'Game of Thrones' and 'Lord of the Rings' Connection: Is Gandalf's Sword on the Iron Throne?



If you're a fantasy geek, here's a dream come true: There may be a connection between HBO's "Game of Thrones" and the "Lord of the Rings" movies.
A Reddit user just pointed out a possible link between the two epic fantasy series. NoMoreHodoring posted a photo of King Joffrey sitting on the Iron Throne, with a particular sword circled. As we know, the Iron Throne was forged by Aegon I Targaryen out of the swords of his enemies.


He put it side by side with an image of Gandalf's sword, Glamdring. They appear to be shockingly identical.
So are Westeros and Middle Earth part of the same universe? Will elves and dwarves show up alongside dragons and White Walkers? Which Age of Man is Westeros in? Does this mean Gandalf was defeated by Aegon I?!
Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon sitting on the Iron Throne on Game of Thrones. (HBO)

OK, maybe we're geeking out a bit too much. As another Redditor pointed out, the sword next to Glamdring resembles one from "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." And yet another site user noted that several of the swords in the throne seemed to come from the movie "Kingdom of Heaven."
It's also quite likely that the production designers on "Game of Thrones" wanted to wink at fans with these little Easter eggs.
In any case, it's not a connection that "A Song of Ice and Fire" author George R. R. Martin envisioned. After all, he's previously said that the Iron Throne on the HBO series is nothing like the one in his head.
"It's not the Iron Throne I see when I'm working on THE WINDS OF WINTER. It's not the Iron Throne I want my readers to see," he wrote on his blog. "The way the throne is described in the books... HUGE, hulking, black and twisted, with the steep iron stairs in front, the high seat from which the king looks DOWN on everyone in the court... my throne is a hunched beast looming over the throne room, ugly and assymetric..."
"Game of Thrones" Season 4 premieres April 6 at 9 p.m. on HBO.