Among the most enigmatic figures in the world of Westeros, Varys stands out not only for his unmatched intelligence and manipulative skill but also for the deep mystery surrounding his past. Known widely as ‘the Spider,’ Varys serves as a master of whisperers and has influence that spans kingdoms. One of the most shocking and haunting aspects of his backstory is how he became a eunuch. His transformation was not by choice, but by cruelty, and it shaped everything about who he became. Understanding how Varys became a eunuch reveals the dark origins of his motives, his hatred for magic, and the emotional depth that drives his seemingly calculated actions.
Varys’s Early Life: Born in Essos
Varys was not born into nobility or wealth. He was born in Lys or Myr (the exact location is sometimes uncertain) and raised as a slave child in the cities of Essos. He was part of a troupe of mummers actors and entertainers who traveled from city to city putting on performances for coin. Though life in a mummer’s troupe may have had moments of joy, it was often hard, filled with uncertainty, and lacked safety or stability.
At a young age, Varys was sold by his troupe’s master to a sorcerer who paid a high price for him. This act would forever change the course of Varys’s life and plant the seeds for his deepest fears and ambitions.
The Ritual That Changed Everything
The true horror of Varys’s origin comes during this chapter of his life. After being sold, he was taken by a man who turned out to be a practitioner of dark magic. This sorcerer used Varys in a cruel and arcane ritual. The process was not only violent and dehumanizing but served no purpose that Varys could understand at the time. The sorcerer drugged him, cut off his genitals, and burned them in a brazier while chanting spells in a language unknown to the boy.
As terrifying as the physical mutilation was, what disturbed Varys even more was what followed: a voice disembodied, unnatural spoke from the flames. The sorcerer seemed satisfied, but Varys, left bleeding and discarded, received no answers. The experience broke him, but it also lit a fire inside him. From that moment forward, he developed an unshakable hatred for sorcery and all forms of magic.
The Impact of Castration on Varys’s Identity
Becoming a eunuch at such a young age profoundly shaped Varys’s character, outlook, and strategies. He was robbed of choice, stripped of his manhood, and treated as an object in a ritual he couldn’t understand. Instead of letting the trauma destroy him, Varys adapted. He used what remained his wits, his silence, and his survival instincts to carve a new path in a world that had tried to discard him.
Why Varys Hates Magic
Varys’s hatred for magic is personal and intense. In his view, magic is chaos unpredictable, cruel, and indifferent to human suffering. The trauma he endured was not just physical but deeply existential. Because of this, he views magic as a threat to stability, reason, and the safety of the realm. His actions throughout the story including his suspicion of Melisandre, his opposition to Daenerys’s dragons, and his loyalty to rational politics are driven by this foundational belief.
From Powerless to Powerful
After being cast out into the streets following the ritual, Varys was forced to survive on his own. At first, he begged. When that failed, he stole. But Varys was clever far more clever than most. He realized that information, not muscle or magic, was the most powerful currency of all.
He began to build a network of spies and informants. He listened more than he spoke, remembered every name and secret, and slowly rose through the ranks of underworld society. Eventually, his skills became so valuable that wealthy and influential people began to take notice. His rise was not meteoric, but methodical. He climbed not with strength or charisma, but with whispers, shadows, and knowledge.
The Birth of the Spider
By the time he came to Westeros, Varys was already known as the Spider, a man with a web of informants stretching across continents. His network of little birds mostly children trained to spy and report allowed him to remain steps ahead of his enemies. Despite being a eunuch, or perhaps because of it, he was underestimated by many. But his intellect and mastery of manipulation allowed him to become indispensable to the courts he served.
Varys’s Hidden Motivations
Though many characters in Game of Thrones suspect Varys of treachery or self-interest, he repeatedly states that he serves ‘the realm.’ His loyalty is not to kings or queens, but to peace and stability. His early trauma gave him a unique perspective he knows what happens when power is abused and when chaos reigns.
Varys is careful, calculated, and sometimes ruthless, but he genuinely wants to protect the innocent from the horrors he endured. He believes in creating a world where rulers are wise and just, not ruled by superstition or cruelty. Though he often works in the shadows, his goals are surprisingly idealistic.
Contrast with Other Characters
- Littlefinger: While both Varys and Littlefinger thrive on manipulation, Littlefinger seeks chaos for personal gain, while Varys seeks order for the good of the people.
- Melisandre: A priestess of the Lord of Light, she represents everything Varys fears blind faith, prophecy, and fire-based magic.
- Daenerys: Though Varys initially supports her claim, he grows wary as she leans into destiny and fire, traits reminiscent of the magic he distrusts.
Legacy of the Eunuch Spy
In the end, Varys’s journey from a mutilated child to one of the most powerful figures in Westeros is both tragic and triumphant. He is a man who turned pain into strategy, who survived unimaginable cruelty and used it to shape a mission larger than himself. His decision to become the voice of reason in a world driven by ambition, power, and superstition speaks to the strength of his character.
Varys did not choose to be a eunuch, but he chose what to become afterward. That choice made him one of the most compelling characters in the story mysterious, feared, and quietly heroic in his own way.
The story of how Varys became a eunuch is not just a footnote in his biography it is the foundation of his entire worldview. It explains his fear of magic, his pursuit of order, and his mastery of secrets. Though born into suffering, Varys used every tool at his disposal to become a guardian of the realm, proving that even those broken by the world can rise to reshape it. His past defines him, but it does not confine him. And in that lies his true power.