"Game of Thrones" is a story of a struggle for power, the same theme is heard in "House of Dragons". Each of the contenders for royal status demonstrates it in their own way, and for each sovereign, the art department has come up with its own crown or something that replaces it. In this article, we will analyze the approach to creating crowns in the "Game of Thrones" and "House of Dragons" and compare their appearance with the book description.
The oldest crown in the Seven Kingdoms is forged from Valyrian steel for Aegon the Conqueror. In books, it is an ascetic black crown inlaid with rectangular rubies. The reign of every king who decided to wear the crown of the Conqueror was accompanied by a war: Maegor the cruel suppressed the uprising of the Holy Host, Aegon the Second fought for the Iron Throne with his half-sister, Daeron the First attempted to capture Dorne, where the crown was lost (but, perhaps, it will still emerge in the main book saga).
The Green Party is well aware that Reynira will not give up the fight for the throne, and flaunts all the virtues of his contender: here he is, that husbandthat wears name The conqueror, ready to defend his right to his the crown and his legacy sword. In the "House of Dragons" is not a crown, but a full-fledged crown. In general, it really looks ancient and warlike, but rather cast iron, because the recognizable pattern of Valyrian steel is not visible; a single ruby gleams in the center.
Crown Jaehaerys Targaryen, worn by Viserys and his daughter Rhaenyra after him in The House of Dragons, is different from the crown of the Old King from the books. When he ascended the throne, Jaehaerys used his father's golden massive crown with the faces of the Seven adorned with jade and pearls, but then chose to wear a simple gold circlet inlaid with stones of different colors in honor of the seven gods. The king received the nickname Peacemaker for one of the most important achievements of his reign - reconciliation with the church.
In "House of Dragons," the crown unites the king not with the church, but with the great houses of the Seven Kingdoms - "it is a symbol of peace and prosperity," voice-over footage tells us. The Targaryen dragon adorns the front of the crown, to the left of it are the Lannister lion, the Arryn falcon and the Stark wolf, to the right are the Tully trout, the Baratheon stag and the Tully rose, and behind the pierced sun of the Martells. Although Aegon the Conqueror never managed to subjugate Dorne, he took this kingdom into account in the name of his realm.
It seemed important to the creators of the series to keep this detail, so for the sake of symmetry, the Greyjoy kraken had to be thrown out. The same was done with the massive necklace in the ceremonial attire of the Rhaenyrs Targaryen. The diagonal herringbone ornament that separates the coats of arms of the great houses is repeated in the armor of the knights of the Royal Guard.
In the book world of A Song of Ice and Fire, the wives of kings also wear crowns - for example, Helaine Targaryen in the book is crowned with her mother's crown, but the only semblance of the crown of the queen consort in the House of Dragons is Alicente's wedding headdress from the scene, which in the end cut out.
After defeating the Crab Feeder Damon Targaryen how the king of the Narrow Sea and the Degrees also receives a crown - it seems that it was made from what was found right there, on the shore. These are human bones fastened with leather laces and wire, with crude designs carved on them and several colored stones (hardly conceived as precious). The crown in form and simplicity of execution resembles the crown of Euron Greyjoy - he is also made of what the sea gave. As in the book, Damon gives his crown to his brother.
The next crown appears already in the "Game of Thrones" and belongs to the king Aerys the Mad. This is a massive crown with teeth resembling flames. In the books, Aerys wore the crown of Aegon the Unworthy, which George Martin described to the painter Roman Papsuev as "of pure gold, large and heavy, serrated in the form of dragon heads with rubies in their eye sockets." In the series, Aerys only has a brief glimpse in the sixth season, when April Ferry was in charge of the Game of Thrones costumes.
Michelle Clapton worked on the rest of the crowns in Game of Thrones, and she has a very different approach. “I try to make every crown have some kind of reference to the person who wears it,” she says.
So, Robert Baratheon, who took the Iron Throne after Aerys, wears a crown based on the Baratheon coat of arms: an amber-encrusted gold circlet with horned ornaments, to which massive deer antlers are attached. It is curious that if you leave aside the details, then this crown is very similar in outline to the crown of Aerys - and indeed, Robert became king not only by the right of the winner, but also by blood: his grandmother was from the Targaryens.
Brother of Robert Stannis Baratheon in the books, he wears a crown of pure gold with flame-shaped prongs, but in the TV series he has neither a crown nor any other obvious attributes of power; only on the chest of his armor is the fiery heart of R'hllor with the crowned stag of the Baratheons. The art department probably reasoned that the pedantic Stannis couldn't wear the crown until he won the Iron Throne - at least that's how costume designer Michelle Clapton explained Daenerys Targaryen's lack of a crown.
Stannis' right to the throne is based on the fact that Robert left no legitimate sons behind him, and therefore the eldest of the living brothers becomes his heir. However Renly Baratheon, the younger brother of Stannis and Robert, this does not bother at all, he enters the war for the throne and, unlike his brother, emphasizes his claims by putting on a crown - a golden hoop with horns growing from it; the crown looks like the horns are real.
If you put the crowns of Robert and Renly side by side, then the differences between them will be the same as between a seasoned and a young deer, which is to some extent true for the brothers themselves. Notably, in the series, Renly only refers to the Baratheons in his crown, while in the books, he wore a crown of golden roses with a jasper deer head on his forehead to emphasize the Reach's role in his military campaign. His wife Margaery Tyrell does not wear a crown.
Joffrey Baratheon, born of Queen Cersei Lannister in marriage to Robert Baratheon and considering himself his son, is crowned with a massive gold circlet with two large amber inlays and thin deer antlers. Rumors are spreading across the country that he is in fact born of Jaime Lannister and has no right to the throne, so Joffrey, continuing to wear the colors of the Lannisters and choosing a lion and a deer rebelling against each other as a personal coat of arms, avoids lion hints in the crown. In the books, Joffrey's crown is studded with rubies and black diamonds, that is, it combines the colors of the Baratheons (a black deer on a golden field) and Lannisters (a golden lion on a red field).
at the wedding with Margery Tyrell Joffrey puts on a crown, emphasizing their union: this is again a hoop in the form of deer horns, still not as massive as his father's, but now the young king falls under the influence of Margaery, and the horns in his crown are entangled with roses with unopened buds. Margaery, on the other hand, wears a crown with blossoming roses in honor of her house and with small horns in honor of her husband's house. Please note that Margaery did not wear the crown under Renly, as if she, like Stannis and Daenerys, believes that only the one who sat on the Iron Throne can wear the crown - remember at least her words: “I don’t want to be queen if I don’t the only one." Margaery's crown is not described in the books; it is reported to be thin and of gold.
Tommen Baratheon, who inherits the throne for his elder brother, takes over from him both the crown and marriage obligations. Of the two crowns left by Joffrey, Tommen takes the first, while Margaery continues to wear a crown of roses. Tommen, of course, also falls under the influence of Margaery, but this influence is very limited first by Tywin Lannister, and then by His Sparrow, so the neutral crown suits the young king more.
Cersei Lannister, as the king's wife, very rarely, but wears a small crown lost in her hair with small deer horns; perhaps this is generally just a hair ornament, but after the accession of Joffrey, Cersei ceases to wear them. In the books, Cersei has a plain golden crown and another with emeralds.
After the explosion of the Sept of Baelor and the death of Tommen, in the absence of other pretenders, Cersei proclaims herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and declares the Lannisters a new royal dynasty. Her silver crown is an abstract image of a lion. Michelle Clapton, for whom it is everyone's favorite crown, explains: “I chose silver with a little bit of gold to show that Cersei is moving away from her family [and her traditional colors].
There are no references to the Baratheons in this crown, because there is no need to prove connection [and legitimacy] anymore. In the center of the crown is an abstract image of a lion with a mane reminiscent of the Iron Throne. She appropriated it to herself and was born again. Everything that was important before is already dead. Now her desires are crystal clear: power and the throne on her terms."
Daenerys Targaryen, being the wife of Khal Drogo, does not have any special signs that emphasize her status as a Khaleesi; Perhaps such signs among the Dothraki include scythes and a beautiful horse? In the books, Daenerys, while still in Qarth, receives a crown in the form of a three-headed dragon - a golden torso twisted with rings, silver wings, heads made of jade, ivory and onyx (a reference to the color of her dragons' skins); this crown Daenerys, in particular, wears at receptions in Meereen.
However, in the series, the semblance of a crown appears only after arriving in Westeros. “She is not yet a queen and is not eligible to wear a crown until she receives the throne,” explains Michelle Clapton. Instead of a crown, Daenerys wears a large silver chain adorned with a three-headed dragon brooch that Viserys and herself used to wear. Sometimes Daenerys puts aside the chain and wears only a brooch.
It is significant that Viserys does not wear a crown either (until Khal Drogo crowns him with molten gold), although he can hardly be suspected of modesty or pedantry, since he otherwise demonstrates belonging to the Targaryen kings and in clothes, and in accessories, and in behavior.
Uncrowned queen
In the series, Daenerys does not live to see her coronation, but Michelle Clapton did create several concepts for her. Among them is a rather massive crown for a Faberge egg, which resembles earthly imperial crowns rather than simple crowns and tiaras of other Westeros monarchs. Other crude concepts connect the heroine to the Unsullied and Jon Snow, if they became co-rulers.
This last crown is very reminiscent of Sansa's, only one of the supporting heads belongs to the dragon (an alternative interpretation is also possible: the wolf and the dragon are grinning at each other). All three crowns do not correspond to the concept of Daenerys' costume image: we would expect her crown to resemble the spikes and horns on the head of her dragons, because if other heroines placed embroidered emblematic animals on their clothes, then Daenerys with her scaly fabrics and patterns was a living embodiment dragon.
The last known king on the Iron Throne, does not wear a crown or any other insignia. The classical monarchy in Westeros has been abolished, the king is now elected by the lords and cannot transfer all the fullness of his power by inheritance, even if he could give birth to a son.
If we talk about Brane Starke, then he, like the previous Three-Eyed Ravens, can rule for several hundred years before the Great Council meets again, and in such a period, you see, the crowns will return. In any case, the right hand retained its signs, and the royal guard continued the tradition of changing the central figure when changing the ruler. (While reviewing Bran Stark's costumes, we separately offered options for the "classic" crown, be he a traditional monarch.)
Assistants to the Crown
The king does not always rule himself, sometimes he does not rule at all, placing this burden on his own. right hand. In the books, the insignia of the Hand has not been unified: as insignia, the Hand of Eddard Stark wears "an intricately crafted silver clasp in the form of a hand holding the folds of a cloak together", and Tyrion and Tywin Lannister wear "a chain of massive golden hands, each of which grips the other's wrist" . In the series, this is not the case: the well-established sign of the right hand is worn on clothes in the form of a brooch, the same image is printed on seals and even adorns furniture. The Hands of the Kings on the Iron Throne (Eddard Stark, Tyrion and Tywin Lannister, Qyburn) wear a gold brooch, while the Hand of Daenerys (Tyrion Lannister) wears a silver one. There is also a chain of intertwined hands in the series: we see it on Tyrion when he leads the defense of the city in the Battle of the Blackwater, and later, escaping from the city, he strangles Shaya with the same chain.
After the death of Robert Baratheon, Queen Regent Cersei Lannister takes over the de facto power in the country. She banishes Selmy from Barristan's guard and changes the appearance of the armor. From now on, the armor of the knights of the royal guard reflects the changes taking place around the Iron Throne. Under Joffrey Baratheon, the armor is gilded, decorated with an ornament in the form of deer horns; the central figure also changes and looks beautiful: a crown formed by three swords and horns. King Tommen, having become close to His Sparrow, changes the central figure with swords for a small crown in a large seven-pointed star - this detail reflects the position of the king much better than his own crown.
As an autocratic queen, Cersei dresses her guardsmen in black armor (and a funny helmet) that not only vaguely resembles Cersei's dresses, but also uses her crown as a central figure. Finally, Bran allows the Lord Commander of his guard, Brienne, to choose the armor to her taste: she adapts and gilds her own armor, but according to established tradition, she places the symbol of the king - a three-eyed raven in the center of the shell.
As for the armor of the knights of the royal guard under other kings, under Viserys Targaryen and Robert Baratheon, the knights wore armor decorated with a neutral pattern. If under Robert in the "Game of Thrones" the shell was decorated with a crown, also repeated in the White Book of the biographies of all the knights of the order, then in the "House of Dragons" the central figure was abandoned.
The armor of Arthur Dayne has nothing to do with the armor of the knights of the royal guard - there is not a hint of white in them. In the artistic sense, it was important for the audience to show that Lyanna Stark was guarded by knights in the service of the Targaryens, and it was not so important that they were knights of the royal guard in the books.
Independent kings
Proclaimed King of the Iron Islands Balon Greyjoy in the series, he does not crown himself with a driftwood crown (pieces of wood thrown ashore), as he did in the books. And yet this crown appears in the frame: when the veche elects Euron Greyjoy his king, he is crowned with the appropriate crown. Euron, however, does not wear it to meet Cersei - after all, where is Cersei and where is the debris washed up by the waves. In the books, Euron doesn't like the fin either, and shortly after his coronation, he dons an iron hoop with shark teeth.
But in the North in the series, the kings do not wear crowns or any other attributes of power. royal look and Robb Starkand Jon Snow gives only a heavy fur cloak, but it is not a sacred piece of clothing, inaccessible to them before the coronation. In the books, Robb had a crown, an open circlet of hammered bronze inlaid with the runes of the First Men, with nine black iron prongs shaped like swords. The crown was made in the image and likeness of the crown of the kings of Winter, which three centuries ago Torrhen Stark gave to Aegon the Conqueror.
No crown and Mansa Raider. In the books, he wears his black watchman's cloak, darned with red Ashshai silk; this cloak is a symbol of why he deserted the Night's Watch and led the wildlings. In the series, Mance does not stand out from other wildlings at all.
The North receives the right to the crown only at the very end, when Bran Stark, elected king, at the request of his sister, recognizes the region as an independent kingdom. Despite political independence, in the crown Sansa Stark there is an image that emphasizes her friendship with the Six Kingdoms - the direwolves supporting each other in front are woven in the form of weirwood roots at the back of the head. This image is consonant with the words of Ned Stark: "The lone wolf dies, but the pack lives."
Michelle Clapton herself notes this: “Two direwolf heads supporting each other are not just a coat of arms, but also a tribute to her deceased brother Robb with his pair of clasps that he wore on the day of his death at the Red Wedding.” (It is clear from the sketches that Michelle Clapton initially considered more symmetrical forms with large elements on the back of the head - a full weirwood or a second pair of direwolves, but settled on a more concise and asymmetrical option.)
The review would be incomplete without another crown already shown. This leader is a ruler by birth, for no other member of his race has anything like that on his head. So, King of the Night and his crown in the form of growths on his head. Any of the crowns discussed above can be removed, stolen or given to another, but not the crown of the Night King. He also has another symbol - a brooch that looks like a dagger made of dragon glass inside a crow's skull or a tower inside a crow's skull.
Based on this, the theory arose that the Night King is Bran Stark (or he is related to him). The tower is a reference to the tower from which Bran fell and became crippled, and the raven is a reference to the nickname Three-Eyed Raven. And now look at the figure on the chest of the armor of Brienne, the royal guard of his grace Brandon the Broken ...
