The Iron Throne is a

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

for the fictional

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic ( constitutional monar ...

Westeros The fictional world in which the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' novels by George R. R. Martin take place is divided into several continents, known collectively as The Known World. Most of the story takes place on the continent of Westeros and in ...

as well as the physical

throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the mon ...

of its monarch in the ''

A Song of Ice and Fire ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. He began the first volume of the series, '' A Game of Thrones'', in 1991, and it was published in 1996. Martin, who i ...

'' series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin. The success of the HBO television adaptation ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of '' A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the fir ...

'' has made the show's version of the royal seat an

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The mos ...

of the entire

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program ...

. Martin said in 2013, "Say ''Game of Thrones'', and people think of the HBO Iron Throne." Martin called the depiction of the throne in his 2014 ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' companion book ''

The World of Ice & Fire ''The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones'' is a companion book for George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' fantasy series. Written by Martin, Elio M. García Jr. and Linda Antonsson, it was pub ...

'' "absolutely right". He has noted repeatedly that none of the previous media representations of the throne—including books, games and the TV series—closely resemble what he had in mind when writing his novels.

''A Song of Ice and Fire''

In the series, the Iron Throne is both a physical seat of office as well as a metonym for the monarchy of Westeros. Martin establishes in ''

A Game of Thrones ''A Game of Thrones'' is the first novel in ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 1, 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award and was nominated for both ...

'' (1996) that after seizing control of six of the Seven Kingdoms,

Targaryen George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' saga features a large cast of characters. The series follows three interwoven plotlines: a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families; the rising threat of the superhuman Others (A So ...

ruler Aegon the Conqueror had made a throne for himself from the swords of his vanquished enemies, fused by dragonfire. Aegon had established King's Landing as the royal capital, and the Iron Throne itself sits in the Red Keep. Martin writes that according to legend, Aegon kept the blades sharp so that no ruler should ever sit comfortably. Centuries later, kings still cut themselves on the throne; it is a common belief that such rulers are therefore unfit to rule.

Description

Purportedly made from a thousand swords and knives, the Iron Throne is a massive and asymmetrical tangle of jagged and twisted blades, in which reclining is impossible. Martin commented in 2014:

Depictions

The Iron Throne has been depicted in

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s, in games, and on book covers, but Martin has noted repeatedly that none of these representations coincided with what he imagined: To Martin, the attempt closest to his vision was by French artist Marc Simonetti, for a Mexican edition of ''A Game of Thrones''. The author subsequently worked with Simonetti to get an image the author calls "absolutely right". This depiction appears in Martin's 2014 companion book ''

''. He noted, "From now on, THIS will be the reference I give to every other artist tackling a throne room scene." Martin said of the image: The various depictions of the throne include: * '' The Art of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire'' (2005); Title page by

Michael Komarck Michael Komarck is a fantasy artist. His work has been featured in many roleplaying games, board games, book covers, and collectible cards. Komarck produced the official art and calendars for George R.R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire''. Early ...

(

Jaime Lannister Ser Jaime Lannister is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where he is portrayed by Danish actor Nikolaj Coste ...

on the Iron Throne) * ''A Game of Thrones'' (2014); Cover by Marc Simonetti (

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

México, ) * ''

'' (2014); "The Targaryen Kings", art by Marc Simonetti * '' A Game of Thrones: Genesis'' video game (2011); Box cover by Marc Simonetti * '' A Game of Thrones: The Card Game''; "The Price of Nobility" card (2009), art by Alex Aparin (''Return of the Others'' set) * ''A Game of Thrones: The Card Game''; "Aegon's Legacy" card (2009), art by Veronica V. Jones (''Secrets and Spies'' set) * ''A Game of Thrones: The Card Game''; "

Robert Baratheon Robert Baratheon is a fictional character in the '' A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation '' Game of Thrones'', where he is portrayed by English actor Mark ...

" card (2009), art by Chris Dien (''Kings of the Sea'' set) * ''A Game of Thrones: The Card Game''; "Robert Baratheon" card (2010), art by Tiziano Baracchi (''Kings of the Storm'' set) * ''A Game of Thrones: The Card Game''; "Oath of Fealty" card (2011), art by Magali Villeneuve (''Where Loyalty Lies'' set) * ''A Game of Thrones: The Card Game''; "

Cersei Lannister Cersei Lannister is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation '' Game of Thrones'', where she is portrayed by Bermudan-English act ...

" card (2011), art by Magali Villeneuve (''Lions of the Rock'' set) * ''A Game of Thrones: The Card Game''; " Varys" card (2011), art by Mike Capprotti (''The Grand Melee'' set) * ''A Game of Thrones: The Card Game''; "Sitting the Iron Throne" card (2012), art by Alexandre Dainche (''A Turn of the Tide'' set) * ''A Game of Thrones: The Card Game''; "Robert Baratheon" card (2014), art by Niten (''A Dire Message'' set)

Television adaptation

The HBO television adaptation of the series, ''

'', premiered in 2011. The design of the Iron Throne for the show was conceived by its production designer Gemma Jackson, and the prop maker Gavin Jones constructed the piece. The show's popularity has made its version of the throne an

of the entire

. It has been parodied in magazines and used in merchandising. Several "promotional thrones" travel the world with show-sponsored exhibits and for fan events. In June 2014, Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

visited the

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

set of ''Game of Thrones'' and was photographed examining the Iron Throne set piece from the series, though she declined to sit on it. Though Martin had previously stated that the HBO version of the Iron Throne did not match his idea of how it should appear ideally, in 2013 he called its design "terrific" and claimed to own all of the merchandised replicas. He added: Of the feasibility of recreating the throne as depicted in ''The World of Ice & Fire'', Martin said in October 2014: Iron Throne Blond Ale-Brewery Ommegang

The HBO television series ''

House of the Dragon ''House of the Dragon'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), it is the second TV show in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' franchi ...

'', an adaptation of Martin's novel ''

Fire & Blood Fire and Blood may refer to: * ''Fire and Blood: A History of Mexico'', a 1973 book by T. R. Fehrenbach * ''Fire and Blood'' (Manowar DVD), a 1998 music DVD by Manowar * ''Fire and Blood'' (Daugherty), a 2003 composition for solo violin and orch ...

'', includes a larger iteration of the Iron Throne which more closely resembles the Throne as Martin envisioned it. The image of

Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ac ...

Ned Stark Eddard "Ned" Stark is a fictional character in the 1996 fantasy novel ''A Game of Thrones'' by George R. R. Martin, and ''Game of Thrones'', HBO's adaptation of Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series. In the storyline, Ned is the lord of Wint ...

sitting in the Iron Throne is featured on the covers of the 2011

Season 1 Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguati ...

DVD and

Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...

sets, released in March 2012.

Merchandising

HBO has licensed the likeness of its Iron Throne for merchandising since the show's premiere, including T-shirts and small replicas of varying sizes. In June 2012 the network began selling custom made, life size replicas of its Iron Throne for $30,000. HBO even partnered with

Brewery Ommegang Brewery Ommegang is a brewery located near Cooperstown, New York, United States, that specializes in Belgian-style ales. History Ommegang began brewing Belgian-style ales in 1997. It was founded by Don Feinberg and Wendy Littlefield, owners o ...

to produce Iron Throne Blonde Ale, released in March 2013. The officially licensed merchandise includes: * ''Game of Thrones'' 7' 2" Iron Throne Replica * ''Game of Thrones'' 14" Iron Throne Replica by

ThinkGeek ThinkGeek was an American retailer that catered to computer enthusiasts and "geek culture". Described as a "Sharper Image for sysadmins", their merchandise has been likened to "toys for adults, novelties designed to appeal to both your inner child ...

* ''Game of Thrones'' 7" Iron Throne Replica by

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

/Gentle Giant Studios * ''Game of Thrones'' Iron Throne Room Construction Set by

McFarlane Toys McFarlane Toys is an American company founded by comic book creator Todd McFarlane which makes highly detailed model action figures of characters from films, comics, popular music, video games and various sporting genres. The company, a subsid ...

* ''Game of Thrones'' Iron Throne Bookend (7.5") * ''Game of Thrones'' Iron Throne Ornament (4.25") * ''Game of Thrones'' Iron Throne Stocking Holder (5.5") * ''Game of Thrones'' Iron Throne Blonde Ale from

* Various T-shirts

References

{{ASOIAF A Song of Ice and Fire Fictional governments Fictional objects