Centaurs Today

It is fascinating to me that the reputation of centaurs has changed so much over time. Initially, the myths involving centaurs talked of how looked down upon they were. They were known to be nothing to rowdy and drunk all the time. However, it seems that they have taken on a whole new persona today. Remember that old spice commercial from my first post? How did centaurs go from being such an ugly nuisance to society to being a modern day masculine sex symbol? Here's another example:

It's also interesting to me how centaurs have become so "cool" in today's society. I came upon this video clip of a child's centaur halloween costume. The comments on youtube as well as the reactions in the actual video showed me just how respected these once hated characters have become.

Centaurs in the Cinema

Centaurs may have originated in ancient times, but these mythological creatures continue to appear in many movies, books, and artworks today. Movies are an especially common place for centaurs to pop up. I already mentioned the part of centaurs in the Lightning Thief, but they star in many other recent day movies.

One very popular book which led to a movie, the Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe includes lots of centaurs. The centaurs of Narnia were highly respectable and intelligent creatures. They often had long life-spans and were known to be stargazers. Narnia's centaurs were also skilled in the area of battle. They were great at strategizing and very knowledgeable and when it came to killing in battle. Centaurs could also be ridden, but it is considered to be an honor to be able to do so.

Here is a clip from a battle scene in the Chronicles of Narnia:

 Centaurs have even had their 15 minutes of fame amidst the Harry Potter phenomenon. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix a herd centaurs roam in the forbidden forrest, which is set aside specifically for their use. In the movie, they generally avoided and confrontation with wizards, witches, or muggles, but in this clip, a dangerous interaction occurs. Have a look:

Centaurs even starred way back in the early days of film. In 1921, Winsor McCay created the animated, silent film titled "The Centaurs" which showed centaurs of different ages and genders interacting in the forrest.

http://narnia.wikia.com/wiki/Centaur

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Centaur

Centaurs in Art and Literature

I have already mentioned a few of the times in which Centaurs appear in art, but they are subjects more often than one may think. Generally, when Centaurs are depicted in artworks, they are involved in some type of wild of "bestial" behavior. As I mentioned in the earlier post, their fight with the Lapiths was depicted in a Michelangelo sculpture. However, that particular battle is a very common subject in art works involving centaurs, especially sculptures. Sculpture isn't the only type of art involving centaurs though. They appear on many vases as well as in paintings and other art forms.

The drunken nature of Centaurs is also a popular topic. They are often shown pulling the chariot of Dionysus, who is the god of wine.

 Even there promiscuous behaviors have been represented on some occasions by showing Centaurs being ridden by Eros, who was the god of love. That is meant to play off of their lustful actions.

Specifically, Christian art of the Middle Ages involving centaurs was symbolic of the animal instincts and behaviors of man.

Centaurs also appear in literature rather frequently. Ovid, who was a Roman poet described the centaurs' battle with the Lapiths in Metamorphoses. Ovid's work is said to have inspired another poet, Edmund Spenser to use the same topic in his writings of The Faerie Queen.

Shakespeare even makes reference to centaurs by mentioning the "Centaur Inn," in The Comedy of Errors.




http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ca-Cr/Centaurs.html#b
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Centaur

Centaur origins/Battle with Lapiths

I'm sure everyone is wondering how exactly these bizarre creatures came to be. Here's how the story goes:

Centaurs are said to have originally descended from Ixion who was a Lapith of Thessaly. Now Ixion was in love with Hera, and this made Zeus very jealous, so he thought up the idea to create a cloud the resembled the image of Hera. Ixion could not distinguish between the Nephele, the cloud, and Hera so he ended up accidentally mating with Nephele. The child that was created was named Centaurus. He was said to be quite an "experimental" youth and mated with a mare of Thessaly one day. From that, the centaur breed was born.

Ixion also played a role in one of the most common myths involving centaurs and the War with the Lapiths. King Pirithous, who was another son if Ixion, invited the centaurs to his wedding. Of course, they lived up to their reputation and became belligerently drunk and increasingly interested in the Lapith women at the wedding. Rumor has it that one of the Centaurs even attempted to run off with and seduce the bride. All of this caused great conflict and a battle broke out between the Lapiths and the Centaurs. Eventaully, the Lapiths prevailed and the centaurs were forced to move out of Thessaly. This particular myth is so important in the history of ancient Greece, that there were even several relief sculptures in the Parthenon that depict scenes from the battle. Check it out:



Michelangelo also created a famous relief depicting the battle scene.

Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs (c. 1492)

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/michelangelo-sculptures4.htm
http://www.play.net/aoh/info/races-centaur.asp
http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ca-Cr/Centaurs.html#b

Chiron The Centaur

Chiron is a very well known Centaur in Greek mythology. One of the reasons he became so commonly known is because he was rather different than the common centaur. He was often referred to as "The King of the Centaurs." Other centaurs from Greek myths were generally irritable and violent creatures, but Chiron was not. He was patient and wise. Chiron was the son of Cronis and Philyra as well as the husband of Chariclo. Chiron and Chariclo did have one child, a daughter named Endeis. He was also said to be a wonderful teacher of his time to Actaeon, Achilles, Hercules, and many others. He founded the School for Heroes on Mount Pelion, which is where many of his students were taught.

 Chiron is not just known for being a great teacher, he is a major part of many Greek myths. There is a popular story that relates to the development of an astrological sign. The story often differs in details, but the important parts generally stay the same. Chiron was injured by a poisonous arrow and then suffered an unbearable and permanent pain. The gods had granted him the gift of immortality long before his injury, so he could not die. Eventually he sacrificed his immortality and became a constellation in the sky. This is what we know as sagittarius today.

Here is one version of the story:

Because of his great reputation for teaching young heros and his courageous acts, many works of art have been created depicting him. Here is a Roman fresco showing Chiron instructing a student.

Chiron's legend has lived on for centuries and continues to appear in recent times. He played such a large role in Greek mythology, that he even made an appearance in a 2010 movie, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Have a look...

We'll get more into appearances of Centaurs in today's world later.

Sources:

http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/greek-mythology.php?deity=CHIRON

http://gogreece.about.com/od/mythology/a/chironcentaur.htm

http://songsdomain.tripod.com/sagittariusmyth/index.html

http://astroppm.blogspot.com/2010/11/chirons-stationdirect-being-honest-with.html