Eunuchs and sex: Beyond sexual dichotomy in the roman world
Posted: Sun May 09, 2021 11:36 pm
Interesting text about eunuchs, their creation and function in ancient Roman culture.
The text is too lenghty to copy it all here, so I provide the link. https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bits ... sAllowed=y
May be one excerption from the text:
------------------------------------------
Eunuchs Compared to Desirable Boys
When slave eunuchs are young, Roman authors present them as being much like
any other favored slave boy. Their only physical distinction (aside from the obvious lack
of testicles) is that their castration allows them to keep their youthful, adolescent
appearance for a much greater length of time. The feminine softness and hairlessness
that is desirable in youths is not taken away by puberty. This artificial extension of their
youth and beauty is the source of their value.136 As Ringrose states, [c]astration offered
an opportunity to restructure a prepubescent boy into an individual whose physical and
psychological properties were perceived to be distinct from those of a mature man and to
preserve elements of prepubescence that were valued by society.137
Claudian
135 Women do not go bald for their nature is similar to that of children: both do not produce seminal
secretion. Eunuchs also do not become bald, because of their change into the female.
Arist. Gen. an. 784a.
136 Whereas once a eunuch becomes too old to maintain a pretense of youthful desirability, authors
descriptions become much more hostile, as the next section will relate.
137 Ringrose (2003), 59-60.
specifically cites the extension of boyish adolescence as a reason for castration when he
presents various legendary accounts of the origin of the practice.
the Parthians prevented, by use of the knife, the shadow
of downy hair from growing and compelled the age of
adulthood to be delayed, with the flower of boyhood
preserved for a long time through artifice, to serve their
sexual desires.
Parthica ferro
luxuries vetuit nasci lanuginis umbram
servatoque diu puerili flore coegit
arte retardatam Veneri servire iuventam.138
For a desired boy to be soft and effeminate is no bad thing, unlike for a man. But
a boy who is not castrated is expected to grow out of youthful softness, and is considered
to have failed as a man if he does not. As Craig Williams writes, While the effeminacy
of cinaedi was a serious failing, we will see that beautiful boys might be charmingly
butch or delightfully soft and girlish. In other words, boys could get away with things
that cinaedi could not. Indeed, one might say that the image of the cinaedus served as a
reminder of what could happen if the normative transition from passive, penetrated puer
to active, penetrating vir, did not take place as expected.139
Eunuchs, however, are
failed men by design. They are not supposed to grow out of boyish softness, and by their
extended boyishness, remain objects of sexual desire.140
Beautiful young eunuch attendants were common amongst the imperial retinue.
Tiberiuss son, Iulius Caesar Drusus, possessed a favored eunuch amongst his slaves.
This eunuch, Lygdus, was dear to his master on account of his youth and beauty and was
138 Claud. In Eutr. 1.342-45.
139 Williams (1999) 183. For the desirability of effeminate boys see Tibull. 1.4.9-14, Hor. Epod. 11.23-4,
and Mart. 12.75.
140 I shall further discuss the perceived sexual desirability of youthful eunuchs in Chapter Five.
among his principal attendants, (aetate atque forma carus domino interque primores
ministros erat)
141
Nero had Sporus, an attractive eunuch youth he claimed as his wife.142
Suetonius states that Titus fondness for eunuchs was so great that Domitians motive for
outlawing castration was simply vindictiveness against his brother, despite Domitian
himself having a eunuch lover.143
That lover, the eunuch Earinus, is the most notable
eunuch puer delicatus, about whom both Statius and Martial wrote extensively.
In the fourth poem in book three of the Silvae, Statius writes of Earinus
dedication of a few locks of his hair to the temple of Asclepius at Pergamum. He
compares Earinus to Ganymede the (not castrated) beloved youth of Zeus, and declares
him lovelier than Endymion, Attis, Narcissus and Hylas.144
The inclusion of Attis in the
list is particularly notable. Although Attis was not castrated when he first became
Cybeles beloved, his castration is his most distinguishing feature. Statius carefully slips
a eunuch within his list of other mythological youths known for their beauty. He even
states outright that if Earinus had been born after Domitians edict against castration and
had not been made a eunuch, he would be a man now rather than a youth.
And you, now a young man, if you had been born later and
had darkened cheeks and stronger full-grown limbs, you,
joyful, would have sent not just one offering to the Phoeban
shore.
Tu quoque nunc iuvenis, genitus si tardius esses,
umbratusque genas et adultos fortior artus,
non unum gaudens Phoebea ad limina munus
misisses 145
141 Tac. Ann. 4.10.
142 Suet. Ner. 28. and Cass. Dio 62.13.
143 Suet. Dom. 7.
144 Stat. Silv. 3.4.12-19 and 4.39-45.
145 Ibid. 3.4.78-81. The second offering referred to here, which Earinus would have given had he not been
castrated, is presumably the first clipping of the beard, as described in Suet. Ner. 12.
Martial also compares Earinus to Ganymede, Zeus cupbearer and lover, in
epigram 9.36. As Domitian and Earinus are on Earth, so Zeus and Ganymede are in
heaven. Ganymedes genitally intact state does not impede Martial from drawing a direct
parallel. Although Ganymede is not castrated, Zeus favor gives him an extended youth.
Ganymede, like Earinus, will never be a man. Although the comparison to Ganymede
might serve to downplay Earinus castration, it may also subtly point out that Earinus,
like Ganymede, will never be permitted to grow into manhood on account of the desires
of a powerful ruler.146
Castration interrupts the transformation into a man, but as age creeps up, a eunuch
cannot remain a soft and unmanly boy forever. They skip over the period of virile
adulthood and physically go from adolescent youths to unmanned elders. As Claudian
writes, they are in the midst of boyhood and old age and nothing in between (inter
puerumque senemque / nil medium).147
The text is too lenghty to copy it all here, so I provide the link. https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bits ... sAllowed=y
May be one excerption from the text:
------------------------------------------
Eunuchs Compared to Desirable Boys
When slave eunuchs are young, Roman authors present them as being much like
any other favored slave boy. Their only physical distinction (aside from the obvious lack
of testicles) is that their castration allows them to keep their youthful, adolescent
appearance for a much greater length of time. The feminine softness and hairlessness
that is desirable in youths is not taken away by puberty. This artificial extension of their
youth and beauty is the source of their value.136 As Ringrose states, [c]astration offered
an opportunity to restructure a prepubescent boy into an individual whose physical and
psychological properties were perceived to be distinct from those of a mature man and to
preserve elements of prepubescence that were valued by society.137
Claudian
135 Women do not go bald for their nature is similar to that of children: both do not produce seminal
secretion. Eunuchs also do not become bald, because of their change into the female.
Arist. Gen. an. 784a.
136 Whereas once a eunuch becomes too old to maintain a pretense of youthful desirability, authors
descriptions become much more hostile, as the next section will relate.
137 Ringrose (2003), 59-60.
specifically cites the extension of boyish adolescence as a reason for castration when he
presents various legendary accounts of the origin of the practice.
the Parthians prevented, by use of the knife, the shadow
of downy hair from growing and compelled the age of
adulthood to be delayed, with the flower of boyhood
preserved for a long time through artifice, to serve their
sexual desires.
Parthica ferro
luxuries vetuit nasci lanuginis umbram
servatoque diu puerili flore coegit
arte retardatam Veneri servire iuventam.138
For a desired boy to be soft and effeminate is no bad thing, unlike for a man. But
a boy who is not castrated is expected to grow out of youthful softness, and is considered
to have failed as a man if he does not. As Craig Williams writes, While the effeminacy
of cinaedi was a serious failing, we will see that beautiful boys might be charmingly
butch or delightfully soft and girlish. In other words, boys could get away with things
that cinaedi could not. Indeed, one might say that the image of the cinaedus served as a
reminder of what could happen if the normative transition from passive, penetrated puer
to active, penetrating vir, did not take place as expected.139
Eunuchs, however, are
failed men by design. They are not supposed to grow out of boyish softness, and by their
extended boyishness, remain objects of sexual desire.140
Beautiful young eunuch attendants were common amongst the imperial retinue.
Tiberiuss son, Iulius Caesar Drusus, possessed a favored eunuch amongst his slaves.
This eunuch, Lygdus, was dear to his master on account of his youth and beauty and was
138 Claud. In Eutr. 1.342-45.
139 Williams (1999) 183. For the desirability of effeminate boys see Tibull. 1.4.9-14, Hor. Epod. 11.23-4,
and Mart. 12.75.
140 I shall further discuss the perceived sexual desirability of youthful eunuchs in Chapter Five.
among his principal attendants, (aetate atque forma carus domino interque primores
ministros erat)
141
Nero had Sporus, an attractive eunuch youth he claimed as his wife.142
Suetonius states that Titus fondness for eunuchs was so great that Domitians motive for
outlawing castration was simply vindictiveness against his brother, despite Domitian
himself having a eunuch lover.143
That lover, the eunuch Earinus, is the most notable
eunuch puer delicatus, about whom both Statius and Martial wrote extensively.
In the fourth poem in book three of the Silvae, Statius writes of Earinus
dedication of a few locks of his hair to the temple of Asclepius at Pergamum. He
compares Earinus to Ganymede the (not castrated) beloved youth of Zeus, and declares
him lovelier than Endymion, Attis, Narcissus and Hylas.144
The inclusion of Attis in the
list is particularly notable. Although Attis was not castrated when he first became
Cybeles beloved, his castration is his most distinguishing feature. Statius carefully slips
a eunuch within his list of other mythological youths known for their beauty. He even
states outright that if Earinus had been born after Domitians edict against castration and
had not been made a eunuch, he would be a man now rather than a youth.
And you, now a young man, if you had been born later and
had darkened cheeks and stronger full-grown limbs, you,
joyful, would have sent not just one offering to the Phoeban
shore.
Tu quoque nunc iuvenis, genitus si tardius esses,
umbratusque genas et adultos fortior artus,
non unum gaudens Phoebea ad limina munus
misisses 145
141 Tac. Ann. 4.10.
142 Suet. Ner. 28. and Cass. Dio 62.13.
143 Suet. Dom. 7.
144 Stat. Silv. 3.4.12-19 and 4.39-45.
145 Ibid. 3.4.78-81. The second offering referred to here, which Earinus would have given had he not been
castrated, is presumably the first clipping of the beard, as described in Suet. Ner. 12.
Martial also compares Earinus to Ganymede, Zeus cupbearer and lover, in
epigram 9.36. As Domitian and Earinus are on Earth, so Zeus and Ganymede are in
heaven. Ganymedes genitally intact state does not impede Martial from drawing a direct
parallel. Although Ganymede is not castrated, Zeus favor gives him an extended youth.
Ganymede, like Earinus, will never be a man. Although the comparison to Ganymede
might serve to downplay Earinus castration, it may also subtly point out that Earinus,
like Ganymede, will never be permitted to grow into manhood on account of the desires
of a powerful ruler.146
Castration interrupts the transformation into a man, but as age creeps up, a eunuch
cannot remain a soft and unmanly boy forever. They skip over the period of virile
adulthood and physically go from adolescent youths to unmanned elders. As Claudian
writes, they are in the midst of boyhood and old age and nothing in between (inter
puerumque senemque / nil medium).147
.