OT: The many kinds of eunuch (was Re: OT: [Let_It_Be_Forever_Islam] THE WORLD OF THE JINN)

On 18 Oct 2003 at 9:53, Costentin Cornomorus wrote:

> Eunuch and castrato are certainly curious! A
> castrato is made before puberty starts; a eunuch
> is made after puberty (obviously by removing the
> gonads).
There are, in fact, many kinds of eunuch (testes, penis, or both
removed and/or crushed, compounded by whether the alteration occured
in childhood or adulthood) in the world -- at least historically, in
various cultures -- such that the word "eunuch" itself may be said to
be somewhat of an overgeneralisation by those who care sufficiently
about the subject. Even within single cultures, different terms and
status were used for men who had undergone the same alteration for
different purposes. Some cultures include regular or ceremonial
transvestites among the general class of "eunuchs", regardless of
genitalia. Others include all infertile men in this class, even if
they are infertile through birth defects or disease.





Paul

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