Concept in Definition ABC

A centaur is a mythological being half human, half equine. It has the body of a horse and the torso, head and arms of a human. In ancient Greece it was thought that they were children of Ixion, the king of Thessaly, and Nefele, goddess of the clouds, although according to different mythologies this origin may vary, It is also common to find writings where it is said that they are the fruit of the union between Kentauros (son of Ixion and Nefele) and different mares from the prefecture of Magnesia.

In Greek mythology the fights between centaurs and humans represented the combat between the civilization and the barbarism, receiving these contests the generic name of centauromachies.

The figure of the centaur was later adopted by the Romans, including it in their legends, thus becoming a common character in the bestiaries of the Middle Ages.

In the literature Fantastic modern have also continued to appear regularly. Its half-man, half-horse form has been used by many authors to deal with the conflicts of

personality of characters trapped between two worlds and who must fight against their natural instincts.

Chiron the centaur

One of the most famous centaurs in history is Chiron, famous for his wisdom. Contrary to the common image that the Greeks had of the centaurs as wild and lust-filled beings, Chiron was a remarkable exception; modest and civilized, his abilities as a doctor and teacher made him highly esteemed.

Chiron lived on Mount Pelion, in the region of Thessaly, and was the tutor of numerous mythological characters such as Achilles or Asclepios. Despite being an immortal being, he was accidentally injured by Hercules when he hit him with an arrow impregnated with the blood of the Hydra, thus suffering Chiron terrible pain.

Therefore, when shortly after Hercules requested the liberation of Prometheus from Zeus and he demanded a sacrifice in return, Chiron did not hesitate to volunteer to end his suffering.

The centáurides

When speaking of the centaur, it is made almost exclusively of men, but nevertheless there were also centaur women, the centáurides. These are characters that do not appear in the oldest Greek mythology, but arose later and always in a very isolated way.

Thus, the first representation that is known of a centáurid is in a Macedonian mosaic of century IV before Christ. While in literature, there is no record of his existence until the Roman poet Ovid wrote about the centaurid Hilonoma in his "Metamorphosis."

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Themes in Centauro