> From: Peter Larsen <plarsen_at_...>
> The worshipers of Cybele and Attis and the Skopsi (I'm not sure
>about the spelling) in 19th C Russia did it for religious reasons, too. So
>much for a tidy example. While we're at it, why were the Byzantine eunuchs
>cut? If it was just to make them incomplete, wouldn't chopping of a finger
>(or a nose) done as well? Surely there was a sexual motive?
As I understand it Eunuchs are not asexual (they can/may still "perform"
but can't "fertilize"). They are often thought to be without sexual desire,
though. The best reason is presumably to remove the possibility of
offspring.
Thom