Varys
| Varys | |
|---|---|
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A Song of Ice and Fire character Game of Thrones character |
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Conleth Hill as Varys
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| First appearance |
Novel: A Game of Thrones (1996) Television: "Lord Snow" (2011) |
| Created by | George R. R. Martin |
| Portrayed by |
Conleth Hill (Game of Thrones) |
| Information | |
| Aliases | The Spider The Eunuch Lord Varys Rugen Varys of Lys |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Master of Whisperers |
| Nationality | Lysene |
Varys is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation Game of Thrones.
Introduced in 1996's A Game of Thrones, Varys is from the fictional city of Lys. He subsequently appeared in Martin's A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000) and A Dance with Dragons (2011).
Varys is portrayed by Conleth Hill in the HBO television adaptation.
Varys, also called the Spider, is a eunuch and courtier who serves as Master of Whisperers, the spymaster for the king of the Seven Kingdoms at the royal court in King's Landing. As Master of Whisperers he is on the privy council. He is feared by nobles and common people alike. He knows all of the secret passages in the royal castle and his spies are found everywhere. He is a skilled manipulator and commands a network of informants across two continents. He often puts on the public persona of being nothing more than a bald, pudgy man well suited to the pleasantries of court life; humble, obsequious, fawning, and a little effeminate. This is simply a facade that Varys has developed, which often leads those who do not know him well to underestimate him as a cheerful and vapid flatterer. In reality he is a cunning and ruthless manipulator of court politics, on par with Master of Coin Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, with whom he frequently spars. Unlike Baelish, Varys insists that his goals are to achieve what he honestly feels is best for the realm.
Varys was born as a slave in the Free City of Lys, and joined a travelling acting troupe. While the troupe was performing in Myr, a sorcerer bought a young Varys from the troupe's leader. The sorcerer drugged Varys before removing his genitals and burning them in a brazier in a blood magic ritual, afterwards casting him into the streets. Varys turned to begging, prostitution, and ultimately theft to survive, but soon became known in Myr and fled to Pentos. There he befriended a poor sellsword, Illyrio Mopatis, teaming up to steal valuables from other thieves and returning them to their owners for a fee. Varys eventually realised that there was more to gain from stealing secrets instead of valuables, and trained his spies to copy information from the wealthy and powerful. Varys and Illyrio became rich, and Varys' reputation reached the ears of the King of Westeros, Aerys II Targaryen, who appointed Varys as his Master of Whisperers. Jaime claims that Aerys saw traitors everywhere, and Varys was quick to point out any he missed. Apparently when Rhaegar intended to use a Tourney at Harrenhal to call a Great Council to deal with his father's instability, possibly dethroning him, Varys warned Aerys, meaning they attended the tourney. Sometime prior to the Sack of King's Landing, Varys had Rhaegar Targaryen's infant son Aegon swapped with a lowborn baby and smuggled to Essos to be raised in hiding by Rhaegar's friend Jon Connington, who was exiled by the Mad King for failing to defeat Robert. Varys remains Master of Whisperers after Robert Baratheon seizes the Iron Throne, but secretly remains loyal to House Targaryen.
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