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In this article, Thea talks about centaurs and tries to be funny.
Centaurs
Centaurs
By Thea Schreiber
By Thea Schreiber
Image of a Centaur from Theoi
If you take a horse and you take a man, then you end up with a horse and a man-- but if you add some surgery and superglue, then you get a Centaur. The Centaur is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper half of a man and the lower half of a horse. The most famous of the Centaurs, both within the mythology and in modern culture, is Chiron, who appears in the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.
According to The Theoi Project, Centaurs, also known by their gansta name as Kentauri, are primitive savages who live in caves and hunt for food with rocks and branches, much like your local journalism students. In the myth, the father of the Centaurs was King Ixion of the Lapiths, a tribe in northern Thessaly, and they lived on Mount Pelion. Relations between the Lapiths and Centaurs would go south during the wedding of the Centaurs' half brother, Pirithous. The Centaurs got wildly drunk and decided it would be funny to kidnap the bride and the rest of the women at the wedding. In the battle that ensued, most centaurs were wiped out. Though other herds of centaurs are mentioned in myths in different parts of Greece, even appearing to fight Heracles, they do not seem to appear all to much in the overall mythos.
Image of Journalism students (Kentauri) from Theoi
Image of Chiron from Theoi
By far the most extroverted of the Centaurs is Chiron. According to Britannica, Chiron, despite being a Centaur, was not related to the other Centaurs as a son of Cronus. They did not even share a mother. Chiron’s mother was an ocean nymph and the Centaur’s mother was a cloud nymph. Besides his heritage, what Chiron is best known for is teaching famous heroes and demigods, such as Heracles, Jason, Achilles, and Asclepius, but he was also known for his great wisdom, knowledge of medicine, and being the only chill Centaur in existence. Unfortunately, his knowledge of medicine would not save him from a poison arrow shot by Heracles, solidifying the running theory that the Fates hated Centaurs. After being shot, Chiron would renounce his immortality and become the constellation Centaurus.
Centaurs' origins in some of Greek mythology’s greatest myths has allowed them into some of the modern day’s greatest stories, appearing in the Percy Jackson series, though that was mostly Chiron. From their strange birth to their savage lives and entertainingly tragic ends, centaurs prove themselves to be fascinating creatures and unique within Greek Mythology.
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