History Main / EunuchsAreEvil

[[caption-width-right:350: It takes balls to take the throne.]]

* In TheEighties pulp series ''Doomsday Warrior'', Colonel Killov, the head of the KGB in the InvadedStatesOfAmerica, has been born without testicles, and the only sexual thrill he gets is from killing people. It's said he's [[OmnicidalManiac planning the ultimate thrill by destroying the world.]] Needless to say, this series doesn't go for subtlety in portraying the {{Dirty Communist}}s.

* Averted in ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', which features the famous eunuch Zheng He (mentioned below) as one of ImperialChina's advisors and [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure does his work pretty well.]]

* Averted in Gillian Bradshaw's ''The Bearkeeper's Daughter''. Narses is a good-guy and the protagonist's mentor. He himself says, "When men curse eunuchs they make an exception for me."

* [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/star-wars-quest-lukes-balls-a-fan-theory/ One theory]] on Website/{{Cracked}} proposes that DarthWiki/DarthVader of ''Franchise/StarWars'' fame lost his genitals in the same lava pit that [[EvilCripple destroyed his limbs]] on Mustafar. According to this theory, TheEmperor wanted to recruit Luke to TheDarkSide not just as another Sith apprentice, but also as a viable source of sperm for a SuperBreedingProgram. (If you're wondering how a eunuch could also be a BassoProfundo, Vader actually used an artificial voicebox, since his throat has been burned too. Moreover, even if he hadn't needed his vocal cords replaced, he'd already gone through puberty by that point, so losing his balls wouldn't have changed his voice from Creator/HaydenChristensen back to Creator/JakeLloyd).

* The 3[[superscript:rd]] Edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons: Oriental Adventures'' book has a "Eunuch Warlock" PrestigeClass that's exclusive to [[CharacterAlignment Evil characters]]. However, its abilities mostly focus on enhancing the character's magic in morally neutral ways.

Eunuchs tend to be EvilChancellor types, in keeping with the myriad historical records of ruthless and power-hungry eunuchs in societies like the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, Ottoman UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, and ImperialChina. These empires appointed eunuchs to key court positions under the assumption that since they couldn't have children, they'd be more inclined to serve the good of the empire instead of trying to accumulate power for their families (which was an especially important factor in places like Byzantium and China, where usurpers who aimed to start their own imperial dynasties weren't uncommon). As it turned out, the lack of a family to enrich didn't stop eunuchs from seeking to enrich ''themselves'', and in fact, gave them that much more time to scheme and plot, and that much less incentive to ensure they didn't destabilize the empire for future generations. So employing eunuchs didn't do much to solve the problem, and in some ways made it worse. Meanwhile in post-Roman Europe ("Roman" here encompassing the Byzantine, or more properly Eastern Roman, Empire) or a setting based thereon, if a eunuch appears in a PeriodPiece, he's likely a [[DisabilitySuperpower castrato singer]] who behaves not unlike the usual PrimaDonna celebrity.

Eunuchs tend to be EvilChancellor types, in keeping with the myriad historical records of ruthless and power-hungry eunuchs in societies like the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, Ottoman UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, and ImperialChina. These empires appointed eunuchs to key court positions under the assumption that since they couldn't have children, they'd be more inclined to serve the good of the empire instead of trying to accumulate power for their families (which was an especially important factor in places like Byzantium and China, where usurpers who aimed to start their own imperial dynasties weren't uncommon). As it turned out, the lack of a family to enrich didn't stop eunuchs from seeking to enrich ''themselves'', and in fact, gave them that much more time to scheme and plot, and that much less incentive to ensure they didn't destabilize the empire for future generations. So employing eunuchs didn't do much to solve the problem, and in some ways made it worse. Meanwhile in post-Roman Europe ("Roman" here encompassing the Byzantine, or more properly Eastern Roman, Empire) or a setting based thereon, if a eunuch appears in a PeriodPiece, he's likely a [[DisabilitySuperpower castrato singer]] who behaves not unlike the usual {{jerkass}} celebrity diva.

* Narses is a good-guy and the protagonist's mentor in Gillian Bradshaw's ''The Bearkeeper's Daughter''. He himself says, "When men curse eunuchs they make an exception for me."

So you've got a villain and you've got to give him a RedRightHand, and your protagonist is the manliest of men. So, why not make your villain a {{Foil}} and remove his male gonads? Especially prevalent in fantasy and historical fiction, the Evil Eunuch is simultaneously creepy and effeminate--think SissyVillain meets VirginShaming. Since testosterone increases muscle gain, a villainous eunuch's ''lack'' of testosterone makes him unlikely to have a HeroicBuild. Instead, he tends to be either a FatBastard (especially since castration also decreases metabolism and energy levels, hence the LazyNeuteredPet) or LeanAndMean. Eunuchs also tend to have less bodily and facial hair than intact men do, which lends itself well to comparisons to {{reptiles|AreAbhorrent}}. Throw in a CreepyHighPitchedVoice [[note]]along with CreepyLongFingers and CreepilyLongArms (and long ''legs'', which tends to overlap with EvilIsBigger) if the writer is going for accuracy[[/note]] if he was castrated before puberty, and you've got a great recipe for an ObviouslyEvil foe. And of course, the limited sex drive makes this trope likely to overlap with the VillainousAromanticAsexual.

* Narses is an {{antivillain}} in the ''Literature/BelisariusSeries''. While a traitor and an assassin he is not particularly sadistic and has some claims to being an OnlySaneMan. Interestingly he is not shown as effeminate; he is certainly more traditionally manly then the Vile One except in the strictly biological sense that the latter has slave-girls as his favorite entertainment, while residing in his mobile palace so far to the rear of the battlefield as not to be in any danger. An entertainment which Narses is incapable of should he have been inclined to stoop to it.

Eunuchs tend to be EvilChancellor types, in keeping with the myriad historical records of ruthless and power-hungry eunuchs in societies like the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, Ottoman UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, and ImperialChina. These empires appointed eunuchs to key court positions under the assumption that since they couldn't have children, they'd be more inclined to serve the good of the empire instead of trying to accumulate power for their families (which was an especially important factor in places like Byzantium and China, where usurpers who aimed to start their own imperial dynasties weren't uncommon). As it turned out, the lack of a family to enrich didn't stop eunuchs from seeking to enrich ''themselves'', and in fact, gave them that much more time to scheme and plot, and that much less incentive to ensure they didn't destabilize the empire for future generations. So employing eunuchs didn't do much to solve the problem, and in some ways made it worse. Meanwhile in post-Roman Europe or a setting based thereon, if a eunuch appears in a PeriodPiece, he's likely a [[DisabilitySuperpower castrato singer]] who behaves not unlike the usual {{jerkass}} celebrity diva.

* ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'' downplays this with [[spoiler:Juuzou Suzuya]], castrated with a ''hammer'' (along with other tortures) by the [[OurGhoulsAreCreepier ghoul]] who {{raised|ByOrcs}} him. While not a straight-up villain, he ''is'' a PsychopathicManchild--though his upbringing kind of justifies that, and he becomes more stable and empathetic through his work partner's caring influence.

* In ''The Smiling, Proud Wanderer'' by Louis Cha, Dongfang Bubai, [[spoiler:Yue Buqun]], and [[spoiler:Lin Pingzhi]] all become eunuchs at varying points in the story to learn martial arts manuals. [[spoiler:Dongfang Bubai practiced Sunflower Manual, which is actually a sister manual to the Evil-Repelling Sword Buqun and Pingzhi both learn. Both manuals give their practioners nearly invincible speed.]] Zig-Zagged considering most of the characters who try to learn these manuals are already villainous [[spoiler:like Yue Buqun and his rival Zuo Lengshan]] but played straight by [[spoiler: Lin Pingzhi who underwent increasing {{Sanity Slippage}} after learning it to the point of murdering the only woman who loved and supported him.]]

* ''Film/TheEunuch'': Another Shaw effort, the titular Eunuch had a family massacred for trying to overthrow him in the opening scene, even killing their young son by bisecting the boy into half. It's also a film whose story is told from the villain's perspective, making the Eunuch a sort of a VIllainProtagonist.

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* The Abrahamic faiths repeatedly avert this. In UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}}, rabbinical literature describes [[Literature/BookOfDaniel Daniel and his companions]] as eunuchs (which makes sense, since they were advisors of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar). This later came in handy in [[DisabilityAlibi discrediting charges of sexual immorality]], as detailed in Literature/TheTalmud. Meanwhile, in UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}}, UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} praises eunuchs for their purity in the [[Literature/TheFourGospels Gospel of Matthew]], and the first Ethiopian Christian was a eunuch. (On the other hand, Abrahamic ''civilizations'' tended to play it straight; eunuchs in the medieval and early modern courts of both Christian and Muslim monarchs uniformly[[note]]Except sometimes in the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, where--in addition to the straight version of this trope--eunuchs could also be considered pure ([[OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous even angelic]]) in other depictions, as mentioned above under Art.[[/note]] had nearly as bad a reputation as they did in the Sinosphere.)
[[/folder]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'', the in-game encyclopedia entry for the city-state of Sidon mentions the [[Literature/TheBible Biblical]] princess Jezebel, who -- according to the [[Literature/BooksOfKings first Book of Kings]] -- married the UsefulNotes/{{Israel}}ite king Ahab, promoted [[Myth/CanaaniteMythology Phoenician paganism]] over [[UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} the Hebrew faith]], and eventually got assassinated by her own eunuchs and [[FedToTheBeast thrown to the dogs in the street]]. As the Civilopedia puts it: "There are two great lessons from this story for all rulers: first, don't mess with the people's religion, and second, [[DoesntTrustThoseGuys never trust the royal eunuchs]]."

* ''ComicBook/JugeBao'': The Chief Eunuch came up with a plan to discredit one of the Emperor's two favorite concubines (as he'd promised to elevate the first to bear him an heir) along with the other concubine by arranging for the pregnant concubine's child to be taken away and claim she'd given birth to a dog. However, another eunuch serving the unlucky concubine found a way to hide the child and have him raised by the emperor's brother (who knew the truth but never spoke it), eventually becoming the emperor's heir.

Eunuchs tend to be EvilChancellor types, in keeping with the myriad historical records of ruthless and power-hungry eunuchs in societies like the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, Ottoman UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, and ImperialChina. These empires appointed eunuchs to key court positions under the assumption that since they couldn't have children, they'd be more inclined to serve the good of the empire instead of trying to accumulate power for their families (which was an especially important factor in places like Byzantium and China, where usurpers who aimed to start their own imperial dynasties weren't uncommon). As it turned out, the lack of a family to enrich didn't stop eunuchs from seeking to enrich ''themselves'', and in fact, gave them that much more time to scheme and plot, and that much less incentive to ensure they didn't destabilize the empire for future generations. So employing eunuchs didn't do much to solve the problem, and in some ways made it worse. Meanwhile in post-Roman Europe or a setting based thereon, if a eunuch appears in a PeriodPiece, he's likely a [[DisabilitySuperpower castrato singer]] who behaves not unlike the usual [[{{Irony}} dickish]] celebrity diva.

Eunuchs tend to be EvilChancellor types, in keeping with the myriad historical records of ruthless and power-hungry eunuchs in societies like the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire, Ottoman UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}}, and ImperialChina. These empires appointed eunuchs to key court positions under the assumption that since they couldn't have children, they'd be more inclined to serve the good of the empire instead of trying to accumulate power for their families (which was an especially important factor in places like Byzantium and China, where usurpers who aimed to start their own imperial dynasties weren't uncommon). As it turned out, the lack of a family to enrich didn't stop eunuchs from seeking to enrich ''themselves'', and in fact, gave them that much more time to scheme and plot, and that much less incentive to ensure they didn't destabilize the empire for future generations. So employing eunuchs didn't do much to solve the problem, and in some ways made it worse. Meanwhile in post-Roman Europe or a setting based thereon, if a eunuch appears in a PeriodPiece, he's likely a [[DisabilitySuperpower castrato singer]] who behaves not unlike the usual dickish celebrity diva.

* [[spoiler: The Carver]], one of the primary antagonists in ''Series/NipTuck'' was revealed as this as a plot twist and part of his character motivation.

** The two slaves who accompany a secret courtly meeting (between the [[GodEmperor Tisroc]] of [[TheEmpire Calormen]][[note]][[PhraseCatcher may he live forever]][[/note]], his arrogant son, and their sycophantic Grand Vizier) are among the only Calormene men whom Pauline Baynes drew without any facial hair, indicating that they might be eunuchs, which would be in line with Calormen's [[ArabianNightsDays Islamic]] and Myth/{{Mesopotamian|Mythology}} influence. At any rate, Creator/CSLewis explicitly describes them as deaf and mute, a more specific nod to the Ottoman UsefulNotes/{{Turk|ey}}ish tradition of employing such courtiers because they were better at keeping secrets.

** The two slaves who accompany a secret courtly meeting (between the [[GodEmperor Tisroc]] of [[TheEmpire Calormen]], his arrogant son, and their sycophantic Grand Vizier) are among the only Calormene men whom Pauline Baynes drew without any facial hair, indicating that they might be eunuchs, which would be in line with Calormen's [[ArabianNightsDays Islamic]] and Myth/{{Mesopotamian|Mythology}} influence. At any rate, Creator/CSLewis explicitly describes them as deaf and mute, a more specific nod to the Ottoman UsefulNotes/{{Turk|ey}}ish tradition of employing such courtiers because they were better at keeping secrets.