I have always been fascinated by the story of Abelard and Heloise. And especially since I just finished the novel "Stealing Heaven".

It seems that towards the end of his life, Abelard admits there were positive benefits to his emasculation. He talks about "the fog of lust lifted from my life, that has allowed me to see clearer and further than other men".

As someone who has always had an interest in history--especially social history--I am wondering if there are any good scholarly studies out there on the historical use of castration. Various cultures, historical instances, legal use, etc.

I'm sure there are plenty of mentions of this in various histories. I would imagine that the Chinese culture provided ample resources because of the use of eunuchs in the imperial palace.

But as one waxes poetic about the "betterment" of one's life after such an event, it is worth taking note of another and better established psychological principle - most people will find a convenient rationalization (though it won't be called that) to essentially explain why their lives are better now after all they've been through -- especially if they've been through something difficult. The reason is fairly simple, those who can't come up with such a story for themselves are going to be unable to function in the world. If they don't commit suicide they withdraw into alcohol, drugs, delusions, or simple isolation. It doesn't matter if the trauma was being a POW, torture, loss of limb, etc. to be functional in the world we need a "reason and a purpose" to things and are perfectly able to invent them as needed, and failing that we simply don't work.

My point is Abelard had no choice about his castration, and he needed to come to a point where he could accept it and make a sense out of his life. And while the punishment may have been disproportionate to the transgression, clearly the original transgression would be seen as arising from his lust. It would be a natural place to find a way to make sense and good from his outcome.