How does a small girl “that can’t count one to twenty” understand a throne forged using one thousand swords of Aegon’s vanquished enemies? Daenerys thought it was a mountain of swords that she couldn’t climb, but it wasn’t. Daenerys is not the only one that didn’t understand the mysteries of the Iron Throne, though.
The jewel of Game of Thrones could only be sat on by the ruling monarch or their hand, but after Robert, the rules didn’t seem to matter anymore. In fact, some like Olenna Tyrell only considered it “an ugly iron chair.” The throne still meant something, though. The show put lots of emphasis on the throne, but the person that won it always seemed to fall short, and some facts about it just don’t make sense.
Drogon Destroying The Throne
![Game Of Thrones: 10 Things That Make No Sense About The Iron Throne](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Drogon-Melts-The-Iron-Throne.jpg)
The Iron Throne was allegedly forged using Balerion’s flames blown on a thousand swords of Aegon’s fallen enemies, making it a reserve of the Targaryens. Many Targaryens had obviously died before, others killed, but none of their dragons burned down the throne.
If Drogon was so saddened by Daenerys’ death, it had the option of melting Jon Snow. Besides, Jon Snow was a Targaryen too, who also had a rightful claim to the throne just like Daenerys. So unless Drogon went completely mad, burning down the throne didn’t make any sense.
The Size of The Throne
![How Many swords were really on the Iron Throne](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/HBO-Iron-Throne-200519.jpg)
Daenerys was right even when she couldn’t count up to twenty; one thousand swords would have created a big throne that could only be reached by climbing a flight of stairs. Lord Baelish dismissed the theory of one thousand swords when he confirmed that he counted less than two hundred himself.
According to the books, Aegon forged the throne to be immovable, then constructed the Red Keep around it. However, the Iron Throne in the show looked rather small and could easily be moved, if not stolen by any usurpers. So, if the swords weren’t a thousand, why was the throne so revered?
Why Didn’t Daenerys Sit On The Throne?
![Daenerys Targaryen ascending the Throne](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Daenerys-Touching-the-Iron-Throne.jpg)
Throughout Game of Thrones, no Targaryen sat on the Iron Throne despite being the most deserving heirs. Daenerys lived all her life for that throne, conquering more landmass than her ancestors while still sparing enough time to go North and fight in The Battle of Winterfell to save the living. She more than earned her place on it.
Her massacre of King’s Landing was an unwelcome plot twist, but she was smart enough to ensure the flames didn’t burn down the throne. After living her entire life for the throne, the least she could have done was spare the throne room. Even after taking the city, she had all the time in the world to sit on the Iron Throne, but somehow, she failed to take it. So what was she waiting for?
How Was The Throne Forged?
![Blacksmiths Forged The Iron Throne](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Game-of-Thrones-The-Iron-Throne.jpg)
Melting swords with a dragon’s breath sounded easy until we watched Drogon melting down the Iron Throne. Dragon flames melted swords leaving nothing but molten lava behind. The books state that the throne was put together by blacksmiths rather than artisans, trying to explain its rugged nature, but that still doesn’t cut it.
If dragon flames melted the swords used to forge the throne, it would have been smooth, not a bundle of complete swords seemingly welded together by human hands. Unless someone was directing Balerion on where to breathe, that throne couldn’t have been forged using dragon flames.
Consequences For The Wrong Person Sitting On It
![The Battle of Blackwater Bay, Cersei and Tommen on the throne](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CerseiAndTommen.jpg)
The Iron Throne was the reserve of the King or Queen of the Andals and the First Men and their Hand. However, after Jaime Lannister killed the Mad King, he sat on the throne in a moment of regret, and Eddard Stark found him on the throne and admonished him thinking he was a usurper. Nothing happened to him anyway.
Cersei also sat on the throne with Tommen when she thought King’s Landing would fall to Stannis Baratheon planning to commit suicide on it. Nothing happened to them, and no one seemed keen on enforcing the consequences. So, if anyone could sit on that throne without facing the consequences, why was it labeled the reserve of the King or Queen only?
Its Lack Of Comfort
![Joffre Baratheon's sits on the throne](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Joffrey-Baratheon-on-the-Iron-Throne.jpg)
When Aegon created The Iron Throne, he ensured that it wasn’t comfortable and that blades radiated from its sides and bottom. He intended for the throne to be occupied by a careful person so that they would exercise the same caution they used to sit on the throne to govern the kingdoms. As much as that story makes sense, it doesn’t apply to all the kings that sat on that throne.
Robert was large and obviously careless (because he was usually drunk!) but somehow managed to sit on it comfortably without getting cut. All the people that occupied the throne seemed comfortable raising questions about the throne in the show unless someone smoothened the throne during the three centuries of Targaryen rule.
How Did It Survive The Battle of King’s Landing?
![Daenerys dead after the battle of King's Landing](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/game-of-thrones-dany-drogon-1558531222.jpg)
When Daenerys went berserk and burnt down the whole of King’s Landing, Drogon’s breath seemed to melt everything in its way, including the Red Keep. Iron is strong but not so powerful in the face of a dragon’s flame as it turned out. The entire Red Keep was wiped out with tonnes of rubble collapsing on the throne if The Mountain and Sandor’s fatal fall is anything to go by.
With all those flames thrown at it and tonnes of rubble collapsing, even the strongest iron would bend. When Daenerys was about to sit on the throne after the battle, the throne seemed unscathed, even the obviously delicate pointy ends. Unless all the swords used to make that throne were made of Valyrian steel, which obviously they weren’t, Daenerys should have been looking to repair what was left of that throne, not sit on it.
What Was Under The Throne?
![Maegor's Holdfast Collapses in Game of Thrones](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Cersei-and-Jaime-death.jpg)
Maegor’s holdfast was supposed to be located under the Throne Room, which is why Cersei and Qyburn were headed there when the Red Keep started collapsing. Qyburn didn’t make it, but Cersei and Jaime did, but it wasn’t a holdfast anymore. When the Holdfast collapsed, the rubble came in from the top, meaning the Throne Room was collapsing as well. The Iron Throne hadn’t moved an inch after the battle, though, which begs the question, what exactly was under the throne that prevented it from collapsing?
How High Was The Throne?
![Tommen Baratheon Seated on The Throne](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/tommon-baratheon-1920-1.jpg)
The Iron Throne fit Robert perfectly, as it did Eddard. The two were full-grown men, obviously bigger than Tommen and Joffrey. They sat on the throne comfortably with their feet touching the ground, which gave the impression that it was meant for a grown person of Eddard Stark’s build in mind.
Tommen Baratheon was only seven at the beginning of the show, nine when he became king. A nine-year-old boy, tiny as Tommen was, should have had his feet dangling when he sat on the throne. The throne seemed to have adjusted itself to fit him, though, same as for Joffrey.
King Scab
![Aerys II on the Iron Throne screaming in rage in Game of Thrones.](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/The-Mad-King-on-The-Iron-Throne.jpg)
The Mad King was also named King Scab because he allegedly got cut many times by the blades on the throne as he sat on it recklessly. Being cut by the throne was one of the reasons why the populace considered him unfit to rule and thus supported Robert’s rebellion.
It is not like the monarchs in Game of Thrones were any careful when sitting on that throne, though. Joffrey was very reckless and jumpy on the throne, especially when he threatened Sansa with a crossbow, but he didn’t come off with any cuts. Robert was not very careful either, but he had no scabs. So why was the Mad King cut?