The Centaurs

   Centaurs, in Greek mythology, rude, savage monsters, half man and half horse. They were reputed to be descend­ants of Ixion and a Cloud. It is quite pos­sible that the myth may have been derived from a race of gigantic men inhabiting the mountains and forests of Thessaly. Their chief occupation, it is supposed, was that of hunting. Being horsemen, their raids and quarrels with neighboring tribes were conducted on horseback. This may have given rise to the myth current in Pindar's time of savage hairy beings, half horse and half man. In support of this theory, it may be said that the Aztecs of Mexico were much astonished by the appearance of Cortez's cavalry. Until they saw the men dismount, they thought that horse and rider constituted a two-headed animal. The Centaurs were admitted to social in­tercourse by the Greeks. At one time they were invited to a marriage, but, be­coming intoxicated, they were rude to the bride, and a pitched battle followed. The conflict between the Centaurs and the Greeks is a favorite subject with sculptors and poets of antiquity. Chiron was the most noted of the Centaurs. He was in­structed by Apollo and Diana in the mys­teries of medicine and music and in the art of prophecy. The Centaurs are repre­sented in art as having the body and legs of a horse. The neck and head of the horse are replaced by the body of a man from the waist upward.

The Battle of the Lapithes and the Centaurs