The importance of crowns and the power they hold does not go unnoticed in a show like Game Of Thrones, where characters literally get molten gold poured on their head as a result of their pining for the very thing. Michelle Clapton, GoT veteran costume designer, has brilliantly customized every character's crown to match their loyalty, personality, and style. Some of these details are so subtle that you wouldn't notice unless you took a good long pause to soak it all in. Let's give credit to some of my favorite uses of symbolism within these crowns over the course of the series.
1) Joffrey Baratheon, Seasons 1-3:
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| Joffrey Baratheon's First Crown |
Joffrey Baratheon becomes King after Robert Baratheon dies in season 1, leaving the throne to who Robert thinks is his most legitimate heir. Joffrey receives a custom crown after his coronation, which is strikingly similar to Robert's. The similarities are a jab at how little originality Joffrey has. I can picture Joff yelling at his crown creator- "I want a crown as regal as Father's, only taller and better!"
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| Robert Baratheon |
This crown also winds up getting handed down to Tommen in future seasons when he eventually becomes king after Joffrey's death. This may be due to the fact that Tommen simply isn't demanding or power hungry enough to create a custom crown of his own.
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| Tommen Baratheon |
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| Joffrey Baratheon's s3 Crown |
The antlers of Joffrey's season 3 crown are of course an homage to his Baratheon lineage, whose house sigil is a stag (similar antlers can be found on Renly Baratheon's crown).
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| Renly Baratheon |
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| House Baratheon Sigil |
What makes Joffrey's season 3 crown stand out from the other's is the customization added to accommodate his bride-to-be, Margaery Tyrell.
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| Margaery Tyrell and Joffrey Baratheon at their wedding in season 3 |
Joff's new crown retains the iconic Baratheon antlers, but with an addition of roses weaving through them. The roses represent the sigil of House Tyrell, as a way to show the merging of the two houses into one- but I also see the weaving of the roses and antlers in a different light. Notice how the roses snake their way in between each antler, symbolizing Margaery's grip and manipulation over Joffrey and the the throne in general.
2) Cersei Lannister, Season 6:
Cersei becomes Queen after her son Tommen, the last known (non bastard) Baratheon dies, leaving Robert's widow on the throne. Cers is no stranger to expressing house representation within her clothing, and the same goes for her custom crown.
Notice how this crown is silver with faint gold detail speckling through it, which is a dramatic change from the pure gold crown we see on Cersei in season 1. Cersei usually loves wearing gold, as it not only matches her hair, but is a a part of Lannister house colors.
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| Cersei Season 1 |
The introduction of silver is a strong display of severity, independence and isolation from her family, which makes sense since- ya know she just blew up a bunch of people and lost her last child.
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| Detailed look at Cersei's Season 6 crown |
The symbol on Cersei's crown is compelling as well. The outward sprawling detail in the center is comparable to a Lion's head and ferocious mane, a tie to the Lannister House sigil- but can also be a direct comparison to the appearance of the iron throne, with its swords poking out from every which way.
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| The Iron Throne |
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| House Lannister Sigil |
Costume Designer Michelle Clapton has mentioned that this crown is especially significant because it lacks any ties to Robert, like Joffrey and Tommen's crowns did. In a 2016 interview with Vulture Clapton stated, "[In this crown] there is no reference to Robert- there is no need anymore. She doesn’t have to try and prove a link."
3) Sansa Stark, Season 8:
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| Sansa Stark Season 8 |
Sansa becomes the Queen in the North after she gains the North's independence from the rest of the realm in the series finale. With Jon exiled to the Night Watch, it only made sense for Sansa to take over and keep the Stark name in Winterfell. With a new rule comes a new custom crown, and the most fashionable of the Stark clan did not disappoint.
Sansa's crown honors her Stark pride, and the family members she has lost. The front and center direwolves of course represent the sigil of House Stark, but can also be linked to the the two remaining wolves from the original six, Nymeria and Ghost.
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| Arya Stark's direwolf, Nymeria |
| Jon Snow's direwolf, Ghost |
The silver scales that link the direwolves together are a tribute to Sansa's late mother Catelyn Tully, whose house sigil is a silver trout.
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| Sansa with her mother Catelyn in Season 1 |
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| Sigil of House Tully |
And there you have my three favorite crowns in the show. Honorable mentions go to the driftwood crown worn by Euron Greyjoy, and the golden crown worn by Viserys Targaryen.
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| Euron Greyjoy in Season 6 |
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| Khal Drogo giving Viserys Targaryen his golden crown in Season 1 |
