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CENTAURS

The CENTAURS were creatures living in the mountains of Thessaly having the upper part of a human being and the lower part of a horse. As a race they are said to have the following parentages but some CENTAURS have other parentages (see list below). The LAPITHS, mentioned below, are a people from Thessaly who became famous mainly because of their battle against the CENTAURS together with Pirithous and his friend Theseus. Heracles 1 had several fights with CENTAURS, and one of them Nessus 2, is behind his death.

 

Children of a Cloud.	Some say that Ixion fell in love with Hera and tried to rape her. This misbehaviour of Ixion was reported by Hera to Zeus, who decided to test the case. Zeus then made a Cloud Resembling Hera (Nephele 1) and laid it beside Ixion. And when Ixion went around boasting that he had enjoyed Hera, Zeus bound him to a wheel, on which he is whirled by winds through the air. But the cloud gave birth to Centaurus and from him came the rest of the CENTAURS, or else they were born directly from the Cloud.
Fight during a Wedding Party.	When Pirithous, a son of Ixion, married Hippodamia 4, he invited the CENTAURS because they were her kinsmen. But the CENTAURS could not handle wine. They made themselves drunk by drinking without any moderation, and when the bride was brought in, they thought it a good idea to violate her. A big battle took place and many CENTAURS were killed in the occasion.
Transsexual Caeneus 1.	Among those who fought the CENTAURS at the wedding of Pirithous was Caeneus 1 who formerly had been a woman. As such she had intercourse with Poseidon and afterwards asked the god to let her become an invulnerable man. So in the battle against the CENTAURS he did not have to care about wounds, but at last the CENTAURS surrounded him and by striking him with fir trees buried him in the earth.
Heracles 1 fights the CENTAURS for a matter of wine.	When Heracles 1 was trying to catch the Erymanthian boar he passed through Pholoe and was entertained by the Centaur Pholus 1, a son of Silenus by a Melian nymph. He set roast meat before Heracles 1, but himself ate his meat raw. When Heracles 1 called for wine, Pholus 1 said he feared to open the jar which belonged to all CENTAURS in common. But as Heracles 1 insisted he opened it, and very soon, scenting the smell, the CENTAURS camed, armed with rocks and firs, to the cave of Pholus 1. There was a fight and Heracles 1 killed some CENTAURS and pursued others.
Death of Chiron.	Those CENTAURS who fled took refuge with the Centaur Chiron at Malea, where he lived after having being expelled from Mount Pelion by the LAPITHS. When Heracles 1 found them there he started shooting and during the battle he wounded Chiron unwillingly. Heracles 1 tried to remove the arrow and applied a medicine, which the same Chiron gave him. But the medicine was useless against the poison of the Hydra, in which Heracles 1 had dipped his arrows. Chiron wished to die but he could not because he was immortal, so Prometheus 1 offered himself to Zeus to be immortal in his stead and Chiron could die. Chiron was a gentle Centaur who once, when Peleus was caught by the Centaurs, interceded and saved his life.
Violent acts stand in Heracles 1's way to further education.	This slaughter was a hindrance to Heracles 1 when he wished to be initiated at Eleusis, and he could not be initiated before he was cleansed of the slaughter by Eumolpus, a son of Poseidon who was thrown into the sea by his mother, Chione 1, and brought up by Benthesicyme.
Dispersion of the CENTAURS.	The rest of the CENTAURS dispersed; some went to Mount Malea, others to Pholoe, still others to Eleusis where Poseidon hid them in a mountain. Pholus 1 died while manipulating the dangerous arrows of Heracles 1 and was buried by him.

 

Parentage

[Two opposite versions]

a) Ixion and Nephele 1.

b) Centaurus and Mares Magnesian.

c) [The particular parentage of some CENTAURS is indicated in the list below]

 

List of CENTAURS

CENTAURS	Other parentages and relatives	Details
Abas 4.		Attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the LAPITHS and fled.
Agrius 1.		Was repelled by Heracles 1 in a fight.
Amphion 4.		Tried to plunder Pholus 1 of his wine and was killed by Heracles 1
Amycus 2.	Son of Ophion 2 (see below)	Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the LAPITHS. Was killed by Pelates 1.
Anchius.		Another Centaur, repelled by Heracles 1 when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus 1.
Antimachus 4.		Attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the LAPITHS and was killed by Caeneus 1.
Aphareus 2.		Killed by Theseus in the fight at Pirithous' wedding.
Aphidas 2.		Killed by Phorbas 2 in the fight at Pirithous' wedding.
Arctus.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the LAPITHS.
Areos.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the LAPITHS.
Argius 4.		Another Centaur, killed by Heracles 1 when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus 1.
Asbolus 1.		An augur who had attempted in vain to dissuade his friends from engaging in battle against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding.
Bienor 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the LAPITHS and was killed by Theseus.
Bromus.		Attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the LAPITHS and was killed by Caeneus 1.
Centaurus.	Son of Ixion and Nephele 1 or of Apollo and Stilbe.	He coupled with the Magnesian Mares and the rest of the CENTAURS were born.
Chiron.	Son of Cronos and Philyra 1. He had three daughters by Chariclo 2: Endeis, Melanippe 1 and Ocyrrhoe 2.	A civilized Centaur who is said to have been the first to invent the art of healing. He healed, for example, the blindness of Phoenix 2. He had famous disciples: Achilles, Actaeon, Aristaeus, Asclepius, Jason, Medus, Patroclus 1. Some say Heracles 1 shot him involuntarily with his poisoned arrows and, the wound proving incurable, he renounced immortality in favour of Prometheus 1. But others say that one of the arrows fell out of Heracles 1's quiver and stuck him in his left foot.
Chromis 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. Killed by Pirithous.
Chthonius 3.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. Killed by Nestor.
Clanis 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. Killed by Peleus.
Crenaeus 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. Killed by Dryas 2.
Cyllarus 1.	He was married to Hylonome (see below).	Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. Killed by a javelin thrown from an unknown hand.
Daphnis 3.		Another Centaur who tried to plunder Pholus 1 of his wine and was killed by Heracles 1.
Demoleon 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. Killed by Peleus.
Dictys 2.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. Killed by Pirithous.
Dorylas 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. Killed by Peleus.
Doupon.		Another Centaur who tried to plunder Pholus 1 of his wine and was killed by Heracles 1.
Dryalus.	Son of Peuceus (see below)	Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the LAPITHS.
Echeclus 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the LAPITHS. Killed by Ampyx 1.
Elatus 3.		Tried to plunder Pholus 1 of his wine. Heracles 1 shot an arrow at him, which, passing through his arm, stuck in the knee of Chiron.
Elymus 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the LAPITHS. Killed by Caeneus 1.
Eurynomus 2.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Dryas 2.
Eurytion 3.		Acted in an insulting manner towards Hippolyte 4 when she was being joined in marriage to Azan or in the house of Pirithous. (See also Eurytus 8.) Killed by Heracles 1.
Eurytus 8.		The wildest of the wild CENTAURS. He started the fight at Pirithous' wedding (See also Eurytion 3). Killed by Theseus.
Gryneus.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Exadius.
Helops 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. While fleeing from Pirithous fell from a precipice into the top of a tree and impaled his body.
Hippasus 4.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Theseus.
Hippotion 2.		Another Centaur, killed by Heracles 1 when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus 1.
Hodites 1.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Mopsus 1.
Homadus.		Also this Centaur tried to plunder Pholus 1 of his wine. Some time after he attempted to rape Alcyone 3, a granddaughter of Perseus 1. He got killed in Arcadia.
Hylaeus 1.		This Centaur tried to rape Atalanta but was shot by her. (Same thing happened to Rhoecus.)
Hylaeus 3.		Killed by Heracles 1 under unknown circumstances.
Hylaeus 4.		This Centaur followed Dionysus 2 in his Indian campaign and was killed by Orontes 2, an Indian General.
Hyles.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. Killed by Peleus.
Hylonome.	Mate of Cyllarus 1 (see above).	Attended Pirithous' wedding together with her lover Cyllarus 1 (see above). When she saw Cyllarus 1 dead threw herself upon the spear which had killed him.
Imbreus.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Dryas 2.
Iphinous 1.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Peleus.
Isoples.		Another Centaur, killed by Heracles 1 when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus 1.
Latreus.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Caeneus 1.
Lycabas 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the LAPITHS and fled.
Lycidas.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Dryas 2.
Lycopes.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Theseus.
Lycus 8.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Pirithous.
Medon 3.		Attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the LAPITHS and fled.
Melanchaetes 2.		Another Centaur, killed by Heracles 1 when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus 1.
Melaneus 1.		Attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the LAPITHS and fled.
Mermerus 4.		Was wounded by the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding and fled.
Mimas 5.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the LAPITHS.
Monychus.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. He was conquered by Nestor, mounted on his unwilling back.
Nedymnus.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Theseus.
Nessus 2.		A black Centaur. Fled during the fight with the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Later he attempted to violate Deianira 1 and before dying gave her a charm which resulted in the death of Heracles 1. Killed by Heracles 1.
Ophion 2.	Father of Amycus 2 (see above).
Orius 1.		Another Centaur, killed by Heracles 1 when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus 1.
Orneus 2.		Attended Pirithous' wedding fought against the LAPITHS and fled.
Perimedes 5.	Son of Peuceus (see below).	Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the LAPITHS.
Petraeus 1.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Pirithous.
Peuceus.	Father of Perimedes 5 and Dryalus (see above).
Phaecomes.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Nestor.
Phlegraeus 1.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Peleus.
Pholus 1.	Son of Silenus and Nymph 1 Meliad.	He was more skilled in augury than other CENTAURS. He attended Pirithous' wedding and fled after the fight against the LAPITHS. The mountain Pholoe was named after him. He Let fall one of the arrows of Heracles 1 on his foot and died.
Phrixus 2.		Another Centaur, killed by Heracles 1 when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus 1.
Pisenor 2.		Attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the LAPITHS and fled.
Pylenor.		Having been wounded by Heracles 1 washed himself in the river Anigrus, thus providing the river with a peculiar odour.
Pyracmus.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Caeneus 1.
Pyraethus.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Periphas 2.
Rhoecus.		He also tried to rape Atalanta and was killed by her (Same thing happened to Hylaeus 1.)
Rhoetus 1.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Dryas 2.
Ripheus 1.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Theseus.
Styphelus.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Caeneus 1.
Teleboas 2.		Fought against the LAPITHS at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Nestor.
Thaumas 2.		Attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the LAPITHS and fled.
Thereus 1.		This Centaur used to catch bears and carry them home alive and struggling. Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the LAPITHS. Killed by Theseus.
Thereus 2.		Another Centaur, killed by Heracles 1 when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus 1.
Ureus.		Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the LAPITHS.

CENTAURS in GROUPS:

BESTIARY

 
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