The motivation for masters/victors

[bertobo (imported)]

Dear archive members. We know that in many cultures it was common to castrate slaves or defeated enemies. What I wonder is: What did the owners/victors think or feel when it came to gelding slaves or prisoners? And on the other side: What did the victims think? I am open to any theory. Thank you.

[Taylor (imported)]

There are many reasons but I'll touch on just a couple.

1- When a victor castrates the vanquished they remove what is percieved as the source of their strength. The act is nonvoluntary and reinforces the subservient position of the castrated.

2- The castrated cannot reproduce so the act ends the bloodline of the vanquished the act prevents them from having children who might seek revenge.

3- Castrated slaves are thought to be more trustworthy and many have reached the heights of power.

These are just a couple off the top of my head but a little research will reward you with a wealth of information.

[Patient (imported)]

An interesting sidelight to this question is that castration of the vanquished is not a peculiarly human practice---some of the apes do it too.