Hercules, the greatest of the Greek heroes, had several dealings with the centaurs, each episode more famous than the last. One notable encounter was his fight with the centaur Eurytion (Eurytos in some versions of the myth) for the hand of the beautiful princess, Deianeira.
Her father, King Dexamenos promised her to the centaur as a bride out of fear of violence. Before the marriage could take place, the king appealed to Hercules to rescue his daughter, for which he would award the bride to the hero instead.
Hercules slew Eurytion and married Deianeira. The hero subsequently journeyed with his wife and came to the river Evenus where they encountered another centaur named Nessos.
Like the account of Pholus, this is another story where the details were changed to accommodate the audience and there are several different versions of the myth. In some versions, the princess in question is named Mnesimache or Hippolyte. Other versions claim the bride was first promised to Hercules and Eurytion attempted rape at the wedding feast. In yet another variation, the princess had been seduced by Hercules during a visit. Upon his departure, the hero promised to return to marry the girl. In his absence, the centaur, Eurytion, appealed to the king for his daughter’s hand. When Hercules found out, he then returned to slay the centaur and claim his bride.
In all these various tales the centaurs seem overwhelmingly to get the bad rap, even in instances where the facts don’t seem to implicate them in any licentious behavior. The centaurs seem to be guilty as a matter of principle, particularly when pitted against such a popularly renowned hero as Hercules. The one exception to this uncivilized portrayal of the centaurs was Kheiron, the trainer of Greek heroes- including Hercules.
In all this telling and retelling of the events, I wonder if the centaurs would have their own perspective of the facts. After all, it was Hercules who was reported to have slain his first wife and children in a drunken rage (the very act for which his penance was to complete his famous 12 labors), not the centaurs, who seem to have to fight for the right to have a bride in the first place.
These were some of the questions that led me to write my series, Sons of Apollo, and explore the facts through the eyes of the accused. Why were the centaurs so widely hated and feared? Or were they simply misunderstood? What about their culture (so one-sidedly portrayed and always from the outside looking in) makes them subject to villainy in popular mythology? Or were they destined to lose by virtue of their demi-god competitor, Hercules? After all who could compete with the son of Zeus himself?
Read the first chapter of Mate For a Centaur, which is the first book in my series, and decide for yourself if the centaurs are villains or victims of circumstance and rumor.
Or download a Free coloring page featuring one of the centaur characters from my series.
Bride-stealing centaur or bride-stealing hero? You decide.
