respect to giving gifts, you could apply the same thought process, obviously the Dothraki do not. They receive a gift, they give a gift, in their own time. I don't believe they see being given a gift as a sign of gratitude or out of fear, but respect. They won't say thank you, not out of any language barrier, because they might see the gift as a purchase. By that I will give an example:

If one city sends a chest of 10,000 gold coins to the Khal during his tribes route through the city, the Khal will not repay the gesture right away. A year later the Khal is in another city, but a number of his horses take ill and die, so he uses the gold he received from the first city to acquire new steeds. Depending on the usefulness of the 10,000 gold coins, the Khal may choose to either express that use in the form of protection, they kill one of the cities adversaries, or in turn gift back ten thousand gem stones. That's the most base example I could think of, the severity of repayment I believe resides in how useful the original gift was.

That's all I really have to say on the topic, just my thoughts, not agreeing or disagreeing with anyone :) I know someone will probably take issue with what I've written.

Long live the Khal!

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