“Centaur and Cupid” by Gustave Moreau. 19th century.
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The Centaurs were a tribe of half man, half horse savages which inhabited the mountains and forests of Magnesia.
Another tribe of Centaurs resided in the western Peloponnese where they came into conflict with the hero Heracles.
The centaurs were usually said to have been born of Ixion and Nephele (the cloud made in the image of Hera, Zeus‘ Wife):
Ixion fell in love with Hera and tried to rape her, and when Hera told Zeus about it, Zeus wanted to determine if her report was really true. So he fashioned a cloud (nephele) to look like Hera, and laid it by Ixion’s side. When Ixion bragged that he had slept with Hera, Zeus punished him by tying him to a wheel, on which he was turned by winds up in the air. The cloud bore Kentauros (Centaurus) from Ixion’s seed. [Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca E1. 20 C2nd A.D.)].~
In the earliest accounts, the centaurs appear merely as a sort of gigantic, savage, or animal-like beings; whereas, in later writers, they are described as monsters, with the upper body of a man, from head to loins, set upon the body of a horse.
Sometimes, they had the facial feature of a man, at other times they were portrayed with the snub nose and pointed ears of a rustic Satyr.
It is probably owing to the resemblance between the nature of the centaurs and that of the satyrs, that the former were in later times drawn into the sphere of Dionysiac beings; but here they appear no longer as savage monsters, but as tamed by the power of the god.
They are described as leading a rude and savage life, occasionally carrying off the women of their neighbours, as covered with hair and ranging over their mountains like animals.
The Centaurs are best known for their fight against their cousins, The Lapith tribe, a legendary people of Greeks, whose home was in Thesaly. This fight was caused by the Centaurs’ attempt attempt to carry off Princess Hippodamia and the rest of the Lapith women on the day of Hippodamia’s marriage to Pirithous, king of Lapithae.
Pirithous and his friend, Theseus, led the Lapiths to victory over the Centaurs in a battle known as Centauromachy.
The kentauros had come to the Lapithai’s country, and now with wine he clouded his understanding and in his frenzy did monstrous things in the very hall of Peirithoos. The heroes were seized with indignation; they leapt up, they dragged the kentauros across the courtyard and out of doors, they lopped off his ears and nose with the ruthless bronze, and the frenzied creature went his way, taking his retribution with him in his still darkened mind. From this beginning came the long feud between men and Kentauroi (Centaurs) [Homer, Odyssey 21. 293 ff (Greek epic C8th B.C.)].~
The centaur is incorporated into the Zodiac sign for Sagittarius, with the bow and arrow, whose symbolism could be understood as a shamanic reference to mystic or visionary travel.
Centaurs are the antithesis of the knight and the horseman. Instead of mastering or taming their instincts, the centaurs are ruled by them. The exception is the wise Centaur Chiron.
Chiron’s mother was the nymph Philyra who was coupling with Cronos when his wife suddenly appeared on the scene. To escape notice he transformed himself into a horse, and in this way sired a half-equine son.
Chiron’s physical appearance often differs somewhat from other centaurs, demonstrating his status and heritage. In traditional Greek representations of Chiron his front legs are human, rather than equine, this is in contrast to the traditional representation of centaurs,which have the entire lower body of a horse. This clearly sets Chiron apart from the other centaurs, making him easily identifiable.
Besides, centaurs were notorious for being wild and lusty, overly indulgent drinkers and carousers, given to violence when intoxicated. Chiron, by contrast Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for his youth-nurturing nature.
Myths in the Olympian tradition attributed Chiron’s uniquely peaceful character and intelligence to teaching by Apollo and his sister Artemis.
Chiron would also teach Apollo’s son, Asclepius, and Achilles, the best fighter of the Greeks besieging Troy in the Trojan War.
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“Walking Ride”, by Franz von Stuck (1903).
“Pallas and Centaur” by Sandro Botticell (1482).
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►Gallery: “The Centaurs”:
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►Links Post:
http://www.ancient.eu/centaur/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur
http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentauroiThessalioi.html
http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentaurosKheiron.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodamia_(wife_of_Pirithous)
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Click above to visit the blog / Click en el logo para ingresar al blog.~
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►”My Audio Poem at La Poesía no Muerde”:
~”Tiempo Perpetuo”/ “Perpetual Time”. [July 14th, 2015].~
In this occasion, my poem “Perpetual Time” has been featured at “La Poesía no Muerde”. I both wrote and read the poem. The video poem was created by Hélène Laurent. Check out the original post here.
En este caso, mi poema “Tiempo Perpetuo” ha sido publicado en “La Poesía no Muerde”. Se trata de un poema con audio, leído y escrito por mí. El video fue creado por Hélène Laurent. Consultar el post orginal aquí.
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►La Poesía no Muerde~Audio Poem ~
“Tiempo Perpetuo” / “Perpetual Time”
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►Last but not Least: “Three Awards”:
I would like to thank bloggers from 4 Years Old Adult, The Wall Gallery Blog and Ser un Ser de Luz for nominating my blog for a Brotherhood Award, a Creative Blogger Award and a Bor Litarcihis Award, respectively.
I suggest you to check out these blogs and follow them, if you haven’t still done so…
•Rules for the Brotherhood Award and Creative Blogger Award: ♠Thank the person who nominated you. ♠Add the logo to your post. ♠Nominate ten (10) bloggers of your choice and tell them about the nomination.
•Notes:
-As always I am not answering questions. Hence, I will just nominate ten bloggers per award.
-If you have been nominated and want to follow the Nomination Process, just click on the award for which you have been nominated for. That way you’ll be able to grab in regular size!.~🍃 🍃🍃 ~
I. Nominees for the Brotherhood Award: 1. Mind Love Misery 2. Henry West 3. Truels 4 . BerlinArt2 5. Round World and Me 6. The Reading Bud 7. The Wall Gallery Blog 8. Ser un Ser de Luz 9. Kintal 10. Aqua Compass 7.
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II. Nominees for the Creative Blogger Award: 1. Tuesdays with Laurie 2. Voices from the Margins 3. Renne Johnson Writes 4 . Upchucking Words 5. Fiesta Estrella 6. Close to Eighty 7. Friendly Fairy Tales 8. Mieux Vivre Jardin 9. 4 Year Old Adult 10. Implied Spaces.
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III. Nominees for the Bor Litarcihis Award: I will follow Silvia´s rules in this case. And I will leave this Award open to all bloggers who want to pick it up and pass it on to other bloggers.
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- July 2015.
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- July 2015.
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- July 2015.
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►Bonustrack. Some recent Photographs ….
Selfies and Evening Views. Buenos Aires
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Aquileana
⚡️La Audacia de Aquiles⚡️ 