Centaurs Options

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The Centaurs were half- horse creatures of ancient Greece and the spirits of the storm
The Centaurs were the offspring of Ixion, the king of Lapithae (Thessaly), and the rain cloud Nephele. Their head, arms and torso had the human shape and their lower part was that of a horse. Their diet was adjusted according to their physical shape.
The Centaurs were mainly living on the mount Pelion in Thessaly. With only few exceptions, such as Cheiron, the Centaurs were lawless, aggressive creatures and were usually drunk. The Centaurs were involved in a struggle with the Lapiths, known as "Centauromachy", when trying to intrude and cause trouble during the wedding feast of the Lapiths' King Peritheios with Ippodameia. The centauromachy caused the Centaurs' expelling from Thessaly.
In early Attic vase-paintings, the head and torso of a human joined at the (human's) waist to the horse's withers, where the horse's neck would be.
This half-human and half-animal composition has lead many writers to treat them as liminal beings, caught between the two natures, embodied in contrasted myths, of centaurs as the embodiment of untamed nature, as in their battle with the Lapiths, or conversely as teachers, as Chiron.
Most are wild and savage, known for lustfulness and drunkeness. The exception is the wise Centaur Chiron.

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Cheiron was the most famous Centaur. Not only was Cheiron immortal, but he was one of the wisest beings on earth. Cheiron was the son of the Titan Cronus and Philyra, who was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys.
Cronos disguised himself as a horse in order to seduse Philyra without his wife Rhea discovering the affair.
Unlike other centaurs, who are descended from Ixion, Cheiron was among the gentlest, wisest and most learned of creatures. As a result he was asked to tutor sveral of the greatest of Greek heroes,including Achilles, Asclepius, Heracles, Jason, Aeneas and Peleus. When she gave birth to the Centaur, she was so ashamed that the gods had taken pity on her and had transformed her into a linden tree.
Cheiron had married Chariclo and they had several daughters – Endeis, Ocyrrhoe (Menalippe) and Theia. Endeis had married Aeacus, king of Aegina. This would make Peleus, his grandson, while Achilles would be his great-grandson.
Cheiron was also a famous healer, who had taught Asclepius, son of Apollo, and later his Asclepius' two sons – Machaon and Podalirius, in the art of healing. He was also responsible for rearing and educating Aristaeüs, the agricultural god.He even gave advice or prophecy to Apollo, in regarding to the heroine, Cyrene, foretelling how a city in Libya would be named after her. So even the god of prophecy listen to the wise Centaur.
His friendship with Heracles brought about his own death. As Heracles fought against the Centaurs during his fourth labour, the hero accidentally wounded his Centaur friend. Heracles' arrows were smeared with the venom of the monster Hydra. Cheiron had to live in great agony from the venom.Later, during the eleventh labour, Heracles freed the Titan Prometheus from his chain; Cheiron found release from his torment. The gods allowed Cheiron to give up his immortality to Prometheus, to end his agony. The gods probably placed among the stars, as the constellation of the Centaurus

[XRUSA]

Great story

[Eua1]

Thank you Nick for adding images in my posts
I really appreciate this...

[Eua1]

Another group of Kentauroi made their home in the Peloponnese. THE KENTAUROI PELOPONNESIOI (or Peloponnesian Centaurs) were a group of Arkadian centaurs who battled Herakles for the wine of their brother Pholos. Most of them were slain in the conflict with his arrows. The few survivors fled to the Malean peninsular of southern Lakonia or Eleusis where they were given refuge by Poseidon.The Peloponnesian Kentauroi may have been a distinct breed from the Thessalian Kentauroi of Magnesia in northern Greece, although several classical authors do attempt to combine their stories
One author also mentions a tribe of bull-horned Cyprian Kentauroi.

Female Kentaurides were also known, though they only seem to appear in late art and literature.THE KENTAURIDES (or Centaurides) were the female members of the Kentauroi (Centaur) tribe, creatures with the two-formed bodies of horses and men. Female Kentauroi are seldom mentioned in ancient literature, although they do occasionally appear in ancient Greek paintings and Roman era mosaics and reliefs. One Roman relief, housed in the Louvre Museum, shows a Kentauris with her horse-legged infant in the train of the god Dionysos.The Kentauroi were depicted with the upper bodies of men, from head to loins, set upon the body of a horse. Sometimes they were shown with the facial features of normal men, at other times they were portrayed with the snub noses and pointed ears of the rustic Satyroi.

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Eurytion or Eurytus was one of the Centaurs involved in disrupting and fighting the Lapiths, at the wedding of Peirithous and Hippodameia. There were fighting for the land in Thessaly, particularly in the valley of the Peneius River.
EURYTION was the leader of the Thessalian Kentauroi (Centaurs) who was invited along with his brothers to wedding of the Lapith king Peirithoos. When he attempted to carry off the bride Hippodameia, and his fellows the other female guest, Eurytion was intercepted and slain by Theseus.
Incited by the wine of the wedding feast, the Kentauroi leader was appropriately named "of the fine drinking horn", from eu well, or fine, and rhytos flowing liquid or drinking-horn.
An uneasy peace between the Lapiths and Centaurs existed before this wedding. The Centaurs shared the same ancestors with the Lapiths. According to Diodorus Siculus, Lapithus and Centaurus were brothers. But according to other sources, it was Peirithous who was half-brother of the Centaurs, and Ixion, king of the Lapiths were their father.
Being kins, Peirithous invited the Centaurs to the weddings. Peirithous had invited several other prominent figures, guests such Theseus, Peirithous' best friend; Peleus and young Nestor.
According to Ovid, it was the Centaur Eurytion who started disrupted wedding; he led other drunken Centaurs to abduct Hippodameia, the Lapith king's bride and other Lapith women. Fighting ensued. Theseus, Peleus and Nestor aided the king, and Caeneus, a Lapith chieftain, killed many Centaurs, before the Centaurs killed Caeneus. Eventually, the Lapiths drove out the Centaurs from the city and out of their kingdom. Many fled to Arcadia, including Eurytion. The Nessus fled to Aetolia.

The Arkadians had their own Eurytion, a similar Kentauros-figure who attemped to force a local princess into marriage
EURYTION was an Arkadian Kentauros (Centaur) who forced the Olenian King Dexamenos to agree to let him marry his daughter Mnesimakhe. However, when the centaur came to collect his bride, Herakles intervened and slew him.
Eurytion's name was derived from the words eu well, or fine, and rhytos which means flowing liquid or drinking-horn. He was the Arkadian version of the Thessalian Kentauros Eurytion who attempted to abduct the Lapith bride Hippodameia.

[Spartacus]

nice:)

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A Centaur Nessus was one of the Centaurs who fought against the Lapiths, at the wedding of Peirithous and Hippodameia. When the Lapiths drove out the Centaurs out of their kingdom, most fled to Mount Pholus at Aracadia. Nessus, instead, headed west to the Evenus River in Aetolia, where he acts as a ferryman.
Nessus encountered the hero Heracles, who was leaving Aetolia with his wife, Deïaneira. Nessus offered to ferry Deianeira across the Evenus. Heracles accepted and went ahead, but Nessus tried to rape Deianeira. Hearing his wife's cry for help, Heracles mortally wounded the Centaur.Dying, Nessus instructed to keep his blood, which he falsely told the princess it was powerful love elixir. If Heracles was to stray from his marriage with her, she should smear his blood on the hero's shirt, and Heracles would love her again. Deianeira didn't know the poison that killed Nessus, came from the deadly venom of the Hydra. This blood would later killed Heracles.

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Pholus was one of the few Centaurs, who was friendly towards to mortals. Pholus was a friend of Heracles.
Pholus lived in a cave at Mount Pholus,which was named after him,this mountain was in Arcadia. He had wine that would drive other Centaurs crazy with its sweet smell.
One day, Heracles came to visit, during his 4th Labour, which was to fetch Erymanthian Boar. As his guest, Pholus opened the wine skin, but the smell of the wine drove many of the Centaurs mad with desire to drink this wine. Among those who attacked Heracles was the Centaur Eurytion. They attacked Heracles, but the hero killed many Centaurs with his poisoned arrows. Heracles managed to drive the Centaurs away, and Eurytion was among those who escaped. Eurytion would later meet Heracles again.
Pholus accidentally dropped one of Heracles' arrows on his hoof, and was killed instantly. Heracles buried Pholus.
Pholus wasn't the only one poisoned by the hero's arrow, Cheiron was helping Heracles. Heracles either accidentally shot him, or Cheiron dropped the arrow on his foot. However, Cheiron didn't die, being immortal, but he could not be cured. Later, Cheiron gave up his immortality, so he could finally die.
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