Centaurs

Centaurs

'​​Centaur is the name given to a race of horse-like creatures with a human appearance, that is, creatures with the head and torso of a human and the rest of the body of a horse. These creatures have always been popular in fantasy and have been part of a number of fantasy books and films.

It is widely believed that the centaurs originated in Greece. It is believed that the first appearance of the idea of a centaur came into existence during the bronze age in ancient Greece.

Origin

A lot of theories have been made to work out how the idea of the centaurs first came into existence. It is known that the centaurs originated from Greece. Many theorists believe that the horse riders in those days looked a lot like half man and half horses, i.e. a mix of human and horse. Therefore many people believe that this would have formed the basis of the idea of half humanoid horses which was to later go on to develop to the concept of centaur. Another theory states that the greeks may have had believed that a human (most probably could have been a god) mated with a female horse (or a legendary female. Though this idea is widely disagreed due to the fact that the greeks were too afraid of their gods and respected them to much to form such a idea in their mind. And that therefore it would be bizarre to assume that they would have even thought of a god of theirs to mate with a horse. A usual counter argument to this is the fact that greek stories often depicted the gods to commit mistakes, even grave mistakes and get punishment for it; So this could have been a grave mistake committed by them. It may even be a punishment. Maybe a punishment to have to live with a certain kind of race of horses or to marry a mare. There is also a theory that states that maybe the greeks might have thought of this to be connected to a horse god or a god with a form of god.

A centaur with a bow, probably a reference to a horse riding archer

But this too is generally disagreed upon due to the fact

that there is no known story telling of a god suffering such a punishment or committing such a mistake and that is when the greeks were well known to have stories for every myth they could think of. There also isn’t a story or legend about a horse god or a god with a horse form. Therefore, the first theory which states that they might have originated from horse riders that looked like a horse human mix is most probable and widely accepted.

THE LAPITHS AND THEIR ENEMITY WITH THE CENTAURS

LAPITHS IS THE NAME OF A GROUP OF LEGENDARY PEOPLE ORIGINATED IN GREECE AND WERE THOUGHT TO LIVE IN THESALLY.

TWO FIGHTING CENTAURS

THEY ARE MOST WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR CONTINUOUS ENEMITY AND BATTLES WITH THE CENTAURS. THEIR BATTLE WITH THE CENTAURS IS WIDELY KNOWN AND HAS BEEN MADE INTO DIFFERENT ART FORMS TOO. THE ORIGIN AND START OF THIS ENEMITY IS WIDELY BELIEVED TOO HAVE STARTED DURING A LAPITHIAN GIRL'S MARRIAGE IN WHICH THE CENTAURS WERE INVITED TOO. IT IS SAID THAT IN THE MARRIAGE THE CENTAURS WERE SERVED WINE. THE CENTAURS USED TO DRINK VERY VERY RAELY, INFACT IN MOST CASES HAD NEVER DRUNK

BEFORE, AND SO THE WINE ACTED HIGHLY AND HEAVILY OVER THEM. IN SOME VERSIONS OF THE STORY IT IS ALSO SAID THAT THEY THOUGHT OF THIS TO BE A RARE TREAT AND SO TOOK IT IT IN LARGE QUANTITIES AND THAT INCREASED ITS EFFECT EVEN MORE. IN SOME THESE VERSIONS IT IS STATED THAT THEY WERE TAKING THE WINE WITHOUT STOP AND CONTINUOUSLE AND THAT THE SERVER HAD TO FINALLY SAY NO TO THE CENTAURS WHEN THEY ASKED FOR THE WINE ONCE AGAINS AND THAT THIS CAUSED THE RISING OF THEIR ALREADY HIGH TEMPERATURES. WHICHEVER VERSION, IT IS TOLD IN ALL OF THEM IS THAT DUE TO THE EFFECT OF THE WINE THE WILD AND FEROCIOUS NATURE OF THE CENTAURS ROSE.THEN WHEN THE BRIDE WAS INTRODUCED TO THE GUESTS, ONE OF THE CENTAURS EURITIN LEAPT UPON HER AND TRIED TO ALLEGEDLY ABDUCT HER. THIS CAUSED A SUDDEN UPRISING IN THE TEMPER OF THE LAPITHS. THE CENTAURS TOO STOOD UP TO EURITION AND AGAINST THEM. AND SO THE BATTLE STARTED. CAENEUS, A WELL KNOWN LAPITH WHO WAS INVULNERABLE CAME TO THE AID OF HIS FRIENDS AND WITH HIS HELP THE LAPITHS FINALLY DEFEATED THEM. THE CENTAUR EURITION HAD HAD HIS EARS AND NOSE CUT AND THE CENTAURS WERE FORCED TO FLEE THE COUNTRY. BUT THIS WAS NOT THE END OF THE OF THE FIGHTS. THE CENTAURS ATTACKED AGAIN ON THE LAPITHS. THOUGH NO EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THESE BATTLES IS GIVEN, IT IS PRESUMED THAT THE THE LAPITHS DID FINALLY DEFEAT THE CENTAURS FOR ONCE AND FOREVER.

CENTAURS IN FANTASY

CENTAURS, AS IS ALREADY MENTIONED, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN POPULAR IN FANTASY. NO MATTER WHETHER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT FILMS OR BOOKS, THEY HAVE ALWAYS APPEARED IN BOTH OF THEM. BUT IN ALL THE FIMS AND BOOKS IN WHICH THEY ARE DESCRIBED THE BEST AND HAVE BEEN A WELL KNOWN PART OF ARE THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA AND THE HARRY POTTER SERIES.

CENTAURS IN HARRY POTTER

CENTAURS IN HARRY POTTER

CENTAURS ARE WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR APPEARANCE IN THE HARRY POTTER SERIES. CENTAURS IN THE HARRY POTTER SERIES ARE DECIPHERED AS WILD ANIMALS WHO CLAIM THEMSELVES TO BE BETTER AND MORE INTELLIGENT THAN HUMANS. THEIR HEADS AND TORSO RESEMBL E HUMANS WHILE THE RAST OF THE BODY IS SHOWN TO BE OF A HORSE. THEY ARE ALSO SHOWED TO HAVE A DEEP SENSE OF SELF RESPECT AND EGOTISM AS THOUGH FULLFILING ALL THE REQUIRED NEEDS TO BE CLASSIFIED AS A BEING (SOMEONE WHO HAS RIGHT TO SPEAK IN THE MATTERS OF THE MINISTRY) IN THE HARRY POTTER UNIVERSE THEY DECINE THE OFFER JUST BECAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO SHARE THE DIVISION WITH - ACCORDING TO THEM - HIG

HLY LOWLY CREATURES SUCH AS VAMPIRES AND HAGS.THEY ALSO CONSIDER HUMANS TO BE THEIR NEXT TO ENEMIES AND DONT PREFER TO POKE NOSE IN THE WIZARDING MATTERS. INFACT A CENTAUR WHO TRIES TO ASSOCIATE WITH HUMANS, SUCH AS FIRENZE, IS CONSIDERED TO BE NOTHING LOWER THAN THAN A TRAITOR, IS BANISHED FROM THE HERD AND CAN EVEN BE ATTACKED BY THE RAST OF HIS FAMILY.IT IS NEVER MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS WETHER THEY LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE THAN BRITAIN THOUGH IT IS ASSUMED THAT MAY BE LIVING IN SEVERAL PARTS OF THE WORLD. CENTAURS IN THE HARRY POTTER UNIVERSE ARE DECIPHERED TO BE HIGHLY SKILLED IN DIVINATION, ASTROLOGY AND HEALING AND SPEND MOST OF THE TIME LOOKING AT STARS AND PLANETS IN AN EFFORT TO KNOW ABOUT THE FUTURE. INFACT HAGRID, A HALF GIANT CCHARACTER IN HARRY POTTER SERIES, ONCE SAID (JOKINGLY) THAT THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN ANYTHING LOWER THAN THE MOON.

FIRENZE

THEIR APPEARANCES IN THE HARRY POTTER SERIES

1 HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHERS STONE

IN THIS FIRST PART OF THE HARRY POTTER SERIES THE CENTAURS APPEAR AT THE NEAR END OF THE BOOK WHERE FIRENZE SAVES HARRY FROM VOLDEMORT BY CARRYING HIM ON H

FIRENZE

IS BACK AND RUNNING AWAY. BECAUSE OF THIS THE RAST OF THE HERD GOT ANGRY WITH HIM AS THE AS A SHAMEFUL ACT.

2 HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHEONIX

IN THIS PART PROFFESOR DUMBLEDORE, THE HAEADMASTER OF HAGWARTS, OFFERS

CENTAURS CARRYING UMBRIDGE

FIRENZE THE POST OF DIVINATION AT HIS SCHOOL WHICH HE READILY ACCEPTS. THIS R

SULTS IN HIS BANISHING FROM HIS HERD SINCE THEY DIDNT USED TO ALLOW CENTAURS TO PARTICIPATE IN HUMAN MATTERS AND CONSIDERED IT AN ACT OF GREAT SHAME. ALSO NEAR THE END OF THE BOOK HARRY AND HERMIONE CARRY A TEACHER NAMED UMBRIDGE TO THE FORBIDDEN FOREST WHICH IS THE RESIDENSE OF THE CENTAURS. THERE, UMBRIDGE, WHO HATES HALF BREED CREATURES, CALLS THE CENTAURS-"FILTHY, HALF BREEDS." THE EGOTIST CENTAURS ON BEING CALLED SUCH A NAME TAKE UMBRIDGE WITH THEMAND PUNISH HER.

3 HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE

IN THIS PART CENTAURS ARE NOT MENTIONED MUCH. FIRENZE STILL TEACHES IN THE SCHOOL AT THIS TIME.

4 HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS

IN THIS PART FIRENZE FIGHTS ALONGSIDE HOGWARTS IN THE BATTLE OF HOGWARTS AND ALSO SSURVIVES THE BATTLE. EVEN NOW THE OTHER CENTAURS DONT HELP THE WIZARDS. BUT AT THE NEAR END OF THIS BOOK, WHEN HAGRID ACCUSED THEM TO BE ONE OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR HARRY'S DEATH, THEY PARTICIPATE IN THE LAST BATTLE AND HELP HOGWARTS WIN. ALSO ROWLING (THE AUTHOR OF THE HARRY POTTER SERIES) STATES ONCE AFTERWARDS THAT AFTER THIS BATTLE THE CENTAURS ACCEPT FIRENZE BACK AND HAVE TO FINALLY ACCEPT THAT WIZARDS ARE NOT BAD OR LOWLY CREATURES AND THAT IT IS NOT SHAMEFUL TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR MATTER.

CENTAURS MENTIONED IN THE HARRY POTTER SERIES.

1. FIRENZE
2. RONAN
3. MANGORIAN
4. BANE