History Main / EunuchsAreEvil

** The two slaves who accompany the 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.

** The only other Calormene men drawn without beards (and with similar clothes to the aforementioned deaf-mute attendants) are the slaves who [[TooImportantToWalk carry Lasaraleen's litter]], another historically common role for eunuchs. Lasaraleen isn't ''evil''--in fact, she's depicted as SpoiledSweet, even as a helpful friend to the heroine Aravis--but she ''[[AmbiguousInnocence does]]'' thoughtlessly accept her culture's injustices like {{slavery|IsASpecialKindOfEvil}} and {{arranged marriage}}s.

** The only other Calormene men drawn without beards (and with similar clothes to the aforementioned deaf-mute attendants) are the slaves who [[TooImportantToWalk carry Lasaraleen's litter]], another historically common role for eunuchs. Lasaraleen isn't ''evil''--in fact, she's depicted as SpoiledSweet and even helpful to the heroine Aravis--but she ''[[AmbiguousInnocence does]]'' thoughtlessly accept her culture's injustices like {{slavery|IsASpecialKindOfEvil}} and {{arranged marriage}}s.

** The only other Calormene men drawn without beards (and with similar clothes to the aforementioned deaf-mute attendants) are the slaves who [[TooImportantToWalk carry Lasaraleen's litter]], another historically common role for eunuchs. Lasaraleen isn't ''evil''--in fact, she's depicted as SpoiledSweet and even helpful to the heroine Aravis--but she ''does'' thoughtlessly accept her culture's injustices like slavery and {{arranged marriage}}s.

* In ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'' (an {{interquel}} set during the TimeSkip in ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', the first instalment published in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''), Pauline Baynes's original illustrations provide a FridgeBrilliance example that's less "eunuchs are evil in their own right" and more "eunuchs ''serve'' evil"--the evil in question being the [[GodEmperor Tisroc]] of [[TheEmpire Calormen]], his arrogant son, and their sycophantic Grand Vizier. The two slaves who accompany the meeting 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 only other Calormene men drawn without beards are the slaves who [[TooImportantToWalk carry Lasaraleen's litter]], another historically common role for eunuchs. Lasaraleen isn't ''evil''--in fact, she's depicted as SpoiledSweet and even helpful to the heroine Aravis--but she ''does'' thoughtlessly accept her culture's injustices like slavery and {{arranged marriage}}s.

* In ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'' (an {{interquel}} set during the TimeSkip in ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', the first instalment published in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''), Pauline Baynes's original illustrations provide a FridgeBrilliance example that's less "eunuchs are evil in their own right" and more "eunuchs ''serve'' evil"--the evil in question being the [[GodEmperor Tisroc]] of [[TheEmpire Calormen]], his arrogant son, and their sycophantic Grand Vizier. The two slaves who accompany the meeting are 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, which is a more specific nod to the Ottoman UsefulNotes/{{Turk|ey}}ish tradition of employing such courtiers because they were better at keeping secrets.

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 castrato singer who behaves not unlike the usual 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 castrato singer, making him an EvilDiva with a DisabilitySuperpower in the form of an ethereal singing voice.

If a villain like this has supernatural powers, it could overlap with VirginPower and (again) DisabilitySuperpower. Failing to avert the [[AnimalsFearNeutering fate of the very castration that the animal so feared]] can be the FreudianExcuse for animal examples of this trope. Many, but not all male examples are {{Sissy Villain}}s. It may or may not overlap with PureIsNotGood: a villainous eunuch may be characterised as pure due to his lack of sexual development,[[note]]though in some cases, sex can still occur after castration[[/note]] or as impure due to his physical mutilation. This type of character frequently has an EffeminateVoice.

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.

If a villain like this has supernatural powers, it could overlap with VirginPower and DisabilitySuperpower. Failing to avert the [[AnimalsFearNeutering fate of the very castration that the animal so feared]] can be the FreudianExcuse for animal examples of this trope. Many, but not all male examples are {{Sissy Villain}}s. It may or may not overlap with PureIsNotGood: a villainous eunuch may be characterised as pure due to his lack of sexual development,[[note]]though in some cases, sex can still occur after castration[[/note]] or as impure due to his physical mutilation. This type of character frequently has an EffeminateVoice.

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 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.

* 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 and [[OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous even angelic]] in other depictions, as mentioned above under Art.[[/note]] had nearly as bad a reputation as they did in the Sinosphere.)

* 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 Byzantine Empire, where--in addition to the straight version of this trope--eunuchs could also be considered pure and [[OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous even angelic]], as mentioned above under Art.[[/note]] had nearly as bad a reputation as they did in the Sinosphere.)

* 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 had nearly as bad a reputation as they did in the Sinosphere.)

* Very, ''very'' common in fantasy and historical [[ChineseSeries Chinese dramas]], especially ones set in the imperial court.
** ''Series/TheKingsWoman'': Zhao Gao (who was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Gao a real person]], and just as bad as his fictional counterpart) is supposed to be Ying Zheng's advisor. He's actually plotting with Min Dai to protect Zhao, their shared homeland.
** ''Series/ThePrincessWeiYoung'': Zong Ai (who was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zong_Ai also a real person]]) murders the emperor and helps put Tuoba Yu on the throne.

* The VillainOfTheWeek of one episode of ''Series/{{Alcatraz}}'' was a serial poisoner who had lost his testicles when a bully threw a firecracker at him.
* [[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.
* Averted in ''Series/MagnificentCentury'', where the eunuchs in the RoyalHarem and are more like {{Gay Best Friend}}s to the women there. Of special note is Sümbul, who becomes the closest and most reliable confidant of [[FieryRedhead Hürrem Sultan]], one of Suleyman's wives.
* ''Series/MiamiVice'': Frank, a.k.a. "the Savage," is a former CIA operative who used to work in Vietnam. He was emasculated by a prostitute he mistreated and subsequently became a serial killer of prostitutes, stabbing almost 90 women to death and writing "VC Whore" on the wall in the victim's blood.

* In ''Theatre/{{Parsifal}}'', the BigBad Klingsor is implied to have castrated himself in a failed attempt to prove himself worthy of being a Grail Knight. Due to his missing the point of a vow of chastity, he's kicked out by the king.

* The MMORPG ''Age of Wushu'' has recently announced a faction of these called "The [[MeaningfulName Rootless]] Clan". There's also The Sunflower Manual, a HarderThanHard PrestigeClass based on this archetype, which requires an absolutely absurd number of player kills to level up. In-universe the former were inspired by the latter.
* Interestingly played with in ''China - The Forbidden City'': While investigating a murder case that only ends with more murders, the player interacts with a great deal of Eunuchs (who are normal servants in the city). Since most are obedient, quiet and merely more then {{Non Player Character}}s, two are a important part of the plot and - of course - in on the murder plot. Though them being evil is less contributed to them being Eunuchs as them being able to move freely around the city.
* It's offhandedly mentioned that Excellus in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' is an eunuch. [[SissyVillain His behavior]] makes it rather obvious. He's also easily the biggest slimeball in the game, making even ''Gangrel'' look pleasant.
* 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]]."

* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'': {{Inverted|Trope}} with [[spoiler:Dr. Bowman]]. As a genetically engineered [[spoiler:[[UpliftedAnimal chimpanzee]]]], he knew he was prone to being an uncontrollable sociopathic rage machine, so he [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2600/fc02529.htm neutered himself]] in early adolescence to curb the worst of his impulses.

* In Star Wars, ''WesternAnimation/TheCloneWars'', there's a twofold example in the villains. One is in the brutal General Grievous, the right-hand man of Darth Tyranus, who willingly replaced more and more of his body with cybernetic parts until only his respiratory system and part of his face remain of his original flesh body. Then there's Darth Maul, who due to being sliced in half by Obi-Wan before the start of the show in The Phantom Menace also got unintentionally neutered. When he's rebuilt, he is given a completely cybernetic lower half rather like Grievous as well, leaving him without any equipment to speak of. Both characters have their missing genitalia alluded to a few times, such as when Ventress seductively tells Grevious "My dear general, you have ''nothing'' I could possibly want" while she caresses his face.

* 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.]]

* Evil Eunuchs are a Chinese cinematic tradition, as seen in ''Film/ButterflyAndSword'' and ''Film/ATouchOfZen''. If the movie has a fantasy bent, expect the eunuch to be some flavor of EvilSorcerer.
* [[RichBitch Amber Sweet's]] psychologically-neutered valets from ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera''. They still have male genitalia and are traditionally masculine-looking beefcakes, but have had their sex drives obliterated to the point of incapability.
* ''Film/HeroicTrio'' plays on the Chinese myth of eunuchs being evil, mystical beings.

* Possibly averted in ''Film/CurseOfTheGoldenFlower'', where the court eunuchs and servants side with the Empress and the coup against the BigBad.
* ''Film/FourteenBlades'' features a particularly powerful Court Eunuch, [[EvilChancellor Jia]], as one half of a BigBadDuumvirate. [[spoiler: Until the other half decides he has [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived his usefulness]], that is.]]

* ''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 persepective, making the Eunuch a sort of a VIllainProtagonist.
* In ''Film/TheLoneRanger'', [[spoiler:Latham Cole]] is hinted to have become a eunuch during the Civil War.
* Inverted with Bob Paulson from ''Film/FightClub'', who lost his testicles to cancer stemming from steroid abuse. Despite [[DrinkingTheKoolAid being duped into joining Fight Club and Project Mayhem]], Bob is probably the nicest character in the whole movie, and he repeatedly demonstrates that he has plenty of figurative "balls."
* Subverted by another Bob in ''Film/DemolitionMan'', who mentions in the novelisation that Cocteau had him castrated to "limit any aspirations of power" he might otherwise have had. Bob ultimately turns out to be a PunchClockVillain, willing to work with the heroes once his evil bosses get defeated.
* Bombaata in ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer'' is another example that only gets specified in the novelisation. This explains why he's the only man Taramis trusts around her niece Jehnna, and why Jehnna mentions that she hasn't known any real men. Going by Bombaata's BeardOfEvil and BadassBaritone (being played by UsefulNotes/WiltChamberlain and all), he presumably lost his 'nads ''after'' puberty.
* ''Film/KullTheConqueror'': Subverted by the royal eunuch, who seems set up to fill an EvilChancellor role in alliance with the two main bad guys in the DecadentCourt, but he apparently remains ignorant of their (and later Akivasha's) schemes. His most morally ambiguous act is to declare that Kull can't abolish slavery, as it's permitted by the ancient laws (which is more DeliberateValuesDissonance-he's just upholding tradition).
* In ''Film/JumanjiTheNextLevel'', one of the villainous Brothers Kababik is a eunuch. It's mostly PlayedForLaughs -- since said brothers are TheGhost and Bethany and Fridge are impersonating them, the latter is forced to listen to a guard [[AsYouKnow talk about]] how he supposedly bravely lost his testicles and [[SureLetsGoWithThat go along with it]].
* The main bad guys in ''Film/TheKunoichiNinjaGirl'' are a pair of eunuchs who are part of a group whose job is to kidnap women and deliver them back to their home village to serve as {{Sex Slave}}s for the village elite. The children selected for this group are castrated at birth so they are never tempted to interfere for with the women.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Varys, the eunuch spymaster, has traits of this, but it's unclear if he's really evil. While he'll gladly stab anyone in the back, he tells Ned that he'll do anything to keep the realm relatively stable, as the last thing he wants is a repeat of the last war and all its casualties. [[spoiler:However... he still does try to destabilize the upper tiers of the realm to a shockingly great degree, as its part of his plan to bring Aegon VI Targaryen to power. Having said that, he ''does'' seem to be trying to leave most existing institutions relatively intact for later use, even if they get horribly undermanned, disrupted, confused and bamboozled in the process.]]
** Possibly {{inverted}} by [[spoiler: Theon Greyjoy]] who is a jerk with his manhood intact, but manages to become more sympathetic after a TraumaCongaLine which is heavily implied to have involved emasculation.
--->'''Ramsay Snow:''' ''[written note]'' "In the box you'll find a special gift... [[spoiler:Theon]]'s favorite toy. He cried when I took it away from him."

* In the first chapter of ''Literature/TheYearsOfRiceAndSalt'', a boy from Africa named Kyu is MadeASlave and castrated before he's sold to an aristocrat in China. He eventually becomes one of the high ranking eunuch officials in the Imperial City. He isn't out-and-out evil, but is definitely a CreepyChild, AxCrazy, and possesses some DissonantSerenity over the people he kills.
* Evil Eunuchs have been a staple villain in China for centuries--the trouble started in the [[OlderThanFeudalism Latter Han period]], where the Emperor would end up in a power struggle between his relatives and the imperial court, and the eunuchs who served him would be trusted with state secrets (''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' chronicles such a power struggle that sees [[FatBastard Dong]] [[EvilChancellor Zhuo]] rise to power).

* 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.
* 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."
* Creator/MaryRenault's ''Literature/ThePersianBoy'' is a definite subversion. The narrator and protagonist is Bagoas, who was forcibly castrated at a young age and became the lover of both King Darius of III of Persia and, later Alexander the Great. From the outside he might seem like a scheming eunuch, but because we see everything from his perspective and are privy to his train of thought, he becomes a very sympathetic character. Renault took his story right out of the history books. To complicate matters, King Darius had had a Grand Vizier also called Bagoas, who ''was'' this trope to the hilt.

* {{Played with}} in ''Literature/{{Everworld}};'' Hel's harem-city is guarded by eunuchs, but one of them purposefully slips Jalil a hint that [[spoiler:Galahad's sword could hurt her]], which helps them escape.
* Somewhat {{subverted}} by Count Hasimir Fenring in ''Literature/{{Dune}}'', he's a scheming member of the imperial court who may have poisoned Emperor Shaddam's father. But when ordered to kill Paul he refuses ([[spoiler: turns out, he's a failed attempt at a Kwisatz Haderach due to a genetic defect that made him sterile]]).
* Shukeli from Literature/TheScarletCitadel was stated to have lost all normal desires, and only have cruelty in their place.
* In ''The Emperor's Tomb'' by Steve Berry, there is a conspiracy of eunuchs to manipulate the course of Chinese history.
%%* {{Played straight}} in Creator/GoreVidal's ''Literature/{{Julian}}'', set at the court of Julian the Apostate.

* {{Played straight}} with the necromancer Korbal Broach in the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'', whose castration has made him obsessed with procreation by creating creatures out of stolen souls and dead flesh.
* Dennis Wheatley's "The Eunoch of Stamboul." Given that Wheatley's villains are often disabled, ugly or otherwise malformed, one knows who the villain is before one even reads the first sentence.
* Squealer the pig from ''Literature/AnimalFarm'', who serves as Napoleon's PropagandaMachine, is an example that might not be apparent to readers unfamiliar with animal husbandry. Creator/GeorgeOrwell calls him a porker, indicating that he was originally raised [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin for, well, pork]], and male livestock raised for meat are usually neutered to make them fatter and more docile. In contrast, Orwell refers to elite pigs like Napoleon as boars, which denotes intact male pigs; a typical farm will often keep a few intact male animals of a given species for breeding rather than eating. It's even said Napoleon sired all new piglets there initially, confirming this-it may mean he's the only boar starting out.
* Dyke Mellis in ''Literature/EatThemAlive'' was castrated by his fellow criminals after he tried to betray them and steal their money. While he was never a particularly nice person to begin with, losing his genitals turned him into a sadistic misanthrope who eventually has revenge handed to him in the form of giant praying mantises, which he trains to attack and eat people. Not only does he feed his former cohorts to the creatures, but also their friends and families, as well as several completely innocent bystanders, because he finds he actually ''enjoys'' watching the mantises rip people apart.
* The Pardoner in ''Literature/TheCanterburyTales'' is implied to be a eunuch, although this is never confirmed in the text; he is also one of the sleaziest of the pilgrims, a ConMan who sells fake indulgences and relics to poor parishioners (as well as to his fellow pilgrims, ''after'' he's explained his entire routine to them).
* ''Literature/TheNeanderthalParallax'': {{Inverted}} with the Neanderthals, whose punishment for violent crimes is castration (of male criminals -- we don't learn what happens to female ones), precisely ''because'' it kills their aggression afterward, thus making them less likely to commit new crimes. [[spoiler:Cornelius Ruskin]] is given this treatment by Ponter after he discovers that he'd raped Mary, with the same results. He begins feeling remorse at what he'd done to her and Quasir, Mary's boss. In fact he comes to hate violent men like him, and even engineers a virus which targets human males. [[spoiler:Unfortunately this gets loose and kills two men. Cornelius kills himself in guilt over it, since he didn't intend for this to happen.]]
* ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'': {{Inverted}}. Two minor characters are eunuchs: Erik, a Skaldi boy in the Marhkagir's harem, who is shattered by his experience, but ultimately helps Phaedra escape, and Sunjata, an ex Carthaginian slave who'd been freed by Melisandre in the past, then recruited into the Unseen Guild but turns out to be good. Both are portrayed as victims of this.
* ''Literature/RoseOfTheProphet'': Two unnamed eunuchs are guards of the harem in the Sultan's palace, portrayed as loyal {{mooks}}.

* In ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'' (an {{interquel}} set during the TimeSkip in ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', the first installment published in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''), Pauline Baynes's original illustrations provide a FridgeBrilliance example that's less "eunuchs are evil in their own right" and more "eunuchs ''serve'' evil"--the evil in question being the [[GodEmperor Tisroc]] of [[TheEmpire Calormen]], his arrogant son, and their sycophantic Grand Vizier. The two slaves who accompany the meeting are 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, which is a more specific nod to the Ottoman UsefulNotes/{{Turk|ey}}ish tradition of employing such courtiers because they were better at keeping secrets.

* Evil Eunuchs are a Chinese cinematic tradition, as seen in ''Film/ButterflySword'' and ''Film/ATouchOfZen''. If the movie has a fantasy bent, expect the eunuch to be some flavor of EvilSorcerer.

* ''14 Blades'' features a particularly powerful Court Eunuch, [[EvilChancellor Jia]], as one half of a BigBadDuumvirate. [[spoiler: Until the other half decides he has [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived his usefulness]], that is.]]

* In Star Wars, ''WesternAnimation/TheCloneWars'', there's a twofold example in the villains. One is in the brutal General Grievous, the right-hand man of Darth Tyranus, who willingly replaced more and more of his body with cybernetic parts until only his respiratory system and part of his face remain of his original flesh body. Then there's Darth Maul, who due to being sliced in half by Obi-Wan before the start of the show in The Phantom Menace also got unintentionally neutered. When he's rebuilt, he is given a completely cybernetic lower half rather like Grievous as well, leaving him without any equipment to speak of. Both characters have their missing genitalia remarked upon in a few GettingCrapPastTheRadar moments, such as when Ventress seductively tells Grevious "My dear general, you have ''nothing'' I could possibly want" while she caresses his face.

* In ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'' (an {{interquel}} set during the TimeSkip in ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', the first installment published in ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''), Pauline Baynes's original illustrations provide a FridgeBrilliance example that's less "eunuchs are evil in their own right" and more "eunuchs ''serve'' evil"--the evil in question being the [[TheEmperor Tisroc]] of [[TheEmpire Calormen]], his arrogant son, and their sycophantic Grand Vizier. The two slaves who accompany the meeting are 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, which is a more specific nod to the Ottoman UsefulNotes/{{Turk|ey}}ish tradition of employing such courtiers because they were better at keeping secrets.

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 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.

This trope is mostly, but not exclusively male. This trope is not restricted to castrations, both surgical and chemical. Penectomy and ovariohysterectomy examples can be included as well.

** Varys could be described this way, although that's [[GrayAndGreyMorality not how he sees it]] even if he not entirely benevolent. This is invoked in regards to him by Maester Pycelle. Varys even lampshades it when he offers Eddard a flask of water and Eddard hesitates, asking with exasperation, "Why is it no one ever trusts the eunuch?" However, Varys may have only been as kind to Ned as he was because it could make him feel better about other things he'd done, and he knew it wouldn't cost him anything. In later seasons, through AdaptationalHeroism (he doesn't employ [[spoiler: mutilated slave children as spies and doesn't carry out a pair of assassinations to throw the realm into political chaos]]) he's established firmly in one of the heroic factions.

* In ''Manga/AnatoliaStory'', it's revealed that [[spoiler:[[TheDragon Urhi Shalma]] was [[GroinAttack forcibly made a eunuch]] when he was a child, because he was the SoleSurvivor of the royal family of a kingdom that was conquered, and the conquerors didn't want to risk him having heirs. He only reveals that he's a eunuch towards the end of the series, when it's necessary [[MamasBabyPapasMaybe to clear up rumors that he's secretly Juda's father]].]]

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* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', the DeadlyDecadentCourt of Nyissa is staffed by eunuchs, most of whom are backstabbing poisoners as a matter of course. Subverted in the ''Mallorean'' sequel series by the former Chief Eunuch Sadi, an AntiHero who joins the protagonists and eventually helps save the world. Also, while most of the senior eunuchs are highly corrupt, their being made eunuchs in the first place was for reasons of necessity - when your country has been ruled by a succession of girls who spend pretty much their entire adult lives in a state of chemically-induced nymphomania for five thousand years, you have to do something to ensure that the civil service will be able to focus on getting their work done instead of servicing the queen.

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

* 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 had nearly as bad a reputation as they did in the East.)

* 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.