Everything You Need to Know About the Iron Throne's History

One of the main plot points of Game of Thrones is the question of who should rightfully sit on the Iron Throne. Dubbed King or Queen of the Andals and the First Men, that person rules the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. But with all the commotion about who has the strongest claim to rule, there isn't a lot of talk about the Iron Throne itself. Sure, we all know it looks like it'd hurt to sit on with all those swords sticking out in every direction, but how did it get such a unique appearance anyway?

"The Wolf and the Dragon" introduces us to a very important Aegon Targaryen. However, there's an entirely different Aegon linked to the Iron Throne's history — because, just FYI, there are a billion Aegon Targaryens. Long before the events of the series, the seven kingdoms in Westeros were independent. After taking over six of them (the outlier, Dorne, was later added to the mix through a marriage alliance), Aegon the Conquerer became the first King of the Andals and the First Men and the first king of Targaryen lineage. And every king needs a throne to sit on, so why not go for the most intimidating design ever?

The swords that make up the Iron Throne are real. Legend has it that they're the swords of the lords who swore fealty to Aegon, but they were melted down by his dragon, Balerion the Black Dread. In the books, the throne is forged from 1,000 swords, but the show's version has considerably less. Still, it looks super daunting and uncomfortable. No matter who ends up sitting on it by the end of the series, he or she will almost certainly feel like a badass doing so.