Centaurs are creatures that have the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse.. Centaurs originate from Greek mythology, but have had a continued cultural influence, including through Roman mythology, medieval depictions, and modern fantastic literature and media.
Centaurs from Greek mythology
Abas, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the Lapiths and fled.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.306 Agrius, repelled by Heracles in a fight.Apollodorus, 2.5.4 Amphion, tried to plunder Pholus of his wine and was killed by Heracles.Diodorus Siculus, 4.12.7 Amycus, son of Ophion. He attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the Lapiths. Amycus was killed by Pelates.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.245 Anchius, repelled by Heracles when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus. Antimachus, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Caeneus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.495 Aphareus, killed by Theseus in the fight at Pirithous' wedding.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.341 Aphidas, killed by Phorbas in the fight at Pirithous' wedding.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.317 ff. Arctus, attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the Lapiths.Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 186 Areos, attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the Lapiths.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.310 Argius, killed by Heracles when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus. Asbolus, an augur who had attempted in vain to dissuade his friends from engaging in battle against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.308; Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 185 Bienor, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Theseus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.345 ff. Bromus, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Caeneus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.459 Chiron, the son of Cronus and Philyra. Chromis, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Pirithous.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.333 Chthonius, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Nestor.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.441 Clanis, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Peleus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.378; Valerius Flaccus, 1.146 Crenaeus, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Dryas. Cyllarus, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths. Killed by a javelin thrown from an unknown hand. He was married to Hylonome.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.393 ff. Daphnis, tried to plunder Pholus of his wine and was killed by Heracles. Demoleon, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Peleus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.356 ff. Dictys, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Pirithous.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.334 ff. Dorylas, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Peleus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.378 Doupon, tried to plunder Pholus of his wine and was killed by Heracles. Dryalus, son of Peuceus who attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the Lapiths. Echeclus, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Ampyx.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.450 Elatus, tried to plunder Pholus of his wine. Heracles shot an arrow at him, which, passing through his arm, stuck in the knee of Chiron. Elymus, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Caeneus. Eurynomus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Dryas. Eurytion, acted in an insulting manner towards Hippolyte when she was being joined in marriage to Azan in the house of Pirithous. He was killed by Heracles.Apollodorus, 2.5.4; Diodorus Siculus, 4.33.1; Homer, Odyssey 295 ff.; Hyginus, Fabulae 33 Eurytus, the wildest of the wild Centaurs. He started the fight at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Theseus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.220 &12.235 ff. Gryneus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Exadius.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.258 ff. Helops, attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the Lapiths. While fleeing from Pirithous, he fell from a precipice into the top of a tree and impaled his body. Hippasus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Theseus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.352; Valerius Flaccus, 1.148 Hippotion, another Centaur, killed by Heracles when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus. Hodites, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Mopsus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.456 Homadus, tried to plunder Pholus of his wine. Some time after he attempted to rape Alcyone, a granddaughter of Perseus. He got killed in Arcadia. Hylaeus, tried to rape Atalanta but was shot by her (same thing happened to Rhoecus).Apollodorus, 3.9.2Propertius, Elegies 1.1 Hylaeus, killed by Heracles under unknown circumstances.Virgil, Aeneid 8.294 Hylaeus, followed Dionysus in his Indian campaign and was killed by Orontes, an Indian General.Nonnus, Dionysiaca 17.200 Hyles, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought in the battle against the Lapiths and was killed by Peleus. Hylonome, attended Pirithous' wedding together with her lover Cyllarus. Having seen the latter dead, she threw herself upon the spear which had killed him.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.405 ff. Imbreus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Dryas. Iphinous, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Peleus. Isoples, killed by Heracles when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus. Latreus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Caeneus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.463 ff. Lycabas, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the Lapiths and fled.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.302 Lycidas, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Dryas. Lycopes, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Theseus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.350 Lycus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding was killed by Pirithous.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.332 Medon, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the Lapiths and fled. Melanchaetes, killed by Heracles when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus. Melaneus, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the Lapiths and fled. Mermerus, wounded by the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and fled.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.305 Mimas, attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the Lapiths. Monychus, attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the Lapiths. He was conquered by Nestor, mounted on his unwilling back.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.499 ff.; Valerius Flaccus, 1.146 Nedymnus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding. Killed by Theseus. Nessus, fled during the fight with the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding. Later he attempted to rape Deianira and before dying gave her a charm which resulted in the death of Heracles. He was killed by the latter.Apollodorus, 2.5.4, 2.7.6; Diodorus Siculus, 4.36.3; Hyginus, Fabulae 31; Sophocles, Trachiniae 500 ff.; Strabo, 10.2.5; Valerius Flaccus, 1.147 Ophion, father of Amycus. Oreius, killed by Heracles when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus.Diodorus Siculus, 4.12.3; Pausanias, 3.18.16 Orneus, attended Pirithous' wedding fought against the Lapiths and fled.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.302; Pausanias, 3.18.16 Perimedes, son of Peuceus and attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the Lapiths. Petraeus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Pirithous.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.327 Peuceus, father of Perimedes and Dryalus. Phaecomes, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Nestor.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.431 ff. Phlegraeus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Peleus. Pholus Phrixus, killed by Heracles when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus. Pisenor, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the Lapiths and fled.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.303 Pylenor, having been wounded by Heracles washed himself in the river Anigrus, thus providing the river with a peculiar odor.Pausanias, 5.5.10 Pyracmus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Caeneus. Pyraethus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Periphas. Rhoecus, He also tried to rape Atalanta and was killed by her. Rhoetus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Dryas.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.271 & 12.300; Valerius Flaccus, 3.65 Ripheus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Theseus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.352 Styphelus, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Caeneus. Teleboas, fought against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding and was killed by Nestor. Thaumas, attended Pirithous' wedding, fought against the Lapiths and fled. Thereus, this Centaur used to catch bears and carry them home alive and struggling. Attended Pirithous' wedding and fought in the battle against the Lapiths. Killed by Theseus.Ovid, Metamorphoses 353 Thereus, killed by Heracles when he tried to steal the wine of Pholus.Diodorus Siculus, 4.12.7; Ovid, Metamorphoses 353 Ureus, attended Pirithous' wedding and fought against the Lapiths.Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 186
References Notes
Citations
Sources Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website. Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History translated by Charles Henry Oldfather. Twelve volumes. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989. Vol. 3. Books 4.59–8. Online version at Bill Thayer's Web Site Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica. Vol 1-2. Immanel Bekker. Ludwig Dindorf. Friedrich Vogel. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1888–1890. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library. Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project. Gaius Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica translated by Mozley, J H. Loeb Classical Library Volume 286. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1928. Online version at theio.com. Gaius Valerius Flaccus, Argonauticon. Otto Kramer. Leipzig. Teubner. 1913. Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library. Hesiod, Shield of Heracles from The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website. Homer, The Odyssey with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1919. . Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website. Kaleta, Marcin Konrad, "Centaurs", in The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters, pp. 75–77, edited by Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, Farnham and Burlington, Ashgate, 1988. . . Leuker, Tobias, "Centaurs", in Brill's New Pauly – Supplements. Volume 4: The Reception of Myth and Mythology, edited by Maria Moog-Grünewald, Brill, 2010. . Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus, Lives with an English Translation by Bernadotte Perrin. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. 1. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.