House of the Dragon wasted no time before setting up the multiple conflicts plaguing the Seven Kingdoms. But one of the biggest threats to King Viserys Targaryen’s rule is largely playing out in the background.
[Ed. note: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon and Fire & Blood.]
In the series premiere, we learn that Viserys has a small wound on his back from sitting on the Iron Throne. As the maesters tending to Viserys note, the cut mysteriously refuses to heal. In fact, it’s spreading. Viserys receives a second cut from the throne in the same episode, which similarly becomes infected and leads to the amputation of two of his fingers.
The reason Viserys’ wounds won’t heal is more symbolic than anything as routine as bacterial infection. The significance of being cut by the Iron Throne actually has deep roots in Targaryen history and Game of Thrones lore, dating all the way back to the throne’s creation.
What does it mean to be cut by the Iron Throne?
Image: HBO
Viserys’ ancestor Aegon I Targaryen constructed the Iron Throne out of a thousand broken blades he had taken from his enemies. The “ironwork monstrosity,” as George R.R. Martin referred to it in Game of Thrones, was built with the intention of causing extreme discomfort. “A king should never sit easy,” Aegon the Conqueror explained in the first A Song of Ice and Fire book.
Aegon’s son Aenys succeeded his father, but was eventually killed by his brother, the usurper Maegor. Six years into Maegor’s infamously cruel reign, his nephew Jaehaerys Targaryen raised banners against him. After very few houses came to Maegor’s aid, he chose to spend the night brooding alone on the Iron Throne. The next morning, one of Maegor’s many wives, Elinor, found him dead in the seat with one of the throne’s blades impaled through his neck and his forearms slashed open by several other spikes.
There are multiple theories about Maegor’s death, including that he took his own life or that Elinor murdered him. But many believe that the Iron Throne itself is what killed Maegor. This is what originated the popular superstition that the throne chooses who is worthy or not of ruling Westeros, and that those who are deemed undeserving suffer injury by its blades.
Does everyone who gets cut on the Iron Throne die?
Image: HBO
No — or at least not as a direct result of their wounds.
Maegor and Viserys are not the only two people to have been cut by the Iron Throne. Daenerys Targaryen’s paranoid father Aerys II Targaryen was commonly known as The Mad King, but because he cut himself so often on the Iron Throne he was also dubbed King Scab. However, the Mad King wasn’t found dead on the throne nor of an infection from one of his many cuts. Rather, his death came at the end of Jaime Lannister’s sword.
So, while being cut by the Iron Throne may symbolize the unworthiness of a king or queen, the Iron Throne isn’t a supernatural judge, jury, and executioner that disposes of the ruler itself. That being said, anyone who sits on the throne is already at a higher than average chance of death. If they’re on the throne and not a fit ruler, those odds go up exponentially.
What does Viserys being cut by the Iron Throne mean?
Image: HBO
It doesn’t take Viserys being cut by the Iron Throne to make it clear he isn’t necessarily a great king. Having ascended during peaceful times, Viserys is driven by a desire to please and prefers to avoid issues rather than confront them head on, such as his dismissal of the threat the Crabfeeder and Triarchy pose. When Viserys does make bold decisions — like naming Rhaenyra as his successor or deciding to wed Alicent Hightower — these choices only sow more dissent against him.
Viserys’ first cut from the Iron Throne occurred at an unknown time, but the timing of his second injury is of particular significance, coming immediately following his decision to remove Daemon from the line of succession. This ruling is one of the key decisions that ultimately leads to the first Targaryen civil war. The second cut could be a signal that Viserys’ poor judgment will only lead to ruin — for himself, his family, and his kingdom. It could also just be another way to reinforce what Daemon told his brother — that Viserys is a weak king who isn’t up to bearing the burden of his own power. Either way, it’s a very bad omen for Viserys’ future.
Currently, Viserys is less concerned with his health than with political machinations and the devolving stability of Westeros. However, Viserys has already lost two fingers from his cuts from the Iron Throne. Only time will tell the true cost he’ll pay for his failings as king.
