When Viserys I tells Rhaenyra that the Iron Throne is a far more dangerous seat than her dragon saddle, he’s not wrong. Of course, here he was talking about how being the ruler puts a bulls-eye on her head, making her the center of everyone’s awe and jealousy alike.
But there’s another allusion to the danger that the throne possesses. As we see twice in Ep 1, Viserys I has wounded himself by sitting on Iron Throne. Surely, a seat built for a king should in no way inconvenience him.
So why did King Viserys I get cut by the Iron Throne?
The Iron Throne is made up of a thousand swords forged by Balerion’s dragon fire. A superstitious belief has it that the throne cuts a ruler if it finds them unfit for the position. Viserys I getting cut may be a foreshadowing of his downfall.
But should we really take this superstition seriously? Let’s have a look at what role it can play in House of the Dragon.
The All-Knowing Iron Throne
As I said, a throne is supposed to be comfortable at the very least. But if you notice, HOTD’s Iron Throne looks even more dangerous than the one you see in GOT. This is because it’s only been a hundred years or so since the Targaryens started ruling, so the throne is exactly how Aegon the Conqueror made it.
Aegon believed that being a ruler was not supposed to be an easy task and reflected it through the throne he created — Jagged, sharp and threatening in its looks. Whoever sat on it had to be careful about their movements. One wrong turn and you could get cut, or worse, killed.
Aegon wanted the rulers after him to remember this.
Of course, as the years went go, Aegon’s throne that embodied his philosophy turned into something almost supernatural with a mind of its own. It is perhaps from here that the superstition arose that if a king/queen gets cut by the Iron Throne, they’re unfit to rule.
Many kings have been said to have been cut by the Iron Throne, including the Mad King who got himself so injured sitting on it that he was nicknamed King Scab. Even Joffrey Baratheon got cut quite a few times!
This is also why the Iron Throne may look different in GOT; later kings may have removed the swords that surrounded the podium and steps, and even perhaps smoothened out the Iron Throne itself to make it somewhat safe.
Returning to Ep 1, Viserys already had a pus-oozing wound on his back that he claims he got from the Iron Throne. Then later in the episode, he cuts his hand during his argument with Daemon. Does this really deem him an unfit king?
Unlike the Mad King (or even Joffrey), Viserys isn’t wicked, cruel or power-hungry. But he isn’t as mentally fortified as a ruler ought to be either. Daemon was right in pointing out that his council blatantly takes advantage of him, and his kindheartedness makes him a weak king.
Plus, in that moment, as arrogant as Daemon was, Viserys should’ve listened to his brother and made a rational decision instead of an emotional one. Sending Daemon away truly meant sending away one of his only strong allies (with a dragon).
Such careless decisions are ultimately what will lead his family to engage in a civil war. In some ways, maybe the Iron Throne is all-knowing.
About House Of The Dragon
House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Set three hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.
Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.
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