The Iron Throne, as depicted in the series Game of Thrones, is a lot different than its inventor envisioned. George R. R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire on which Game of Thrones is based, wrote a blog post explaining how he sees the true Iron Throne: "The HBO throne has become iconic. And well it might. It's a terrific design, and it has served the show very well. And yet, and yet... it's still not right. It's not the Iron Throne I see when I'm working on THE WINDS OF WINTER. It's not the Iron Throne I want my readers to see. The way the throne is described in the books... HUGE, hulking, black and twisted, with the steep iron stairs in front, the high seat from which the king looks DOWN on everyone in the court... my throne is a hunched beast looming over the throne room, ugly and assymetric..." SEE ALSO: Top 20 Most Shocking Moments From 'Game of Thrones' To illustrate his idea, Martin posted a drawing from French artist Marc Simonetti. The image (pictured below) depicts a huge Iron Throne cast from thousands of swords, much bigger than the throne from the TV series, which is made of approximately 200 swords.
For those not familiar with the books or the series, the Iron Throne is the seat of kings in the Seven Kingdoms, the realm in which the events in the books take place. Which Iron Throne do you prefer — the one in the TV series or the one in this picture? Share your opinions in the comments. BONUS: 'Game of Thrones' Traveling Exhibit Game of Thrones Exhibition in New York City Image courtesy of Marc SimonettiSandwich PicksShaped SandwichGame Of Thrones 3Game Of Thrones TorteGame Of Thrones PaintingGame Of Thrones Gift IdeasGame Of Thrones BirthdayThrones IronSimran'S GiftsForwardIf you tend to forget where you leave your phone, this girl has a perfect solution. Using sword-shaped sandwich picks, a sponge, some leather straps and black and metal spray paint, she created a wonderful “Game Of Thrones”-inspired phone stand.“The HBO throne has become iconic. It’s a terrific design, and it has served the show very well. There are replicas and paperweights of it in three different sizes.
I have all those replicas right here, sitting on my shelves. And yet, and yet… it’s still not right.” So spake George R. R. Martin, who recently posted an illustration on his Not A Blog of what he’s always imagined the Iron Throne from A Song of Ice and Fire to be. It makes our collective blood run a little cold, though it certainly inspires some serious awe. Take a look below at the full illustration, created by Marc Simonetti for the upcoming Song of Ice and Fire companion book The World of Ice and Fire. Here’s what Martin has to say on this rendering, after paying his respect to the HBO version: “It’s a rough, not a final version, so what you see in the book will be more polished. But Marc has come closer here to capturing the Iron Throne as I picture it than any other artist to tackle it. From now on, THIS will be the reference I give to every other artist tackling a throne room scene. This Iron Throne is massive. It’s a throne made by blacksmiths hammering together half-melted, broken, twisted swords, wrenched from the hands of dead men or yielded up by defeated foes… a symbol of conquest…”
We think this illustration did the trick in terms of capturing the words that Martin put on paper. As he points out on his blog, the throne was originally constructed of words, not metal, which might be the reason why it’s such a difficult thing to smith into reality. And if we can look forward to more gorgeous artwork like this, The World of Ice and Fire is bound to mesmerize us not too far in the future….Stubby think it wouldn’t kill the blacksmiths to make some cup holders for the throne. At least not like how Joffrey would kill the blacksmiths.There's no prop on television that's more coveted than Game of Thrones' Iron Throne. For the past four seasons, the Iron Throne — built from the swords of a thousand fallen enemies, and forged by dragon fire — has been at the center of most of the conflicts in Game of Thrones. It has become so iconic that it even popped up in another TV show: It's hard to imagine a Game of Thrones fan who wouldn't have that kind of freak-out if the Iron Throne suddenly materialized in their living room.
Fortunately, HBO sells a full-scale replica; unfortunately, that replica costs $30,000 (plus $2,500 for shipping). But while the actual Iron Throne might be as elusive in real life as it is on the screen, there are a surprising number of real-life alternatives that don't require a lot of bloodshed or a Lannister-sized bank account. Here are six cheap ways to get your own Iron Throne: You already have at least one throne in your house, so why not just add a few swords and call it a day? A quick search turns up plenty of sellers offering a sword-laden decal designed to fit perfectly behind a standard toilet bowl. At around $30, it's a cheap but no-frills option — but you can always get a little more elaborate if the spirit moves you. The Iron Throne is one of the most coveted chairs in pop-culture, but it's not exactly known for being comfortable. Fortunately, Nerd by Night blogger Isabell Kiko came up with an ingenious compromise: a beanbag version of the Iron Throne. Kiko provides helpful, detailed instructions, so with a sewing machine and "a gazillion hours free time," you can make your own softer, gentler riff on the Iron Throne.
If you don't have the strength to lug a 350-pound chair around, why not settle for the ability to turn any chair into an Iron Throne? Sky Atlantic partnered with NOW TV to give away a cushioned seat with a sword-laden backboard that fits onto everything from an office chair to an easy chair. The only catch: just like the real Iron Throne, you couldn't just buy it. You had to win it by answering a Game of Thrones trivia question: "What is the name of Joffrey Baratheon's mother?" Real tough one, guys. (CC BY: Doug Kline/The Conmunity — Pop Culture Geek) For a brief, magical moment, anyone could take a free ride in their very own mobile Iron Throne. To promote the premier of the third season, HBO unleashed a series of Game of Thrones pedicabs to shuttle people around at SXSW. The mobile Iron Thrones didn't pop up again this year — but given the show's tendency to revisit long-forgotten stories, who knows where they'll show up next? One ingenious Game of Thrones fan, who goes by the handle flaming_pele, built an impressive Iron Throne replica out of an Adirondack lawn chair — and he was kind enough to provide step-by-step instructions to help you do the same.