Centaur Greek mythology. Centaur

A popular poetic plot of antiquity, displayed in the Parthenon by Phidias (c. 490 BC - c. 430 BC), sung in Ovid's Metamorphoses (43 BC - 17 AD). BC) and inspired Rubens, was centauromachia - the battle with the centaurs, which flared up because of the unbridled temper of the latter at the wedding feast of the king of the Lapiths, Pirithous.
"The Odyssey of Homer also describes the story of how the centaur Eurytion, invited to the wedding of Pirithous,drunk wine and tried to dishonor the bride. As punishment, they cut off his ears and nose and threw him out. The centaur called his brethren to 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 a peaceful 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

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 the tragedy of Euripides "Hercules" (416 BC) were killed by Hercules. Those who escaped him listened to the sirens, stopped eating and starved to death. According to one story, Poseidon hid them in a mountain in 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 with the poison of the Lernaean Hydra. Dying, Ness decided to take revenge on Hercules, advising Dejanira to collect his blood, as she supposedly would help her keep Hercules' love. Dejanira soaked the clothes of Hercules with the poisonous blood of Nessus, and he died in terrible agony.

Centaurids - female centaurs

Along with male centaurs, Greek legends sometimes described centaurids(centauri). 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 beautiful creatures physically and spiritually. The most famous centaurid was Gilonoma, the wife of the centaur Killar (Zillar).

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 refer to creatures similar to a horse, but retaining the features of a centaur, the term "to entauroids". Centauroids were especially popular in the Middle Ages. They were treated onocentaur(donkey man) bucentaur(bull man) kerasts(buffalo man) Leontocentaur(lion man) ichthyocentaur(a creature that combines elements of fish, horses and humans in its appearance). The most ancient terracotta figures of centauroids with the head of a man and the body of a buffalo of the 7th century BC. BC. met in Cyprus.

The myth of the centaur belongs to the category of the oldest and is one of the most enduring images in world history - a rider on horseback.

The centaur inseparably follows the hero in, is found among the legends of Mycenae and the Scythians.

The idea of a creature half consisting of a horse and a man can also be attributed to, thus it becomes the most stable and long-lived among the entire "pantheon" of legends and legends.

First mentions

Statuette "Centaur and Man". Bronze. 8th century BC.

This assumption is based on a find in the form of two bronze figurines, presumably of the Mycenae culture, found during excavations.

However, with the same success, myths about the centaur, in a slightly different role, can be found earlier, since, as already mentioned, the idea of \u200b\u200bmerging two living beings into one is not new.

However, even this hypothesis shows how tenacious such a myth is.

Some historians believe that dashing Scythian riders formed the basis of the centaur myth.

dashing riders

Being, in fact, one of the first nomadic peoples who use horses not only in everyday life, but also in war, they terrified the conventionally civilized West, but still far from the "domestication" of animals.

Also here can be attributed the legends about the cruel Taurians and Kassites, who also revered the idea of combat on horseback.

Legends over time acquired additional details, riders received new opportunities, and their connection with horses, according to witnesses and eyewitnesses, turned into a semblance of a physiological one.

So, for example, in the era of the invasion of the Huns, the Romans believed that this nomadic people grows with their horses, and the warriors conceive descendants with mares.

In any case, the myths about the centaur appeared precisely as an attempt to explain not just traction, but the ability of individual peoples to handle and tame horses.

Traditional explanation of origin

The classic myth of the centaurs suggests that this nomadic people appeared as the descendants of Ixion and Nephele.

Ixion, being the king of Larissa, was invited to a feast on the top of Olympus, but there he dared to pester Hera.

According to one version, the goddess herself created her image from the clouds, called Nephele.

According to another, Zeus did it.

In any case, Ixion seduced Nephele, after which the centaurs descended from their union.

Despite the fact that everything did not end too well for the lovers, Zeus kept the offspring, after which the centaurs settled the forests of Greece.

In the myths of Hellas

The Hellenes considered the centaurs to be savages, a nomadic people, incapable of agriculture, science, including philosophy.

However, among this tribe there are those who deserve a special position, namely Chiron and Phol.

The first centaur is a wise old man, he is often depicted with human front legs and ears, a hallmark of high position.

He taught Jason and Achilles, even Hercules, until he fell at his hand when the hero fell into madness.

Another centaur, marked in a special way in mythology Ancient Greece- this is Foul, a friend of Hercules, who died by accident from the poisoned arrow of the hero.

Both of these heroes refute the traditional idea of \u200b\u200bcentaurs in myths.

They are restrained and wise, the classic centaur, on the contrary, is wild, personifying violent streams and mountain rivers.

Quite often, centaurs in legends accompany Dionysus, the Greek god of winemaking, thus perhaps emphasizing their windy and idle lifestyle.

Physiology

The classic centaur looks like the torso of a horse with a human torso and head. He is smart, yet quick and agile.

Centaurs huddle in herds, but centaurids, females of this tribe, are practically not represented in painting and literature.

Older and wiser centaurs look like this: a human torso with normal ears and front legs, the continuation of the horse's torso.

It is known for certain that centaurs give birth naturally, but how the foal is fed, breast or udder, as well as how it looks, is unknown.

Habitat

Centaurs are not accustomed to agriculture, so steppes and forests are closer to them.

Often they appear as a traditional people of the Greek foothills and mountains. There they are engaged in grazing and hunting.

The centaurs do not have crafts, as well as their own culture, it follows from the myths that they are an intermediate link between the man himself and the beast, that is, the horse.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between large cattle, including bulls, and centaurs is described even in the name of this species.

So, according to one version, from the Latin centaur (centauros) literally means "bull hunter."

This also speaks in favor of the theory that centaurs are the personification of horsemen, since nomadic peoples were mainly engaged in grazing horses and cows.

Temper and behavior of centaurs

Hercules and the Centaur Ness

Often the centaur is associated with the wild unbridled power of a mountain river.

This comparison most accurately embodies the essence of the nomadic people.

Centaurs are quick-tempered, aggressive and cruel.

Hercules had to kill most of this tribe, because the assertiveness of the centaurs did not allow them to retreat.

Approximately the same features the centaur represents in heraldry.

However, there he also has a bright anti-Christian connotation, showing laziness, idleness and frivolity.

Place in Russian folklore

In Russian legends, the image of a centaur is personified by a centaur, a creature that later became a kind of incarnation of Asmodeus.

He acts as the opponents of King Solomon and also falls from his hand during the confrontation for the wife of the owner, seduced by a savage.

Centauros is also depicted with a weapon in his hand, showing aggression and a vicious disposition.

The image of the centaur itself remains in demand both in literature and other genres of art.

Although the original association with the savages has waned, the original tradition of this people has remained unchanged.

A centaur is a dimorphic creature that is a hybrid of a human and a horse. It is most clearly shown in ancient Greek mythology, which gives most of the information about half-humans, half-horses. It was from these legends that the centaur moved to the screens of films and the pages of fiction books, turning into a famous character in modern fantasy. Nevertheless, initially the centaur was not invented by the Greeks at all.

general description

Typically, centaurs are powerful creatures with a strong muscular body that live in the mountains or forest thickets. The bow is considered the traditional weapon of half-humans-half-horses, however, in ancient Greek artistic culture, images with cobblestones or logs were much more common.

These creatures symbolize wildness and violence, but in general they are positive characters. The character traits of centaurs are just as personalized as those of humans. Some heroes were endowed with special qualities and noble origin. Such was, for example, the famous Chiron, the teacher of Hercules. In mythical literature, there are also many negative characters-centaurs (Khomad, Dejanir, Ness, etc.).

Origin of the centaur

When the image of a centaur first arose has not been reliably established. However, it is known that this creature was introduced into the mythical culture of Ancient Greece by the inhabitants of Crete. The latter learned about the centaurs from the Kassites, who communicated with the Mycenae for trading purposes.

The oldest historical evidence of half-humans-half-horses dates back to the 2nd millennium BC. e. It is assumed that the image of the centaur was formed between 1750 and 1250 BC. e. in the territory of the Middle East.

Among the Kassites (a nomadic tribe whose lifestyle was strongly associated with horses), this creature symbolized the pagan guardian deity, whose weapons were a bow and arrows. Half-humans, half-horses were carved on stone sculptures. However, this does not prove that the Kassites first invented the centaur, and did not adopt the idea from another people. But whatever the origin of half-humans, half-horses, they received real literary development precisely in ancient Greek culture.

Centaurs in ancient Greek mythology

Like other creatures of ancient Greek mythology, centaurs have their own history of appearance. Their origin is associated with two legends. According to the first, centaurs are mortal creatures born from the king of the Lapith tribe, Ixion and Nephele (a cloud that appeared to the ruler in the form of the goddess Hera). According to another version, their descendant was only the ancestor of the centaurs. He gave rise to a new tribe, having foaled the Magnesian mares.

Some centaurs had a different, unique origin. So, the famous Chiron was born from the union of the titan Kronos and the oceanid Filira, and Pholus was the son of Selene (Dionysus' companion) and an unknown nymph. These centaurs stood out from their tribe in terms of civilization and education.

According to ancient Greek myths, half-humans-half-horses lived in the mountains of Thessaly and were part of the retinue of Dionysus. After the battle with the Lapiths, the centaurs were expelled from their home and spread throughout Greece. Later, this violent tribe was almost completely destroyed by Hercules, and the surviving part was captured by the singing of the sirens and died of hunger.

The only immortal member of the tribe, Chiron, was accidentally wounded. poison arrow. Suffering severely, he voluntarily wished to end his life and asked the gods for help. As a result, the immortality of Chiron was transferred to Prometheus, and Zeus himself placed the centaur in the sky in the form of a constellation.

Appearance

The essence of the centaur lies in the fact that the lower part of the creature's body is completely analogous to the torso of a horse, and in place of the neck is the human torso. Such an image corresponds to the classical idea of these creatures that was formed in ancient Greece.

Some earlier depictions of the centaur were of a full human body with a horse's hindquarters. Then the front legs also became equine.

Human body the centaur in the photo of various artistic images has many variations. As a rule, he is devoid of any clothes. Male centaurs often had a rough face, a beard and disheveled long hair, and instead of human ears there were horse ears. The noble representatives of the tribe were portrayed somewhat differently. So, Chiron had clothes (tunic) and human ears. Often this centaur was depicted with laurels. The foul also symbolized civility, but never wore clothes and had horse ears. In mythology, a truly beautiful centaur is also known - a blond youth named Zillar. He had at least beautiful wife— Gilonoma.

Thus, the Greeks had 2 types of centaurs in parallel, which were opposed to each other. Most of these creatures personified animal nature, and only a small part were the patrons of people. These differences were reflected both in the literary description of the characters and in their artistic representations.

In modern fantasy, there are many options for the image of centaurs, which depend solely on the imagination of the authors.

Character and qualities

On the one hand, the centaur was a creature stuck between the human and animal worlds, and therefore prone to savagery, violence, carnal passions and violence. This image was probably formed on the basis of the close acquaintance of the Greeks with horse disposition. Alcohol made a particularly strong impression on the centaurs, awakening the fury of their nature. An illustrative example of this is the famous battle of half-horse people with lapiths.

However, in Greek mythology there was also a noble image of the centaur. They were educated creatures endowed with wisdom. Such centaurs were more the exception to their tribe than the rule. The most famous of them was Chiron, who was even credited with a different origin and endowed with immortality.

The duality of the nature of the centaur is probably rooted in the ideas of the Kassites. The latter sometimes depicted this creature with two heads, one of which was human and the other dragon.

Centaurids

Centaurids were called female centaurs. In mythological literature, they were mentioned very rarely and for the most part were minor episodic characters.

Centaurids were a harmonious image of external beauty and excellent spiritual qualities. The most famous representative of these creatures is Gilonoma, who was present at the most epic event associated with the centaurs - the battle against the Lapiths. In this battle, the beloved husband of the centaurid, Zillar, died. He died right in the arms of his wife. Unable to bear the grief, Gilonoma committed suicide by piercing herself with the same spear that had killed her lover.

The centaur could also be winged. In all these cases, he remained a man-horse. In the Middle Ages, the onocentaur (a combination of a man and a donkey), the bukentaur (a buffalo man) and the leontocentaur (a lion man) appeared. In Indian art, the image of a man with the legs of a buffalo (or horse) and the tail of a fish is known. To refer to creatures that are not similar in appearance to a horse, but retain the features of a centaur, in scientific literature the term "centauroids" is used. The image of the centaur, apparently, arose in Babylon in the 2nd millennium BC. e. Kassite nomads who came to Mesopotamia from Iran around 1750 BC. e., waged a fierce struggle with Egypt and Assyria for dominion in the Middle East. Along the borders of their empire, the Kassites erected huge stone statues of guardian gods, among them centaurs. One of them depicted a winged creature with a horse's body, two faces - a human, looking forward, and a dragon, looking back, and two tails (horse and scorpion); in the hands - a bow with a stretched bowstring. Another well-known monument is a sculpture of a classical centaur without wings, with one head and one tail, ready to shoot at the enemy with his bow. Of course, the fact that the Kassites depicted the centaur in their sculptures does not mean at all that they invented it, but since the Kassite empire ceased to exist by the middle of the 12th century BC. e., we can rightfully assert that the history of the centaur has more than three thousand years.

The appearance of the image of a centaur suggests that already during the time of the Kassites, the horse played an important role in human life. The oldest mention of a horse - "donkey from the west" or "mountain donkey" - we find on a clay Babylonian tablet dating back to 2100 BC. e. However, centuries passed before the horse became a familiar companion in the Middle East. It is very likely that the Kassite nomads contributed to the spread of the horse and chariots. Perhaps the ancient farmers perceived horse riders as an integral being, but, most likely, the inhabitants of the Mediterranean, prone to inventing “composite” creatures, having invented the centaur, thus simply reflected the spread of the horse.

So, the creature known as the centaur appeared in the Middle East between 1750 and 1250 BC. e. and served as a guardian spirit, whose main weapon was a bow and arrow. The Kassites, who had extensive trade relations, brought the centaur to the Mycenaean civilization, which also disappeared by the middle of the 12th century BC. e. From Crete he came to Ancient Greece. Depiction of Theseus' battle with a centaur on an amphora of the 8th century BC. e. indicates that by this time the Greeks had already managed to develop a mythology that absorbed the Mycenaean heroes.

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 images, centaurs were endowed with both human and horse genitalia.

According to the "Pythian" of Pindar (c. 518-442 or 438 BC), the centaurs were considered descendants - direct or through their common ancestor of the Centaur - the Thessalian king of the Lapith tribe, the titan Ixion, son of Ares, and the cloud, which took on the will of Zeus in the form Hera, whom Ixion attempted (according to another interpretation, the descendants of Ixion and the titanides of the clouds of Nephele, other Greek “cloud”, “cloud”) “And Ixion lit the imperious heart of the goddess Hera with the fire of a titan. That fire did not hide from the peacekeeper, he decided to punish Ixion. And, according to the insidious intention of Kronid, a cloudy ghost in the form of Hera descended from the sky to Ixion to cool the heat of the fire in the leader of the Lapits. And it was not a deceitful ghost, but the goddess of the clouds Nephele: she deceived Nephele the sly Zeus. And from Ixion the Titan gave birth to Nephele a wonder: not a man, not a horse, not a tree, not a titan, not a god and not a beast, but both, and another, and the third: he was a horse, and a man, and a tree - a piece of the beast , god and titan. He was mortal and he was immortal. Ya.E. Golosovker "Tales of the Titans"

According to the Thessalian legends as presented by Lucan (39-65 AD), Nephele gave birth to centaurs in the Pelephronian cave. According to another myth, they were the children of the Centaur - the son of Apollo and the Oceanid (daughter of the Ocean and Tethys) or the daughter of the river god Peneus and the nymph Creusa, Stilba. According to another legend, the centaurs were the sons of Apollo himself. Diodorus Siculus (approx. 90 - 30 BC) cites in the "Historical Library" the views that existed in his time that the centaurs were raised on the Pelion Peninsula by nymphs and, having matured, entered into a relationship with the Magnesian mares, from which gave birth to two-natural centaurs or hippocentaurs. According to another myth, a descendant of Apollo, the Centaur, entered into a relationship with the Magnesian mares. Isidore of Seville (c. 560 - 636). in "Etymology" he wrote "Hippocentaurs have a mixed nature - a man and a horse, their head is covered with hair, like animals, but otherwise they look like ordinary people and can even speak, but since their lips are unaccustomed to human speech, then from the published they cannot isolate words from sounds. They are called hippocentaurs, because it is believed that they combined human and horse nature.

Pliny (c. 23-79 AD) in his Natural History wrote that he saw a hippocentaur preserved in honey and sent from Egypt as a gift to the emperor. “Caesar Claudius, brother of Caligula, writes that a hippocentaur was born in Thessaly and died on the same day, and during the reign of this emperor we saw how a similar creature was brought in honey from Egypt” The Odyssey describes the story of how a centaur Eurytion, invited to the wedding of Peyritoon, got drunk with wine and tried to dishonor the bride. As punishment, they cut off his ears and nose and threw him out. The centaur called his brethren to revenge, and after some time a battle took place in which the centaurs were defeated.

The Greeks, who bred and loved horses, were well acquainted with their temper. It is no coincidence that it was the nature of the horse that they associated with the unpredictable manifestations of violence in this generally positive creature. Greek centaur- practically a man, but his behavior changes dramatically under the influence of wine. Homer writes: “It is wine that is responsible for the atrocities that the famous centaur Eurytion perpetrated in the palace of the generous Peyritoon in Lapit. His mind went wild with intoxication. And in his rage, he did a lot of trouble in the house of Peyritoon ... Since then, the enmity between people and centaurs has continued. And he was the first to feel the evil of drunkenness." The centaur was a popular subject in vase painting. Its artistic embodiment depended on which centaur was depicted on the vase. The two most "civilized" centaurs - Cheiron and Tholos - were usually depicted with human legs, while the entire back of their bodies remained horse-like. Heiron is almost always dressed, he could have human ears. Pholos, on the contrary, most often appears naked and always with horse ears.

The centaur with four horse legs was perceived by the Greeks more as an animal than as a man. Despite having a human head, his ears are almost always those of a horse, and his face is rough and bearded. The centaur, as a rule, was depicted naked, with male and horse genitals at the same time. The image of a centaur, of course, was not common to all of Greece: in its continental part, centaurs were depicted with disheveled long hair, and in Ionia and Etruria - with short ones. These creatures did not necessarily carry a bow, more often a log or cobblestone. The depiction of the death of Caineus at the battle of Lapita can be called a classic: the centaurs bury the dying hero under a mountain of logs and stones.

On the vase of the work of Clytius (560 BC), both types of centaurs are depicted: on the one hand, Cheiron, dressed in a tunic and leading the procession of the gods in honor of the newlywed couple (Peleus and Thetia), friendly welcomes the groom; on the reverse side is a scene from the Battle of Lapita. The painting symbolizes the dual nature of the centaurs, opposing Cheiron, who obeyed the order established by people, and other centaurs who threaten this order with their wild disposition.

These two types are not the only ones, but only the most common in Greece. In addition to them, winged centaurs were depicted, indicating that the Kassite tradition did not die completely. Several Cypriot terracotta figures of the 7th century BC. e. can rightly be called "centauroids." Unlike the Minotaur with a human body and a buffalo head, these creatures have human heads (sometimes with horns) and buffalo bodies, which is probably associated with the cult of the bull, the god of fertility.

Most often, centaurs were characterized as wild and unrestrained, with an unpredictable manifestation of violence, creatures in which animal nature prevailed. Centaurs were distinguished by riot, a penchant for drunkenness and hostility to 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 plot of antiquity, displayed in the Parthenon of Phidias (c. 490 BC - c. 430 BC), sung in Ovid's Metamorphoses (43 BC - 17 AD). BC) and Rubens was inspired by the centauromachia - the battle of the Lapiths 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. “The Odyssey of Homer 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, they cut off his ears and nose and threw him out. The centaur called his brethren to 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 a peaceful 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 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 with the poison of the Lernaean Hydra. Dying, Ness decided to take revenge on Hercules, advising Dejanira to collect his blood, as she supposedly would help her keep Hercules' love. Dejanira soaked the clothes of Hercules with the poisonous blood of Nessus, and he died in terrible agony. Centaurids - female centaurs

Along with male centaurs, centaurids (centaurs) were sometimes described in Greek legends. 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 beautiful creatures physically and spiritually. The most famous centaurid was Gilonoma, the wife of the centaur Killar (Zillar). 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 refer to creatures similar to a horse, but retaining the features of a centaur, the term "centauroids" is used in the literature. Centauroids were especially popular in the Middle Ages. These included onocentaur (donkey man), bukentaur (bull man), kerasty (buffalo man), leontocentaur (lion man), ichthyocentaur (a creature that combines elements of fish, horses and humans in its appearance). The most ancient terracotta figures of centauroids with the head of a man and the body of a buffalo of the 7th century BC. BC. met in Cyprus.

A large number of various creatures - chimeras, close to the centauroids described above, were observed by me in the Thai temple of Wat Po in Bangkok. Polkan and Kitovras

The centaurs also included the Slavic demigods Polkan and Kitovras (the demon Asmodeus among the Jews) and their relatives (probably Polkan and Kitovras were the same creature). Polkan was unusually strong and quick. He had the body and build of a man to the waist, and below the waist he was a horse. When the ancient Slavs fought, Polkan and his relatives tried to come to their aid and fought so bravely that their glory survived the centuries. Kitovras had the same appearance as Polkan and was famous for his intelligence. Caught by King Solomon, he amazed him with his wisdom

No less a mystery than the image of the centaur itself is its name. Neither Homer nor the other ancient Greek poet Hesiod, mentioning centaurs, describe their appearance, unless, of course, one considers the characteristic “hairy animal people”. Although images of horses with human heads have been found since the 8th century BC. e., there is no reason to believe that in the time of Homer the idea of \u200b\u200b"semi-animal" creatures was so widespread that it did not need comment. The modern English writer Robert Graves, who turned a lot in his work to the era of antiquity, believed that Homer refers to the representatives of a warlike tribe who worshiped the horse as centaurs. Under the leadership of their king Heiron, the centaurs opposed their enemies, the Lapits, together with the Achaeans.

The debate about the origin of the word "centaur" has never subsided. According to different versions, it could come from the Latin "centuria" - "hundred" or the Greek "centron" - "goat", "kenteo" - "hunt, pursue" and "tavros" - "bull".

The first ancient Greek poet to mention the horse nature of the centaurs was Pindar (c. 518-442 or 438 BC). In the Pythian, he speaks of the rise of the centaurs. Lapit named Ixion falls in love with Hera, and in retaliation Zeus sends a cloud to him, resembling a goddess in appearance, Ixion copulates with the cloud, and it gives birth to a child: “This mother brought him a monstrous offspring. There has never been such a mother, nor such a child, which was not accepted by either people or gods. She raised him and named him the Centaur. From his union with the Magnesian mare came an unprecedented tribe, lower part inherited from the mother, and the upper one from the father. On the other hand, according to Pindar, the origin of Cheiron was quite different. He is "the son of Philir, a descendant of Kron, who once ruled a vast kingdom and was a son of Heaven." Heiron married a girl named Hariko, and they had a completely human-looking daughter. He, apparently, was the only "home" centaur. It was Cheiron who was the tutor of Achilles and Hercules.

The story of another centaur - Nessos - has come down to us thanks to the tragedy of Sophocles (5th century BC). Hercules brings his bride Deianeira to his house. Centaur earns money by transporting people across the river Even. Deianeira sits on his back to cross to the other side, but in the middle of the river Nessos grabs her and tries to dishonor her. Hercules saves the bride by spearing the centaur in the chest. Dying, Nessos advises Deianeira to collect his blood and use it as a love potion in case Hercules ever falls in love with another woman. Deianeira dips the hem of her tunic in centaur blood. When Hercules puts on a tunic, the poison-soaked cloth sticks to his body and causes such excruciating pain that he throws himself into the fire. 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 a peaceful companion of Dionysus and Eros. The greatest contribution to the formation of the Roman version of the image of the centaur was made, of course, by Ovid (43 BC - c. 18 AD) in Metamorphoses. The poet brings many details into the story of Peyritoon's marriage and the ensuing battle. Not only Tholos and Nessos participate in the battle, but also other centaurs, who are the fruit of Ovid's imagination. Among them, the most interesting are Zillar and Gilonoma.

Zillar is a young, fair-haired centaur, Gilonoma is his beloved, a centaur girl with long hair adorned with roses, violets and white lilies, "who was not more beautiful in the forests." When Zillar dies in battle, Gilonoma throws herself on the spear that pierced her lover and merges with him in a last embrace. This story of a beautiful centaur, his feminine lover, their true love and touching suicide contrasts with the image of a wild and unbridled Greek centaur.

The oldest horoscope that has come down to us was compiled around 410 BC. e. in Babylon. There is no doubt that the zodiac Sagittarius (Centaur), as well as Scorpio and Capricorn (Ay's "underground ocean antelope") are images inspired by the Kassite border monuments. Along with the constellation Centaur-Sagittarius, there is also the Southern Centaur. Under the name of the zodiac Capricorn, the centaur also passed into the art of the Islamic world.

The fixation of the centaur as one of the zodiac symbols played a role in the fact that the memory of him was preserved in the Middle Ages. In bestiaries, the image of the onocentaur, the donkey-man, was unambiguously associated with the devil. The medieval centaur was always depicted wearing a tunic or cloak and certainly holding a combat bow in his hands. This can be seen on the coat of arms of the English King Stephen I. There are also images of a centaur with human hands, awkwardly standing on the only hind horse legs.

On the Bayonne tapestry depicting scenes of the Norman conquest of England (11th century AD), in the episode depicting Harold on the way to William the Conqueror, there are five long-haired dressed centaurs, two of them are winged. And in the episode "Harold Saves Two Soldiers", a centaur with lion's paws is depicted. A stone statue of another leontocentaur can be seen in Westminster Abbey in London.

In Dante's "Divine Comedy" we meet Cheiron, Nessos and Tholos in the seventh circle of hell, where they dump the souls of the "rapists" into the river from the boiling blood. Dante manages in a small passage to list most of the mythological features of the centaurs. When Cheiron spots Dante and Virgil, he takes an arrow from the quiver hanging at his hips and straightens his beard so that it does not interfere with his conversation. Heiron is not devoid of intelligence: he sees that the foot of "the one who is behind moves what he touches" and understands that Dante is alive. Nessos remembers his lifetime craft and transports Dante and Virgil across the bloody Phlegeton River. The centaurs of the seventh circle are "guardians and stewards of eternal justice."

The only thing that Dante missed in describing the “fast-footed animals” was that he did not indicate their equine nature. The educated Italian, no doubt, not only read Ovid, but also saw the bronze Roman centaurs, believing that his readers are no less familiar with them. However, comedy illustrators seem to have had a significant gap in this regard. One of them depicted a centaur with a human head growing directly from the chest of a horse, of course, without arms and torso. Faced with the task of depicting centaurs-archers, the artist was completely at a loss and painted them simply as naked men.

In the "History of Troy" by Lefevre, the centaur, for some unknown reason, becomes an ally of the Trojans. The centaur “with a mane like a horse, eyes red as coals, accurately shot from his bow; This beast inspired fear in the Greeks and struck many of them with his arrows. Apparently, this story was known to Shakespeare. In "Troilus and Cressida" the hero of the Trojan War Menelaus says: "The terrible centaur has instilled fear in our warriors." In Shakespeare's centaur, the Greek image of this creature is revived - a threat to public order. In the 19th century, the image of the centaur attracted even greater interest in literature and art. Goethe made Cheiron one of the central figures in the description of Walpurgis Night in Faust. Here Heiron again becomes a wise and kind being. It is he who takes Faust to meet Elena. For Goethe, Cheiron is the personification of male beauty - "he is half-human and flawless in running."

The centaur was depicted on their canvases and in the occultures of Botticelli, Pisanello, Michelangelo, Rubens, Beckling, Rodin, Picasso and many others. He is the subject of many literary works and scientific papers. In the 19th century, the centaur also did not remain forgotten.

CENTAUR: ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, EVOLUTION

The centaur is an unusual, paradoxical creature, an unsolved mystery of nature. It is nature - now we can say this with absolute accuracy. For a long time, scientists did not have more or less reliable evidence of the reality of the existence of a centaur. It was mistakenly believed that this is a purely mythological character, which does not exist in nature and never existed.

However, it would be strange if an absolutely fictional creature was so often mentioned in various literary sources, so often depicted by sculptors and painters. After all, it is widely known that real animals with the same name served as the prototype of sea sirens, and monitor lizards of truly dragon size have been preserved on Komodo Island.

Recently, supporters of the version of the reality of the centaurs received irrefutable evidence of their correctness. Archaeological excavations near El Ayum (Western Sahara) dispelled all secrets and conjectures - more than a dozen skeletons of centaurs were found there, many of which are quite well preserved. Professor of the California Institute of Natural Sciences J.R.R. Epstein, using the method of Professor Gerasimov, restored appearance centaur.

The dimensions of the centaur are by no means gigantic: at the withers - about a meter, from the front hooves to the top of the head - about eighty meters. The volume of the brain is somewhat smaller than that of humans, but larger than that of chimpanzees and gorillas. Of great interest to researchers was the question of how the internal organs in two cavities. It turned out that the entire upper-anterior (humanoid) part was filled with respiratory organs. Powerful lungs with large bronchi made the centaurs unusually hardy, in addition, obviously, the centaurs were very loud, and therefore deaf. In the lower back part, immediately behind the middle girdle of the limbs, guarded by the collarbones and shoulder blades, there was a huge heart. Behind the heart is a voluminous stomach and a long intestine, which indicates that the centaurs ate mainly grass. On the sides, near the ribs, the centaurs had air bubbles similar to those of birds. During inhalation, they were filled with air, so that later, during exhalation, fill the lungs with this air. Thus, centaurs were the only mammals with double breathing.

Classifying the centaur proved extremely difficult. Most likely, this is a special class of six-legged vertebrates such as dead-ended chordates. The prehistoric ancestors of the centaurs obviously lived in the forests, moved on all six limbs and were much slower. The protocentaurs (Protocentaurus vulgaris) looked different: the limbs were short and awkward, the front part did not at all resemble a human one. They lived in dens and were omnivores. However, with climate change, protocentaurs became steppe animals, which required them to move faster. At the same time, the front part of the body came off the ground and became lighter, while the back, on the contrary, became more massive, the middle and hind limbs noticeably stretched out. Further, in the process of evolution, the back of the body more and more resembled a horse, since the living conditions and lifestyle of the centaurs were exactly the same as those of wild horses. The front part, lightened and becoming vertical, freed up for useful work, the forelimbs gradually began to resemble human hands. Thus, with full confidence it can be stated that labor made a protocentaur - a real centaur (Centaurus centaurus).

It remains a mystery whether the centaurs were sentient. Mythology says "Yes" (see the myths about Jason, about Lapith, etc.), but science does not have reliable data on this. Unfortunately, this riddle is unsolvable, since all centaurs have already become extinct. It can be assumed that people are to blame for this. Many literary sources - for example, the myth of Lapith - tell of the enmity of people and centaurs. Obviously, bulky and clumsy, centaurs could not stand the competition with dexterous and mobile people. Presumably, already in the first millennium BC, centaurs were completely ousted from the territory of Ancient Greece and from Europe in general. Driven into the sands of the Sahara, dwindling groups of centaurs may have survived until the first centuries of our era. The last mention of a meeting with centaurs can be found in Capaglia's treatise "My Journeys to Distant Shores".

Since Greek antiquity, centaurs have been mythical creatures with the body of a horse and the torso and head of a man - are a symbol of duality. They represent the personification of the lower nature of man, his animal nature, connected with high nature, human dignity and the ability to judge. It is a combination of the blind power of the instincts and the guiding spirit. The horse personifies the masculine solar power and is a footstool for raising the spirit of man.

IN Greek mythology wild creatures, half-humans, half-horses, inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets, accompany Dionysus (Bacchus) and are distinguished by their violent temper and intemperance. Perhaps the centaurs were originally the embodiment of mountain rivers and turbulent streams. According to legend, they were born from Ixion and a cloud that, at the behest of Zeus, took the form of Hera. Centaurs fight with their neighbors Lapiths (Centauromachia), trying to steal wives from this tribe for themselves. After the victory of Hercules over the centaurs, they were ousted from Thessaly and settled throughout Greece. Poseidon took part of the centaurs under his protection. In heroic myths, some of the centaurs are the educators of heroes, others are hostile to the world of heroes.

A special place among the centaurs is occupied by Chiron, the son of Kronos and the oceanids Filira, and Phol, the son of Selene and the nymph Melia. They embody wisdom and benevolence. Chiron is the teacher of heroes (Theseus, Jason, Achilles, Dioscuri). He belongs to the genus of titans overthrown by Zeus, unbridled natural deities who know ancient wisdom. Chiron knows the secrets of healing and teaches Asclepius. His name - Chiron - indicates skillful hands. He is one of those archaic deities who entered into an alliance with the heroic world, but at the same time were forced to die involuntarily at the hands of the heroes.

Centaurs are mortal, only Chiron is immortal, but he, suffering from a wound inadvertently inflicted on him by Hercules, longs to die. Prometheus later agreed to become immortal in his place, and Zeus approved this exchange and transferred Chiron to the sky as the constellation Sagittarius (Centaur).

IN Christianity the centaur symbolizes sensuality, unbridled passions, excesses, adultery, the incarnation of the devil. In addition, this character served as the personification of a person torn between good and evil, a heretic who, although he knows the doctrine, applies it incorrectly. In medieval symbolism, the centaur, since he did not overcome his animal nature, is considered the opposite of a noble knight, and often the personification of arrogance.

In the visual arts, centauromachia scenes were popular. The image of Chiron occupies a special place both in ancient art and in the art of subsequent eras. In the Middle Ages, images of centaurs appear in the miniatures of Arabic and European cosmological treatises among the signs of the Zodiac.

Flight of the Centaurs

Breaking from distant mountains like a roaring avalanche,
They flee in the delirium of struggle, in the madness of rebellion.
Horrors sweep over them, circling,
Death is whipping with whips, they can smell the smell of a lion ...

Through the groves, through the ditches, bypassing the mountain slope,
Frightening hydras and snakes ... And now, in the distance, a mirage
They rise in the darkness like a giant mountain range
And Ossa, and Olympus, and black Pelion...

Sometimes one of them will delay his sonorous run,
Suddenly it stops and catches a subtle smell,
And again rushes after the native herd.

Away, along the riverbeds, where all the moisture has dried up,
Where the brilliant moon cast shadows -
The shadow of Hercules rushes with giant horror...

Jose Maria de Heredia

Letter

How bitter is the taste of earthly laurel...
Rodin chained forever
In the semi-mad gesture of the Centaur
Incompatibility of two principles.
Wringing your hands in madness,
He beats in hopeless torment,
The earth groans and hums
Under a heavy spasm of hooves.
But I understand the infinity
I know only wholeness in the world,
In me, the mirror of quiet waters,
My soul is like a starry sky
All around the native abyss sings, -
I'm all neighing and flying!