Centaur Facts for Kids

This page is about the mythological creature. For other uses, see Centaur (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids
Centaur
A centaur in battle, shown on an Attic terracotta lekythos, around 575–550 BC.
Grouping	Legendary creature
Sub grouping	Hybrid
Other name(s)	Kentaur, Centaurus, Sagittary
Region	Greece, Cyprus
Habitat	Land

A centaur (pronounced SEN-tor or SEN-tar) is a fascinating creature from Greek mythology. It has the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. These mythical beings were often said to live in the mountains of Thessaly, a region in Greece.

Centaurs are usually seen as wild and untamed, much like horses that haven't been trained. They were believed to live in places like Magnesia and Mount Pelion in Thessaly. Centaurs also appear in Roman mythology and were popular in medieval stories about mythical beasts. Today, they are still a common sight in modern fantastic literature and fantasy stories.

What are Centaurs?
Different Kinds of Centaurs
- Female Centaurs: Centaurides
- Centaurs Around the World
Centaurs in Art and Stories
Images for kids
See Also

What are Centaurs?

Centaurs are legendary creatures that combine human and horse features. They are often depicted as strong and powerful. In many myths, they represent the wilder side of nature.

How Centaurs Came to Be

The most common story says that centaurs were born from Ixion and Nephele. Nephele was a cloud shaped like the goddess Hera, created by Zeus to trick Ixion. Ixion was fooled by the cloud, and from this, the centaurs were created.

Another tale suggests they were the children of Centaurus. This Centaurus was a unique man who had children with the mares (female horses) of Magnesia. Centaurus himself was sometimes said to be the son of Ixion and Nephele, or of Apollo and the nymph Stilbe.

There were also other types of centaurs. For example, the Cyprian Centaurs from Cyprus were said to be fathered by Zeus. The Lamian Pheres were twelve spirits who guarded the infant god Dionysus. They were transformed into ox-horned centaurs by the angry goddess Hera.

Famous Centaur Battles

Centaurs are most famous for their great battle with the Lapiths, who were their cousins in some myths. This fight, known as the Centauromachy, happened at the wedding of Hippodamia and Pirithous, the king of the Lapiths. The centaurs tried to carry off Hippodamia and the other Lapith women.

A famous hero, Theseus, helped the Lapiths in the battle. The centaurs were eventually defeated or driven away. This battle is often seen as a symbol of the struggle between civilization and wild, untamed behavior. You can see this battle shown in the famous sculptures on the Parthenon in Greece.

A Centauromachy scene on an Attic red-figure kylix, around 480 BC.

Where Did the Idea of Centaurs Come From?

Many historians believe the idea of centaurs came from ancient people who had never seen anyone ride a horse before. When they saw nomads riding horses, they might have thought the rider and horse were one single creature. For example, when the Spanish cavalry arrived in the Americas, the Aztecs initially thought the riders and horses were one being.

The Lapith tribe, who were related to centaurs in myths, were even described by Greek writers as the first people to ride horses. Some theories also suggest centaurs might have come from ancient earth cults that used horses as their special animal.

A centaur on Boeotian pottery from the Geometric period (around 900–700 BC).

Different Kinds of Centaurs

While most stories focus on the classic centaur, there are some interesting variations.

Female Centaurs: Centaurides

Although not often mentioned in the earliest Greek stories, female centaurs, called centaurides or centauresses, do appear in later ancient art and literature. One of the oldest examples is a mosaic from Macedonia dating back to the 4th century BC. The Roman poet Ovid also wrote about a centauress named Hylonome, who was heartbroken when her husband was killed in battle.

Centaurs Around the World

Centaurs or similar creatures appear in myths from different cultures:

India: Ancient seals from the Indus-Valley civilization show centaur-like creatures. In Indian mythology, the Kinnaras are mythical beings that are half-man and half-horse, similar to Greek centaurs.
Russia: A creature called Polkan, which is half-human and half-horse, is found in Russian folk art from the 17th to 19th centuries.

Centaurs in Art and Stories

Centaurs have been a popular subject for artists and writers for thousands of years.

Centaurs in Ancient Art

Evidence suggests that centaurs might have existed in myths as early as the Bronze Age. Fragmentary terracotta figures found at Ugarit have been identified as centaurs. A painted terracotta centaur was also discovered in a tomb at Lefkandi. By the Geometric period in Greece, centaurs were commonly painted on pottery.

A Boeotian kantharos from the Late Geometric period.

In early Greek art, centaurs were shown in a few ways:

Most commonly, with a human torso attached where the horse's neck would be. This became the standard look.
Sometimes, with a human body and legs joined to the back half of a horse.
Rarely, with human front legs that ended in hooves.

Centaurs were also popular in Roman art, often seen pulling chariots or in battle scenes.

Centaurs Through the Ages in Art

During the Middle Ages, centaurs continued to appear in art, such as on carved stone capitals in churches like Mozac Abbey in France. They also appear on ancient carved stones from Scotland.

Centaurs harvesting grapes on a 12th-century capital from the Mozac Abbey in the Auvergne.

In more modern times, artists still create centaur figures. For example, a sculptor named Bill Willers created a "Centaur from Volos" by combining human and pony skeletons. This exhibit at the University of Tennessee was designed to make students think critically. Centaurs have even appeared on old maps, like one by Urbano Monti from 1587, showing them in unknown lands. In heraldry, which is the study of coats of arms, a centaur holding a bow is called a sagittary.

Centaurs in Books and Movies

Centaurs have a special place in many popular stories:

In C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series, centaurs are wise, brave, and skilled in astronomy and medicine.
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books feature centaurs living in the Forbidden Forest. They are excellent archers, healers, and very good at astrology.
In Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, most centaurs are wild and love to party. However, the wise centaur Chiron is a main leader at the demigod training camp.
The 14th-century Italian poet Dante included centaurs as guardians in his famous poem Inferno, where they guard a river of boiling blood.

Images for kids

Battle of Centaurs and Wild Beasts (120-130 CE), from Hadrian's Villa, now in Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
Botticelli, Pallas and Centaur (1482–83)
Prince Bova fights Polkan, Russian lubok (1860)
Centauress, by John La Farge
A bronze statue of a centaur, inspired by the Furietti Centaurs
Byzantine Empire, 12th-13th century. Silver artwork from a cup, showing a centaur playing a lute. From the Collection of the Kremlin.