For readers who love Greek mythology, centaurs, and myth-inspired fantasy fiction.
One of the most influential Greek myths behind my Sons of Apollo series is the legendary Centauromachy—the battle between the Kentauroi (the centaurs) and the Lapiths (a tribe of men). This myth, rich with violence, symbolism, and bias, became the foundation for how I reimagined centaurs as complex, moral beings rather than monsters.
The Myth That Shaped My Centaur World
According to myth, the centaurs and the Lapiths were cousins, both descended from Apollo and the nymph Stilbe, who bore twin sons: Kentauros, progenitor of the centaurs, and Lapithus, ancestor of the Lapith men.
The most famous written account of their conflict appears in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, told through the voice of Nestor, King of Pylos. The story culminates in disaster at the wedding feast of Pirithoos (a Lapith descendant) and Hippodameia. Invited as kin, the centaurs attend—but when wine flows freely, one centaur, Eurytos, attempts to abduct the bride. Chaos erupts. Greek heroes, including Theseus, intervene, and a brutal battle follows, ending in the centaurs’ defeat and exile from Thessaly.
This single event shaped centuries of perception: centaurs as violent, uncivilized, and unworthy of trust.
Why the Centauromachy Matters
The Centauromachy was one of the most popular artistic themes in ancient Greece, often symbolizing the triumph of civilization over chaos. It appears prominently in:
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The West Pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia
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The southern metopes of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens
These visual narratives helped cement the myth long before Ovid recorded it—suggesting the story existed in multiple earlier forms, likely passed down through oral tradition.
Myth Is Never Neutral
An important detail often overlooked: Ovid was Roman, not Greek. His version of the Centauromachy was written centuries after the height of Greek civilization. Like many myths, the story we have is filtered through time, culture, and political worldview.
Ancient storytellers frequently adapted myths to suit local audiences. While the core events remained the same, details—locations, motivations, even characters—often shifted. This variability is not a flaw in mythology; it is one of its defining features.
When I encountered these contradictions in my own research, it sparked a crucial question:
What if the centaurs had told their side of the story?
Reimagining the Centaurs
In Sons of Apollo, I deliberately place my story after the Centauromachy, during the aftermath of exile and cultural survival. While I reuse many centaur names from the original myth, these are not meant to be the same individuals described by Ovid. Chronology matters—and perspective matters even more.
One of my most significant departures from classical myth involves female centaurs.
In surviving mythology, the Centauromachy includes the only named female centaur, a curious anomaly. Later writers, including Pliny the Elder, describe female centaurs more openly, and they appear frequently in later art. In my worldbuilding, female centaurs arise as a consequence of the first great battle, rather than existing openly before it.
Yes, this creates a chronological discrepancy—but Greek mythology is already full of them.
If myth allows contradictions to coexist, then a centaur-centered retelling can exist just as truthfully alongside the originals.
Writing Myth That Could Have Been
My goal was never to replace Greek mythology, but to write a story that could have existed parallel to it—a version shaped by memory, loss, and survival, told from the perspective of those history labeled as monsters.
By embracing mythological ambiguity, I found freedom to explore:
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Cultural bias in ancient storytelling
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The cost of exile and erasure
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The humanity (and morality) of mythic creatures
That freedom became the heart of Sons of Apollo.
Continue the Journey
If you enjoy clean, adult mythic fantasy, complex non-human characters, and reimagined Greek mythology, you may enjoy Book I of the Sons of Apollo series.
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Because every myth has more than one truth.
