The Eunuch Steward is a fable attested across the expanse of northeast Africa and Asia, from Late Bronze Age Egypt to China some time after 1424 CE. In the story, a subordinate young man, accused of invading his master's sexual prerogative, offers a radical act of submission, namely self-emasculation. The popularity of the tale across many cultures is best explained by citing its Oedipal themes: intergenerational male rivalry over a maternal figure, and the castration of the younger male. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.