About this time of year we’re all usually getting into the new season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. But this year, as the final seasons of the show approach, things have changed a bit and we have to wait a little longer. An official premiere date for season seven was revealed recently with ice and fire.

To help pass the time until that long-awaited next season arrives, the AWE me YouTube channel series Man at Arms recently created a replica of Ned Stark’s legendary blade, named Ice.

You can watch the nearly 20-minute video of the forging of the massive blade below.

The $10 t-shirt deal of the day over at RIPT Apparel is a Game of Thrones-themed shirt called “Winter Is Coming” by Faniseto.

The sale at RIPT began today, Wednesday, December 28, 2011, at midnight CST, and will continue for 24 hours from then, and once it’s over, it will not be sold on the site anymore.

Sean Bean scored a lifelong geek following with his role as Boromir in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which excitedly followed him in bringing his fantasy skills to the excellent HBO series, Game of Thrones.

Diehard fans of the book from which the first season was based””part of George R.R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire series””and newcomers alike have praised Bean for his work bringing Lord Eddard Stark to life, and it’s likely that anytime he finds himself in some sort of sword-wielding role (you can also check out Black Death on Netflix) we geeks will watch with happy eyes.

Now Bean is carrying over his battle-tested warrior ways into real life.