Well, apparently the harem ladies liked the fact that eunuchs can still get it up but never ejaculated, meaning they can go on for hours and hours. So there were times when the eunuchs weren't exactly guarding the harems.
"zombieslayer" wrote:
That is factual. Castration does not prevent one from having an erection, though it may affect strength or duration of erection. One might expect that without the ability to ejaculate eunuchs would last longer, and that may indeed be true for many, but I'm not convinced that would hold true for every individual (or even every instance of intercourse). While the average canine, for example, can and does typically for "last" half an hour or more of vaginal penetration, my Jack Russel Terrier, who was fixed, rarely lasted more than 10 or 15 minutes. (I always figured as long as my Chihuahua bitch limited her sexual encounters to him, I was all right with it.) While there is certainly less of a feeling of urgency with lower levels of testosterone, there is also less ability to maintain a firm erection. So I think it would be a mixed bag.
Castration, whether partial or complete, does not eliminate the ability to achieve the subjective experience of orgasm, particularly with prostatic stimulation. Climax is obviously somewhat more difficult to attain, but even members of the
Hijra caste of India, who remove all traces of their external male genitalia in an effort to attain physical femininity, report ecstatic orgasm during sexual intercourse with their lovers.
I have read that the Egyptian pharaohs required their eunuchs to carry their pickled testicles around in jars hung from their necks, but I don't know if that is a legend or if it is based on fact.