Castration

Castration is the deprivation of the power of generation by removing the testicles, and also represents the deprivation of vitality. It is a practice that has been present throughout history and is present even today. Depending on the culture and era, there have been many different reasons for castration. For some cultures, castration may have religious value, while in others it implies a renunciation of reproduction. Although castration has been viewed differently among different cultures, …

… all castrates desired this similar goal. For the Christian eunuchs, a desire to please god and enter heaven was the motive. In the ancient Mediterranean, infertility through castration allowed a man to retain his pneuma, even though he did not renunciate sexual desire and fornication. In general, voluntary castration served to improve the spiritual life of a man. Different cultures accepted different ideals for eunuchs, yet all seemed to center around this main goal.