"For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it." (Matthew 19:12) The tales of the greatest civilizations ever known to man have been built upon the shoulders of those who were no longer men. Castration has been a prominent practice throughout history, representing dedication to a higher power and the elimination of certain life pleasures. The idea may be pure in its intent, but the ramifications of mutilation created not only physical side effects but also mental and social effects that would alienate this genderless class. The eunuchs of medieval times were an interesting group of individuals who believed castration led to full dedication to a higher power. They also served the higher class society, performing a wide variety of functions in many different cultures. Some of these consisted of courtiers or equivalent domestics, others being treble singers, religious specialists, soldiers, royal guards, government officials, and guardians of women or harem servants. All of these were ways the eunuchs used to establish themselves among the people of the time. Castration for eunuchs was typically carried out without their consent in order for them to perform a specific social function, which was common in many societies....
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...Often appearing as guardians of women and children, in a culture where female chastity was highly prized and honored, eunuch males functioned as a "paternalistic" extension of the oikos to which they were attached. Having been secluded from contact with men, it was not surprising that castrated men served as guards to these aristocratic women. Eunuchs also appeared as agents, physicians, and spiritual advisers. I wanted to revisit the Bible reference I made in my introduction. Eunuchs have been around for quite some time and have been involved in many different aspects of middle life. Eunuchs were mentioned many times in the Bible, such as in the Book of Isaiah (56:4), using the word ‘saris’. It was said that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were eunuchs in Nebuchadnezzar's court. Many Bible stories actually include eunuchs, one being the story of Esther. Hegai, who was in charge of the harem, helped Esther gain the attention of King Ahasuerus. Hathach was Esther's personal servant and the lifeline between her and her cousin Mordecai (Esther 4:5). Bigthana and Teresh were close enough to Ahasuerus to threaten his life (Esther 6:2), and Harbonah was quick with a suggestion for the dispatch of Haman (Esther 7:9). They also have vital and honored roles in other stories. It was a eunuch who rescued Jeremiah from the well (Jeremiah 38:1-13). This shows how long the practice of being a eunuch has actually been prevalent in the natural world. Contrary to belief, eunuchs were not condemned for becoming a eunuch; they were actually given praise: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off" (Isaiah 56:3-5). In conclusion, the eunuchs were a unique group of individuals who struck a perfect balance between that of a servant and an aristocrat. They played a crucial role in the Middle Ages and were highly valued by the higher class. They were often asked to perform tasks that required a higher learning capacity and to mediate with the lower class outside of the emperor's kingdom. The eunuchs were indispensable to the higher class, such as the king or emperor, due to their ability to function in both the material and spiritual worlds. They were even compared to angels and were essential in the church as soloists and choral singers, with their angelic voices radiating through the walls of the church. So, why might one study or research this multifaceted group of people?
When it comes to music history, the Castrati are one of the most important and debated topics. The Castrati were men (in Italian opera) that had been castrated during puberty to stop a flow of hormones, causing them to have the voice of a soprano woman, but the vocal power of an older, full-grown man. A general estimate said that four thousand boys a year were castrated in Italy. Some Castrati tried to make it in church choirs (which often gave them almost nothing of monetary value), most chose the opera route. They reigned supreme when they got onstage, being the obvious star of the show. They were the master performers that drew the crowd in with their amazing voices. During the Baroque period, they made up more than half of the soprano singers in opera.
Chinese eunuchs were the original gate-keepers of the imperial palace, menial servants in the imperial harem, and messengers between the emperor, his concubines, and the imperial court. The Chinese inscriptions combing the graphs for ‘male reproductive organ’ and for ‘knife’ have been found on oracle bones dating from about 1300 BCE.1 The context of the inscriptions generally indicates that the castration of captured prisoners of differing ethnicities existed at this early date.2 The word for eunuch, taijan , often connotating a pervert, first appeared in the Chinese language about one thousand years ago.3 Eunuchs were deemed suitable candidates for the emperor’s close aides and attendants because they possessed both a masculine physique and a feminine docility. More important, however, was the use of men deprived from their reproductive power and sexual desires was thought to safeguard the moral purity and sanctity of an emperor’s private chambers.4 Throughout the three-thousand year old institution, the number of eunuchs in the imperial palaces varied between less than 100 in the early years, to more than 100,000 in 1620, roughly 1% of the population.5 The extent, role, and nature of the eunuch presence in Chinese history varied according to specific social and political backgrounds throughout the long existence of the political institution, but identifying some recurring themes of eunuch activities is useful towards reconstructing the social history of eunuchism in China. It is apparent, however, that as imperial power and autocracy increased, the use of castrated men to fill various male jobs in the palace gradually became a necessity.
Caroline Walker Bynum raised several thought-provoking claims in her book Holy Feast and Holy Fast, but her main argument of the mindset of medieval women with regards to their status in society was the most intriguing. Rather than simply agreeing with most traditional medievalists, she analyzes the male/female difference in terms of which symbols each gender used, and how these symbols tied in to their distinct religious concerns. She maintains that women accepted their place in society and religion, and instead of succumbing to the misogyny, they used their association with the flesh and humanness to connect themselves to the humanity of God. Her arguments regarding medieval women and their practices also implies that she is accepting of the idea of gender as a valuable category of historical analysis.
Most classical society’s political and social organization revolved around the idea of patriarchy, a male dominated social system. This system exacerbated the inherit difference between men and woman and assigned gender roles based on these observations. Men were generally regarded as superior to woman therefore given greater religious and political roles as well as more legal rights. As the natural inverse, women were subordinated and seen as week; their main roles reproductive and domestic. Information about patriarchy in the classical era, though abundant, was, for the most part, written by men, therefore history does not give us an accurate depiction of women’s viewpoints. Four societies of the classical era, India, China, Greece, and Rome, adopted a patriarchal system, however, due to many factors, each developed identifiable characteristics.
The sexual lifestyle of women during the medieval time period was quite different among married and single women. Medieval women were not accurately informed of their sexual organs due to bad medical research. They thought they must perform sexual acts on a regular basis to preserve themselves. The third-century writer Galen was looked upon as an authority for medical information on sexual activities. Galen stated that, “a woman’s womb was ‘cold’ and needed constant warming by ‘hot’ sperm” (Time Traveler’s 55). One would assume that hu...
This paper will discuss the well published work of, Pomeroy, Sarah B. Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. New York: Schocken, 1975. Print. Sarah B. Pomerory uses this book to educate others about the role women have played throughout ancient history. Pomerory uses a timeline to go through each role, starting with mythological women, who were called Goddesses. She then talks about some common roles, the whores, wives, and slaves during this time. Pomerory enlightens the audience on the topic of women, who were seen as nothing at the time. Men were seen as the only crucial part in history; however, Pomerory’s focus on women portrays the era in a new light.
Skinner, Marilyn B. "The Archaic Age: Symposium and Initiation." Sexuality in Greek and Roman Culture. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005. 58-99. Print.
1.Chenier,Elise. “Sex,Sexuality and the Third Reich.” History 115: Introduction to the History of Sexuality. Class lecture at Simon Fraser Univerity, Burnaby,BC, October 9,2013
At the time, the world was associating both males and females as separate sexes. De Beauvoir pioneered that someone’s sex was just a biological fact, but one’s gender identity is socially contstructed. De Beauvoir believed that if for a woman’s whole life she were told that she must be a certain way to be a woman it would ultimately affect her sense of freedom. Because of this she fought to destroy the social perceptions of a patriarchal society to promote the rights and freedoms of both genders. In Australia, Germaine Greer was the leader of the second-wave of feminism. Her publication, ‘The Female Eunuch,’ (1970) was an international best seller that resulted in her widespread popularity as a figure for the women’s movement. In the book, Greer states that for women’s liberation to occur women must have sexual liberation. Like de Beauvoir, Greer believed that psychological and social differences between men and women are the result of the way society is run. The books central theme is that the traditional nuclear family expresses women sexually and that this debilitates them, rendering them ‘eunuchs.’ A eunuch traditionally refers to a man who has been castrated to deprive them of influence and importance.
Sexual relations between men and woman have created issues of life and death from the beginning of time. In most classic Western beliefs it began when Eve with the help of the Devil seduced Adam thus leading the downfall of humanity into an abyss of sin and hopelessness. This issue arises in all literature from Genesis, Chaucer and into modern day. Authors, clerks and writers of all types have aided stereotyping women throughout history and Geoffrey Chaucer is not an exception in most cases. However, in Chaucer's Wife of Bath we can find the beginnings of a new type of woman arising from the dark ages of the post-Roman era. And of course at the center of his character's struggle is sex. As this topic develops, we shall take a brief look into sex, women, the Middle Ages and Chaucer's Wife of Bath as an example of Middle Ages reflections.
The account of Roman women is a fascinating facet of the greater saga of the Roman Empire itself. During the Roman Empire, the economy, politics and civilization as a whole, was dominated almost entirely by men. As a result, a number of expectations were placed on women, detailing how they should look, behave and with whom they should associate. These expectations were reinforced and affected by both the social and political fixtures of the Roman Empire. Although women made a number of important social and legal advances in Ancient Rome, the development of the Empire proved to be detrimental to the emancipation of women as the pre-existing social expectations were altered in order to impose a more conservative moral order. These antecedent expectations were crafted from a number of ideals concerning female intellect, sexuality and influence, that existed in society prior to the development of the Roman Empire.
Apparently, these male-defined concepts and stringent regulations imposed heavier penalties for women than men because women were mandated with the heaviest burden of keeping their honor. Central to the concept of honor was a woman’s need to keep their virginity intact otherwise she would be ostracized by the society. A woman who preserved her virginity was held with honor and esteem because she proved superior to her peers (Lavrin 11). Virginity in itself was a highly esteem social quality worth keeping (Lavrin 11).
The eunuch is an integral part of the 18th century play The Mogul Tale, by Elizabeth Inchbald. He serves a historical role by being the Mogul’s advisor, watchman, and, most importantly, harem guard. Eunuchs are generally defined as castrated males and are thus excellent choices to guard the Mogul’s women – no fear of the guard taking the ladies for himself. Inchbald reinforces these noble positions by showing the eunuch as the Mogul’s “right-hand man”. But with the passing of time these traditional roles have died along with the people who embraced them. Eunuchs now exist in an India that has all but forgotten their position as protectors. They are now part of a larger, marginalized group that exists on the fringe of Indian society - the hijras1.
Introduction: The role of women in ancient Rome is not easily categorized; in some ways they were treated better than women in ancient Greece, but in other matters they were only allowed a very modest degree of rights and privileges. One thing that does seem clear is that as the city-state of Rome evolved from its early days into a more complex society, women were not always limited to secondary roles. In some areas of Roman society, women were allowed more freedoms than in many other ancient civilizations. Research: What is the difference between This paper will explore the historical research that indicates what roles women were allowed to play in Rome, including the Ellis textbook for some of the basic facts.
...ese family, woman belonged in the house and had no place in the outside world. Women were bound to patriarchy in the state society. Women were basically enslaved to become married to any man that came about and felt that their feet were tiny enough to be hitched. Chinese female bodies had been successfully used by men to perform the task often impossible crisis in order to idealize loyalty and integrity. All this body modification did was show that women were inferior to man, smaller feet meant a higher status in society, and putting one’s self in agonizing pain to become married meant crippling yourself for your whole entire life. Putting a ban on foot binding was the best choice in the Chinese culture. Today, women can do whatever they want without mutilating, deforming, and permanently damaging their bodies for the acceptance of men and the acceptance of society.