Where did the centaurs come from and what were the most mysterious creatures of Greek mythology?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Centaurs are one of the most mysterious creatures in Greek mythology. These half humans, half horses were a combination of human and natural. Ancient people portrayed them as akin to barbarians, and there are many legends around their origin. Where did the stories about centaurs come from and what were they really like?

1. Centaurs in Greek mythology

The history of the origin of these creatures is rather strange. According to the myth, the Thesalian king Ixion invited his father-in-law to visit, and then mercilessly killed him. This was a direct violation of the ancient law and such a terrible atrocity that Ixion quickly became outlawed. The only one who took pity on his fate was Zeus, who, showing mercy, invited the king to live with the gods on Olympus.

However, to this gesture of kindness, Ixion did not respond in the most reasonable way. Zeus had a suspicion that the king wanted his wife, Hera, which crossed all sorts of boundaries. Without waiting for Ixion to take action, Zeus decided to act a little more cunningly. He created a cloud (Nephelu), which took on the image of his wife, Hera. As a result, Zeus seduced Ixion with the help of this cloud and forced him to lie down with the imaginary Hero, thereby luring the king into a trap.

Thanks to this, Zeus was convinced that the mortal had bad thoughts and desires, as a result of which he decided to come up with the same cruel punishment that awaited Prometheus and Sisyphus. Zeus tied Ixion to an eternal wheel covered with fire, which was constantly in motion.

However, from the union of the king with the cloud, a wondrous creature appeared, nicknamed Centaurus. As a result, Centaurus, having mated with Magnesian horses, became the progenitor of the centaur race. It is believed that the only centaur that did not come from the sin of Ixion was Chiron, the son of the god Kronos.

Centaurs were considered creatures that were closer to animals than to humans. They preferred war, plunder and violence, knew how to fight using bows and spears. They lived in the forests near Mount Pelion in Thessaly, as well as in its immediate vicinity. Other tribes lived in Arcadia as well as Epirus. But in Cyprus lived creatures with bull horns.

The Thessalians were renowned for their excellent horse handling and were considered the most skillful riders in all of Greece. Many scholars have suggested that the Thessalians had a hand in the appearance of the centaurs. Since the inhabitants of Thessaly had an incredibly close bond with horses, it is likely that the roots of the myth of the centaurs could also have grown from here. It is also likely that the rider on horseback could have been mistaken for a centaur by many.

The most famous story told about these creatures was the Centauromachia. This myth tells of King Pirithous, who invited the centaurs to his wedding with Hippodias. As a result, the centaurs who tasted the wine lost control over themselves, began to attack the guests and decided to steal the bride. A battle ensued with the Lapiths, in which the latter managed to win only with the help of Theseus.

One of the metopes in the Parthenon also showed a scene from the Centauromachia. The friezes depict scenes of the battle between centaurs and lapiths, and many scholars wonder why the Athenians decided to depict her on their legendary Parthenon. Among the popular answers to it is the one that says that the centaurs were part of the story about Theseus, who was directly involved in the Centauromachy, and also founded Athens. It is also believed that the appearance of these creatures was justified by the fact that their struggle was a symbol of the implacable enmity of the Athenians with the Persians. The Greeks considered them barbarians who did not know how to control their impulses and desires. They were prone to excess and violence, just like the centaurs. In addition, the Persians sacked Athens in 480 BC, just as the centaurs showed disrespect at the wedding of Pirithous and his bride. In addition to the Parthenon, Centauromachia is also mentioned in the temple of Zeus at Olympia, the temple of Apollo at Bassa, and also in the temple of Hephaestus on the Agora.

2. The first images of centaurs

Like any other civilization, the Greek had its own specific mythology, which actively included elements of fiction and mysticism that went beyond the notions of the real world. With the help of this, the Greeks tried to comprehend and explain the natural world around them, exploring it and going far beyond its framework.

Thus, centaurs were not the only complex creatures that were studied in Greek mythology. They were joined by satyrs and gorgons, sphinxes and other creatures that had more human than animal. However, long before the appearance of the Greek community, the first images of centaurs existed. There is at least one depiction of a centaur-like creature from Ugarit that dates back to the Bronze Age. However, many scientists question the fact that these were precisely the centaurs.

Several more images of these creatures, or at least someone as close as possible to them, were found in the Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations, which flourished in the Bronze Age in the Aegean Sea. The medieval period in Greece, which followed the Bronze, was marked by the sudden disappearance of these creatures. However, they returned pretty soon, already in the geometric period of Greek history. It is believed that around this time, half-humans-half-horses appeared, which began to appear in many images found by modern archaeologists.

The unifying factor of the Greek depiction of centaurs was the so-called composite art. Experimental depictions of these creatures were present in their culture until about the 6th century AD. So, this made it possible to find images of centaurs that had human legs, gorgon heads, sphinxes with horse legs, and much more.

3. Centaurs in oriental art

Despite the fact that the myths about centaurs mainly belong to Greek mythology, this does not mean at all that there were no mentions of these creatures in other cultures. Greece was not isolated from the rest of the world. She was surrounded by powerful kingdoms, whose history and mythology were no less rich. Egypt, as well as the kingdoms of the Near and Middle East, influenced the Greeks, especially their architecture, religion and art.

By the time Homer wrote his poems, the Aegean Sea was already witnessing wars, trade and migration to such an extent that stories from the countries of the East were available to the Greeks. Of course, the Greeks did not passively adopt the culture of other peoples, but rather actively supplemented it with their own. They adopted images and symbols from other cultures, mixing them with their own, resulting in unique myths, history and art.

Complex creatures, such as chimeras or the sphinx, were "borrowed" from Eastern cultures, sometimes with, and sometimes unchanged. Moreover, oriental beasts such as the lion-man or the bull-man bear a great visual resemblance to centaurs. For example, Assyrian cylinder seals dating from the 13th century BC depicted a man with wings, the body of a horse, and a scorpion's tail. Such a peculiar rider was armed with a bow. Another earlier depiction of centaurs in oriental art also concerns the Assyrian seal dating from the same century. The figure of the creature was also armed with a bow, and this image became canon for the depiction of Sagittarius in the following centuries.

In addition to seals, traces of a centaur in oriental art can be traced back to Urmahlullu, a centaur lion native to Mesopotamia. Another interesting version of the depiction of this kind of creatures was the Indian male spirits, nicknamed the Gandharvas, who often took the form of creatures with the body of a horse and the head of a person.

4. The origins of Mycenaean and Minoan art

These two civilizations flourished in the Aegean during the Greek Bronze Age and until the 12th century BC, roughly until the beginning of the Greek Middle Ages. The two Mycenaean clay figurines that were found at Ugarit provide an argument for the centaurs originating from these two cultures. Since Ugarit was a large-scale trade center in the region of Syria, it is not at all surprising that Mycenaean items were found there. In fact, it is known that the Mycenaeans actively interacted with the peoples around them through trade, war, or travel.

Another example of the image of a centaur-like creature is considered to be ceramic figurines found in Crete and Cyprus, respectively. They date from around the 12th and 11th century BC. Scientists believe that these objects look more like sphinxes than centaurs, since they had no arms. Similarities were also found with bronze figurines from sanctuaries in Crete. For example, a 12th-century bronze figurine found in Melos is supposedly being reconstructed as a horseman, which may well be the first centaur in art.

5. Centaur from Lefkandi

This centaur is considered the first depiction of such a creature in Greek art, fully represented. This means that the centaur from Lefkandi is the first image presented in the form of a horse's torso with an upper human part, which was created in the territory of Greece. The figurine was discovered near the city of Euboea in the area of the same name. It dates back to the Middle Greek Ages BC. In general, the figurine from Lefkandi is considered an important archaeological discovery, which made it possible to find out valuable information about Greece and its contacts with Egypt, Syria, Cyprus and other states.

This figurine became, in fact, the first complete example of a centaur. Its significance was so great that most reference books consider it to be the beginning of Greek art itself. It is worth noting that at the time the figurine was invented, Greek mythology as such did not yet exist. Even the epics of Homer were written only two centuries after this event. This was the very period when myths were closely intertwined with each other, interacting and constantly changing. As a result, scientists boldly argue that this figurine was stylistically complete and the first reflection of a centaur in Greek art.

The most interesting thing about this statuette is its discovery. It was discovered in two different tombs in the neighborhood and consisted of two parts. A head was found in one of the tombs, and the rest of the body in another. There are many theories why this could have happened, but scientists still cannot give an answer. The figurine itself is a ceramic product and has a height of thirty-six centimeters. At a time when sculpture of a monumental type in Greece was not developed, such a sufficiently high creation spoke of the status and wealth of its owner.

Scientists are also debating whether the front limbs of the centaur are the legs of a person or a horse due to the unusual shape of the knees. It is believed that both options have an equal opportunity to be true, since centaurs were depicted with both human front legs and horse legs.

6. Special centaur Chiron

Greek mythology tells about the most famous centaur - Chiron. Homer noted in his writings that he was the most righteous of them, and in mythology he occupied the place of the wisest and most intelligent being in Greece. He appeared as a teacher of many prominent characters such as Achilles, Hercules, Perseus, Theseus and even a number of gods. Chiron was listed as the son of Kronos and his wife Filira. Probably, it is this fact that justifies the fact that he was so different from the rest of his fellows, who were lower beings, driven by instincts and anger.

In addition to being immortal, Chiron was also an astronomer, prophet, and even a famous physician. He possessed a huge store of knowledge, which he was always happy to share. Among his most famous students is the Greek god of medicine, Asclepius. It was argued that everything that Asclepius knew about medicine, he learned directly from Chiron.

Chiron divided Greek mythology into two branches. The first showed centaurs as creatures that were closer to wild beasts than to humans. The second showed Chiron, who was their complete opposite and was an immensely wise creature.

It is worth noting that in Greek art, Chiron was often depicted with human forelegs, which created a sharp contrast to the rest of the centaurs. This, as well as the presence of six fingers, makes his figure the most similar to that found in Lefkandi. This theory is also supported by the fact that Chiron died, wounded in the knee by the arrow of Hercules. If you take a closer look, you can see a fairly deep cut on the left knee of the Lefkandi figurine. It could appear over time, or it could be created intentionally, thereby demonstrating the first mention of Chiron in art.

7. Centaurs and Hercules

Hercules is considered one of the most famous heroes who became famous for his exploits. Myths say that during his life he also met centaurs many times.

So, during his travels through the territory of Laconia, he encounters a centaur named Foul. He cordially invited Hercules to his cave and uncorked a keg of wine to mark the acquaintance. However, the smell of wine also attracted other centaurs, who, as you know, did not really know how to control themselves under the influence of alcohol. As a result, distraught, they attacked the cave, forcing Hercules to defend himself with arrows. As a result, both Foul himself and Chiron, who was in the wrong place and at the wrong time, died in this battle.

However, this was not his last meeting with the centaur. Once a centaur named Nessus encroached on his wife, Deianira, but was stopped by Hercules, who shot him with poisonous arrows soaked in the blood of a hydra. In his last minutes, Nessus, who dreamed of the death of Hercules, offered his bloody clothes, which also absorbed poison, to Deianira herself, who was going crazy with jealousy. He also noted that if Hercules will wear these clothes, it will strengthen their love.

A little later, when the girl was frightened by the possibility of losing her husband because of another woman, she dressed her betrothed in this tunic. Suspecting nothing, Hercules wore it, feeling how it burns his skin. When he decided to get rid of the tunic, she bared his bones, thereby allowing the hero's body to burn alive. Such mythological stories began to be widely reflected in art as well. Hercules conquering Nessus became a favorite theme for artists from Italy, especially from Florence, making the figure of centaurs popular far beyond the borders of Greece of the Bronze and Middle Ages.

Continuing the topic of Greek mythology, read also the story of what Athena did not share with Arachne and why she cursed herturning into a spider.