Many must have heard the word eunuch. However, not everyone knows its exact meaning. Who is a eunuch? What does he do? This word comes from the Greek enuchos, which means an ancient profession or court position - "keeper of the bed." That is, the eunuch is an observer of the concubines in the harem of the eastern lord.
The eunuch is always a castrate. Yes, these unfortunate people, by the will of fate, found themselves in such a terrible situation. What's so bad about that? Surely many not only do not know who the eunuch is, but they also do not understand the meaning of the word "castrato". This word refers to men who have removed either the penis or testicles, or both. According to some sources, eunuchs first appeared in Assyria, Persia, and Byzantium, but other evidence suggests that sealed servants also served in the courts of Chinese nobles from time immemorial. By the way, in the Far East, these courtiers served not only as the overseer of the emperor’s harem, but also a number of responsible tasks and assignments from their master. Eunuchs in the Ottoman Empire, present-day Turkey, appeared later. Since they could not think of a higher authority because of their fragmentation, they were involved in many important state affairs, and even under the youngest rulers became the most influential persons in the state.
Since prehistoric times, royal persons were supposed to have many wives. Naturally, they needed such servants who would restore order in this female kingdom. For this, a strong male hand was needed. However, in order to avoid temptation to women, they were deprived of masculine nature.
Transformation into a castrato took place both by force and at will. Sometimes boys from poor families were brought to the Sultan's palace by their own fathers. The teenagers did not even know what was going to happen to them and who the eunuch was. After going through a painful and humiliating procedure, they were trained in the duties of the "guardian of the bed" of the Sultan and often reached great heights in managing not only the royal harem, but also the entire state.
Concubines and eunuchs
Many inhabitants of the harems fell into its walls not of their own free will. In addition, fierce competition was fought between the women of the seraglio because of the favor of the ruler. A variety of tricks were used to harm each other, and only thanks to the wisdom and insight of the eunuch was it possible to avoid tragedies. The duties of the eunuch included the protection of the harem, the training of concubines, their care (bathing, massage, rubbing, dressing, etc.), escorting them to the master’s chambers, etc.
In harems there were frequent such situations when girls began to have tender feelings for their guards. And what disappointment befell them when they understood what a eunuch was! But some women still retained sympathy for the unfortunate men and even tried to brighten up their lives, thereby putting themselves at risk.
But among the eunuchs there were also such servants who, because of their male impotence, came up with various tests for the poor concubines, turning their lives into hell.