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For other uses, see Eunuch (disambiguation).
European illustration of a Eunuch (1749)
European illustration of a Eunuch (1749)

A eunuch (IPA: /ˈjuː.nək/) is a castrated man, in particular one castrated early enough to have major hormonal consequences; the term usually refers to those castrated in order to perform a specific social function, as was common in many societies of the past. Castration (also referred to as Gelding, Neutering, Fixing, orchiectomy, and orchidectomy is any action surgical, chemical The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the twenty first century BC. Sumer ( Sumerian: sux-Latn [[Ki (earth ki]]-[[EN (cuneiform en]]-'''ĝir15''', Akkadian: Šumeru; possibly Biblical Shinar Lagash ( is modern Tell al-Hiba, Iraq. Located northwest of the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and east of Uruk Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures such as courtiers or equivalent domestics, treble singers, religious specialists, government officials, military commanders, and guardians of women or harem servants. A courtier is a person who attends the court of a Monarch or other powerful person. A domestic worker, domestic, servingman, servingwoman, or servant is one who works and often also lives within the employer's household A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, or Contralto voice produced either by Castration In some translations of ancient texts, individuals identified as eunuchs seem to include men who were impotent with women, those we would now call transsexuals or homosexuals, and those who were simply celibate. Transsexualism is a condition in which a person identifies with a physical Sex different from the one with which they were born Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Celibacy refers to the lack of participation in Sexual intercourse.

Contents

Origins

Chief Eunuch of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II at the Imperial Palace, 1912.
Chief Eunuch of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II at the Imperial Palace, 1912. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Sultan (سلطان is an Islamic title with several historical meanings Abdülhamid II His Imperial Majesty Sultan of the Ottoman Empire ( Ottoman Turkish: عبد الحميد ثانی `Abdü’l-Ḥamīd-i sânî, İkinci Abdülhamit

The English word eunuch is from the Greek eune ("bed") and ekhein ("to keep"), effectively "bed keeper. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly A bed is a piece of Furniture (or a location primarily used as a place to Sleep, and often used for Relaxation. " Servants or slaves were usually castrated in order to make them safer servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another Seemingly lowly domestic functions such as making the ruler's bed, bathing him, cutting his hair, carrying him in his litter or even relaying messages could in theory give a eunuch "the ruler's ear" and impart de facto power on the formally humble but trusted servant. The litter is a class of Wheelless Vehicles a type of Human-powered transport, for the transport of persons Similar instances are reflected in the humble origins and etymology of many high offices (e. g. chancellor started out as a servant guarding the entrance to an official's study). Chancellor or chancellour (archaic ( Latin: cancellarius) is an official Title used in countries whose civilization has arisen Eunuchs supposedly did not generally have loyalties to the military, the aristocracy, or to a family of their own (having neither offspring nor in-laws, at the very least), and were thus seen as more trustworthy and less interested in establishing a private 'dynasty'. Because their condition usually lowered their social status, they could also be easily replaced or killed without repercussion. In cultures that had both harems and eunuchs, eunuchs were sometimes used as harem servants (compare the female odalisque) or seraglio guards. HAREM is the first evaluation contest of Named entity recognition (NER for Portuguese and its call for participation was announced in September 2004 An odalisque (Odalık was a virgin female slave in an Ottoman Seraglio. A seraglio (also serraglio) is the sequestered living quarters used by wives and Concubines in a Turkish household from an Italian variant of

Ancient Middle East

Eunuchs were familiar figures in the Assyrian Empire (ca. Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture 850 till 622 B. C. ), in the court of the Egyptian Pharaohs (down to the Lagid dynasty known as Ptolemies, ending with Cleopatra). Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods

China

In ancient China castration was both a traditional punishment (until the Sui Dynasty) and a means of gaining employment in the Imperial service. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Sui Dynasty ( 581 - 618 AD and in the undertaking of other construction projects including the reconstruction of the Great Wall. At the end of the Ming Dynasty there were about 70,000 eunuchs (宦官 huànguān, or 太監 tàijiàn) in the Imperial palace. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial Palace from the mid- Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. The value of such employment—certain eunuchs gained immense power that may have superseded that of the prime ministers—was such that self-castration had to be made illegal. This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. The number of eunuchs in Imperial employ had fallen to 470 in 1912, when their employment ceased. The justification of the employment of eunuchs as high-ranking civil servants was that, since they were incapable of having children, they would not be tempted to seize power and start a dynasty or have affairs with the queens or princesses when serving them. See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis Concurrently, a similar system existed in Vietnam. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially [1]

The tension between depraved eunuchs in the service of the emperor and virtuous Confucian officials resisting their tyranny is a familiar theme in Chinese history. In his History of Government, Samuel Finer points out that reality was not always that clear-cut. Professor Samuel Edward Finer ( September 22, 1915 – June 9, 1993) was a political scientist and historian who was instrumental There were instances of very capable eunuchs, who were valuable advisors to their emperor, and the resistance of the "virtuous" officials often was procrastination on the part of a privileged class which blindly resisted any change, whether it be for the good or the bad of the empire. Ray Huang argues that in reality, eunuchs represented the personal will of the Emperor, while the officials represented the alternate political will of the bureaucracy. Ray Huang ( June 25, 1918 &ndash January 8, 2000) was a Chinese historian The clash between them was a clash of ideologies or political agenda. [2]

Greco-Roman practice

The practice was also well established in Europe among the Greeks and Romans, although more rarely as court functionaries than in Asia. The third sex Galli of Cybele were considered by some to be eunuchs. The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are considered to be neither women nor men as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize Galli (singular Gallus) was the Roman name for castrated followers of the Phrygian goddess Cybele, which were regarded as a Third gender In late Rome, emperors such as Constantine were surrounded by eunuchs for such functions as bathing, hair cutting, dressing, and bureaucratic functions, in effect acting as a shield between the emperor and his administrators from physical contact. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine Eunuchs were believed loyal and dispensable.

At the Byzantine imperial court, there were a great number of eunuchs employed in domestic and administrative functions, actually organized as a separate hierarchy, following a parallel career of their own. Archieunuchs—each in charge of a group of eunuchs—were among the principal officers in Constantinople, under the emperors. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS This is a list of the Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire by modern historians [3]

It was only after the Muslim Arabs conquered parts of the Roman Empire that they acquired eunuchs from the Romans, and not knowing what else to do with them, made them into harem guards. For the Eunuchs in the Ottoman Great Sultan's harem and wider palace service, see the (Topkapi) Seraglio. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Sultan (سلطان is an Islamic title with several historical meanings A seraglio (also serraglio) is the sequestered living quarters used by wives and Concubines in a Turkish household from an Italian variant of [4]

The hijra of India

Main article: Hijra (South Asia)

The Ancient Indian Kama Sutra refers to people of a "third sex" (trtyaprakrti), who can be dressed either in men's or in women's clothes and perform fellatio on men. In the culture of the Indian subcontinent, a hijra ( Hindi: हिजड़ा Urdu: حجڑا is usually considered a member of "the Third The Kama Sutra ( Sanskrit: कामसूत्र (alternative spellings Kamasutram or simply Kamasutra) is an ancient Indian The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are considered to be neither women nor men as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize Fellatio, also called fellation, is Oral sex performed upon the Penis. The term has been translated as "eunuchs" (as in Sir Richard Burton's translation of the book), but these persons have also been considered to be the equivalent of the modern hijra of India. Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMG FRGS (19 March 1821 &ndash 20 October 1890 was an English Explorer, Translator, writer

Hijra, a Hindi term traditionally translated into English as "eunuch", actually refers to what modern Westerners would call male-to-female transgender people and effeminate homosexuals (although some of them reportedly identify as belonging to a third sex). Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is Transgender (trænzˈdʒɛndɚ from ( Latin) derivatives Effeminacy is a trait in males that generally contradicts traditional male ( masculine) Gender roles It is a derogatory term frequently applied to Femininity The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are considered to be neither women nor men as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize Some of them undergo ritual castration, but the majority do not. They usually dress in saris (traditional Indian garb worn by women) and wear heavy make-up. for the town in Nepal see Sari Nepal A sari or saree or shari is a female garment in the Indian subcontinent They typically live in the margins of society, face discrimination[5] and earn their living in various ways, e. g. , by coming uninvited at weddings, births, new shop openings and other major family events and singing until they are paid or given gifts to go away. [6] The ceremony is supposed to bring good luck and fertility, while the curse of an unappeased hijra is feared by many. Other sources of income for the hijra are begging and prostitution. The begging is accompanied by singing and dancing and the hijras usually get the money easily. Some Indian provincial officials have used the assistance of hijras to collect taxes in the same fashion; they knock on the doors of shopkeepers, while dancing and singing, and embarrass them into paying. [7] Recently, hijras have started to found organizations to improve their social condition and fight discrimination. There has even been a wave of hijra entering politics and being elected to high political positions.

In the epic Mahabaratha of India, Arjuna, one of the 5 heroes who is originally a handsome man, warrior and great archer becomes Brihannala a eunuch when they spend their last year of exile in the kingdom of Virata. Brihannala, in the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, was the name assumed by Arjuna, who was in disguise as a Transgendered (on account of Brihannala/Arjuna lived among the palace women as a teacher of song and dance.

Religious castration

Among the earliest records of human religion are accounts of castration as an act of devotion, and sacred eunuchs are found in spiritual roles. Archaeological finds at Çatalhöyük, a large Neolithic town of southern Anatolia, suggest that such practises were common in the worship as far back as 7500 BC of a goddess similar perhaps to the Cybele of historical records. Çatalhöyük (ʧɑtɑl højyk in Turkish also Çatal Höyük and Çatal Hüyük, or any of the three without Diacritics çatal is Turkish Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Originally a Hittite and Phrygian Goddess, Cybele (Κυβέλη was a deification of the Earth Mother and was worshipped in The Galli, later Roman followers of Cybele, also practiced ritual self-castration, known as sanguinaria. Galli (singular Gallus) was the Roman name for castrated followers of the Phrygian goddess Cybele, which were regarded as a Third gender The practice is said to have continued throughout Christian times, with many of the early church castrating themselves as an act of devotion, although the extent and even the existence of this practice among Christians is controversial. [8]

A famous alleged example is the early theologian Origen, who is said to have found scriptural justification in the Matthew 19:12. Origen ( Greek: Ōrigénēs, or Origen Adamantius, ca 185–ca The Gospel of Matthew (Gk Κατά Ματθαίον Ευαγγέλιον is one of the four Canonical gospels in the New Testament and is a Synoptic gospel In this passage, Jesus stated: "For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. " (King James Version)

Tertullian, a second century Church Father, described Jesus himself and Paul of Tarsus as spadones, which is translated as "eunuchs" in some contexts. Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian Church Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and [9] However, these statements can be interpreted as a metaphor for celibacy, especially given the broad meaning of the term spado in Late Antiquity (see Non-castrated eunuchs below). Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects Celibacy refers to the lack of participation in Sexual intercourse. A eunuch (ˈjuːnək is a Castrated man in particular one castrated early enough to have major hormonal consequences the term usually refers to those castrated in order to

Eunuch priests have served various goddesses from India for many centuries. Similar phenomena are exemplified by some modern Indian communities of the hijra type, which are associated with a deity and with certain rituals and festivals - notably the devotees of Yellammadevi, or jogappas, who are not castrated[10] and the Ali of southern India, of whom at least some are. [11]

The eighteenth-century Russian Skoptzy (скопцы) sect was an example of a castration cult, where its members regarded castration as a way of renouncing the sins of the flesh. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Skoptsy (скопцы also transliterated as Skoptzy, Skoptzi, Skoptsi, Scoptsy and other spellings were a secret Sect of Castration (also referred to as Gelding, Neutering, Fixing, orchiectomy, and orchidectomy is any action surgical, chemical Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation Several members of the twentieth century Heaven's Gate cult were found to have been castrated, apparently voluntarily and for the same reasons. Heaven's Gate was an American UFO religion based in San Diego California and led by Marshall Applewhite (1932-1997 and Bonnie Nettles (1927-1985

Castrato singers

Main article: Castrato

Eunuchs castrated before puberty were also valued and trained in several cultures for their exceptional voices, which retained a childlike and other-worldly flexibility and treble pitch. A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, or Contralto voice produced either by Castration Such eunuchs were known as castrati. A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, or Contralto voice produced either by Castration Unfortunately the choice had to be made at an age when the boy would not yet be able to consciously choose whether to sacrifice his sexual potency, and there was no guarantee that the voice would remain of musical excellence after the operation.

As women were sometimes forbidden to sing in Church, their place was taken by castrati. The practice, known as castratism, remained popular until the eighteenth century and was known into the nineteenth century. The last famous Italian castrato, Giovanni Velluti, died in 1861. Giovanni Battista Velluti, colloquially " Giambattista " ( January 28 1780 &ndash January 22 1861) was an Italian The sole existing recording of a castrato singer documents the voice of Alessandro Moreschi, the last eunuch in the Sistine Chapel choir, who died in 1922. Alessandro Moreschi (November 11 1858 - April 21 1922 was the most famous Castrato Singer of the late 19th century and the only castrato of the classic Bel Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina is the best-known Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. Unfortunately, the early twentieth century recording is of poor quality and Moreschi, who was never trained for the stage, is not considered a great singer.

Non-castrated "eunuchs"

According to Byzantine historian Kathryn Ringrose,[12] while the pagans of Classical Antiquity based their notions of gender in general and eunuchs in particular on physiology (the genitalia), the Byzantine Christians based them on behaviour and more specifically procreation. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined is any of the anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute Hence, by Late Antiquity the term "eunuch" had come to be applied not only to castrated men, but also to a wide range of men with comparable behavior, who had "chosen to withdraw from worldly activities and thus refused to procreate". [13] The broad sense of the term "eunuch" is reflected in the compendium of Roman law created by Justinian I in the sixth century known as the Digest or Pandects. Roman law is the legal system of Ancient Rome. As used in the West the term commonly refers to legal developments prior to the Roman/Byzantine state's adopting Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ( Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ιουστινιανός; known in English as Justinian I or Pandects ( Lat pandectae, adapted from Gr pandektes, all-containing is a name given to a compendium or digest of Roman law That text distinguishes between two types of "eunuchs" - spadones (a general term denoting "one who has no generative power, an impotent person, whether by nature or by castration",[14] D 50. 16. 128) and castrati (castrated males, physically incapable of procreation). Spadones are eligible to marry women (D 23. 3. 39. 1), institute posthumous heirs (D 28. 2. 6), and adopt children (Institutions of Justinian 1. 11. 9), unless they are castrati.

Historically significant eunuchs

In chronological order.

See also Eunuchs

Other famous eunuchs

Eunuchs in fiction

See also

Notes

  1. ^ For an extended discussion see Mitamura Taisuke,Chinese Eunuchs: The Structure of Intimate Politics tr. The terms genital modification and genital mutilation can refer to permanent or temporary changes to Human Genitals. Female genital cutting (FGC also known as female genital mutilation (FGM female circumcision or female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C refers to A transwoman (also spelled trans woman or trans-woman) is a male-to-female transsexual and the term transwoman is preferred by many such Charles A. Pomeroy,Tokyo 1970, a short, condensed version of Mitamura's original book =三田村泰助, 宦官, Chuko Shinsho, Tokyo 1963
  2. ^ Huang, Ray (1981). 1587, A Year of No Significance: The Ming Dynasty in Decline. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-02518-1.  . They also have their penises taken away
  3. ^ This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain. Cyclopaedia or A Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences ( folio, 2 vols The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone [1]
  4. ^ Lad, Jateen. "Panoptic Bodies. Black Eunuchs in the Topkapi Palace", Scroope: Cambridge Architecture Journal, No. 15, 2003, pp. 16-20.
  5. ^ Ravaging the Vulnerable: Abuses Against Persons at High Risk of HIV Infection in Bangladesh, Human Rights Watch, August 2003. Human Rights Watch is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Human rights. Report online.
    See also: Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (Karnataka) Report on Human Rights Violations Against the Transgender Community, released in September 2003. Reported in Being a Eunuch, By Siddarth Narrain, for Frontline, 14 October 2003. Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.
  6. ^ [2] Eunuchs 'cut off man's penis'. By Baldev Chauhan BBC correspondent in Himachal Pradesh. BBC News. Thursday, 24 July 2003. Events 1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.
  7. ^ Dancing eunuchs taxing red-faced shopkeepers. Reuters. November 10, 2006. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
  8. ^ Hester, J. David (2005), Eunuchs and the Postgender Jesus: Matthew 19:12 and Transgressive Sexualities. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Vol. 28, No. 1, 13-40 (2005)
  9. ^ Tertullian, On Monogamy, 3: “. . . He stands before you, if you are willing to copy him, as a voluntary spado (eunuch) in the flesh. ” And elsewhere: "The Lord Himself opened the kingdom of heaven to eunuchs and He Himself lived as a eunuch. The apostle [Paul] also, following His example, made himself a eunuch. . . " Tertullian also declared: "The kingdom of heaven is thrown open to eunuchs. "
  10. ^ Yellamma cult of India
  11. ^ The Mystery of the Threshold: "Ali" of Southern India
  12. ^ Wells, Collin. Review of The Perfect Servant: Eunuchs and the Social Construction of Gender in Byzantium, 2003 by Kathryn M. Ringrose. Retrieved on 2006-10-21. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. .
  13. ^ Review of Herdt, Gilbert (ed.) (1994) Third Sex, Third Gender: Beyond Sexual Dimorphism in Culture and History. Retrieved on 2006-10-21. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg.
  14. ^ Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary. Retrieved on 2006-10-21. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. .
  15. ^ Act 1, scene 5, lines 10-11, John Wilders ed. "Antony and Cleopatra" (3rd edition Arden, Thomson Publishing, 1995) p. 120

Sources and references

External links

Dictionary

eunuch

-noun

  1. A castrated human male.
  2. Such a man employed as harem guard or in certain (mainly Eastern) monarchies (e.g. late Roman and Chinese Empires) as court - or state officials.

-adjective

  1. Referring to someone or something which has been emasculated. (very rare)
  2. Referring to a castrato, or boy castrated to retain soprano or alto voice.
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