Castration/Definition

The act of severing the male genitalia, typically the testicles, from the body of a man or boy or of a male animal. It is also called by other terms such as gelding, spaying, neutering, or fixing. It can happen by the free will of a person who desires to have his testicles removed by surgical methods, but generally the sense is that it is an act against a person's will. In Greek mythology, according to Hesiod in Theogony, and as reported by Elizabeth Vandiver, the primordial Greek god Ouranos was castrated by Cronus using a sickle provided by Ouranos' wife, Gaia, and the severed genitals became sea foam which became the goddess Aphrodite. A boy who is castrated before reaching puberty will have a high voice and fewer muscles and less desire to have sexual intercourse, and be unable to have children or offspring. All persons who are castrated are sterile.