The fantastical beasts and monsters are some of the most intriguing elements of any fantasy or mythological story. Greek mythology has no shortage of unique creatures. One such creature is the centaur. The centaurs are a race of half man, half horse beasts traditionally depicted as a man from the waist up, joined to a… Continue reading The Centaurs: A Fascinating Trope From Greek Mythology
The controversy surrounding the tale of Ixion and Nephele is integral to understanding the reputation and culture of the centaurs in Greek Mythology.Rather than a tale of fighting with Greek heroes, the story of Ixion and Nephele is one of the many origin stories of the centaurs, and as such provides particular insight into the… Continue reading Ixion and Nephele: A Tale of Seduction and Punishment
Often, bad behavior can be traced to equally bad origins. Perhaps the origins of their race is the reason the centaurs are credited with such a bad reputation in mythology. The origins of the centaurs are given several different explanations in mythology depending on the author, the region of Greece the author is from, and… Continue reading The Origin Myths of the Centaurs: Insightful or Condemning?
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… Continue reading Bride-stealing centaur or bride-stealing hero? You decide.
Hercules’ battle with Nessos wasn’t the hero’s only encounter with the centaurs that ended in bloodshed. Another was the story of Hercules fighting the centaurs on Mount Pholus. This was a hugely popular story in Ancient Greece, rivaling the account of the Centauromachy, the largest battle of the centaurs. During the hero’s fourth labor, the… Continue reading Friend Or Foe- Hercules’ Penchant For Battling Centaurs
The most well known centaur myth is the story of Hercules and Nessos (Nessus in Latin). It is a relatively short, but exciting tale, full of seduction, intrigue, deception, revenge and a fight to the death. After the battle with the Lapithe and subsequent expulsion from their homeland in Thessaly, the centaurs fled to various… Continue reading Hero Versus Centaur- Hercules and Nessos
