History Main / ThroneMadeOfX

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' of course has a version of the Iron Throne from the novels it was bases on, as mentioned in literature above. However it's comprised of dozens rather than hundreds of swords as the original was. A case of PragmaticAdaptation as it would have have been ridiculously impractical (and expensive) to have built a prop to that scale and detail. Littlefinger [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this difference in a scene with Varys, when he notes he's actually counted every sword and it's nowhere near the hundreds claimed. The main difference is the Iron Throne's decidedly less terrifying and far more of a CoolChair as a result.

* The Iron Throne in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' doesn't sound all that unusual until you learn that it's a towering monstrosity made out of hundreds of swords, lightly blunted and forged into a chair. The swords belonged to defeated lords and notable knights, forged into the throne with the aid of dragonfire. It's uncomfortable and somewhat dangerous to sit on, [[SwordOfDamocles which is entirely the point]]. It's creator [[FounderofTheKingdom Aegon The Conqueror]] believed a king should never sit easy on his throne and designed it as a [[RuleOfSymbolism constant reminder of that]].
* A statue in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'' showed a wizard and a witch sitting on thrones made of muggle bones. Though, frankly, I don't see how anyone could tell the difference between a muggle's bones and a wizard's bones.
** Oh, it's worse than that. The witch and wizard are portrayed sitting on thrones made of live Muggles.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the-iron-throne-002_7694.jpg]]

Does your land have great and coveted natural resources? Sit on a piece of it. Do you have countless beautiful slaves? Sit on a few of them. Are you a conqueror of many kingdoms? Sit on a throne made of your enemies' weapons or [[HumanResources ''worse'']].

Ugly. Assymetric. It’s a throne made by blacksmiths hammering together half-melted, broken, twisted swords, wrenched from the hands of dead men or yielded up by defeated foes… a symbol of conquest… it has the steps I describe, and the height. From on top, the king dominates the throne room. And there are thousands of swords in it, not just a few. This Iron Throne is scary. And not at all a comfortable seat, just as Aegon intended.

A throne is a symbol of wealth and power, like anything else used by royalty. If you want to make an extra special point about what kind of ruler you are or what your kingdom is like, one way to do it is to make your throne out of some kind of notable material that shows everyone what you're made of by showing them what you sit on. Does your land have great and coveted natural resources? Sit on a piece of it. Do you have countless beautiful slaves? Sit on a few of them. Are you a conqueror of many kingdoms? Sit on a throne made of your enemies' weapons [[HumanResources or worse]].

See CoolChair for non-royal versions of this trope.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' of course has a version of the Iron Throne from the novels it was bases on, as mentioned in literature above. However it's comprised of dozens rather than hundreds of swords as the original was. A case of PragmaticAdaption as it would have have been ridiculously impractical (and expensive) to have built a prop to that scale and detail. Littlefinger lampshades this difference in a scene with Varys, when he notes he's actually counted every sword and it's nowhere near the hundreds claimed. Though the Iron Thrones decidedly less terrifying and far more of a CoolChair as a result.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' of course has a version of the Iron Throne from the novels it was bases on, as mentioned in literature above. However

* The Iron Throne in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' doesn't sound all that unusual until you learn that it's made out of dozens of swords, lightly blunted and forged into a chair. It's uncomfortable and somewhat dangerous to sit on, [[SwordOfDamocles which is entirely the point]].
** To be specific, it's made of the swords of defeated enemies, forged into a throne with dragonfire.

* Another work of art, ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:James_Hampton_The_Throne_of_the_Third_Heaven_of_the_Nations%27_Millennium_General_Assembly.tif The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nation's Millennium General Assembly]]'', an ornate set of "thrones" currently displayed at UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC's Hirshhorn Museum. The artist, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hampton_(artist) James Hampton]], was a night janitor for the General Services Administration (which maintains and manages federal public buildings and properties), and fittingly, the work is made entirely of scraps he found on the job and in junkyards.

** The Chaos God Khorne is said to sit upon a throne of skulls.

* In the [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]/Franchise/HarryPotter fanfic "Harry Potter And The Natural 20", the D&D wizard Milo looked into the Mirror of Erised and saw himself with power to dwarf the gods, on a throne composed of epic artifacts.

* There's also Tad Williams's series ''Literature/TheDragonboneThrone'' which has, fittingly, a throne made out of dragon bones.

* The Golden Throne of Terra, from ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', is actually a high-tech wonder with that allows the user control of the numerous systems within. It's most recent inclusion was a life-support system that has kept [[GodEmperor the Emperor]] in a [[OnlyMostlyDead tenuous state of life]] for roughly 10,000 years. (Before this, the Emperor was immortal, and was many thousands of years old; the Golden Throne has simply kept him from dying from mortal wounds that can't heal.)

** The most exotic system it includes is a portal to an alien FTL "tunnel" network which provides faster and safer travel than Warp jumps, and accessing the tunnel network was the original purpose for the Golden Throne anyway. Due to a collapse within the tunnels due to catastrophic psychic shock, daemons flooded in and had to be kept at bay by a psychic presence (''i.e.'' the Emperor) in place on the Golden Throne. Fast-forward to the present, and the daemons may still have to be kept at bay, and [[HellOnEarth would invade Terra]] if the Golden Throne fails ([[ForegoneConclusion which is implied that it eventually will]]), and presents [[ApocalypseHow one of several ways]] that [[ThWorldIsAlwaysDoomed the Earth will eventually end]] within the setting.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* According to the OmnicidalManiac page, Zhang Xianzhong had a throne made of the severed ears and feet of his enemies.
[[/folder]]

A throne is a symbol of wealth and power, like anything else used by royalty. If you want to make an extra special point about what kind of ruler you are or what your kingdom is like, one way to do it is to make your throne out of some kind of notable material that shows everyone what you're made of by showing them what you sit on. Does your land have great and coveted natural resources? Sit on a piece of it. Do you have countless beautiful slaves? Sit on a few of them. Are you a conqueror of many kingdoms? Sit on a throne made of your enemies' weapons, [[HumanResources or worse]].

** The most exotic system it includes is a portal to an alien FTL "tunnel" network which provides faster and safer travel than Warp jumps, and accessing the tunnel network was the original purpose for the Golden Throne anyway. Due to a collapse within the tunnels due to catastrophic psychic shock, daemons flooded in and had to be kept at bay by a psychic presence (''i.e.'' the Emperor) in place on the Golden Throne. Fast-forward to the present, and the daemons may still have to be kept at bay, and [[HellOnEarth would invade Terra]] if the Golden Throne fails ([[ForgoneConclusion which is implied that it eventually will]]), and presents [[ApocalypseHow one of several ways]] that [[ThWorldIsAlwaysDoomed the Earth will eventually end]] within the setting.

* The Golden Throne of Terra, from ''TabetopGame/Warhammer40000'', although the outside is golden, it's actually a high-tech wonder with that allows the user control of the numerous systems within. It's most recent inclusion was a life-support system that has kept [[GodEmperor the Emperor]] in a [[OnlyMostlyDead tenuous state of life]] for roughly 10,000 years. (Before this, the Emperor was immortal, and was many thousands of years old; the Golden Throne has simply kept him from dying from mortal wounds that can't heal.)
** It also has a link to a psychic "lighthouse" that allows for fairly safe FTL travel, as well as a link to the [[HumanResources massive human power supply]].
** The most exotic system it includes is a portal to an alien FTL "tunnel" network which provided a faster and safer method to travel around the Warp jumps, and accessing the tunnel network was the original purpose for the Golden Throne anyway. Due to a collapse within the tunnels due to a catastrophic psychic shock, daemons flooded in and had to be kept at bay by a psychic presence (''i.e.'' the Emperor) in place on the Golden Throne. Fast-forward to the present, and the daemons may still be kept at bay, and [[HellOnEarth would invade Terra]] if the Golden Throne fails (which it eventually will), and presents [[ApocalypseHow one of several ways]] that [[TheEarthIsAlwaysDoomed the Earth will eventually end]] within the setting.

* The Golden Throne of Terra, from ''TabetopGame/Warhammer40000'', although the outside is golden, it's actually a high-tech wonder with that allows the user control of the numerous systems within. It's most recent inclusion was a life-support system that has kept the Emperor in a [[OnlyMostlyDead tenuous state of life]] for roughly 10,000 years. (Before this, the Emperor was effectively immortal, and was at least 38,000 years old; the Golden Throne has simply kept him from dying from severe wounds that wouldn't heal.)
** It also has a link to a psychic "lighthouse" that allows for fairly safe FTL travel, as well as the human-power source.
** The most exotic system it includes is a portal to an alien FTL "tunnel" network, which was the original purpose for the Golden Throne anyway. Due to a collapse within the tunnels, daemons flooded in and had to be kept at bay

* The Iron Throne in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' doesn't sound all that unusual until you learn that it's made out of swords, lightly blunted and forged into a chair. Yes, it's uncomfortable; that's [[SwordOfDamocles the point]].

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]

[[AC:{{Comic Books}}]]
* Thor: Vikings. When the BigBad Harald Jaekelsson sets up shop at the top of the Empire State Building, he uses a throne made of bone.

[[AC:{{Fan Fiction}}]]
* ShinjiAndWarhammer40K: As befits the whole "Shinji steadily and unwillingly becoming an {{Expy}} of the God Emperor of Mankind" motif, those who follow him give him a throne made of the skull of the Third Angel (it's the page's picture, even). Those who made the thing kind of forgot to check if the Angel wasn't NotQuiteDead, though...
* In the [[DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]/HarryPotter fanfic "Harry Potter And The Natural 20", the D&D wizard Milo looked into the Mirror of Erised and saw himself with power to dwarf the gods, on a throne composed of epic artifacts.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* ClashOfTheTitans (1981). Calibos has a throne made of bones in his encampment.

[[AC:{{Game Shows}}]]
* The TBS game show ''KingOfTheNerds'' has the winner sit on the Throne of Games, a parody of the HBO series ''GameOfThrones'' (and of the titular throne in that series). The throne is made up of various game components.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* In HeraldsOfValdemar, the throne of the Eastern Empire was made from the personal weapons of many, many, lesser rulers conquered by the Empire.
* The Iron Throne in ASongOfIceAndFire doesn't sound all that unusual until you learn that it's made out of swords, lightly blunted and forged into a chair. Yes, it's uncomfortable; that's [[SwordOfDamocles the point]].
* A statue in HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows showed a wizard and a witch sitting on thrones made of muggle bones. Though, frankly, I don't see how anyone could tell the difference between a muggle's bones and a wizard's bones.
* In TheWheelOfTime, the Forsaken Graendal is fond of decorations showing contorted in acts of carnal acrobatics. She is especially fond of a chair carved entirely with such figures.
* Frank Herbert's Dune series.
** In the first novel the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV has a throne made out of Hagal quartz ("blue-green translucency shot through with streaks of yellow fire").
** In the 2nd novel Dune Messiah Emperor Paul Atriedes uses a throne made out of Hagar emerald. "Hagar" was probably Herbert misremembering "Hagal", and "emerald" could have been derived from "blue green quartz". In other words, this may have been the same throne Shaddam IV used.
* There's also Tad Williams's series The Dragonbone Throne which has, fittingly, a throne made out of dragon bones.
* In the Literature/WarriorCats series, when Tigerstar declares himself leader of both [=RiverClan=] and [=ShadowClan=], he has his cats build him the "Bonehill" - a pile of prey bones to sit on so that when he's up there he can look down on everyone else.
* The Ruby Throne of Melnibone from TheElricSaga, which true to its name is carved from a single massive ruby.
* {{Discworld}} gives us... guess what?... oh yes, a subversion. The Golden Throne of Ankh-Morpork appears to be made of gold, but in fact it's just painted wood, and rotten wood to boot (that's why no one tries to sit on it anymore, it'll collapse).
* The BigBad of [[HarryHarrison Deathworld 2]] has a throne made from rocket-burned recoilless rifles, acquired when he drove off a previous expedition to the planet.
* In JourneyToTheWest , the goddess Guanyin makes a throne out of swords and later halbeards to imprison the Red Boy.

[[AC:{{Real Life}}]]

[[AC:{{Tabletop Games}}]]
* TSR's board game Divine Right. A Minarian Legends column in Dragon magazine #50 had a picture of the Goblin king Ockwig's throne, which was made of the horns of mountain goats.
* Emperors of the Third Imperium in {{Traveller}} sit on an Iridium Throne.

[[AC:{{Video Games}}]]
* Artifact thrones in DwarfFortress can potentially be made out of anything, from bone to turtle shell to solid diamond.

[[AC:{{Western Animation}}]]
* The [[EvilOverlord Mighty One Eye]] from TheThiefAndTheCobbler has a throne made of scantily dressed slavegirls.

[[AC:{{Video Games}}]]
* Artifact thrones in DwarfFortress can potentially be made out of anything, from bone to turtle shell to solid diamond.

Examples: