Castration/Definition

The act of severing the male genitalia, 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. In some cases the term has been applied to severing the ovaries from females. 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.