Spent yesterday with a film crew with HBO, talking about Westeros and Ice & Fire for second season GAME OF THRONES promotional videos, trailers, HBO GO extras, DVD/ Blu-Ray add ons, etc.
The Dothraki were actually fashioned as an amalgam of a number of steppe and plains cultures... Mongols and Huns, certainly, but also Alans, Sioux, Cheyenne, and various other Amerindian tribes... seasoned with a dash of pure fantasy. So any resemblance to Arabs or Turks is coincidental. Well, except to the extent that the Turks were also originally horsemen of the steppes, not unlike the Alans, Huns, and the rest.
There do exist many other cultures and civilizations in my world, to be sure. The peoples of Yi Ti have been mentioned, as have the Jogos Nhai. I am not sure to what extent those peoples will ever enter this present story, however... their lands are very far away.
(I also have peoples and tribes that are pure fantasy constructs, like the Qartheen and the brindled men of Sothoryos).
In general, though, while I do draw inspiration from history, I try to avoid direct one-for-one transplants, whether of individuals or of entire cultures. Just as it not correct to say that Robert was Henry VIII or Edward IV, it would not be correct to say that the Dothraki are Mongols.
oh my god, you've just made my day ,knowing that you actually replied my comment yourself. yes, i very much agree with everything what you've said above. i know it's not correct to say that the Dothraki are Mongols eventhough i tend to fantasize how the cold, snowy , wide land of the north will be just like Russia or the warm, mountainous, and dry Dorne will be like Spain in our world.
i am myself a history-geek, and the first reason i fell in love with your work was because how historic-medieval-balance-of-power-kinda-stuff like they are. what i was trying to say is that, as a fan, people like me would be thrilled to find some characters that are fashioned after the people of far-east or south east Asian. anyway,i am very sorry if in some way i sound quite ignorant, English (or should i say the common tongue :9) is not my native language.
exhausted
grrm
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There do exist many other cultures and civilizations in my world, to be sure. The peoples of Yi Ti have been mentioned, as have the Jogos Nhai. I am not sure to what extent those peoples will ever enter this present story, however... their lands are very far away.
(I also have peoples and tribes that are pure fantasy constructs, like the Qartheen and the brindled men of Sothoryos).
In general, though, while I do draw inspiration from history, I try to avoid direct one-for-one transplants, whether of individuals or of entire cultures. Just as it not correct to say that Robert was Henry VIII or Edward IV, it would not be correct to say that the Dothraki are Mongols.
IMNSHO, anyway.
you've just made my day ,knowing that you actually replied my comment yourself.
yes, i very much agree with everything what you've said above. i know it's not correct to say that the Dothraki are Mongols eventhough i tend to fantasize how the cold, snowy , wide land of the north will be just like Russia or the warm, mountainous, and dry Dorne will be like Spain in our world.
i am myself a history-geek, and the first reason i fell in love with your work was because how historic-medieval-balance-of-power-kinda-s
what i was trying to say is that, as a fan, people like me would be thrilled to find some characters that are fashioned after the people of far-east or south east Asian.
anyway,i am very sorry if in some way i sound quite ignorant, English (or should i say the common tongue :9) is not my native language.
god bless !