‘Game of Thrones’ season 3 spoilers: New details on Stannis

A few days after the release of some new character footage from “Game of Thrones” season 3, we also have some other news to celebrate: a brand-new production entry on the show’s official “Making Of” blog that is all about one of the cooler props featured within the world of Westeros: the flaming sword belonging to one Stannis Baratheon.

Stannis will be back in some fighting form on March 31 despite his defeat at the Battle of Blackwater, and in this entry, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ assistant Cat Taylor (who writes the majority of the blog’s entries) explained the differences between the two swords that are used in order to make the effect of the object on the show particularly effective:

“The fight-sequence sword is a real sword that the workshop team milled with a number of channels, each one stuffed with a dura-blanket material. The flame retardant fiber is then soaked in IPA (isopropyl alcohol). This was then covered in another layer of material to make the blade look uniform and sword-like again. Because of the length of the sequence, the flame has to last (and burn strong) for at least 3 minutes, which was something of a challenge, as the fuel burned off so quickly.

“The second sword had blood inside the blade and could be ignited. The sword itself split into two pieces, and the inside was filled with a series of small, sealed channels. Some were filled with gas, the rest with fake blood – that way, when the blade was drawn across any surface, skin or otherwise, hitting a button on the hilt of the blade would release blood through tiny holes down the side, making it appear as if blood was welling up from a cut.”

We can tell you for certain that you will be meeting Stannis’ real wife this coming season (rather than the wretched sorceress Melisandre), but unless you have already read a few of the George R.R. Martin books, this is where what we has to say comes to an end. It should be another fascinating season for the character, though, as the stakes in the land could be raised yet again to another level.

What storyline are you currently the most excited for? If you want to check out some more “Game of Thrones” season 3 casting pertaining to Daenerys, you can do so here.

Photo: HBO