The Brightfyre theory

[theREALjonsnow]

Of course that occurred to me, but this part of the OP confuses that line of reasoning:

"In our alternative Faegon is the child of a union between Illyrio Blackfyre and Serra Brightflame*, thus producing a child (Faegon) that unites the claims of both lines in one person"

If he's Illyrio Backfyre, then he's a male Blackfyre. no? Just pointing out where clarification may be necessary. :)

My question still stands-- doesn't it work equally well in the reverse? (Maybe a tiny bit better as it would place fAegon's male descent squarely in the main branch of the family?)

same question i was going to ask.also i have long thought Ilyrio was a brightflame as you have put it. which explains his and varys chance encounter being the meeting of exiled dragons...

is varys a warg? use of mice and little birds and the appearance of the king of the black cats at Red Keep around the time of his arrival suggest so...

and as to varys being from lys... the cheesemonger says they met as green boys in pentos and tyrion attempts to confirm the tale spun by the spider that he was from myr. might be i misread...

[Lady Gwynhyfvar]

Well you know females can and do transfer their former house name to their sons and daughters.. Otherwise house martell wouldn’t be ruling dorne today still. Virtually no house could keep their original name,..

During the hornwood inheritance controversy, the best claim was of Beren Tallhart son of Berena Hornwood (Sister of the late Lord hornwood). Lord Tallhart offered his son as heir to hornwood and one possibility was him taking the name Hornwood to keep the house alive.

The same could happen in (f)Aegon´s case.

Right, I know these things. My point was that the OP requires clarification on the issue.

My second question-- whether it works just as well in the reverse-- hasn't been addressed, but I'll hope Veltigar will do that :)

To be clear-- I agree with this theory. I'm just interested what makes those involved here pick Illyrio as a Blackfyre and Serra as a Brightflame, rather than the reverse.

[Aerys Ahai Reborn]

I admit, I really like this theory. I'm not sure if I believe it yet, though I WANT TO BELIEVE. As I said in the other thread that was discussing this: It makes sense of Moqorro's dragons, and it makes sense why Varys and Serra are from Lys. It also makes more sense of if Illyrio had the Blackfyre sword. Also the fact that Varys Brightflame is a mummer is perfect considering Aerion in THK.

Also, I'm not sure about this, but I think aCoK is the first book that GRRM wrote with hints of who would be presented as Aegon (aGoT did not have any as so far as I am aware, yes?). So that Aerion's son is mentioned in this book and not aGoT works better. Also I like the idea of this first hint being hidden in Mormont's spiel about how Amnion was passed over for king - which reminds me of the basis for a crackpot theory I like and believe in, Timett son of Timett being a secret heir which rests on Petyr's long spiel about why Harry the Heir is (supposedly) the Arryn heir.

I think Serra may be just a whore because unlike Tyrion (a Targ Bastard imho) Serra got and died of grey scale. Tyrion didn't get when in direct contact and we see from Daenerys that Targs apparently (who knows for sure) have a great immune system. I guess if she was Brightflame descendent her blood could be deluded.

This is BS. Targaryens are not immune to greyscale or other diseases. Many Targaryens have died in the Great Spring Sickness. And we have GRRM saying Tyrion's father named him, so unless Aerys named Tyrion I do not buy that he is a Targ bastard.

[The Weirwoods Eyes]

Yes Targs are clearly NOT immune to illness or fire, Spring sickness, summer hall, Dany's sickness in the Dothraki sea at the end of ADWD which IMO lead to a M/C was food poisoning from the berries. Aemon dies from what seems to be pneumonia.

[Ingelheim]

Good theory. It has evidences, and I'm sold on it now :)

[Lord Martin]

I am a supporter of what the OP calls the "Classic Blackfyre theory" and I don't see how the addition of "House Brightflame" makes for a more coherent theory. In fact, I'm not entirely sure what the proposed theory is? Is Serra supposed to be descended from the bastards in Lys or the Son passed over at the Great Council?

Aerion was in Lys for a few years, true enough. He was exiled in 209 and spent a "few" years there. So if Serra is descended from a Targ-bastard, she is several generations down, a grand daughter or perhaps great grand daughter. If we follow the argument that she is descended from the Lyseni bastards: say Aerion gets a whore pregnant around 210, she has a baby in 211. That baby could have procreated as well producing Serra's parent around 235 who eventually had Serra in 255 so she could birth Faegon around 282. That would be 3 generations from Serra to Aerion.

How would she plausibly know her own heritage? How would that be preserved? And would it be preserved enough to motivate the players as much as it seems to? Aerion does not seem the fatherly type, so I'm not believing any notions he wrote letters or checked in on his bastards. And Serra was found by Illyrio in a pillow house which gives strong indication she wouldn't have a good sense of her own family history. She could have come from anywhere?

Jon mentions Aerion's son who was an infant at the time of the Great Council, that was 20 years after Aerion's exile. This implies that the son was legitimate else wise he wouldn't have been a candidate at all. Admittedly we are never told that Aerion married, so its really not clear if that infant son is a bastard or not. What is clear is that the infant son is not one of the children Aerion fathered in Lys. Admittedly, we now nothing about what happened to this son - but that's proof of nothing, it certainly doesn't support Brightflame over the Classic BF theory.

As for Serra having Valyrian looks, that cuts both ways and no way. Half the whores in Lys have Valyrian looks, and whether she's a Brightflame or Blackfyre, it could work. Also, her looks are only quasi-Valyrian, blue eyes not purple.

I can believe that Varys shaves his head to hide Targ features, but again, I see no reason why this suggests Brightflame and not Blackfyre.

[Aerys Ahai Reborn]

snip

Just about all of this is answered in the OP.

Besides maybe:

What is clear is that the infant son is not one of the children Aerion fathered in Lys. Admittedly, we now nothing about what happened to this son - but that's proof of nothing, it certainly doesn't support Brightflame over the Classic BF theory.

Which is wrong. We do not know if this child was fathered in Lys or Westeros or anywhere else. It is quite possible he did live in Lys, or not. But it makse more sense, imo, that this infant became a slave in Lys than that a female Blackfyre did.

[Frey family reunion]

I'm good with Varys as a Brightflame.

and I'm ok with Sera as a Balckfyre esp with Illyrio's line about the Blackfyre surviving in the female line.

I'm not getting an impression that Illyrio is a secret Targaryen, however. My sneaking suspicion is that Illyrio's main concern is with the overthrow of Volantis. My guess is he may be a descendant of the Lysian (sp?) exile from the days of Aegon the conqueror.

[Lord Martin]

Just about all of this is answered in the OP.

Besides maybe:

Which is wrong. We do not know if this child was fathered in Lys or Westeros or anywhere else. It is quite possible he did live in Lys, or not. But it makse more sense, imo, that this infant became a slave in Lys than that a female Blackfyre did.

None of it is answered in the OP, what are you talking about?

Where does the OP discuss generational preservation of House Brightflame? Where does he discuss the "few" years spent in exile and the return to Westeros? Heck, the OP doesn't even distinguish between the infant son passed over and the Lyseni Bastards (which incidentally only "maybe" exist according to a SSM which is now 16 years old).

There is zero textual support to establish a Brightflame theory is more sound than pure Blackfyre.

Point 1: I largely agree with, it supports the Blackfyre theory.

Point 2: (and the one I take most issue with) has hardly any support:

The first piece of evidence is "Aerion went to Lys"... so what. So did all the Lannister men of Tywin's generation. Hey Lannisters are blond, Illyrio is blond, Illyrio = Secret Lannister? There were Blackfyre descendants all over the Free Cities too. At least the text hints that House Blackfyre survives in the female line, no such hint is made for Brightflame.

Jon's mention of Aerion. What is this evidence of, other than his existence? So Brightflame has an infant son back in 232? And then what? Again, even the OP can't seem to decide if Serra's ancestor is this son or the Lyseni-bastards.

The "bright" dragon mentioned by Moqorro is the only conceivable hint, but it could mean a million other things as well. The actual quote is "dragons old and young, true and false, bright and dark." False or dark or both could apply just as easily as bright. We know that the true Dragon is Dany.

Point 3: Again, no real issue here.

Point 4:

Serra has Valyrian looks. First, no she doesn't, she has blue eyes not purple. Second, half the whores in Lys have Valyrian looks, just ask The Titans Bastard. Valyrian looks means squat. It means double squat when debating which Targ branch the person fell off.

Varys shaves his head b/c he's of Valyrian descent. Agree completely... but why does that suggest Brightflame instead of Blackfyre or Targaryen? Same as Serra, Valyrian traits mean squat when trying to decide which branch of the tree they come from.

They both have connections to Lys, again a fact that is neutral when debating Blackfyre vs. Brightflame.

The same is true of King's Blood.

Point 5:

Illyrio = Warrior therefore Illyrio= Blackfyre? Oh, so Robert Baratheon, Duncan the Tall, Barristan Selmy and Arthur Dayne are Blackfyre's too? This conclusion based on evidence is so weak I shouldn't even have to respond to it.

Using Fat and Corrupt to link Illyrio and Aegon IV, is a real stretch. Are all fat and corrupt people secret Targs, or just ones we want to fit certain theories?

Mummers and mummers... cute, but not evidence.

Ties up loose ends? Hardly, it creates more than it ties up. For instance, good luck explaining how 3 or 4 generations of Aerion's descendants have been floating around for over 75 years only to surface now. What the OP said is, "the same 'could' be said of Aerion." Lots of things could happen, not evidence.

Irony is also not evidence, nor is there any explanation as to why some combination of an exiled, rebel branch of a house gets a better claim than the trueborn daughter of the last Targaryen king.

Better explains Valyrian traits? I guess, but no more so than if two blue eyed blonds got it on.

Makes more sense thematically? That's personal opinion not evidence.

Better explains Illyrio's trust in the GC? The GC is a Blackfyre group and therefore better supports the Blackfyre theory. Aerion fought with the Second Sons and note they are nowhere near Illyrio.

As for the passed over son. We know that King Maekar took the throne in 221 and asked ALL his sons to come serve on the Small Council and we know Aemon refused. So Aerion was in King's Landing or at least Westeros from 221-232.

So where again was all this flushed out in the OP? All I saw was a bunch of maybes and could haves...

[J. Stargaryen]

_ In THK, the first time we are really introduced to Aerion’s madness is when we see him abuse his power to manhandle a bunch of mummers because the dragon in their puppet show died. Therefore there is a lot of irony in Aerion’s descendant being a mummer himself (Varys) and is about to bring his own mummer’s dragon into the game

In addition to this, Aerion used to threaten to castrate Egg and Varys is a eunuch.

Something else that seems like it might be a clue to me is the story of how Varys was cut.

“One day at Myr, a certain man came to our folly. After the performance, he made an offer for me that my master found too tempting to refuse. I was in terror. I feared the man meant to use me as I had heard men used small boys, but in truth the only part of me he had need of was my manhood. He gave me a potion that made me powerless to move or speak, yet did nothing to dull my senses. With a long hooked blade, he sliced me root and stem, chanting all the while. I watched him burn my manly parts on a brazier. The flames turned blue, and I heard a voice answer his call, though I did not understand the words they spoke."

- ACoK, Tyrion X

Someone already mentioned the Sapphires = Secrets thread here. I think a lot of those secrets are secret identities. Even just with the color blue. You have JonCon and Aegon dying their hair blue. The blue roses, which are symbolic of R+L=J. If you look at all of the sapphire mentions surrounding Brienne – well, what mission did Cat give her? To bring back Sansa and Arya. But there is no Sansa, only Alayne. And Arya has had half a hundred different names since she escaped KL.

Anyway, it just struck me that the flames turning blue in Varys' story might be another clue along these lines. And of course it's not just the color blue that would be important here, but the fact that it's a flame that turns blue. Which would, if I had to guess, indicate a link to House Targaryen.

[Aerys Ahai Reborn]

Again, even the OP can't seem to decide if Serra's ancestor is this son or the Lyseni-bastards.

The "bright" dragon mentioned by Moqorro is the only conceivable hint, but it could mean a million other things as well. The actual quote is "dragons old and young, true and false, bright and dark." False or dark or both could apply just as easily as bright. We know that the true Dragon is Dany.

Too lazy to respond to all of what you posted.

But the OP clearly says Serra's ancestor is the son.

And we do not know the true dragon is Dany. I think it is Jon, and I think Dany is the young dragon.

My take on that is: Old=Aemon, Young=Dany, True=Jon, False=Aegon, Bright=Varys, Dark=Illyrio

[Mithras]

As one of the first people who thought that Moqorro's Bright Dragon might be a Brightflame, I now believe that Aerion's infant son who was passed over by the Great Council in 233 should be included in this scheme and he must be of great importance. What we know about this kid?

1) He was an infant at 233 so he was born much later than Aerion's exile in Lys (which happened around 211).

2) He was a trueborn son, otherwise he would not have any claim to the IT.

3) And hell yeah, he should have been the rightful king.

The reason why he was passed over by the Great Council comes from Mormont (no sane man wanted any blood of Aerion on the IT). We have every reason to believe that Mormont got this knowledge from Aemon himself. So this is Aemon's account and it is trustworthy as the statement of a wolf against a sheep. And this is a really lame excuse. Much worse kings reigned before Aerion. The kid was not mad yet. Egg could have been his Hand and the realm could do just fine.

Therefore, for Aerion's trueborn son, Egg usurped his throne and his line are all usurpers. Now this kind of conflicts have a really strong ground and are prone to haunt the dynasty for centuries. That is exactly what happened with the Blackfyres. They really had a good case in the First Blackfyre Rebellion. That is why this conflict endured more than a centrury.

The mother of Aerion's trueborn son is also very important. He probably was not married by one of his sisters. He most probably married during the reign of Aerys. I have no evidence but I think the most suitable bride for him other than the traditional Targaryen bride producing houses (like Velaryons) or the cousin Targaryens is a Martell descended from Daenaerys I and Maron Martell. To see the importance of such a bride, let us consider the Blackfyre POV.

Blackfyres think that (and I think they are right about it), Daeron II was the bastard son of Aemon the Dragonknight; Hence, he had no claim to the IT and all his line is bastard bred usurpers.

Aegon IV himself most probably suspected this possible bastardy of Daeron II. That is why he gave the Blackfyre to his natural son Daemon. We dont know when Aemon the Dragonknight died but he died before the end of Aegon IV's reign in 184. We dont know when Daenaerys was born but surely that was before 184 because, you know, her father died in 184. Note that her big brother Daeron was much older than her, he even had sons of himself older than her. So was Daenaerys the last hope of Aegon IV to father a %100 trueborn son after Aemon's death? That would be a good possibilty and makes sense. He could easily disinherit his older son and declare this new son of him as the crown prince. However, he had a daughter. I think that is why he legitimized all his great bastards by this disappointment.

In short, this is what I am trying to say: It is likely that Daenarys was really the daughter of Aegon IV and Naerys. That means, all the Martells descended from Daenaerys are trueborn relatives according to the Blackfyres. As previously stated, if Aerion married a Martell, his infant son is legitimate through his mother according to the Blackfyres. The union of a two legitimate branches of Targaryens to overthrow the usurper line sounds good.

This also means that Arianne was the one and only princess meant for fAegon. I think they are preparing him for her for a long time. Because she is a trueborn descendant of Daenaerys I.

If Varys is the son and heir of Aerion's infant son, then his castration might be an enormous sacrifice to hire a FM. I have a gut feeling that Tragedy of Summerhal was sabotaged by a FM and the price was paid by Varys' manhood parts (as well as his claim to the IT). Varys looks like he had the same basic FM training Arya has been following. So it is possible that he was also donated to the HoB&W just like the Waif.

[Frey family reunion]

Too lazy to respond to all of what you posted.

But the OP clearly says Serra's ancestor is the son.

And we do not know the true dragon is Dany. I think it is Jon, and I think Dany is the young dragon.

My take on that is: Old=Aemon, Young=Dany, True=Jon, False=Aegon, Bright=Varys, Dark=Illyrio

If Varys's sister is Serra then she would also be a "bright" dragon and if Illyrio is a "dark" dragon then why would their child Aegon be a false dragon?

[Paeon]

Very interesting OP, I like it. Especially since it creates a more believable incentive for Illyrio and Varys to plot a take over of the throne (as they see Aegon as a true contender for the throne having previously been passed over without good reason). I always wondering what happened to Aerion.

Quick question, has anyone else in the novels made the claim that the Blackfyres were extinguished in the male line only besides Illyrio? If not, how could he come across this knowledge. If so, who would possibly be able to confirm this? The way he said it sounds like he has some first hand knowledge on the subject (hint hint). This could mean he is a Blackfyre descendant, or is a close confident of a Blackfyre descendant (Varys).

Also I don't really buy the Serra being a whore in a Lysene pillow house. Out of the many Targ look alikes in Lys, he just happened to sleep with, and fall in love with, one of the few Blackfyre/Brightflame descendants still alive? We have a lady with King's blood just hanging bedding anyone for some silver, and all of a sudden decides to join a plot to take the Iron Throne? Just way too convenient for me and sounds like he just doesn't want to tell the whole truth to Tyrion at the moment. Which is justified of course, but the best lie has some truth mixed in doesn't it?

A pillow house would be a great front to hide Blackfyre descendants, if part of Illyrio's story is to be believed then it would match up with Serra's origin of being from Lys. Varys also admitted he was from Lys as well. We already had Catelyn Stark hiding successfully in a whore house, why not the Blackfyres?

I think it was far more likely Varys and Serra were siblings, and Varys introduced Serra to him with the intention of moving forward with their plot. Much more simple.

I don't think either of them were ever slaves either. Varys could have very well run away as a child, but just captured by someone who got a hint of his heritage looking for some King's blood (or the ever powerful King's Penis lol). Varys' past castration could even have been a catalyst for his agreement with Illyrio as he would not have been able to further the line with his sister. Would also explain his absolute hate for magic as it pretty much made his own claim to the throne useless it would be lost once he died with no descendants.

In terms of Blackfyre vs Brightflame, I would peg Illyrio as the Brightflame as he was not too concerned about hiding. But Serra and Varys would make more sense as Blackfyres. Who knows maybe their mother was a whore in that same pillow house and they never left! It also explains why it seems that Varys is much more invested in the plot.

[Aerys Ahai Reborn]

If Varys's sister is Serra then she would also be a "bright" dragon and if Illyrio is a "dark" dragon then why would their child Aegon be a false dragon?

Tyrion never snarled in the midst of Serra. The child is false because be is not Rhaegar's son. A false dragon is still a dragon.

[Frey family reunion]

Tyrion never snarled in the midst of Serra. The child is false because be is not Rhaegar's son. A false dragon is still a dragon.

No I understand that Tyrio will never meet Serra, but she is under your theory still a Brightflame Targaryen so if she marries a Blackfyre dragon then her child would be a dragon. I guess you are arguing that the child is a false dragon because he is not the dragon that he claims and believes himself to be.

So Jon is a true dragon because while he does not believe or claim himself to be a dragon he is actually a dragon?

Ok, I guess I can live with that.

[Lord Martin]

-snip

Based on this, I'd be more apt to believe it was Brightflame's passed over son who cut Varys. If he inherited his father's cruelty the castration part works well. Also, it would give Varys more motivation to hate true Targs and press Blackfyre interests over them. It would also be consistent with House Targaryen's repeated attempts to hatch dragons eggs, we don't know what happened to Brightflame's and his infant son would be a likely possessor of the egg.

Incidentally, it also supports the Blackfyre theory very well.

But the OP clearly says Serra's ancestor is the son.

No, it doesn't. Quote it please if you really think so. He mentions both at different points but I've shown (with textual evidence) that they are two different sets of offspring.

If Varys's sister is Serra then she would also be a "bright" dragon and if Illyrio is a "dark" dragon then why would their child Aegon be a false dragon?

This.

Tyrion never snarled in the midst of Serra. The child is false because be is not Rhaegar's son. A false dragon is still a dragon.

This is so silly I am starting to think you're trolling....

Then what is the significance of the word "false" here? Any theory that rests on "a false dragon is still a dragon" is dead in the water. That makes less sense than Mark Mullendore's monkey.

[Aerys Ahai Reborn]

No I understand that Tyrio will never meet Serra, but she is under your theory still a Brightflame Targaryen so if she marries a Blackfyre dragon then her child would be a dragon. I guess you are arguing that the child is a false dragon because he is not the dragon that he claims and believes himself to be.

So Jon is a true dragon because while he does not believe or claim himself to be a dragon he is actually a dragon?

Ok, I guess I can live with that.

Yes, also the pairings matter. Young and Old are both undoubted Targaryens from the first book. Bright and Dark are co-conspirators. True and False on who is Rhaegar's son and heir.

No, it doesn't. Quote it please if you really think so.

_ There is a certain irony in the fact that the Brightfyre theory makes Faegon’s claim even better in the sense that in unites both the older Targaryen and the BF claim, thus you could say that this trumps the claim Dany and Jon have.

This is so silly I am starting to think you're trolling....

Then what is the significance of the word "false" here? Any theory that rests on "a false dragon is still a dragon" is dead in the water.

Sorry. How is that silly? How is that trolling?

The significance is that he is false in who he thinks and claims to be, was that not obvious? The dragon is playing everyone false. The dragon is false in being Rhaegar's son. And if this false dragon was not a false dragon, then why did Moqorro include it in the dragons Tyrion snarls in the midst of?

[Frey family reunion]

As one of the first people who thought that Moqorro's Bright Dragon might be a Brightflame, I now believe that Aerion's infant son who was passed over by the Great Council in 233 should be included in this scheme and he must be of great importance. What we know about this kid?

1) He was an infant at 233 so he was born much later than Aerion's exile in Lys (which happened around 211).

2) He was a trueborn son, otherwise he would not have any claim to the IT.

3) And hell yeah, he should have been the rightful king.

The reason why he was passed over by the Great Council comes from Mormont (no sane man wanted any blood of Aerion on the IT). We have every reason to believe that Mormont got this knowledge from Aemon himself. So this is Aemon's account and it is trustworthy as the statement of a wolf against a sheep. And this is a really lame excuse. Much worse kings reigned before Aerion. The kid was not mad yet. Egg could have been his Hand and the realm could do just fine.

Therefore, for Aerion's trueborn son, Egg usurped his throne and his line are all usurpers. Now this kind of conflicts have a really strong ground and are prone to haunt the dynasty for centuries. That is exactly what happened with the Blackfyres. They really had a good case in the First Blackfyre Rebellion. That is why this conflict endured more than a centrury.

The mother of Aerion's trueborn son is also very important. He probably was not married by one of his sisters. He most probably married during the reign of Aerys. I have no evidence but I think the most suitable bride for him other than the traditional Targaryen bride producing houses (like Velaryons) or the cousin Targaryens is a Martell descended from Daenaerys I and Maron Martell. To see the importance of such a bride, let us consider the Blackfyre POV.

Blackfyres think that (and I think they are right about it), Daeron II was the bastard son of Aemon the Dragonknight; Hence, he had no claim to the IT and all his line is bastard bred usurpers.

Aegon IV himself most probably suspected this possible bastardy of Daeron II. That is why he gave the Blackfyre to his natural son Daemon. We dont know when Aemon the Dragonknight died but he died before the end of Aegon IV's reign in 184. We dont know when Daenaerys was born but surely that was before 184 because, you know, her father died in 184. Note that her big brother Daeron was much older than her, he even had sons of himself older than her. So was Daenaerys the last hope of Aegon IV to father a %100 trueborn son after Aemon's death? That would be a good possibilty and makes sense. He could easily disinherit his older son and declare this new son of him as the crown prince. However, he had a daughter. I think that is why he legitimized all his great bastards by this disappointment.

In short, this is what I am trying to say: It is likely that Daenarys was really the daughter of Aegon IV and Naerys. That means, all the Martells descended from Daenaerys are trueborn relatives according to the Blackfyres. As previously stated, if Aerion married a Martell, his infant son is legitimate through his mother according to the Blackfyres. The union of a two legitimate branches of Targaryens to overthrow the usurper line sounds good.

This also means that Arianne was the one and only princess meant for fAegon. I think they are preparing him for her for a long time. Because she is a trueborn descendant of Daenaerys I.

If Varys is the son and heir of Aerion's infant son, then his castration might be an enormous sacrifice to hire a FM. I have a gut feeling that Tragedy of Summerhal was sabotaged by a FM and the price was paid by Varys' manhood parts (as well as his claim to the IT). Varys looks like he had the same basic FM training Arya has been following. So it is possible that he was also donated to the HoB&W just like the Waif.

I like where you're going with this. It sounds like you are implying that Doran is part of the faegon conspiracy along with Varys and Illyrio? I too believe that this is true. I also believe that Septa Lemore may actually be Doran's "estranged" wife who is in the process of making sure her future son in law is raised to be a suitable match for her daughter. Also under Dornish law, it can be argued that the lineage with the best claim to the IT is actually Daena's lineage (or the Blackfyre lineage) even if it is only carried on by the female line.

[J. Stargaryen]

Based on this, I'd be more apt to believe it was Brightflame's passed over son who cut Varys. If he inherited his father's cruelty the castration part works well. Also, it would give Varys more motivation to hate true Targs and press Blackfyre interests over them. It would also be consistent with House Targaryen's repeated attempts to hatch dragons eggs, we don't know what happened to Brightflame's and his infant son would be a likely possessor of the egg.

Incidentally, it also supports the Blackfyre theory very well.

Because he inherited the castration gene from his father?

ETA: If you really want to play the metaphor out, then doesn't it suggest that Varys was the younger brother of the person who cut him?