Game of Thrones symbology: The Iron Throne, explained

In the countdown to the final season of Game of Thrones, we’re doing a deep dive into a few pieces of symbolism on the show. Today, the Iron Throne.

Despite being an inanimate object the Iron Throne is, in some ways, the most powerful player in Game of Thrones. It is the pinnacle (almost) everyone is striving for, and capable of inducing betrayal and murder.

But the Iron Throne is much more than simply a chair. While the chair on Game of Thrones is impressive, George R.R. Marin has said that it still falls short (somewhat literally) of what the Iron Throne should look like. His imagined version of the throne looks like this. A bit more intimidating.

The Iron Throne was intended to be a symbol of power by its creator, Aegon the Conqueror. Aegon forged the throne using the blades of his enemies, so it not only symbolized his power (and the power of those who succeeded him), but also the seven kingdoms becoming one with the help of Belarion the Black Dread.

Later, the throne came to symbolize how fit a given king was to rule. The sword edges were not dulled, and it was held that the throne itself would judge a king. Some, such as the Mad King Aerys and Joffrey, were shown as unfit to rule when the throne would cut them as they sat on it. Maegor the Cruel may even have been killed by the throne in protest of his illegitimacy. (He was not the first son of King Aenys, and executed some who challenged his status.)

Of course, they continued to rule, there were never any means of removing a king in Westeros (besides death and revolution). But it did become known, and was talked about when the throne judged a King unfit. Those who the throne approved of, like Aegon, Ned Stark, and (yes) Robert Baratheon, were able to sit on the throne. Not comfortably, but without hurting themselves.

The TV show never really got into this side of the Iron Throne. There, it was always more about the king’s power over the Seven Kingdoms. Even though several of those kingdoms were in open rebellion, as long as Cersei sat on the Iron Throne she was the most powerful person in the game. It even worked before Robert’s death. Tywin Lannister was the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms, and several of the characters in the books acknowledged that the Lannister family was more powerful than the Baratheons. However, because Robert was on the Iron Throne, he controlled more of the land, the trade, and the laws than Tywin.

At the beginning of Game of Thrones season 8, Cersei sits on the throne. She has yet to do that in the books, and may never, even once Tommen dies (that hasn’t happened yet either, but it’s coming). She now has that symbol of power, but with (at least) Dany gunning for it, how long can that last?