Drogo's death left his khalasar scattered and his widow with almost nothing, but three of his riders swore themselves to Daenerys as her bloodriders rather than abandon a khaleesi the rest of the Dothraki sea had already written off — Rakharo among them, alongside Aggo and Jhogo. Sent to scout the wasteland south of Vaes Tolorro during the khalasar's crossing of the Red Waste, Rakharo rode through the immense fossilized jaws of a long-dead dragon and returned swearing the encounter had actually happened, a claim the rest of the khalasar received with the particular skepticism Dothraki reserve for stories that make the teller sound braver than anyone can verify.
House Targaryen
Rakharo
- Titles
- bloodrider to Queen Daenerys Targaryen
- Allegiance
- bloodrider sworn to Daenerys Targaryen
- Seat
- none (Dothraki, no fixed seat)
- Culture
- Dothraki
- Religion
- the Great Stallion / Dothraki tradition
- Weapon
- arakh
- Notable for
- One of Daenerys's three bloodriders, trusted with scouting and search missions in her service
Last confirmed riding at Daenerys Targaryen's command, helping pacify the countryside around Meereen.
Appearances
In the novels
- A Game of Thrones
- A Clash of Kings
- A Storm of Swords
- A Dance with Dragons
On screen
HBO's Game of Thrones — Seasons 1–2
Key events
- before 298 ACRides in Khal Drogo's khalasar as one of the warriors assigned to Daenerys Targaryen's khas.
- 298 ACAfter Khal Drogo's death, swears himself to Daenerys as one of her three bloodriders rather than abandon her.
- 299 ACScouts the wasteland south of Vaes Tolorro during the khalasar's crossing of the Red Waste, and returns with tales of riding through a long-dead dragon's fossilized jaws.
- 300 ACAfter Meereen's fall, leads riders alongside Aggo and Jhogo to break the slavers' hold on the surrounding countryside.
- 300 ACLeads one of the search parties sent across the Dothraki sea after Daenerys vanishes on Drogon's back following the massacre at Daznak's Pit.
Reading the character
Rakharo's steady loyalty is one of the story's quieter rebukes of the idea that the Dothraki are defined only by conquest and cruelty. He and his fellow bloodriders committed themselves to Daenerys's service at a moment when much of her own khalasar had already written her off — a decision that cost them status among their own people and asked for little in return beyond the queen's continued survival, which for a long stretch of the story was itself very much in doubt.
His steady, undramatic competence — scouting, pacifying, searching — makes him one of the more reliable presences in Daenerys's increasingly fractious Meereenese court, precisely because his loyalty was never transactional in the way so many of her Ghiscari allies' loyalties are.
The arc of Rakharo
This carries the character’s road through the published novels. Read on only if you do not fear to know.
These partings name deaths, endings, and roads not yet ridden in the books. Unveil them only if both roads are known to you — or if you do not fear to know.
In the timeline
SourcesAGOT · DaenerysACOK · DaenerysASOS · DaenerysADWD · DaenerysTWOIAF · The Dothraki
Explore further
House
Does Rakharo die in the books?
No — his gruesome beheading is a television-only invention. In the novels, Rakharo survives through A Dance with Dragons and is still riding in Daenerys Targaryen's service, most recently leading a search party for the missing queen.
What is Rakharo's role in Daenerys's khalasar?
He is one of her three bloodriders, sworn to her after Khal Drogo's death, and has since helped pacify Meereen's hinterlands and hunt for the queen after her disappearance.