Centaurus
Origin: Greece
Centaurus is the father of the mythological Centaurs, the beasts with the body of a horse and torso of a man. They drank all the time and couldn’t hold their liquor. They’re known to be wild and aggressive.
There are several myths regarding Centaurus, but one centers around Ixion, a descendant of Ares. Ixion fell in love with Zeus’ wife, Hera, as soon as he saw her. Jealous Zeus laid a trap for Ixion, creating a cloud figure of Hera, named Nephele, to trick Ixion.
Ixion mated with Nephele and they produced a deformed child named Centaurus, who couldn’t bear to be around humans. He went to live on the mountain of Pelion, mating with the horses who roamed there. Thus the Centaurs were created.
Whew! I’m wondering how the Greeks kept all of their stories straight.
To read more, follow this link.
If there are any myths you’d like to see in particular, let me know in the comments. Thanks!
Cool. That makes them sort of make sense. Very neat.
Hi Sheila! It does sort of ground them in reality. Thanks for stopping by!
One of my fave creatures…
One of mine too, Savannah!
Wild, drinking all the time, with the bodies of horses — in some circles these creatures would be extremely popular. They’re wonderful, Laura, for your initial Fantasy Friday.
They do strike me as party animals, Ron.
Interesting that a deformed baby would have the characteristics of a horse. Methinks something else was up…mmhmmm
Hi Michael! Sorry to have mislead you with the picture of the Centaur. The deformed baby, Centaurus, was fully human. He is the father of the Centaurs, when he mated with horses.
Since I’m a Sagittarius, I love Centaurs!
My favorite is Jason’s teacher, the wise Chiron who raised him until Jason was ready to claim his birthright.
Chiron is another fascinating creature in his own right, Jay!
Never knew the origins!
Now it may haunt you, Alex.
I whole of race of beings sired by a guy who liked to bugger horses! Awesome!
LMAO! I love the way you put things in perspective, Buffy!
A great start to this regular feature, Laura. I didn’t know the origin – and now I do.
Many thanks for the background on these interesting creatures.
Thanks, Kevin! I hope everyone continues to enjoy it.