Chiron (X1, X2)

In Greek mythology, Chiron was a centaur that was appointed, generally by Zeus or other gods, to assist in helping the heroes of Greek myth. Chiron was believed to be a centaur, a mythical creature that consisted of a body having a torso of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Chiron’s skills matched those of his “foster father,” Apollo. He was involved with hunting, medicine, prophecy, archery, and music. He was often seen in his environment that consisted of nature.

Generally, in Ancient times, centaurs, like another mythical creature the satyrs, we seen as wild animals that got rowdy and violent when they became intoxicated. Unlike this stereotype, Chiron was the exact opposite. He was a very intelligent centaur and was very civilized. He was also a great healer, astrologer, and respected oracle known for his unique skill with medicine. His peaceful character and intelligence were thanks to teachings when he was younger by Artemis and Apollo. This is the opposite of what is expected not just because he is a centaur, but because he is also a descendent of Cronus, the ruthless Titan ruler. This was different than other centaurs because other centaurs are descendents of sun and raincloud.

Chiron’s main location was on Mount Perlion. At this mountain, he was married and had four children. He married a nymph that was named Chariclo. His children consisted of three daughters and one son. His daughters were Hippe, Endeis, and Ocyrhoe. His son’s name was Carystus.

Chiron was said to be “the first among the centaurs and highly revered as a teacher and tutor. His students were, previously stated, heroes of Greek myth. Some of these were Aclepius, Aristaeus, Ajax, Aeneas, Actaeon, Caeneus, Theseus, Achilles, Jason, Peleus, Telamon, Perseus, Hercules, Oileus, Phoenix, and on some cases, Dionysus was seen being taught by the centaur.

                Unlike normal centaurs, Chiron had a slightly different appearance. This demonstrates his heritage and statues. His front legs are human, unlike the others that’s legs are completely horse. This made him completely identifiable when submersed with the other mythical creatures. This made his relation to the previous Titan god, Cronus, more evident. Chiron is often seen carrying a branch with dead hares that he captured and hangs off of it. He is often seen as one of the only centaurs that wears clothing. The exception to Chiron being the only centaur seen wearing clothes would be two of the less prominent centaurs, Nessus and Pholus. This demonstrates his civilization and different than the other centaurs because of his human- well, in this case god- lineage that he is deciphered from.

The most famous ‘painting’ (it is a mythical creature after all) was the ‘Education of Achilles.’ It is a wall painting that is one of the most common Roman depictions of Chiron. It portrays Chiron as he teaches Achilles, the ‘immortal’ mortal how to play the lyre. It is contrast to the Greek representations because he is seen with horses’ legs completely, but in the Greek edition it is seen with human legs in the front; he has a lower body of that completely of a horse. Also, Chiron is seen with ears of a satyr, rather than a human, that was recognized in the Greek viewpoint of the creature. Roman artists painted based on the word centaur itself, not on the actual available traditional visual representations that could have been collected to base their artwork off of. The artist is believed to suggest nobility through retaining a consistent traditional view through gaining a laurel wreath and keeping an article of clothing.