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What odor is Varys trying to hide?


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I've been re-reading the books lately (middle of ACoK at this point) and I noticed conspicuous similarity between many descriptions of Varys, no matter which disguise he wears. (Well, it seems conspicuous to a chemist, at least.) Varys makes constant use of highly  potent aromatic compounds, such as lavender and other strongly scented flowers, strong perfumes, sour wine, sweat, garlic, etc. These aromatics could all be best described as "overpowering" in terms of their interaction with human senses. I wonder what smell he's hiding behind the use of these compounds? The wildly speculative part of my brain automatically jumps to "death and corruption"...

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I think its straightforward enough. Whether Rugen is actually his primary persona or just another disguise, he spends long enough in the Black Cells and other unsavoury places that he needs something to mask the smell then walking amongst the high-priced help.

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2 hours ago, Dornish Neck Tie said:

I've been re-reading the books lately (middle of ACoK at this point) and I noticed conspicuous similarity between many descriptions of Varys, no matter which disguise he wears. (Well, it seems conspicuous to a chemist, at least.) Varys makes constant use of highly  potent aromatic compounds, such as lavender and other strongly scented flowers, strong perfumes, sour wine, sweat, garlic, etc. These aromatics could all be best described as "overpowering" in terms of their interaction with human senses. I wonder what smell he's hiding behind the use of these compounds? The wildly speculative part of my brain automatically jumps to "death and corruption"...

When I think of heavy smells, I think of this scene is Dance between Mel and Jon. Varys is described as just silently appearing sometimes. In this scene, Mel is using spells to trick both Ghost and Jon.

A Dance with Dragons - Jon VI

[Jon] In the shadow of the Wall, the direwolf brushed up against his fingers. For half a heartbeat the night came alive with a thousand smells, and Jon Snow heard the crackle of the crust breaking on a patch of old snow. Someone was behind him, he realized suddenly. Someone who smelled warm as a summer day.
When he turned he saw Ygritte.
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12 hours ago, Black Crow said:

I think its straightforward enough. Whether Rugen is actually his primary persona or just another disguise, he spends long enough in the Black Cells and other unsavoury places that he needs something to mask the smell then walking amongst the high-priced help.

This is maybe the most likely case, and was my initial impression, but Rugen seems to rather overdo it with the deliberate "perfuming" as much as Varys. I could be overly concerned with semantics, but if one's nose is able pick up notes of sour wine, stale sweat, and garlic all at once from the same source, they have to be laid on pretty damn thick. It gave me the distinct feeling that both of his faces we see are nothing more than masks, none more dominant or revealing than the other. If these descriptions maintain this level of pervasiveness throughout all five books, even in POV chapters of characters who are already familiar with his alternate personas, the alarm bells will stir up quite a ruckus in my head.

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  • 5 weeks later...
On 7/16/2016 at 0:09 PM, Black Crow said:

I think its straightforward enough. Whether Rugen is actually his primary persona or just another disguise, he spends long enough in the Black Cells and other unsavoury places that he needs something to mask the smell then walking amongst the high-priced help.

I think this would have to be the obvious and correct answer if he is indeed hiding something. But I like the point that the other poster made. Maybe he is a face changer of the many faced god as well??

 

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1 hour ago, TheMachine said:

I think this would have to be the obvious and correct answer if he is indeed hiding something. But I like the point that the other poster made. Maybe he is a face changer of the many faced god as well??

 

Oh I think he is indeed [or perhaps even was] one of the faceless men.

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3 hours ago, Runaway Penguin said:

Do not men with their external genital removed have issues with incontinence? Might be that.

Depends whether he really has. Being known as a eunuch means be is despised and consequently underestimated.

Bear in mind that curious business in the ADwD epilogue when his voice is allowed to deepen as he speaks to the soon to be deceased Mr. Lannister.

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15 minutes ago, Black Crow said:

Depends whether he really has. Being known as a eunuch means be is despised and consequently underestimated.

Bear in mind that curious business in the ADwD epilogue when his voice is allowed to deepen as he speaks to the soon to be deceased Mr. Lannister.

Facial hair can be part of disguise. In any case, if he in fact was NOT cut, then he has even more need to do the "perfumed eunuch" act. 

 

Note that the Unsullied strict hygiene might also come from this.

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On 8/15/2016 at 2:08 PM, Black Crow said:

Oh I think he is indeed [or perhaps even was] one of the faceless men.

I have thought this at various points, as well as the Sorrowful Men, given his apologetic words to Kevan at the end of ADwD. (I'm not particularly attached to any theories or interpretations of this series, if that isn't obvious, lol) Right now, BryndenBFish has me pretty convinced that Varys is heading up a Blackfyre conspiracy with Illyrio.

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We've heard of the queer "cold smell" that seems to be associated with the Others and their particular form of undead-ness. Maybe Varys has a similarly "hot smell" that he would rather remain hidden?

Other than that, I'm willing to say that he is just a master of mummery and disguise who leaves no detail to chance.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just to throw this out there, lavender (Varys' fave) was commonly used in the Middle Ages to ward off the plague - lavender has antimicrobial properties in general, but the scent itself also served to repel the fleas from the rats that carried the disease. 

Methinks Varys is spending more time in the tunnels and Black Cells than we realize, and not just as Rugen.

 

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  • 1 month later...
On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 10:14 AM, Runaway Penguin said:

Do not men with their external genital removed have issues with incontinence? Might be that.

 

Plus... Smell is a powerful tool for subliminal messaging. It is what people are going to remember more than tiny details.

This is my answer. Historically, eunuch were known to wear scent to cover for any possible odor from urine.

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Varys is such a compelling character that, I too, have spent a ton of time trying to figure out what he really is. He knows the tunnels and under workings of the Red Keep like none other so I'm convinced that he spends a lot of time down there. We do know he was a mummer so maybe masquerading is very natural to him and people can't figure out it's him. I'm not convinced that he's a FM, but the Sorrowful Men is an interesting idea considering the Lannister thing. 

How about all those theories out there about him being a merman or something from the sea? I know it's crazy and out there but this is the place to discuss these theories, right? Maybe he's using the tunnels to get to the Blackwater secretly and he needs strong smells to mask his fishyness lol

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  • 2 weeks later...
Quote

This is my answer. Historically, eunuch were known to wear scent to cover for any possible odor from urine.

it doesn't help Illyrio, why would it help Varys?

i realize Illyrio wasn't, "cut", but despite trading in spices and fragrances, and having an endless supply of money, he is not able to mask the smell of his urine and flesh.

IMO that is GRRM setting precedence...

i like what the poster said above about the human brain closely associating smells with memories. Varys, IMO, wants that scent implanted in his "subjects" memory...for whatever reason 

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On ‎10‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 6:25 AM, DigUpHerBones said:

it doesn't help Illyrio, why would it help Varys?

i realize Illyrio wasn't, "cut", but despite trading in spices and fragrances, and having an endless supply of money, he is not able to mask the smell of his urine and flesh.

IMO that is GRRM setting precedence...

i like what the poster said above about the human brain closely associating smells with memories. Varys, IMO, wants that scent implanted in his "subjects" memory...for whatever reason 

People always live in hope. Maybe it doesn't work, but as I said, historically eunuchs did wear scent to cover the scent of urine.

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  • 1 month later...

Well, being perfumed makes asshats underestimate him, because it is deemed to be effeminate, but also humans associate smell with all sorts of things, including individuals you spend a fair amount of time with. Thus if he smells different in whatever persona it makes people LESS likely to think of him as Varys, it's part of the disguise.

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