With the Iron Throne full of hundreds of swords, some House of Dragon and Game of Thrones fans might be curious as to how the design came about.

As House of the Dragon rapidly approaches, some viewers have noticed a different-looking Iron Throne in the prequel series' trailers, leading to many questioning its design and where all those swords come from.

As the original work of Aegon I Targaryen, the famous Iron Throne began its existence as a symbol of war, victory, conquest and power. Die-hard Game of Thrones and Blood & Fire fans know many of its secrets, and there's a good chance a few more will emerge in House of the Dragon.

Aegon Targaryen's conquest of Westeros began when his invasion fleet landed at the Blackwater Rush (which Aegon would later turn a set of sleepy fishing villages and three hills into the foundations of King's Landing). His first outpost was a wooden palisade stronghold he named Aegonfort, located atop Aegon's High Hill.

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After his conquest of Westeros (minus Dorne), Aegon resisted moving his official seat to Dragonstone and built his new city on the shore of Blackwater Rush where he first landed, naming it King's Landing. Using the broken and melted swords of all his fallen enemies, Aegon created the Iron Throne of Westeros. In 35 AC, Aegon had the Aegonfort razed and built the Red Keep around the throne itself, largely because the size and weight of the Blood & Fire Iron Throne made it impossible to move.

Unwilling to bend the knee to Aegon as he began his invasion of Westeros, Lord Mooton of Maidenpool joined forces with Lord Darklyn of Duskendale, raising an army of three thousand men together. The Mooton/Darklyn alliance marched on Blackwater Rush, planning to oppose Aegon upon his arrival.

Aegon ambushed his enemies on the move, with Orys Baratheon leading the ground troops and Aegon aboard his dragon, Balerion the Black Dread. Lords Mooton and Darklyn were killed in their catastrophic defeat. Blood & Fire does not specifically state that the swords of the dead Riverlanders were taken to become part of the Iron Throne, but it can be assumed that Aegon wanted his defeated opponents' weapons included.

With Blackwater Rush secure and its surviving lords sworn to him, Aegon marched northwest to the God's Eye and the Riverlands to confront Lord Harren the Black, who was entrenched in his massive and mighty castle of Harrenhall.

Confident in the strength of his stone battlements, Lord Harren remained defiant until Aegon mounted Balerion and set the fortress aflame in fire and melting rock, killing everyone within, including Lord Harren and his remaining heirs. House Hoare was annihilated, and Aegon had the heat-twisted swords of the dead Ironborn loaded in wagons and sent to the Aegonfort. One of the biggest lessons was learned: don't mess with the biggest Game of Thrones dragons.

Argilac Durrandon, also called the Storm King, gathered a great force of bannermen at Storm's End and, not wanting to be cooked alive in his castle like the Hoares, led his army into the field against the Targaryens and their allies.

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Argilac and Aegon's forces clashed in the Stormlands in a battle later called the "Last Storm." Aegon eventually triumphed, with his closest friend Orys Baratheon cutting down Argilac on the battlefield. Baratheon would wed Argilac's young widow, Lady Argella, and took Storm's End and the Durrandon sigil, a crowned stag, as his own. Like the swords of Maidenpool and Duskendale, it can be assumed that the swords of the last Storm King are represented on the Iron Throne.

Determined not to fall under Aegon's heel, two Kings of the Westerlands moved to raise a large army. Out of Highgarden advanced King of the Reach, Mern IX of House Gardener, wheeling his units to link up with the forces of Loren I Lannister, the King of the Rock. Together, they fielded a host of 55,000 men, the largest army ever seen in Westeros.

Meeting on the plains south of the Blackwater, a massive battle enthused between Aegon and the two Kings, eventually named the Field of Fire. Aegon was victorious, with King Mern dead and House Gardner extinct. Aegon ordered for the swords of the enemy dead to be gathered and sent downstream to the Aegonfort. Having lost little more than 100 men, King Lannister retreated and bent the knee to Aegon the following day, which then lead Aegon to make Loren Lannister I the Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West.

In the sprawling, ancient world of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones universe, the author allows for the processes of time to change and blur facts (which become legend). How Aegon the Conquerer had the Iron Throne made differs in the fictional folklore songs and the histories.

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In the songs, the Iron Throne consisted of 1,000 blades melted into the chair by dragonflame from Aegon's dragon, Balerion. In the histories, the scribes record that Aegon had the Iron Throne constructed by craftsmen. Author George R.R. Martin describes it as "...massive. Ugly. Asymmetric ... a throne made by blacksmiths hammering together half-melted, broken, twisted swords ..." (via Not a Blog)

The swords of the Westerosi Houses who bent the knee to Aegon, such as House Stark, House Lannister and House Arryn, were not included in the Iron Throne. Readers of Fire & Blood know that House of the Dragon's Aegon was an insightful ruler, adding only the swords of his enemies defeated on the battlefield to the throne; he did so to reinforce the reality of their submission to Targaryen rule.

The Houses who had done the "honorable" thing and surrendered wholesale to Aegon and his dragons were allowed to keep their lands and titles and were richly rewarded for their fealty.

The wise Aegon wanted to make certain that both he and his descendants understood the perils of ruling the Seven Kingdoms by designing a throne where the occupant cannot relax, saying "a king should never rest easy." Festooned with jagged metal and curling blades, the Iron Throne requires the sitter to perch lightly, straight-backed and wary.

The back of the chair is lined with sharp points of metal and the arms hold a riot of sharp points and edges. Even being cautious, a number of Targaryen royals have been slashed by the throne; King Viserys I Targaryen stumbled and cut his hand to the bone, and two fingers ultimately had to be amputated to stave off infection. Later Game of Thrones era characters who might have deserved the Iron Throne would have done well to think twice about taking it.

Although the mighty Targaryen-designed throne in Blood & Fire is reserved for the reigning King, other usurpers do find their way to the prickly but coveted seat. In House of the Dragon, all of these sitters will likely be the powerful Targaryens. Regents may not use the throne but The Hand of the King has the right to the perch if the King is away.

Powerful Targaryen women have also ruled from the Iron Throne: Aegon I Targaryen's two powerful sister/wives, Queen Rhaenys Targaryen and Queen Visenya Targaryen, both made use of the seat, and Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen claims the throne after taking King's Landing during the Dance of the Dragons. Whether this will also be translated on screen is something only time will tell.

If the legends are to be believed, it is whispered that the Iron Throne possesses the ability to execute its occupant.

King Maegar I Targaryen was discovered dead upon the Iron Throne, with his arms and body covered in severe wounds and injuries. Even though there were plenty of nefarious characters in the vicinity who might have carried out an assassination, many courtiers still believe it was the throne itself that eliminated Maegor.

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An English literature major, Richard Preston wrote for film and TV before choosing a life of poverty writing historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy novels. He's currently working on the 4th book of his steampunk adventure series, "The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin." He saw Star Wars in the theater 36 times the summer it was released. You can keep up to date with his activities on his Substack Newsletter at richardellisprestonjr.substack.com