- "The Master of Whisperers must be sly and obsequious and without scruple."
- ―Varys
Varys, also known as the Spider, served as Master of Whisperers for over two decades and was arguably the greatest spymaster in either Westeros or Essos.
The Master of Whisperers is the adviser in matters of intelligence and espionage to the King of the Andals and the First Men and holds a seat on the small council. During the reign of King Robert I Baratheon, this position is held by Varys, a foreign eunuch that held the title since the latter years of the reign of the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen. Varys remains in the role under Robert's successors, King Joffrey I and King Tommen I. Varys' true loyalties, however, continue to lie with House Targaryen.[1] He calls his worldwide spy network his "little birds".[2] Varys served Queen Daenerys I Targaryen as her Master of Whisperers.[3]
Following Varys's escape from Westeros with Tyrion Lannister the office was left vacant. When Queen Cersei reorganized the small council after Tyrion murdered their father Tywin, she took control over the council and stacked it with sycophants. One of her actions was to appoint Qyburn as the new Master of Whisperers - despite the fact that he is a disgraced former maester who was expelled from the Citadel after it was learned he was conducting human experimentation, dissecting living men. Cersei ignored Grand Maester Pycelle's objections to this controversial choice- including asking what qualifications Qyburn even had for such a post - by simply saying that he had demonstrated his loyalty to her, more than Varys ever did. Minutes after this announcement, along with Cersei's other choices in restaffing the council, her uncle Kevan Lannister bluntly declared that she was stacking the Small Council with sycophants, and left for Casterly Rock in disgust.[4]
The Master of Whisperers's spy network is not the only one that existed, although it was the largest. Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish used his many prostitutes, such as Olyvar, and brothels to obtain information.[5] The handmaiden Bernadette works for Cersei.[6] When meeting with the small council (Varys, Baelish, Pycelle, Tyrion, and Cersei), Tywin Lannister angrily asks why no one can find his son Jaime when "collectively you control more spies and informants than the rest of the world combined".[7]
The office is currently vacant, as Daenerys executed Varys for treason, and Qyburn was killed by Gregor Clegane.[8]
In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Varys was Master of Whisperers under King Aerys II Targaryen at the time of Robert's Rebellion. He cautioned the king not to let Tywin Lannister's army within the gates, but Grand Maester Pycelle (secretly Tywin's agent) convinced the Mad King that Tywin had come to turn the tide of the war back in his favor, and to let his army inside the gates. As soon as the army entered the Lannisters turned on the Targaryens, in the destructive Sack of King's Landing. After Robert Baratheon was crowned king, he pardoned Varys and kept him in his position as Master of Whisperers, which he would maintain through the rest of Robert's rule. Thus, by the beginning of the narrative, Varys has been the head of the realm's spy network for over twenty years. It is unknown specifically why Robert pardoned Varys, let alone kept him in such a sensitive position, though it may simply be because he was very good at his job. In truth, this was very detrimental to Robert, as Varys secretly remains a Targaryen loyalist, in contact with Illyrio Mopatis in orchestrating the affairs of Prince Viserys Targaryen, and the marriage of his sister Princess Daenerys Targaryen to Khal Drogo, although the only Small Councilors who ever learned the truth did so in their last moments of life.
During his time as Hand of the King, Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers was also the Master of Whisperers. Since he had lost his left eye in his duel against his half-brother Aegor "Bittersteel" Rivers in the Battle of Redgrass Field, this inspired the saying "How many eyes does Lord Bloodraven have? A thousand eyes, and one."
The The World of Ice and Fire sourcebook (2014) mentions other masters of whisperers in passing. The Targaryens actually had a long unofficial tradition of recruiting unpopular Masters of Whisperers from the Free Cities, so Varys's situation is actually not that unusual. The other prominent holders of the office were actually Mistresses of Whisperers, being women who seem to have held the title openly (and were also actual mistresses to the kings in question).
Known Masters and Mistresses of Whisperers
- Queen Tyanna of the Tower, for King Maegor I Targaryen
- Lord Larys Strong, for Kings Viserys I Targaryen and Aegon II Targaryen
- Lady Mysaria, for Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen
- Ser Brynden Rivers, for King Aerys I Targaryen
- Lord Varys, for Kings Aerys II Targaryen, Robert I Baratheon, Joffrey I Baratheon, and Tommen I Baratheon
- Lord Qyburn, for King Tommen I Baratheon
See also
References
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