T M Kuefler Popular Books

T M Kuefler Biography & Facts

A eunuch ( YOO-nək) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium BCE. Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures: courtiers or equivalent domestics, for espionage or clandestine operations, castrato singers, concubines or sexual partners, religious specialists, soldiers, royal guards, government officials, and guardians of women or harem servants. Eunuchs would usually be servants or slaves who had been castrated to make them less threatening servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence. Seemingly lowly domestic functions—such as making the ruler's bed, bathing him, cutting his hair, carrying him in his litter, or even relaying messages—could, in theory, give a eunuch "the ruler's ear" and impart de facto power on the formally humble but trusted servant. Similar instances are reflected in the humble origins and etymology of many high offices. Eunuchs supposedly did not generally have loyalties to the military, the aristocracy, or a family of their own (having neither offspring nor in-laws, at the very least). They were thus seen as more trustworthy and less interested in establishing a private "dynasty". Because their condition usually lowered their social status, they could also be easily replaced or killed without repercussion. In cultures that had both harems and eunuchs, eunuchs were sometimes used as harem servants. Etymology Eunuch comes from the Ancient Greek word εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos), first attested in a fragment of Hipponax, the 6th century BCE comic poet and prolific inventor of compound words. The acerbic poet describes a particular lover of fine food having "consumed his estate dining lavishly and at leisure every day on tuna and garlic-honey cheese paté like a Lampsacene eunoukhos." The earliest surviving etymology of the word is from late antiquity. The 5th century (CE) Etymologicon by Orion of Thebes offers two alternative origins for the word eunuch: first, to tēn eunēn ekhein, "guarding the bed", a derivation inferred from eunuchs' established role at the time as "bedchamber attendants" in the imperial palace, and second, to eu tou nou ekhein, "being good with respect to the mind", which Orion explains based on their "being deprived of intercourse (esterēmenou tou misgesthai), the things that the ancients used to call irrational (anoēta, literally: 'mindless')". Orion's second option reflects well-established idioms in Ancient Greek, as shown by entries for transl. grc – transl. noos, eunoos and ekhein in Liddell and Scott's Greek-English Lexicon, while the first option is not listed as an idiom under eunē in that standard reference work. However, the first option was cited by the late 9th century Byzantine emperor Leo VI in his New Constitution 98 banning the marriage of eunuchs, in which he noted eunuchs' reputation as trustworthy guardians of the marriage bed (eunē) and claimed that the very word eunuch attested to this kind of employment. The emperor also goes further than Orion by attributing eunuchs' lack of male–female intercourse specifically to castration, which he said was performed with the intention "that they will no longer do the things that males do, or at least to extinguish whatever has to do with desire for the female sex". The 11th century Byzantine monk Nikon of the Black Mountain, opting instead for Orion's second alternative, stated that the word came from eunoein (eu "good" + nous "mind"), thus meaning "to be well-minded, well-inclined, well-disposed or favorable", but unlike Orion he argued that this was due to the trust that certain jealous and suspicious foreign rulers placed in the loyalty of their eunuchized servants. Theophylact of Ohrid in a dialogue In Defence of Eunuchs also stated that the origin of the word was from eupnoeic and ekhein, "to have, hold", since they were always "well-disposed" toward the master who "held" or owned them. The 12th century Etymologicum Magnum (s.v. eunoukhos) essentially repeats the entry from Orion, but stands by the first option, while attributing the second option to what "some say". In the late 12th century, Eustathius of Thessalonica (Commentaries on Homer 1256.30, 1643.16) offered an original derivation of the word from eunis + okheuein, "deprived of mating". In translations of the Bible into modern European languages, such as the Luther Bible or the King James Bible, the word eunuchs as found in the Latin Vulgate is usually rendered as an officer, official or chamberlain, consistent with the idea that the original meaning of eunuch was bed-keeper (Orion's first option). Modern religious scholars have been disinclined to assume that the courts of Israel and Judah included castrated men, even though the original translation of the Bible into Greek used the word eunoukhos. The early 17th-century scholar and theologian Gerardus Vossius therefore explains that the word originally designated an office, and he affirms the view that it was derived from eunē and ekhein (i.e. "bed-keeper"). He says the word came to be applied to castrated men in general because such men were the usual holders of that office. Still, Vossius notes the alternative etymologies offered by Eustathius ("deprived of mating") and others ("having the mind in a good state"), calling these analyses "quite subtle". Then, after having previously declared that eunuch designated an office (i.e., not a personal characteristic), Vossius ultimately sums up his argument in a different way, saying that the word "originally signified continent men" to whom the care of women was entrusted, and later came to refer to castration because "among foreigners" that role was performed "by those with mutilated bodies". Modern etymologists have followed Orion's first option. In an influential 1925 essay on the word eunuch and related terms, Ernst Maass suggested that Eustathius's derivation "can or must be laid to rest", and he affirmed the derivation from eunē and ekhein ("guardian of the bed"), without mentioning the other derivation from eunoos and ekhein ("having a well-disposed state of mind"). In Latin, the words eunuchus, spado (Greek: σπάδων spadon), and castratus were used to denote eunuchs. Non-castrated eunuchs The term eunuch has sometimes figuratively been used for a wide range of men who were seen to be physically unable to procreate. Hippocrates describes the Scythians as being afflicted with high rates of erectile dysfunction and thus "the most eunuchoid of all nations" (Airs Waters Places 22). In the Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, the term literally used for impotent males is spado but may also be used for eunuchs. Some men have falsified the status of their castration to gain entrance into the palace. Chinese e.... 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Best Seller T M Kuefler Books of 2024

  • Lyra synopsis, comments

    Lyra

    T. M. Kuefler

    Lyra is one of the Hunt. Lyra is also very annoyed with one of the new guests to Scabbard, the home of the Hunt.Jordan.The man was maddening on a whole new level.He was also h...

  • Connection Bound synopsis, comments

    Connection Bound

    T. M. Kuefler

    Doctor Zara Hastings is a survivor. Just like all of the other occupants of the Rocky Mountain Base.With the help of an extraterrestial group called The Andromadan Alliance, the Ba...

  • Aikaterini synopsis, comments

    Aikaterini

    T. M. Kuefler

    Diablo has a voice and isn't afraid to use it. Which has caused quiet a bit of friction between him and the very old and very deadly witches and warlocks of the Mystical Hunt. All ...

  • Christos synopsis, comments

    Christos

    T. M. Kuefler

    Barely surviving an avalanche that destroys their mountain side labs, Foundry and her coworkers struggle through freezing winter snowstorms and over mountains in order to reach civ...

  • Rational Existence synopsis, comments

    Rational Existence

    T. M. Kuefler

    Trapped deep in an underground testing facility, freedom was a dream for Royce. Life has been daily rounds of fighting to survive and hopeless agony for years. But all of that...

  • Unchained Backdraft synopsis, comments

    Unchained Backdraft

    T. M. Kuefler

    Amber and her son Ryker are living contentedly within the Rocky Mountain Base. At least they were until rumors started going around about them. Nasty rumors that slowly but surely ...

  • Triumvirate Protagonism synopsis, comments

    Triumvirate Protagonism

    T. M. Kuefler

    Doctor Luke Graden had finally given up. Lysander, the Nordic male that he loved had completely denied thier connection. While the pain of that denial tore Luke apart, he was ...

  • Unyielding Ministrations synopsis, comments

    Unyielding Ministrations

    T. M. Kuefler

    Dr. Stand arrived with the Alliance to the Rocky Mountian Base years ago. Since then he has concentrated on helping the humans survive and advance in their Drako occupied world. Hi...

  • Father synopsis, comments

    Father

    T. M. Kuefler

    Reclusive Mya is surprised one night when she wakes up to see a group of ragged looking teenagers raiding her kitchen.What should she do with these parentless childr...

  • Disintegrating Tableau synopsis, comments

    Disintegrating Tableau

    T. M. Kuefler

    Fifteen Years.Fifteen years of struggling to survive, of desperately trying to protect those she loves. Her hands are coated in blood, her mind filled with the images of innocence ...

  • Phoenix synopsis, comments

    Phoenix

    T. M. Kuefler

    Let's not talk about the oh so charming King of Ares. Phoenix wants nothing to do with the man even though he is her other half. Soulmate, who cares. Not after she was forced to wa...

  • Chloe synopsis, comments

    Chloe

    T. M. Kuefler

    Chloe has nowhere to run. Not now that she has been forced to return to the Hunt after weeks of surviellance duty. Unfortunately, this means that she is now stuck with people who c...

  • Quiet Contemplation synopsis, comments

    Quiet Contemplation

    T. M. Kuefler

    Archaeologist, Dr. Greg Patel is not a fan of the Drako or their technology. Case in point the handy piece of metal they welded to his thigh, replacing the leg that he lost in the ...

  • Pursuit synopsis, comments

    Pursuit

    T. M. Kuefler

    Prince Tristan returns home to Ares after learning of his fiancé's betrayal, not just to himself but to the country she called home. Unfortunately, with him back on the market he i...

  • Runaway synopsis, comments

    Runaway

    T. M. Kuefler

    The president of the Gods Defenders and Poseidon's warlock extraordinary, Aster, has spent months helping Princes. But now, he is the one who needs help tracking down the one woman...

  • Sunshine synopsis, comments

    Sunshine

    T. M. Kuefler

    Six searched for a connection.A family she never had.A brother she never knew. Six found a cat missing an owner.Four brothers looking for peace.A murder mystery.Can ...

  • Flight Plan synopsis, comments

    Flight Plan

    T. M. Kuefler

    Madron, the heir apparent to the Andromedan Race, came to Earth to assess it and the humans that claim it as home. The serious man assumed that this trip would go down similar to t...

  • Constantine synopsis, comments

    Constantine

    T. M. Kuefler

    Constantine is doing everything he can to keep hunt down the Titans and keep his people alive. After freeing hundreds of people from Hydra, he inadvertantly comes across his other ...

  • Persuading Cynicism synopsis, comments

    Persuading Cynicism

    T. M. Kuefler

    Dr. John James ran. As far and as fast as he could. Unfortunately for him, the woman he was running from ended up right back in his life, working as his own, dedicated nurse.&...

  • Stirring Pieces synopsis, comments

    Stirring Pieces

    T. M. Kuefler

    As soon as Echis inadvertently came across her connection she ran. Unfortunately for her, Diad was very stubborn when it came to tracking his conversance down. Unfortunately, despi...

  • Endangered Essence synopsis, comments

    Endangered Essence

    T. M. Kuefler

    What happened to Leah?Why didn't Chriton recognize Leah as his Conversance when he first saw her?What is the depth of the connection between Leah and Malachi?How can Leah be Chrito...

  • Detected Conversance synopsis, comments

    Detected Conversance

    T. M. Kuefler

    There are new guests to the Rocky Mountain Base. Not that this news really has any bearing on the way I live my quiet, stable life. Or at least that's what I&#x...

  • Impeded Ignition synopsis, comments

    Impeded Ignition

    T. M. Kuefler

    Candle has lost his hearing one side. Unfortunately, right along with that, he also lost his team. As a soldier on the First Team in the Rocky Mountain Base, Candle is their explos...

  • Prometheus synopsis, comments

    Prometheus

    T. M. Kuefler

    Harmony is new to Scabbard, the home of the Hunt. She is also newly released from the Colosseum after spending eight years as a gladiator fighting for both her and her sister's liv...

  • Extracted Tableau synopsis, comments

    Extracted Tableau

    T. M. Kuefler

    As more and more of the truth behind the Knight and its creation is revealed, Mercury and her brothers refuse to run from the darkness of the Knight. Instead, they will watch ...

  • Fairy Girl synopsis, comments

    Fairy Girl

    T. M. Kuefler

    Marko screwed up. Big time. He selfishly hurt one of the most important people in his life, his best friend. He spent 10 years trying to change himself for the better. These are th...

  • Half Life synopsis, comments

    Half Life

    T. M. Kuefler

    The Gods Defenders are at it again.This time they are following a mere rumor on behalf of the King of Poseidon. Could one of the deceased Prince's actually be alive?Thad volunteers...

  • Astral Fusion synopsis, comments

    Astral Fusion

    T. M. Kuefler

    Grayson is a friendly guy, a soldier at heart. There is a number of different things he likes. Piercings, tattoos, his best friend Malachi, and now the color indigo. No, that's a l...

  • Red Skies synopsis, comments

    Red Skies

    T. M. Kuefler

    Ambrose Sokolov and Lux Samaras used to be best friends right up until Ambrose made a huge mistake. That mistake ripped them apart and kept them apart for years.It isn't until they...

  • Ambrosia Realized synopsis, comments

    Ambrosia Realized

    T. M. Kuefler

    River is fairly new to the Rocky Mountian Base. Marko has been there since the beginning.Unfortunately, they have a dark, convoluted past. A past that Marko wants to heal. For...

  • Alexander synopsis, comments

    Alexander

    T. M. Kuefler

    Electra was kidnapped. Yes, it was at the behest of her hero of an older brother who was once again trying to protect her. But that didn't really mean anything when she suddenly fo...

  • Cracked Tableau synopsis, comments

    Cracked Tableau

    T. M. Kuefler

    Let the introductions begin.My name is Lana, or maybe it is Mercury.Either way, I am a member of the Knight.And this is my story.This is how I went from Lana to Mercury.This i...

  • Opaque Equilibrium synopsis, comments

    Opaque Equilibrium

    T. M. Kuefler

    Dr. Carter Claws, Rocky Mountain Base's resident canine divergent, is feeling the need.The need for his mate.Someone he met for mere seconds in the middle of an emergency.Unfortuna...

  • Blind Luck synopsis, comments

    Blind Luck

    T. M. Kuefler

    Dean Marshal is blind.After an Op gone wrong, he lost his sight. Which was very unfortunate for the man whose call sign is Scope. Luckily, he is stubborn and forced himself to retr...