HBO just had its big premiere of this Game of Thrones prequel series, and it has already broken a significant record for the network. It turned out to be HBO’s biggest debut gaining 10 million views on its Sunday evening release. So that’s a very promising start for the series. And apparently, everyone noticed that the Iron Throne in House of The Dragon looks much bigger and has a lot more swords in it. Why is that? Well, let’s find out, shall we?
The story of House of the Dragon began about 280 years before Dany was born. But the first 100 years were explained in the opening prologue section. Then King Viserys Targaryen the first was named the heir to the throne by the old King Jaehaerys in 101 AC. Then after Jaehaerys died, Viserys ruled for eight years. And the narrative of this series truly picks up from the 9th year of his rule, that is 172 years before Daenerys Targaryen came to be.
People noticed quite a few differences between Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. This was a time when the mighty House Targaryen was at the height of its power. They had ten dragons at their helm, and nobody could challenge them. The King’s Landing looked pretty different than it did during Dany’s time. And most importantly, the Iron Throne is much more significant. It is a lot like what was described in George R.R. Martin’s books.
Initially, this was a problem that people had with the creatives of Game of Thrones. The Iron Throne didn’t look similar to the books. The one in the books was massive. It had several steps going up to it, and Swords were sticking out from literally every inch of this throne. Compared to this, the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones was also placed a few steps above ground level. But the number of swords placed on this throne was less than the books.
And now, House of the Dragon has fixed this aspect as the Iron Throne is more accurate to the source material. The seat is much rougher and bigger compared to Game of Thrones. It has more swords on it. And the swords can also be seen going down the steps of the stairs. So, why is this the case, and why did the throne change in the next 172 years? Well, there could be two answers to these questions.
In the past, the Iron Throne was described as the chair for the King of Westeros. And it was forged by the swords of those who surrendered and lost to the first Targaryen King, Aegon the Conqueror. Dany’s brother told her the throne was forged from a thousand swords. So, she imagined it to be much bigger than it was in Game of Thrones. And as we can see in House of the Dragon, it used to be much bigger. What Dany’s brother told her was correct.
But by the time Dany’s father, King Aerys the second, sat on the throne, and by the time Robert Baratheon took over, the Iron Throne had changed completely. The first and the most obvious answer to this change could be related to what’s going on with King Viserys right now. He said that the Iron Throne is the most dangerous seat in the realm. That’s not just because everyone’s after it and wants to claim it for themselves. But it’s also because anyone who sits on the throne is in danger of being cut by it.
Viserys was cut by it on his back, and his infected wound wasn’t healing. We also saw his hand get cut by it later on in the episode. In Game of Thrones, Khal Drogo was dying because of an infected wound that he got from a blade while fighting. Similarly, it is possible that King Viserys would also die because of the infected wounds he gets from the Iron Throne. So one of the future Targaryen rulers could have had the Iron Throne redesigned, so it doesn’t prove to be fatal to him or her.
And the second answer for a smaller number of swords on the new throne could be people’s reaction to someone like the Mad King Aerys. By the time the Mad King came on the throne, a lot of people might have lost their faith in the Targaryen rule. They wouldn’t have pledged their fealty to the Mad King’s rule. Hence a smaller throne with a lesser number of swords on it.
Which of these answers do you think could be true? Let us know in the comments.
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