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Why Varys Wears Perfume


mankytoes

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It is often noted that Varys wears perfume. It's never really explained why. But we know he is the a master of disguise. Perfume is used to disguise smell. Is he disguising something?

I read Jung Chang's interesting book about Empress Dowager Cixi, who effectively ruled China in the late 19th century. My attention was pricked by a passage about court eunuchs, who of course were dispised and looked down upon, despite their high position. One reason they were hated, or at least why they were mocked, was because the castration process usually left them incontinent, and they often had to wear nappies.

So there you go, a central mystery solved. Varys wears perfume to cover up the smell when he wets himself. Really makes me see the character in a new light.

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You could be right about him using perfumes and colognes to cover up his own bad smell but I think it is also an aspect of his masterful disguise capabilities.  When he disguises himself he uses clothing, makeup and wigs to alter his appearance as well as consciously altering his posture and possibly introducing an unusual gate or limp.  It would make sense for him to alter his scent to accentuate his look. 

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I suspect GRRM would have said something if there was a piss problem with Varys. He is not shy about mentioning urination and bodily functions when they are relevant to a character or a situation. We later hear about the noble Yezzan zo Qaggaz who stinks so strongly of urine that perfume cannot hide the stench.

Varys is specifically identified with the smell of lavender. When he is in disguise, he deliberately applies other smells to his person, including sour wine and garlic. So one fragrance is his signature, the others are used as disguises, as indicated in the op.

It's possible that the lavender is part of the perfumed seneschal mystery, but GRRM doesn't refer to Varys' scent as perfume per se.

This reflection by Dany is interesting, though:

She wondered whether Aegon's Red Keep had a pool like this, and fragrant gardens full of lavender and mint. It must, surely. Viserys always said the Seven Kingdoms were more beautiful than any other place in the world.  (ACoK, Daenerys II)

Lavender is strongly associated with Varys and mint is strongly associated with Littlefinger. Does this reference hint that both Varys and Littlefinger are working behind the scenes to prepare the way for the Targaryens to return to the Red Keep?

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4 hours ago, mankytoes said:

It is often noted that Varys wears perfume. It's never really explained why. But we know he is the a master of disguise. Perfume is used to disguise smell. Is he disguising something?

I read Jung Chang's interesting book about Empress Dowager Cixi, who effectively ruled China in the late 19th century. My attention was pricked by a passage about court eunuchs, who of course were dispised and looked down upon, despite their high position. One reason they were hated, or at least why they were mocked, was because the castration process usually left them incontinent, and they often had to wear nappies.

So there you go, a central mystery solved. Varys wears perfume to cover up the smell when he wets himself. Really makes me see the character in a new light.

Possibly, but highly unlikely. Varys wears perfume to affect and effete image. Silks, slippers, perfumes, all are worn to create a delicate, non-threatening image to make him pass easily around royalty places like the small council. It also gives a major contrast to his rungen guise, or his soldier guise. Both fool tyrion  

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1 hour ago, Dorian Martell's son said:

Possibly, but highly unlikely. Varys wears perfume to affect and effete image. Silks, slippers, perfumes, all are worn to create a delicate, non-threatening image to make him pass easily around royalty places like the small council. It also gives a major contrast to his rungen guise, or his soldier guise. Both fool tyrion  

Yeah, I don't really think it's factual, I just thought it was an interesting theory, and it's almost impossible to come up with an original one, so I shared it.

I agree, really I think we should see his "effeminate spymaster" act as a character he plays, as much as his jailor or soldier part.

Although Seams makes a good point- his disguises always seem to include a smell, which would make sense if there was a different smell he needed to hide...

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He wears perfume so that people immediately associate particular sweet smells with Varys. When he's disguised as someone else, it's hard for people to recognize him as Varys. This happens with Ned in the dungeon in GoT. He notices how bad Varys smells in his disguise as a turnkey and can't believe it's actually Varys. It's part of his masterful art. "Varys" is also a character that he plays for court. 

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Lavender, lilacs, and lemon.

Roses too, but that spoils the alliteration.

Varys might use powders and potions to create effective glamours. And maybe more than just glamours. If Maester Pycelle is correct and he was born a slave in Lys, he might have been brought up in the alchemist's line of work. Being a slave, the more dangerous parts of that work. (remember the match girls? something like that).

That would explain why Varys, as a young child, learnt to read and write - because he needed to be able to make up these potions and powders according to precise recipes, in order for his master to run a profitable business in quality products. It would also explain why (and how?) he escaped his master, and why he hates magic (Not just because someone castrated him to skype a daemon, but also because Varys knows many 'magic' tricks very well, understands it better than most.)

I also think the perfume and powder could be used to conceal something else. For instance, could Varys be a squisher using perfume and powder to conceal his fishy smell and clammy skin?

He isn't the only person in Westeros to be perfumed and powdered.

Quote

“Is he the bad man?” the boy had asked, clutching his doll.
“He is,” the Lady Lysa had said from the lesser throne beside him. She was all in blue, powdered and perfumed for the suitors who filled her court.

(AGoT, Ch.38 Tyrion V)

Quote

Her aunt was drenched in sweet scent, though under that was a sour milky smell. Her cheek tasted of paint and powder.

(ASoS, Ch.68 Sansa VI)

We know that Lysa nearly died of a dose of poison when she was younger, that she became plump, with a blotchy complexion and a sour smell later on. Perhaps Varys resorts to cosmetics to conceal the same problems.

Or perhaps it is an affectation he picked up in Myr. We know that Vargo Hoat had "bowmen with powdered cheeks"(ACoK, Ch.30 Arya VII) in his company, and at a later point we learn "One of the crossbowmen kept shouting, “I soldier, I soldier,” in a thick Myrish accent."(ASoS, Ch.39 Arya VII) So perhaps powdered cheeks mean something warlike in Myr. Perhaps Varys had been a Myrish crossbowman at one time.

Whatever the reason for the powder, Eddard Stark seems unsettled by it. And Tyrion mentions it a lot in the first two books, too. We know Melisandre keeps pinches of various powders up her sleeve, and that maesters have that predilection as well. Perhaps Varys uses powder cosmetically so non-cosmetic powders can be concealed in his toiletries bag.

Or perhaps he is aware that bathing alone can't conceal all smells.

Quote

Ser Ryman drank as if Westeros was about to run short of wine, and sweated it all out under his arms. He had bathed in lemonwater, she judged, but no lemon could mask so much sour sweat.

(ASoS, Ch.51 Catelyn VII)

Or perhaps, Ser Ryman should try powder as well as bathing. And there are worse things than sour sweat to conceal.

Quote

[Yezzan]always smelled of piss, a stench so sharp that even heavy perfumes could not conceal it.

(ADwD, Ch.25 The Windblown) And there, that proves the OP's theory. Although later we learn of Yezzen that:

Quote

Ten years ago he went to Sothoryos, and he has been rotting from the inside out ever since.

(ADwD, Ch.47 Tyrion X)

Yoren smells of sweat and sour wine, and the man who pulled Sansa from her horse in the riot of Kings Landing had garlic breath - perhaps Varys is a faceless man and has assumed the identity of a dead man, Yoren or Rugen. Or perhaps the eunuch is an assumed identity, and Yoren or Rugen is a faceless man.

Lavender and lilac seem to be associated with Valyria, so perhaps his preference for these smells, and his purple garb, indicate Targaryen loyalties. Not just for Varys, for people like Lady Smallwood (whose daughter had a lilac dress decorated with seed pearls) too.

I've been meaning to take a good look at exactly what was going on where in KL just before Varys wafts in, and of what his different perfumes signify. I'm sure these scents are mentioned for particular reasons, especially the rose and the lemon. But I got distracted by the myriad other associations with lemons and roses, and never really got anything on smelly Varys.
So I'll just give you the quotes I had collected on his odours, in the hope that you can find something in them. I'm sure there is something in them. 
--
Lilac
His flesh was soft and moist, and his breath smelled of lilacs.(AGoT, Ch.18 Catelyn IV)

“I might have passed within a foot of you and never recognized you,” he said, incredulous. He had never seen the eunuch dress in anything but silk and velvet and the richest damasks, and this man smelled of sweat instead of lilacs.(AGoT, Ch.30 Eddard VII)    
--
Lavender
Varys entered in a wash of lavender, pink from his bath, his plump face scrubbed and
freshly powdered, his soft slippers all but soundless.(AGoT, Ch.49 Eddard XIV)
When they were done, Varys came gliding into the hall, wearing flowing lavender robes
that matched his smell.(ACoK, Ch.08 Tyrion II)
The scent of sour wine and garlic clung to Varys instead of lavender.(ACoK, Ch.15 Tyrion III)
It was Varys he thought of then, smiling and smelling of lavender. (AFfC, Ch.27 Jaime III)
Varys entered in a wash of powder and lavender.(AFfC, Ch.08 Jaime I)

She wondered whether Aegon’s Red Keep had a pool like this, and fragrant gardens full of lavender and mint.(ACoK, Ch.27 Daenerys II) [This is the only mention of lavender not directly associated with Varys. Also recalls the woman's head in the rainbow pool...eta: Aha! I see @Seams has quoted this one already.]
--
Roses
Powdered, primped, and smelling of rosewater, the Spider rubbed his hands one over
the other all the time he spoke.(ASoS,Ch.66 Tyrion IX)
--
Undifferentiated Flowers
His hand left powder stains on Ned’s sleeve, and he smelled as foul and sweet as flowers on a grave.(AGoT, Ch.20 Eddard IV)
Lord Varys hovered over them, smelling flowery.(AGoT, Ch.51 Sansa IV)
--
Lemons
The eunuch was humming tunelessly to himself as he came through the door, dressed in flowing robes of peach-colored silk and smelling of lemons.(ASoS, Ch.12 Tyrion II)

Beyond a line of stony hills the grass grew greener and more lush, and there were lemon orchards watered by a spider’s web of old canals. (AFfC, Ch.21 The Queenmaker)[Not directly associated with Varys, but interesting]
--
Powder
plump, perfumed, powdered, and as hairless as an egg. He wore a vest of woven gold thread over a loose gown of purple silk, and on his feet were pointed slippers of soft velvet.(AGoT, Ch.18 Catelyn IV)
“If?” Varys asked softly, wringing powdered hands together.(AGoT, Ch.33 Eddard VIII)
He stroked a powdered cheek.(AGoT, Ch.33 Eddard VIII)
The eunuch stroked a plump, powdered cheek.(AGoT, Ch.43 Eddard XI)
He wore a black velvet robe that brushed the floor, and his face was freshly powdered.(AGoT, Ch.47 Eddard XIII)
The eunuch Varys took the letter and turned it in his delicate powdered hands.(ACoK,Ch.03 Tyrion I)
a soft eunuch’s smile on his powdered face.(ACoK,Ch.03 Tyrion I)
The eunuch rubbed his powdered hands together.(ACoK,Ch.03 Tyrion I)
“Why are you so helpful, my lord Varys?” he asked, studying the man’s soft hands, the bald powdered face, the slimy little smile.(ACoK, Ch.08 Tyrion II)
Galt of the Stone Crows informed him not an hour later that the powdered man was at his door.(ACoK, Ch.17 Tyrion IV)
Varys stroked a powdered cheek.(ACoK, Ch.17 Tyrion IV)
Varys stroked a powdered cheek.(ACoK, Ch.25 Tyrion VI)
The eunuch stroked a powdered cheek. (ASoS, Ch.12 Tyrion II)
clutching a crossbow in soft powdered hands.(ADwD, Epilogue)
--

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On ‎9‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 9:20 AM, mankytoes said:

It is often noted that Varys wears perfume. It's never really explained why. But we know he is the a master of disguise. Perfume is used to disguise smell. Is he disguising something?

I read Jung Chang's interesting book about Empress Dowager Cixi, who effectively ruled China in the late 19th century. My attention was pricked by a passage about court eunuchs, who of course were dispised and looked down upon, despite their high position. One reason they were hated, or at least why they were mocked, was because the castration process usually left them incontinent, and they often had to wear nappies.

So there you go, a central mystery solved. Varys wears perfume to cover up the smell when he wets himself. Really makes me see the character in a new light.

And this is assuming that Varys in, in fact, a eunuch. But he seems to turn this persona on and off, like any good mummer:

Quote

"I will not keep you long, my lord. There are things you must know. You are the King's Hand and the king is a fool." The eunuch's cloying tones were gone; now his voice was thin and sharp as a whip.

Quote

"My lord, you once asked me how I was cut."

"I recall," said Tyrion. "You did not want to talk of it."

"Nor do I, but . . ." This pause was longer than the one before, and when Varys spoke again his voice was different somehow.

 

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On 16/09/2017 at 2:20 PM, mankytoes said:

 Is he disguising something?

Lol, yup! 

It's a no-brainer. Varys does indeed use disguises, that's irrefutable. The use of perfume is to be expected. 

Imagine what things must of been like before you could grab a tin of deodorant for cheap? If you worked in the stables you would smell smell of sh*t. If you worked at the harbor, you'd smell of fish. If you worked as a blacksmith, you'd smell of rust and smoke. 

Varys needs to be many people. His scent is part of his disguise. It by itself means no more than he is trying to cover a different smell. Which is why you buy perfume anyway. So.... 

If he impersonated a stable boy, he need only pull on the relevant rags, smear himself in dung and hey presto! His origins as a mummer gives him the added ability to adjust his behavior accordingly, so he really can slip into the background, so-to-speak. 

When you think about it, perfume is a lie; It's always a lie; It's there to deceive. 

So Varys and perfume go together like bangers and mash. 

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2 hours ago, TheThreeEyedCow said:

Lol, yup! 

It's a no-brainer. Varys does indeed use disguises, that's irrefutable. The use of perfume is to be expected. 

Imagine what things must of been like before you could grab a tin of deodorant for cheap? If you worked in the stables you would smell smell of sh*t. If you worked at the harbor, you'd smell of fish. If you worked as a blacksmith, you'd smell of rust and smoke. 

Varys needs to be many people. His scent is part of his disguise. It by itself means no more than he is trying to cover a different smell. Which is why you buy perfume anyway. So.... 

If he impersonated a stable boy, he need only pull on the relevant rags, smear himself in dung and hey presto! His origins as a mummer gives him the added ability to adjust his behavior accordingly, so he really can slip into the background, so-to-speak. 

When you think about it, perfume is a lie; It's always a lie; It's there to deceive. 

So Varys and perfume go together like bangers and mash. 

It's an interesting thought, I guess BO was just a normal smell that people were used to, especially considering how even the rich didn't wash regularly.

Seeing as most men don't seem to wear perfume, it doesn't help him fit in, it makes him stand out. I think part of it may be to make him seem more effeminate, and thus more powerless, in a patriachial world.

As for him really not being a eunuch, I'd say it's more likely "he" is really a woman, and Aegon's mother, but either revalation I think would just come across as cheap, soap opera type sensationalism. Varys is a fascinating character without that kind of twist.

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On 9/16/2017 at 1:51 PM, Seams said:

I suspect GRRM would have said something if there was a piss problem with Varys. He is not shy about mentioning urination and bodily functions when they are relevant to a character or a situation. We later hear about the noble Yezzan zo Qaggaz who stinks so strongly of urine that perfume cannot hide the stench.

Varys is specifically identified with the smell of lavender. When he is in disguise, he deliberately applies other smells to his person, including sour wine and garlic. So one fragrance is his signature, the others are used as disguises, as indicated in the op.

It's possible that the lavender is part of the perfumed seneschal mystery, but GRRM doesn't refer to Varys' scent as perfume per se.

This reflection by Dany is interesting, though:

She wondered whether Aegon's Red Keep had a pool like this, and fragrant gardens full of lavender and mint. It must, surely. Viserys always said the Seven Kingdoms were more beautiful than any other place in the world.  (ACoK, Daenerys II)

Lavender is strongly associated with Varys and mint is strongly associated with Littlefinger. Does this reference hint that both Varys and Littlefinger are working behind the scenes to prepare the way for the Targaryens to return to the Red Keep?

Wow! That's a freaking awesome catch. :thumbsup:

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To go a bit tinfoily, if Varys actually knows a lot more than he lets on, then it makes sense for him to wear perfume, because his enemies have access to animals with a superior sense of smell. If he does nothing to alter or mask his scent folks like Bloodraven could always know where he is if they wanted.

Remember when the catspaw attacked Bran, he had slept in the stables for days for some reason and smelled like horseshit. Summer is also relatively slow to react to his presence - slow enough that if Cat had not been there he likely would have been successful - though killed in the process. So it's possible sleeping in the stables to hide him from the direwolves was part of his plan or the plan of whoever sent him.

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On 9/16/2017 at 0:11 PM, White Ravens said:

You could be right about him using perfumes and colognes to cover up his own bad smell but I think it is also an aspect of his masterful disguise capabilities.  When he disguises himself he uses clothing, makeup and wigs to alter his appearance as well as consciously altering his posture and possibly introducing an unusual gate or limp.  It would make sense for him to alter his scent to accentuate his look. 

As I keep returning to this thread, I am more persuaded that this is right: Varys the Eunuch is a disguise as much as any of the other disguises we see him wear. The lavender may be his prevailing aroma, but that could just mean that there is an underlying persona the reader has not yet seen (or is not yet aware of seeing)

From the Dunk & Egg stories, we know that Bloodraven used convincing disguises. I wonder whether we are supposed to see Varys as the Bloodraven of his generation? Maybe his bald head is like Egg's bald head, a deliberate measure to hide his tell-tale Targ hair? Bloodraven had a wine stain birthmark; Varys uses sour wine as a disguise. Only little details at this point, but maybe they start to add up.

On 9/17/2017 at 11:23 AM, Walda said:

Lavender, lilacs, and lemon.

Roses too, but that spoils the alliteration.

Varys might use powders and potions to create effective glamours. And maybe more than just glamours. . . .

Whatever the reason for the powder, Eddard Stark seems unsettled by it. And Tyrion mentions it a lot in the first two books, too. We know Melisandre keeps pinches of various powders up her sleeve, and that maesters have that predilection as well. Perhaps Varys uses powder cosmetically so non-cosmetic powders can be concealed in his toiletries bag. . . .

 

Yoren smells of sweat and sour wine, and the man who pulled Sansa from her horse in the riot of Kings Landing had garlic breath - perhaps Varys is a faceless man and has assumed the identity of a dead man, Yoren or Rugen. Or perhaps the eunuch is an assumed identity, and Yoren or Rugen is a faceless man.

 

Lavender and lilac seem to be associated with Valyria, so perhaps his preference for these smells, and his purple garb, indicate Targaryen loyalties. . . .

Lilac
Lavender
Roses
Undifferentiated Flowers
Lemons
Powder
plump, perfumed, powdered, and as hairless as an egg. He wore a vest of woven gold thread over a loose gown of purple silk, and on his feet were pointed slippers of soft velvet.(AGoT, Ch.18 Catelyn IV)

Some really interesting ideas here, and a very comprehensive set of quotes (in your original version of this post).

The possible connection between Yoren and Varys blows my mind. (I notice that The Hound also smells of sweat and sour wine when he tells Sansa that he could protect her in the unkiss scene.) It doesn't seem possible that Varys and Yoren would be the same person, but the common smell could be a hint that they are linked. In all three cases - Yoren, Rugen and The Hound - a pledge is made to protect a Stark and the promise is either rejected or not delivered as promised.

Hmm. Looking at the descriptions of Yoren now, I don't see that he is part of the sweat and sour wine group: he is described as unwashed, stinky and sour, though. Those could be deliberate aromas, cultivated for a disguise. He shows up to talk to Ned after riding in alone from the situation at the inn at the crossroads, where Catelyn has taken Tyrion prisoner. So we get no corroborating evidence or character witnesses who can prove that he is who he says he is, a recruiter for the Night's Watch. If he is a regular recruiter, thought, it makes sense that Yoren would have a tight relationship with Rugen, who is almost certainly Varys, and who controls the flow of prisoners through the black cells in the dungeon of the Red Keep. Yoren draws on prisoners as recruits for the Night's Watch.

The powder connection to Varys is also very strong, and I hadn't noticed it until seeing your post. If Varys does have something to cover, like Bloodraven's wine stain, the frequent mentions of powder and his stroking of his powdered cheek could be hints about this. Dunk (Ser Duncan the Tall) incurs a notable scar on his cheek (and for wordplay lovers, there is a whole plot revolving around the Chequy Water). Sandor Clegane and Brienne both suffer cheek wounds. Maybe Varys is tied to these Dunk-related characters, but is hiding his cheek wound.

Powder could also be a hint about snow, and that might explain why Ned is unsettled by the powder of Varys. Maybe the symbolism is that powder / snow is only a thin disguise, and the real person is only temporarily obscured by a light dusting of powder or by a bastard's surname. Maybe Varys is showing Ned that he knows that Ned's "bastard son" has a hidden identity.

I believe that Catelyn IV quote is the reader's initial introduction to Varys and the egg comparison has to be significant. Seems like a pretty obvious allusion to Targaryens, with their unhatched dragon eggs, their "Aegon = egg" nicknames and the shaved bald head of Aegon V during his travels with Dunk. Purple is a royal color - Dany's first outfit in her intro to the reader is plum silk.

Maybe these little details add up!

P.S. If Varys is a hidden Targ, I'm thinking he might be one of Rhaella's babies, reported to have died in infancy but perhaps smuggled out of the Red Keep as the Queen realized that someone was poisoning her infants. A topic for another thread, perhaps, but here are some possibilities and a particularly likely candidate, imho, given the introductory comparison of Varys to an egg:

Relations between the king and queen grew even more strained when Rhaella proved unable to give Aerys any further children. Miscarriages in 263 and 264 were followed by a stillborn daughter born in 267. Prince Daeron, born in 269, survived for only half a year. Then came another stillbirth in 270, another miscarriage in 271, and Prince Aegon, born two turns premature in 272, dead in 273. . . .

The march of the king's madness seemed to abate for a time in 274 AC, when Queen Rhaella gave birth to a son. So profound was His Grace's joy that it seemed to restore him to his old self once again...but Prince Jaehaerys died later that same year, plunging Aerys into despair. (The World of Ice and Fire - The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II)

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