Thrones, plural. Not just iron.

[Seams]

It occurs to me that the title of the first book is A Game of Thrones. Not A Game of the Iron Throne, or Games of a Throne, but Thrones, plural. If there are numerous thrones at stake, we may need to look at this as a game with numerous winners, similar to the War of the Ninepenny Kings. But that requires identifying the many thrones that people seek. Can this forum help to generate a comprehensive list and to explain the meaning of each throne?

The Iron Throne is an obvious prize, and many people believe it is the only prize worth having as its occupant rules Westeros and the seven kingdoms.

The Weirwood throne is Bloodraven's seat in the cave. It allows the occupant to see events across the landscape and in the past and future. I also suspect that it is the throne of The Stranger, who is a puppeteer with power over the people in his / her / its realm. But we see others seated in root-connected thrones in Bloodraven's cave and there is also a weirwood throne at the Eyrie. It might be that this throne does not have a single physical location. Alternatively, if the weirwood throne is the seat of a "god" of death, it might be that it is comprised of two seats -- one for a raven and one for a crone, such as Lysa Arryn. Having the right person sitting in a weirwood throne may be a key to its power so the "game" for this throne involves controlling a greenseer or someone with the right bloodline to operate (?) the throne. (Lots of speculation here, I realize.)

The Seastone Chair (Greyjoy). Only a godly man can occupy it.

The high seat of the Starks:

They put Bran in his father's oak chair with the grey velvet cushions, behind along plank-and-trestle table. Ser Rodrik sat on his right hand and Maester Luwin to his left, armed with quills and inkpots and a sheaf of blank parchment to write down al that transpired. (ACoK, Bran II)

This oak audience chair sounds like a different chair than the high seat in the feast hall, which is at least partly made of stone:

... Osha and Hodor undid his straps and buckles, lifted him off Dancer's back, and carried him to the high seat of his fathers. (ACoK, Bran III)

Theon was seated in the high seat of the Starks. He had taken off his cloak. Over a shirt of fine mail he wore a black surcoat emblazoned with the golden kraken of his House. His hands rested on the wolves' heads carved at the ends of the wide stone arms. "Theon's sitting in Robb's chair," Rickon said. (ACoK, Bran VI)

Riverrun:

Edmure sat in the  high seat of the Tullys, with Brynden Blackfish at his side, and his father's bannermen arrayed to right and left along the side tables. (AGoT, Chapter 71)

The Great Hall of Riverrun was a lonely place for two to sit to supper Deep shadows draped the walls. ... Brienne was across from her. Between them, her father's high seat was as empty a the rest of the hall. (ACoK, Chapter 55)

Although the Tully high seat in the great hall is mentioned a couple of times, it is not described in any detail. By contrast, the balcony shaped like the bow of a ship (in Lord Hoster's solar) and his ornate bed seem to be more important than the chair, which has been occupied only by Edmure (unless I've missed a mention of the chair):

Her things were moved to her father's bedchamber, dominated by the great canopied bed she had been born in, its pillars carved in the shapes of leaping trout. Her father himself had been moved half a turn down the stair, his sickbed placed to face the triangular balcony that opened off his solar, from whence he could see the rivers that he had always loved so well. (ASoS, Catelyn I)

Is the combination of bed and balcony at Riverrun like the pair of thrones at Sunspear and the two or more weirwood thrones at the cave and the Eyrie? Catelyn occupies the ornate bed and Hoster occupies the balcony.

Sunspear (Martell):

In the Tower of the Sun, the high seats of the Prince of Dorne can be found: two twin seats, one with the Martell spear inlaid in gold upon its back, the other bearing the blazing Rhoynish sun. (Wiki, paraphrasing AFfC, Chapters 2 and 40) Perhaps similar to the Weirwood Throne, the Dornish throne requires two people to occupy it optimally.

The Twins (Frey):

The seat of the Lord of the Crossing, located in the great hall of the east castle, is a massive chair of black oak. Its back is carved in the shape of two towers joined by an arched bridge. (Wiki, paraphrasing AGoT, Chapter 59; ASoS, Chapter 49.)

Dragonstone:

The Chamber of the Painted Table: Located on the top floor of the Stone Drum, the Chamber of the Painted Table is a round room with four tall windows, overlooking the north, south, east and west, and bare black walls. It holds a large table, the Painted Table, carved and painted in the form of a detailed map of Westeros. Here, Aegon the Conqueror planned for the invasion of Westeros. The Painted Table is more than fifty feet long: roughly twenty-five feet wide at its widest point and four feet at its thinnest. At the precise location of Dragonstone is a raised seat that allows the occupant to view the entire map. (Wiki, paraphrasing ACoK, prologue.)

Craster's Keep:

Only Craster has a chair inside, and all others sit on the benches. (Wiki, paraphrasing ACoK, Chapter 23)

Meereen, Great Pyramid (Daenerys):

Daenerys Targaryen sits upon a plain ebony bench that she has made her throne, having broken up the previous throne of gilded wood carved in the shape of a harpy. (Wiki, paraphrasing ASoS, Chapter 71)

Do all of these seats count as thrones? Can you think of other special seats I haven't remembered? Is there any pattern apparent in the chairs (such as seven major "thrones," each matching one of the seven gods; or four major "thrones," matching up with Garth, Lann, Brandon and Durran Godsgrief)?

A couple or three months ago, there was discussion of Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters having two swords, a crown and, possibly, a harp. My reaction was that maybe a ruler has to have (or co-rulers have to have) a combination of treasures in order to be successful. Could the right throne also be necessary?

[The Lord of the Crossing]

The phrase simply means the games and machinations of people to move up.  Even stable boys play their own games to get ahead.  Throne is the prize and that differs from person to person.  To a stable boy, throne could mean becoming the head groom.  To Renly, the iron throne.  

[Yaya]

Hi Seams - good ideas to think on ...
In trying to think of other seats/thrones - are there mentions of others in Dunk & Egg?
Does the High Septon of the Seven has a specific seat?

 

[LindsayLohan]

The only thrones I know of are the Iron Throne, the Seastone Chair, and Dany's in Meereen. 

However, whenever I read any events at Craster's Keep, that certainly reads like a throne.  It's not just a high seat, or at the head of a table, it's the only seat, and forces everyone else in attendance to kneel or sit low.

[Lord Lannister]

The "game of thrones" could be a leftover saying from when the Seven Kingdoms were seven competing kingdoms.

Or it could just roll of the tongue more smoothly than the "throne game." Language isn't always consistent. We park on driveways and drive on parkways after all.

[hiemal]

Here's a good one:

Quote

Corlys Velaryon became a lord after his grandsire's death and used his wealth to raise a new seat, High Tide, to replace the damp, cramped castle Driftmark and house the ancient Driftwood Throne—the high seat of the Velaryons, which legend claims was given to them by the Merling King to conclude a pact.

TWoIaF

It ties together the Iron Born, the Deep Ones, and the Merlings in one chair-shaped bundle of tinfoil.

[pigo]

My pet theory (/forlorn hope) is that the story ends with seven queens on seven thrones, but as yet I've not been able to make a solid argument for who/where/why it would shake out.

[White Ravens]

On 6/1/2018 at 10:47 AM, Seams said:

It occurs to me that the title of the first book is A Game of Thrones. Not A Game of the Iron Throne, or Games of a Throne, but Thrones, plural. If there are numerous thrones at stake, we may need to look at this as a game with numerous winners, similar to the War of the Ninepenny Kings. But that requires identifying the many thrones that people seek. Can this forum help to generate a comprehensive list and to explain the meaning of each throne?

 

I think that the book title uses Thrones plural  in reference to the various players in the War of the Five Kings.