Mutants Of The Ancient World - Centaurs - Alternative View

Table of contents:

Mutants Of The Ancient World - Centaurs - Alternative View
Mutants Of The Ancient World - Centaurs - Alternative View

Video: Mutants Of The Ancient World - Centaurs - Alternative View

Video: Mutants Of The Ancient World - Centaurs - Alternative View
Video: S00E01 Mindjammers Cultural Conflicts 2024, March
Anonim

Centaurs are probably the most mysterious and popular creatures of the Ancient World. In Babylon, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, half-people-half-horses appeared as characters in myths, and their images adorned the walls of houses and ceramics.

And in our days, the centaurs have not lost their glory. It is no coincidence that they found a place in the series of books "The Chronicles of Narnia", and in the famous saga about Harry Potter.

Wise and wild gods

The history of extraordinary creatures with human heads, arms and torso mounted on the croup of a horse began four thousand years ago in the Middle East. Then the tribes of warlike nomads-Kassites attacked the lands of Babylon, which even the most brave warriors of the glorious city-state could not resist. In the occupied territories, the Kassites erected statues of guardian gods, similar to winged centaurs, armed with bows. These gods were supposed to protect the conquests of their children and ensure their success on the battlefield. The Kassites believed that their gods possessed a wild, unbridled disposition, which could only be tamed by fierce battles and bloody sacrifices.

Curiously, the Slavs also had a mythical creature Kitovras, which has the image of a classic centaur. Ancient legends say that more than once Kitovras, together with his relatives, came to the aid of the ancient Slavs during the war, showing himself in battles as a brave and fierce warrior. However, the centaur became famous not only on the battlefield. Legend has it that King Solomon managed to capture a warlike creature by cunning, after which Kitovras talked with a wise ruler for a long time, amazing him with his intelligence and learning.

Children of the clouds

Promotional video:

However, centaurs are best known as heroes of the ancient Greek epic. If you believe the myth, then they were born thanks to a rather amusing love story. Titan Ixion, having got to the feast of the gods, at first sight fell in love with Hera, the wife of the almighty Zeus. Without hesitation for a long time, the self-confident handsome man made an obscene proposal to the queen of the gods, which she, numb with blatant arrogance, left unanswered. Having regained consciousness, the offended Hera complained to her husband about the impudent titan, and he conceived a sophisticated revenge. Zeus gave the cloud the appearance of his wife and at night sent her to the chambers of an ungrateful guest. The same, not noticing the substitution, the next morning began to boast to everyone that he gave horns to the formidable thunderer, thereby accelerating his death.

Image
Image

Illustration: "Zodiac Signs - Sagittarius" by HansPeterKolb

Zeus betrayed Ixion to a painful execution, and after a while the cloud-mistress gave birth to a strange mutant with the features of a man and a horse. It was this creature that later became the ancestor of the violent tribe of centaurs, which for a long time instilled fear in the civilians of Hellas.

For quite a long time, wild centaurs, armed with bows, clubs and stones, attacked people, abducted women and drove away livestock. The legendary Battle of Lapita put an end to this chaos. The reason for this battle was the unheard-of trick of the centaur Eurytion, who tried to kidnap the bride of the Lapith king right from the wedding. In revenge for the insult, the groom cut off the kidnapper's nose and ears, and then chased him away. The humiliated Eurytion summoned his fellow tribesmen, and the centaurs attacked the palace of the ruler of the Lapiths. A heated battle lasted all day, after which a small handful of surviving centaurs took refuge in the mountains of Thessaly.

Honored teacher of Hellas

A striking exception from the wild mass of Greek centaurs was Chiron - the educator of the most famous heroes of Hellas.

I must say that, although Chiron was born a centaur, he had a special divine origin. His father was the god Kronos, and his mother was the oceanid Filira, who knew how to turn into a mare. Apparently, this magical ability of the mother influenced the appearance of the offspring.

From his celestial father, Chiron received immortality, which other centaurs could not boast of. The upbringing of the future teacher was taken up by Apollo and Artemis, who taught him music, philosophy, astronomy, mathematics and medicine.

After completing his studies, Chiron settled, like other centaurs, in the mountains of Thessaly. However, he practically did not deal with rude tribesmen, giving all his time to his pupils. I must say that the "university" of Chiron "graduated" from Jason, Theseus, Peleus, Achilles, Hercules and even the god of healing Asclepius.

With the gift of foresight, Chiron knew the future of each of his students, and therefore selected a special training program for each and even developed individual nutritional diets. Thus, the hero of the Trojan War, Achilles, while undergoing training, ate exclusively on lions' liver and bear brains.

The end of the teacher of heroes was terrible. Accidentally wounded by the arrow of Hercules, soaked in the poison of the Lernaean hydra, Chiron suffered from terrible pain for a long time - after all, being immortal, he could not descend into the kingdom of Hades. Tired of suffering, he begged Zeus to allow him to give his life to the titan Prometheus, after which the king of the gods lifted the honored teacher to heaven, turning him into the constellation Centaur.

Fighter Hero

It is hard to believe, but the tribe of centaurs in Greece was exterminated by just one person. True, this fighter was the greatest hero of Hellas - Hercules. Somehow returning from another feat, the son of Zeus stayed with his friend, the centaur Fola. He, wishing to appear as a hospitable host, treated Hercules to an amazingly tasty wine that belonged to the entire tribe of centaurs. But as soon as Foul opened the jug, the smell of the wonderful drink spread throughout the area. Attracted by the aroma of wine, the centaurs gathered at the cave of Fol to demand an explanation from him, but were met by a drunken Hercules, who "greeted" them with poison arrows. The slaughter, perpetrated by the great hero, finally destroyed the children of the cloud, and after it the tribe of centaurs ceased to exist.

However, there was still another centaur in the land of Hellas, Nessus, a carrier across the Even River, who sacrificed his life to avenge the death of his fellow tribesmen. A few years after the extermination of the centaurs, Hercules married the beautiful Deianira. Returning from the wedding feast, the newlyweds approached the Even River, where Ness offered to transport the newlywed to the other side. In the middle of the river, the centaur pretended to want to kidnap the betrothed Hercules, after which he was struck by the hero's poisonous arrow. Dying, the carrier whispered to Deianira that his blood was a powerful love potion, and if you smear it on the clothes of an unfaithful husband, love for his wife in his heart would flare up with renewed vigor. Believing the centaur, the girl dipped the hem of her tunic in poisoned blood and kept it carefully for several years. Years later, Hercules decided to take a new wife. Having learned about this,Deianira sent her husband a luxurious cloak smeared with Ness's blood. As soon as the hero put on the gift of his wife, the poison began to be absorbed into his body, causing terrible pain. Hercules' torment was so terrible that he threw himself into the fire alive. The children of the cloud were avenged.

Confirming myths

Of course, centaurs are primarily heroes of myths, but some facts tell us about their real existence. So, in one of Plutarch's works, it is said about a foal with a human head and hands, born by the mare of his friend. Alas, this mutant lived for several hours, and his remains have not survived.

But in the writings of Pliny the Elder, another interesting fact is mentioned. An ancient Roman researcher noted in 70 that a centaur cub preserved in honey was sent to the emperor Caligula from Egypt, and he (Pliny) saw this creature with his own eyes.

The skeleton of a centaur at the Museum in Bridgeport

Image
Image

But what can we say about the days long gone, when information appeared on the Internet several years ago that during excavations in Southern Sahara skeletons were found that vaguely resembled human-horse hybrids. Archaeologists hypothesized that, possibly, after the battle with Hercules, some of the centaurs escaped and found shelter on the African continent.

It is possible that the tribe of primitive mutants has not revealed all of its secrets to historians. It is no coincidence that interest in these unusual creatures is not weakening even in our computer age.