Most often, centaurs were characterized as wild and unrestrained, with unpredictable manifestations of violence, creatures in which animal nature predominated. Centaurs were distinguished by their violence, tendency to drunkenness and hostility towards people.But wise centaurs were also known among them, first of all, the already mentioned Phol and Chiron, friends and teachers of Hercules and others.
A popular poetic subject of antiquity, depicted in the Parthenon of Phidias (c. 490 BC - c. 430 BC), glorified in the Metamorphoses of Ovid (43 BC - 17 AD). BC) and inspired Rubens, was centauromachy - the battle with the centaurs, which flared up due to the unbridled temper of the latter at the wedding feast of the king of the Lapiths, Pirithous.
“Homer’s Odyssey also describes the story of how the centaur Eurytion, invited to the wedding of Pirithous,got drunk on wine and tried to dishonor the bride. As punishment, his ears and nose were cut off and thrown out. The centaur called on his brothers for revenge, and after some time a battle took place in which the centaurs were defeated.
If in Greece the centaur was the embodiment of animal qualities incompatible with human nature, unbridled passions and immoderate sexuality, then in Ancient Rome he turned into the peace-loving companion of Dionysus and Eros. The greatest contribution to the formation of the Roman version of the image of the centaur was made by Ovid (43 BC - c. 18 AD) in Metamorphoses.
The death of the centaurs and their role in the death of Hercules
The centaurs lived in the mountains of Thessaly until the day when they were defeated by the Lapiths and Hercules scattered them throughout Hellas. Most of the centaurs, according to Euripides’ tragedy “Hercules” (416 BC), were killed by Hercules. Those who escaped from him listened to the sirens, stopped eating and died of hunger. According to one story, Poseidon hid them in a mountain at Eleusis.
The centaur Nessus, according to Sophocles, played a fatal role in the death of Hercules. He tried to kidnap Hercules' wife Dejanira, but was struck down by an arrow containing the poison of the Lernaean Hydra. Dying, Nessus decided to take revenge on Hercules, advising Deianira to collect his blood, as it would supposedly help her retain the love of Hercules. Dejanira soaked Hercules' clothes with the poisonous blood of Nessus, and he died in terrible agony.
Centaurids - female centaurs
Along with male centaurs, Greek legends sometimes described centaurids(centaurs). Their image is quite rare in myths and paintings, and even then, they are more often characterized as nymphs. The few authors who mention the existence of centaurids described them as physically and spiritually beautiful creatures. The most famous centaurid was Gilonoma, the wife of the centaur Killar (Tsillar).
Varieties of centaurs. Centauroids
There are quite a few variations in the appearance of centaurs. Sometimes they were even depicted as winged, with a second dragon head (in Babylon, Crete). To denote creatures that look like a horse, but retain the features of a centaur, the term “k” is used in the literature. entauroids" Centauroids were especially popular in the Middle Ages. These included onocentaur(donkey man) bookentaur(bull man) kerasts(buffalo man) leontocentaur(lion man), ichthyocentaur(a creature that combines in its appearance elements of fish, horses and humans). The most ancient terracotta figurines of centauroids with a human head and a buffalo body from the 7th century. BC. found in Cyprus.
Centaurs in Greek mythology are creatures with the head and torso of a man and the body of a horse. Centaurs had horse ears, rough and bearded faces. As a rule, they were naked and armed with a club, a stone or a bow. In the earliest depictions, centaurs were endowed with both human and equine genitalia. According to Pindar's Pythian, the centaurs were considered descendants - direct or through their common ancestor the Centaur - the Thessalian king of the Lapith tribe, the titan Ixion, the son of Ares, and the cloud, who, by the will of Zeus, took the form of Hera, on whom Ixion attempted( ) Harpies - disgusting winged maidens from Greek legends
In ancient Greek myths, harpies are depicted as evil winged creatures of a hideous appearance with the head, chest and thighs of a woman and the body of a bird with the wings of vultures, long sharp hooked claws and cheeks eternally pale from hunger. Images of harpies and sirens similar to them (they were considered cousins) were preserved on tombstones and antique vases. Thanks to these images, we can judge what these creatures looked like (at least as the ancient Greeks saw them). Harpies were considered one of the most ferocious and ugliest characters in Greek mythology. They suddenly swooped in and disappeared( ) Sirens - half-maiden, half-bird with a divine voice from Greek mythology
Sirens were represented as winged maidens, maidens with a fish tail, or maidens with a bird's body and clawed bird feet. Apollodorus or Pseudo-Apollodorus in the “Mythological Library” wrote about three sirens: Peisinoe, Aglaoth and Telxiepia. These were maidens of wonderful beauty with a charming voice, which they inherited from their mother Melpomene, Terpsichore or Calliope. One of the sirens played the cithara, another sang, and the third played the flute. With the sounds of their songs, the sirens lulled travelers to sleep, and then tore them apart and devoured them. The sirens inherited their wild and evil temperament from their father Forkis or Achelous( )
Which mythical creature has the body of a horse? and got the best answer
Answer from Yamil Musin[guru]
Centaurs (ancient Greek Κένταυροι, singular Κένταυρος) in Greek mythology are a race of creatures with the head and torso of a man on the body of a horse.
Centaurs (K e n t a u r o i) · wild creatures, half-humans, half-horses, mortal inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets, are distinguished by their violent temperament and intemperance. Their mixanthropism is explained by the fact that they were born from Ixion and the cloud, which, by the will of Zeus, took the form of Hera, on whom Ixion attempted (Pind. Pyth. II 21-48).
Centaurs live on Mount Pelion and fight with their neighbors Lapiths (centauromachy), trying to kidnap wives from this tribe for themselves (Ovid. Met. XII 210-535). A special place among the centaurs is occupied by two - Chiron and Pholus, embodying wisdom and benevolence.
After Hercules defeated the centaurs, they were driven out of Thessaly and settled throughout Greece. Poseidon took the centaurs under his protection. In heroic myths, some of the centaurs are educators of heroes (Jason, Achilles), others are hostile to the world of heroes (Eurytion tries to kidnap the bride of Pirithous, Nessus makes an attempt on Deianira and causes the death of Hercules).
The word "centaur" (ancient Greek κένταυρος, kentauros), or the Latinized version - "centaur" (lat. centaurus), is traditionally attributed to a word formation consisting of two Greek roots: kenteo - to stab and tauros - bull, which can be interpreted both as a bull killer or bull hunter, and as a bull driver or even a cowboy.
Famous Centaurs:
Chiron - teacher of Achilles, Jason and other heroes
Nessus - responsible for the death of Hercules
Ankiy - fought with Hercules during his campaign for the Erythmanian boar
Agrius - fought with Hercules during his campaign for the Erymanthian boar
Oreius - fought with Hercules during his campaign for the Erymanthian boar
Hylaeus - fought with Hercules during his campaign for the Erymanthian boar
Foul - accidentally scratched by a poisoned arrow of Hercules during the latter's fifth labor and died
Khomad - tried to dishonor Eurystheus' sister Alcyone. Killed by Hercules
Pylenor - washed the wound from the arrow of Hercules in the river, which is why the river acquired a bad smell
Mole (Krotos) - half-brother of the muses, lived on Helicon, became the constellation Sagittarius
Eurytus (Eurytion) - at the wedding of Hippodamia and Pirithous he tried to kidnap the bride, which started the war between the Lapiths and the centaurs
Answer from Olya Shiralieva[guru]
kintaur
Answer from Stormbringer[guru]
centaur
Answer from A drop[guru]
The centaurs.
Answer from Otter (that one)[guru]
Centaurs [edit] Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia This term has other meanings, see Centaur (meanings). Centaurs (ancient Greek: Κένταυροι, singular Κέ&
Answer from Olga Romanova[guru]
Minotaur
Answer from Kira[master]
Centaurs.
Answer from Ivan Razumov[guru]
Sobchak (the head is also part of the body)
Answer from Evgeniy Melnikov[guru]
the minotaur on two legs had a bull's head and horns
Answer from Dmitry syakov[expert]
centaur
Answer from Kolp[active]
Hipogryph. The back half is that of a horse, and the front half is that of a bird of prey. In Harry Potter (3 hours or something) they drew him well.
Answer from ALIA 102[guru]
People, come on! Minotaur, Kinotaur. We've seen enough of avataurs...
companionaurus
Answer from Sasha Novikov[guru]
Centaur
Answer from *~IRENA~*[guru]
Centaur
Answer from Albina[active]
Centaur
Answer from 2 answers[guru]
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Which mythical creature has the body of a horse?
And eternal battle! Rest only in our dreamsThrough blood and dust...
The steppe mare flies, flies
And the feather grass crumples...
A.Blok
The horse plays an important role in many mythological systems. They are an attribute (or image) of a number of deities. The symbolism of the horse is extremely complex and not entirely clear. The horse symbolizes intelligence, wisdom, nobility, light, dynamic strength, agility, quickness of thought, and the passage of time. It is a typical symbol of fertility, courage and powerful power. This image is also an ancient symbol of the cyclical development of the world of phenomena (the horses carrying Neptune with a trident from the depths of the sea embody the cosmic forces of primeval chaos).
In the traditions of many peoples, the horse is revered as a sacred animal. He acts as a necessary attribute of the highest pagan gods and at the same time is a chthonic creature associated with the cult of fertility and death. Among the Slavs (and not only among them), horse mummers participated in calendar rituals, including Kolyada, Christmastide, etc. The Dictionary of Slavic Mythology reports:
“...The horse was equally considered the brainchild of Belobog (the element of light) and Chernobog (the element of darkness), moreover, a white horse was dedicated to the good god, and a black one to the evil one. With the division of power over the world and all the phenomena of its existence, white horses are transferred in the popular imagination to the sun god, the thunder god (first Perun, then Svyatovid and, finally, Svetlovid-Yarila), black horses become the property of Stribog and all the violent winds - Stribog's grandchildren . The sun is a heavenly horse, running around the sky from end to end during the day and resting at night.”
Skates are still placed on the roofs of Russian huts to this day as a sign of the sun, calling for a harvest, and, consequently, prosperity for the home. And in the old days, when building a house, a horse was laid in the foundation, and when the house was moved, its skull was taken out of the ground and buried under the foundation in a new place. The city wall was erected in the same way.
In ancient Russian pagan mythology, the Horse is one of the most revered sacred animals, an attribute of the highest pagan gods, special creatures associated simultaneously with the productive power of the earth (water) and the killing potency of the underworld. In Ancient Rus' it was believed that the horse was endowed with the ability to foretell fate, and above all death, to its owner. In pagan times, the horse was buried along with its owner.
The veneration of the horse in Russia was such that even in Christian times special patron saints and horse holidays were established for it. The patron saints of horses were St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Florus and Laurus, St. George the Victorious and St. Elijah the Prophet. Special “horse holidays” were celebrated on the day of memory of St. Flora and Lavra and on spring St. George's Day.
The Indian Upanishads describe the ritual of sacrificing a horse to the gods. A similar thing is present in the Shatapatha Brahmana, Vajasaneya Samhita of the Yajurveda, which indicates the creation of the world from parts of a horse during its sacrifice.
The Zoroastrians also worshiped horses, in whose mythology the chariot of the god Ardvisura Anahita is drawn by four white horses: wind, rain, cloud and sleet. And the thunderer Tishtriya, personifying Sirius, according to legend, descends from the sky every year in the form of a white golden-eared horse to battle the demon of drought Apaoshi, who appears in the form of a black, shabby, ugly horse. According to the beliefs of the Iranians, the outcome of their battle depended on whether there would be rain, and therefore fertility and life itself.
In the Komi-Permyak tradition, horses are the holders of the earth: “The earth rests on three horses: black (raven), red and white. When a black horse holds, there is famine and pestilence on the earth, when a white one, there is continuous war and death on the earth, when a red one, peace, tranquility and prosperity reign.”
In China, the horse represents heaven, fire, yang, south, speed, perseverance, and good omen. In Japan, the goddess Batō Kannon, the merciful Great Mother, appears either as a white horse, with the head of a horse, or wearing a crown with the figure of a horse.
Buddhism considers the horse a symbol of indestructibility, the hidden nature of things. The winged horse Cloud is one of the images of Avalokiteshvara. Another winged horse, Pegasus, is represented in ancient mythology. He was the son of Poseidon and Medusa. Poseidon is generally considered the creator, father or giver of horses. One day he pursued Demeter, inflamed with love for her. Trying to escape, she turned into a horse, but he took the form of a horse and managed to achieve his goal. From this marriage was born Arion, a divine horse who could speak.
In the Roman pantheon there was a goddess-protector of horses, borrowed from the Celts, named Epona, associated with fertility, abundance, healing and at the same time with the cult of death (acting as a guide and guardian of dead souls during the transition to the kingdom of the dead). The Celts generally had a lot to do with horses. In Ireland and Wales, the word “horse” (Irish: Ech) is present in the names of many mythical characters associated with the solar cult and the other world. For example, the good god Dagda is called Eochaid, the Father of all, and one of the rulers of the Fomorians is called Eoho Ehkend (“Eoho horse’s head”).
The goddess Epona was considered the heavenly patroness of horses. She was invariably depicted surrounded by horses, often with symbols of fertility and abundance. Epona was often identified with healing, in particular with hydrotherapy. In addition, her cult is associated with death; it is believed that she played the role of guide and guardian, guarding the souls of the dead during the transition to the underworld.
In German-Scandinavian mythology, the horse is dedicated to Odin, who rode the eight-legged mare Sleipnir. Clouds are the war horses of the Valkyries.
In Christianity, the horse symbolizes the Sun, courage, nobility. It is the emblem of the saints (George, etc.). Finally, the four horses of the Apocalypse are war, death, famine and epidemic.
Being a symbol of the Sun or solar god, the horse gradually became an attribute of royal power. But how can a solar symbol be associated with the cult of death? Yes, it’s very simple: just as the Sun circles through the day and night sides of the world, so the horse must carry its rider through death to a new rebirth, to a new life.
Among the peoples of the Caucasus (Abkhazians, Ossetians, etc.), the horse participates in funeral and memorial rites, in particular, it is dedicated to the deceased by circling it around the body, placing the bridle in the hand of the deceased and cutting the horse’s ear or cutting off its hair. On the day of the funeral, circles of animal fat and pieces of meat were hung on the trunk of a branchy tree, and a fire was made under it. Riders at the races competed in the art of snatching lard and meat from the flames of the fire; the winner was given a ram, which he sacrificed as a memorial sacrifice. However, the customs of horse games at weddings, calendar holidays, etc. are also well known.
The suit of the horse is not random. In various traditions, one can notice the predominance of two colors: gray and red. On Russian icons depicting snake fighting, the horse is almost always either white or fiery red. In these cases, the color red clearly represents the color of flame, which corresponds to the fiery nature of the horse. White color is the color of otherworldly creatures, creatures that have lost their corporeality - wherever a horse plays a cult role, it is always white. Thus, the Greeks sacrificed only white horses; in the Apocalypse, death sits astride a “pale horse”; In German folk beliefs, death is riding on a skinny white nag.
The horse represents unbridled passions, natural instincts, and the unconscious. In this regard, in ancient times he was often endowed with the ability of prediction. In fairy tales (for example, those of the Brothers Grimm), the horse, as possessing the qualities of clairvoyance, was often entrusted with the task of promptly warning its masters. Jung believes that the horse expresses the magical side of Man, intuitive knowledge.
The most important and famous Vedic ritual is the “horse sacrifice”, Ashvamedha. In its structure, elements of a cosmogonic nature are visible - the horse practically personifies the Cosmos and its sacrifice symbolizes (i.e. reproduces) the act of creation. The ritual was intended to cleanse the entire country of sin and ensure fertility and prosperity. Traces of this ritual can be found among the Germans, Iranians, Greeks and Latins.
Shamanic tradition:
The horse occupies a very special place in shamanic ritual and mythology. The horse, primarily a carrier of souls and a funeral animal, is used by the shaman in various situations as a means to help achieve a state of ecstasy. It is known that a typical shamanic attribute is an eight-legged horse. Eight-hoofed or headless horses are recorded in the mythology and rituals of German and Japanese “male unions.” The horse is a mythical image of Death, it delivers the deceased to the other world, and makes the transition from one world to another.
Throughout history, horses have been credited with the gift of clairvoyance, which allows them to see invisible danger. Therefore, they are considered especially susceptible to witches' spells. In past times, witches took them at night to go to the Sabbath, they ran around on them for a long time and returned at dawn exhausted and covered with sweat and foam. To prevent "witch races", witchcraft and the evil eye, horse owners placed charms and amulets in their stalls and attached brass bells to their reins. During the witch hunts it was believed that the devil and the witch could turn into horses
Unicorn. It is one of the most romanticized images and has different names, appearance and attributes in different cultures. One of the most popular incarnations of the unicorn in modern Western culture is a white horse with a long, often golden horn growing from its forehead. In Eastern culture, the unicorn is depicted as a cross between a horse and a goat with artiodactyl limbs and a goat's beard. The Japanese unicorn is called "kirin", and in China it is called "ki-ling". Both words come from the Hebrew “re”em,” which means “one horn.” The Greek historian Ctesias wrote the following about unicorns in 398 BC: in appearance it resembles a wild bull, the size of a horse, has a white body, dark red head, blue eyes and one horn. This description probably appeared as a result of colorful stories of travelers who imagined the unicorn as a cross between a wild bull, a Himalayan antelope and an Indian rhinoceros.
Various magical qualities were attributed to the unicorn's horn. For example, the ability to heal the sick and wounded and even resurrect the dead. In some images the horn is white at the root, black in the middle and with a red tip. One medieval tale tells of a unicorn who dipped his horn into poisoned water, thereby purifying it and allowing the animals to drink. This is probably where the tradition of noble and royal families of drinking from vessels in the shape of a unicorn horn originated, thereby protecting themselves from the danger of poisoning.
In Western culture, the unicorn is considered an inaccessible wild animal; in Eastern culture, on the contrary, it is an affectionate and submissive creature.
A similar mythological animal, called indrik, also exists in Russian folklore. Indrik had two horns, he lived on the holy mountain and was the lord of all animals and the ruler of the waters.
Centaurs are very popular mythological characters. From the head to the hips they have the body of a man, and the rest of the body of a horse. Ancient peoples considered centaurs to be bright and kind creatures who did good. An exception to this was the Greek legend that tells of several centaurs who were invited to a feast, where they drank too much wine and started a battle that resulted in the death of many centaurs.
The most famous centaur was Chiron, who was educated by Apollo and Artemis, and was an excellent hunter, herder, healer and soothsayer. According to legend, Chiron became the teacher of the great warrior Achilles. This centaur was so respected by the gods that after his death, Zeus took him to heaven and turned him into the constellation Sagittarius.
The Trojan Horse was a huge hollow wooden horse that helped the Greeks conquer Troy. The Trojan prince Paris fell in love with the beautiful Helen, the wife of the Greek Menelaus, kidnapped her and took her to his kingdom. In retaliation, Menelaus gathered a huge Greek army and began the siege of Troy, which lasted ten years. Finally, the cunning Odysseus came up with the idea of how to outwit the Trojans. He offered to make a huge wooden horse and climb inside the Greek army, before pretending that it had left for its homeland, and that the horse left behind was a gift to the gods. The Trojans believed, opened the gates and dragged a horse into the city. The Greeks got out of it and captured the city. Since then, the expression “Trojan horse” has been a common noun, meaning “cunning, trick.”
And the fabulous horses (“Golden Horse”, “Sivka-Burka”, “The Little Humpbacked Horse”, the horse of Ilya Muromets, and finally)! They are subject to space and time, and have the ability to transport the hero not only over enormous distances - “above a standing forest, below a walking cloud,” but also between worlds. In addition, they transform the hero, who, for example, crawling from the left horse's ear to the right, turns from a ragamuffin into a prince. In addition, they are faithful companions, they help out even after death, finding living and dead water, etc., which means they help to get through and overcome death.
The ancient times are long gone, and even those in which horses were the main means of transportation and the main draft force, too. No, they did not become useless, but the beauty of their appearance and the expressiveness of their gaze remained attractive to us...
Look: over there, on that rock - Pegasus!
Yes, this is it, shining and stormy!
Salute these mountains. The day has gone out
but there is no night... Greet the purple hour.
Above the steepness is a huge white horse,
like a swan, splashing with white wings, -
and so it soared, and into the clouds, over the rocks,
silver fire splashed its hooves...
Hit them, burned one, then another
and disappeared in a frenzied purple.
Night has come. No peace, no heaven, -
everything is just night. Greet the naked night.
Look at her: the hoof print is steep
recognize in the star that fell silently.
And the Milky Way floats above the darkness
airy, flowing mane.
The image of a centaur came to the modern world from ancient Greek myths. The unusual supernatural creature amazed with its savagery and violent disposition. These heroes of myths lived in dense impenetrable forests and high mountains. Because of their belligerence, centaurs symbolize the animal side of man.
Centaur - who is it?
Intemperance and unprecedented cruelty are the main differences between the centaur; being huge in size, this creature was the embodiment of power and mighty strength. A centaur is a large mythical, fairy-tale creature, half-man, half-horse. Living in a herd, they constantly fought with those who lived next door, denied all manifestations of civilization and... In the paintings, centaurs can be seen with the gods of winemaking Dionysus and love Eros. This once again speaks of their promiscuity in love and penchant for alcohol.
Did centaurs exist?
When wondering whether such creatures could exist in the real world, it is difficult to come to a consensus. Plutarch, the philosopher of Ancient Greece, once described the story of how a shepherd handed him a foal that a horse had just given birth to. What was unusual was that the cub had the head and arms of a human. It turns out that centaurs existed, because Plutarch is a serious philosopher, but at the same time, he really loved to joke. So this story could be a good joke for posterity. Were there really centaurs? This question remains a mystery, like the mystery of the Egyptian pyramids.
What does a centaur look like?
In many sources, the description of this unusual creature is somewhat different from each other. A centaur is a mythical creature that contains two different species at the same time - a man and a horse. The resemblance to a person is noted in the head and body to the waist, the centaur has human hands, the body, muscular strong limbs, hooves and a tail were inherited from the horse. On the face of the centaur is written the rudeness characteristic only of animals; they have long hair and a thick beard, and ears can be seen, like those of a horse.
There is no contrasting transition between the body of a man and a horse, since the centaurs were considered bay horses, and their human body was tanned in the sun. It is generally accepted that centaurs were only male representatives. And ancient images show that they had both human and stallion genitals. Almost nothing is known about female centaurs.
How did centaurs appear?
Mythology says that these unusual creatures trace their ancestry to the Lapith king Ixion and his mistress, the goddess Nephele. As a result of this love, the first representatives of this species appeared in the Pelephronian cave. On Mount Pelion they were raised by nymphs, and upon reaching maturity, the young centaurs entered into a relationship with mares. This is how the centaur in mythology began his history.
Types of centaurs
In addition to the classic appearance, there are other variations of these creatures. But the features of a person are always preserved in conjunction with some kind of animal.
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