Centaur 7401 225210544 2008-07-12T14:01:45Z SmackBot 433328 Date the maintenance tags or general fixes {{otheruses4|the mythological creatures}} {{Infobox Paranormalcreatures |Creature_Name = Centaur| |Image_Name = Centaure Malmaison.jpg |Image_Caption = A bronze statue of a centaur, <br>after the ''[[Younger Centaur]]''. |Image_Size = 150px |Grouping = [[Legendary creature]] |Sub_Grouping = [[Hybrid (biology)|Hybrid]] |AKA = Kentaur, Kentauros, Centaurus |Similar_creatures = [[Minotaur]], [[satyr]], [[harpy]] |Mythology = [[Greek mythology|Greek]] |Region = [[Greece]] |Habitat = Land }} In [[Greek mythology]], the '''centaurs''' (from [[Ancient Greek]]: '''''Κένταυροι''''' - Kéntauroi) are a race of creatures composed of part [[human]] and part [[horse]]. In early [[Attica|Attic]] [[Pottery of ancient Greece|vase-paintings]], they are depicted as the torso of a human joined at the (human's) waist to the horse's [[withers]], where the horse's neck would be. This half-human and half-animal composition has led many writers to treat them as [[liminal being]]s, caught between the two natures, embodied in contrasted myths, and as the embodiment of untamed nature, as in their battle with the [[Lapith]]s, or conversely as teachers, like [[Chiron]]. The centaurs were usually said to have been born of [[Ixion]] and [[Nephele]] (the cloud made in the image of [[Hera]]). Another version, however, makes them children of a certain [[Centaurus (Greek mythology)|Centaurus]], who mated with the Magnesian mares. This Centaurus was either the son of [[Ixion]] and [[Nephele]] (instead of the Centaurs) or of [[Apollo]] and [[Stilbe]], daughter of the river god [[Peneus]]. In the latter version of the story his twin brother was [[Lapithus]], ancestor of the Lapiths, thus making the two warring peoples cousins. Centaurs were said to have inhabited the region of [[Magnesia]] and Mount Pelion in [[Thessaly]], Mount Pholoe in [[Arcadia]] and the Malean peninsula in southern [[Laconia]]. ==[[Centauromachy]]== [[Image:Sebastiano Ricci 045.jpg|left|thumb|Painting by [[Sebastiano Ricci]], of Centaurs at the marriage of Pirithous, king of the Lapithae]] The Centaurs are best known for their fight with the Lapithae, caused by their attempt to carry off [[Hippodamia (wife of Pirithous)|Hippodamia]] and the rest of the Lapith women, on the day of her marriage to [[Pirithous]], king of the Lapithae, himself the son of [[Ixion]]. The strife among these cousins is a metaphor for the conflict between the lower appetites and civilized behavior in humankind. [[Theseus]], a hero and founder of cities, who happened to be present, threw the balance in favor of the right order of things, and assisted Pirithous. The Centaurs were driven off or destroyed.<ref>[[Plutarch]], ''Theseus,'' 30</ref><ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' xii. 210</ref><ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]]iv. 69, 70</ref> Another Lapith hero, [[Caeneus]], who was invulnerable to weapons, was beaten into the earth by Centaurs wielding rocks and the branches of trees. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as wild as untamed horses. Like the [[Titanomachy]], the defeat of the [[Titan (mythology)|Titan]]s by the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympian gods]], the contests with the Centaurs typify the struggle between civilization and barbarism. The Centauromachy is most famously portrayed in the [[Parthenon]] metopes by [[Phidias]] and a Renaissance-era sculpture by [[Battle of the Centaurs (Michelangelo)|Michelangelo]]. ==Theories of origin== [[Image:Centaur nymph Marqueste Tuileries.jpg|thumb|Centaur carrying off a [[nymph]] by [[Laurent Marqueste]], marble, 1892, [[Tuileries Gardens]], [[Paris]].]] The most common theory holds that the idea of centaurs came from the first reaction of a non-riding culture, as in the [[Minoan civilization|Minoan]] [[Aegean Sea|Aegean world]], to nomads who were mounted on horses. The theory goes that such riders would appear as half-man, half-animal ([[Bernal Díaz del Castillo]] reported that the [[Aztec]]s had this misapprehension about Spanish cavalrymen).<ref>Stuart Chase, ''Mexico: A Study of Two Americas'', Chapter IV ([http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper2/chase/ch04.html University of Virginia Hypertext]), accessed 24 April 2006.</ref> [[Domestication of the horse|Horse taming and horseback culture]] arose first in the southern [[steppe]] grasslands of [[Central Asia]], perhaps approximately in modern [[Kazakhstan]]. Persistence of the Centaur myth in the Roman Empire was probably reinforced by the Hun invasions (in particular Attila), where mounted archery was especially devastating. <ref>John Man, ''Attila the Hun''.</ref> The Lapith tribe of Thessaly, who were the kinsmen of the Centaurs in myth, were described as the inventors of horse-back riding by Greek writers. The Thessalian tribes also claimed their horse breeds were descended from the centaurs. Of the various [[Ancient Greek|Classical Greek]] authors who mentioned centaurs, [[Pindar]] was the first who describes undoubtedly a combined monster. Previous authors ([[Homer]], etc.) only use words such as Pheres (Beasts) that could also mean ordinary savage men riding ordinary horses. However, contemporaneous representations of hybrid centaurs can be found in archaic [[Greek art]]. Writer [[Robert Graves]] has speculated that the Centaurs of Greek myth were a dimly-remembered, pre-Hellenic fraternal earth cult who had the horse as a [[totem]].{{Fact|date=July 2007}} A similar theory was incorporated into [[Mary Renault]]'s ''The Bull from the Sea.'' The Greek word ''kentauros'' could be [[etymology|etymologized]] as ''ken - tauros'' = "piercing bull". Another possible etymology can be "bulls slayer". Some say that the Greeks took the constellation of [[Centaurus]], and also its name "piercing bull", from [[Mesopotamia]], where it symbolized the god [[Baal]] who represents rain and fertility, fighting with and ''piercing'' with his horns the demon [[Mot]] who represents the summer drought. (In Greece, Mot became the constellation of [[Lupus (constellation)|Lupus]].) Later in Greece, the constellation of Centaurus was reinterpreted as a man riding a horse, and linked to legends of Greece being invaded by tribes of horsemen from the north. The idea of a combined monster may have arisen as an attempt to fit the pictorial figure to the stars better. [[Alexander Hislop]] in his book [[The Two Babylons]] theorized that the word is derived from the [[Semitic]] [[Kohen]] and "tor" (to go round) via [[phonetics|phonetic shift]] the less prominent [[consonant]]s being lost over time, with it developing into '''K'''h'''en''' '''Tor''' or ''Ken-Tor'', and being transliterated phonetically into [[Ionic Greek|Ionian]] as ''Kentaur''. [[Image:Grape harvest Abbatiale Mozac 2007 06 30.jpg|thumb|Centaurs harvest grapes on a 12th-century capital from the [[abbey of Mozac]] in the [[Auvergne (région)|Auvergne]]]] ==Female centaurs== Though female centaurs, called [[Kentaurides]], are not mentioned in early Greek literature and art, they do appear occasionally in later antiquity. A Macedonian mosaic of the C4th BCE<ref>Pella Archaeological Museum</ref> is one of the earliest examples of the Centauress in art. [[Ovid]]<ref>Ovid, ''Metamorphoses'' 12. 210 ff., the name Hylonome is Greek so Ovid may have drawn her story from an earlier Greek writer</ref> also mentions a centauress named [[Hylonome]] who committed suicide when her lover [[Cyllarus]] was killed in the war with the Lapiths. In a description of a painting in [[Naples|Neapolis]], the Greek rhetorician [[Philostratus]] the Elder describes them as sisters and wives of the male centaurs who live on Mount Pelion with their children. <blockquote> "How beautiful the Centaurides are, even where they are horses; for some grow out of white mares, others are attached to chestnut mares, and the coats of others are dappled, but they glisten like those of horses that are well cared for. There is also a white female Centaur that grows out of a black mare, and the very opposition of the colours helps to produce the united beauty of the whole."<ref>Philostratus the Elder, ''Imagines'' 2. 3.</ref></blockquote> In the Disney Classic [[Fantasia (film)|Fantasia]], during the [[Symphony no. 6|Pastoral Symphony]], some of the main characters are female centaurs. However, the Disney studio called them "Centaurettes" instead of [[Kentaurides]]. ==Persistence in the medieval world== [[Image:Bova1860.jpg|thumb|Prince Bova fights ''Polkan'' in an 1860 Russian [[lubok]]]] Centaurs preserved a [[Dionysus|Dionysian]] connection in the 12th century [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] carved [[Capital (architecture)|capitals]] of [[Mozac Abbey]] in the [[Auvergne (region)|Auvergne]], where other capitals depict harvesters, boys riding goats (a further Dionysiac theme) and [[griffin]]s guarding the [[Chalice (cup)|chalice]] that held the wine. A centaur-like half-human half-equine creature called ''[[Polkan]]'' ({{lang-ru|[[:ru:Полкан|Полкан]]}}) appeared in [[Russian folklore]], [[Russian folk art|folk art]], and [[lubok]] prints of the 17th-19th centuries. == Modern day == *The [[John C. Hodges library at The University of Tennessee]] hosts a permanent exhibit of a "Centaur from [[Volos]]", in its library. The exhibit, made by combining a study human skeleton with the skeleton of a [[Shetland pony]] is entitled "Do you believe in Centaurs?" and was meant to mislead students in order to make them more critically aware, according to the exhibitors.<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://notes.utk.edu/bio/unistudy.nsf/0/22d591ecc61a2cca85256efd00631d45?OpenDocument| volume=97| issue= 7 or 8| month= August 26| year= 2004| title=Library hails centaur’s 10th anniversary| first=Maggie| last=Anderson| accessdate=2006-09-21}}</ref> *A centaur is one of the symbols associated with [[Iota Phi Theta]] Fraternity Incorporated. *A centaur is one of the key characters in the [[Artemis Fowl]] series. *A centaur is also the mascot of [[Delta Lambda Phi]] National Social Fraternity. Whereas centaurs in Greek mythology were generally symbolic of chaos and unbridled passions, [[Delta Lambda Phi]]'s centaur is modeled after Chiron and represents [[honor]], [[moderation]] and tempered [[masculinity]]. *Centaurs, among many other fantastic creatures, played a key role in one of the animated shorts from [[Disney]]'s [[Fantasia (film)|Fantasia]]. Among them were the typical white, bay, and chestnut centaurs, along with various unnatural colors, and also a pair of "Nubian" centaurs which were dark-skinned and Zebra. *[[Tomb Raider 1]] and [[Tomb Raider Anniversary]] both feature centaurs and centaur [[mutant]]s as foe. [[Tomb Raider 1]] was released in [[1996]] and [[Tomb Raider Anniversary]] - [[2007]]. *The [[Mortal Kombat]] character [[Motaro]] is the leader of his centaur race, with his first appearance in game he is a boss character and made to be hard to beat. *[[Buck 65]]'s 1997 song "The Centaur" is a first person narrative about a physically powerful man who just wants to be taken seriously. ==Centaurs in modern fiction== Centaurs have appeared in many places in modern fiction, and may be regarded as a fantasy [[Trope (literature)|trope]]. [[Image:Oreius.png|thumb|General Oreius as in [[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]].]] {{Expand-section|date=July 2008}} ==See also== Other hybrid creatures appear in Greek mythology, always with some liminal connection that links Hellenic culture with archaic or non-Hellenic cultures: *[[Harpy]] *[[Minotaur]] *[[Mermaid]]s *[[Satyr]]s *[[Sphinx]] *[[Typhon]] Also, *Indian [[Gandharva]]s ==References== {{reflist}} ==Sources== *M. Grant and J. Hazel. ''Who's Who in Greek Mythology''. David McKay & Co Inc, 1979. *{{cite book | last = Rose | first = Carol | title = Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth | publisher =W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. | date = 2001 | location = New York, New York | pages = 72 | isbn = 0393322114 }} ==External links== {{wiktionary}} {{Commonscat|Centaurs}} *[http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentauroiThessalioi.html Theoi Project on Centaurs] in literature *[http://theoi.com/Georgikos/Kentaurides.html Centaurides] on female centaurs *[http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/entries/centaurs.html "MythWeb"] article on centaurs *[http://www.hp-lexicon.org/bestiary/bestiary_c.html#centaurs Harry Potter Lexicon] article on centaurs in the Harry Potter universe [[Category:Greek legendary creatures]] [[Category:Centaurs|*]] [[Category:Mythological hybrids]] [[Category:Mythological horses]] [[Category:Greek mythology]] [[Category:Roman mythology]] [[ar:قنطور]] [[bs:Kentaur]] [[br:Tud-kezeg]] [[bg:Кентавър]] [[ca:Centaure (mitologia)]] [[cs:Kentaur]] [[da:Kentaur]] [[de:Kentaur]] [[et:Kentaurid]] [[el:Κένταυρος]] [[es:Centauro]] [[eo:Centaŭro]] [[fa:سانتور]] [[fr:Centaure]] [[gl:Centauro]] [[ko:켄타우로스]] [[hr:Kentaur]] [[id:Centaurus (mitologi)]] [[is:Kentári]] [[it:Centauro]] [[he:קנטאור]] [[ka:კენტავრი]] [[la:Centaurus]] [[lv:Kentaurs]] [[lb:Kentauren]] [[lt:Kentaurai]] [[hu:Kentaur]] [[nl:Centaur (mythologie)]] [[ja:ケンタウロス]] [[no:Kentaur]] [[pl:Centaur (mitologia)]] [[pt:Centauro]] [[ro:Centaur]] [[ru:Кентавры]] [[simple:Centaur]] [[sk:Kentaur (bytosť)]] [[sl:Kentaver]] [[sr:Кентаур]] [[sh:Kentaur]] [[fi:Kentauri (taruolento)]] [[sv:Kentaurer]] [[th:เซนทอร์]] [[vi:Nhân mã]] [[tr:Centaur (mitoloji)]] [[uk:Кентаври]] [[zh:半人马]]