Centaur

Centaur

Centaur (male), and Centaurides or Cenrauresses (female) are half-human, half-horse creatures in Greek mythology. they have the upper body of  a human and lower body of a horse. they were considered to be the children of Ixion, king of the Lapiths, and Nephele, a cloud made in the image of Hera. According to a different myth, they were all born from the union of a single Centaurus with the Magnesian mares. this centaurus was either himself son of Ixion and Nephele or of Apollo and Stilbe, the daugther of the river god Peneus.

Image of Centaur

Centaurs were said to have inhabited the region of Magnesia and Mount Pelion in Thessaly, the Foloi oak forest in Elis, and the Malean Peninsula in southern Laconia.

Magnesia and Mt. Pelion Map

Elis

Laconia

Another tribe of the centaurs was said to have lived on Cyprus. According to Nonnus, they were fathered by Zeus, who in frustration after Aphrodite had eluded him, spilled his seed on the ground of that land. Unlike those of mainland Greece, the Cyprian centaurs were horned (bull-honed).

 Cyprus

image of Cyprian centaur

Because of it's unique appearance, centaur has been featured in a lot of fantasy-themed movie, game, etc. With Chiron as the most popular centaur. Here's are some other media that featured centaur:

Movie

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)



Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)

Game

Centarumon (Digimon)


Motaro (Mortal Kombat)



Centaur (Titan Quest)

Reference:

http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Centaur/centaur.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurs_in_popular_culture

http://www.maicar.com/GML/000Images/cim/centaurs2105.jpg

http://www.skopelos.net/geography/images/magnesia-map.jpg

https://www.whitman.edu/theatre/theatretour/elis/maps/elis.map.jpg

http://www.lbtd.gr/images/about_laconia/Laconia.gif

http://www.larryhatt.com/medcruise/LimasolCyprus_files/128.gif

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvXYjCXMhB10EZhN6_TvOQ8lB2A_WPClLFXQNe3-KhRccC49tYrf_bxJ7A8qWhCnvAATMOt5ySk64yMVKcPJUTFTiHLjYWCXMYFAqQjaElhx8OAeVq2rakoInLy_HgYmE5L8ePx-ucXc/s1600/A2Z-CyprianCentaur.jpg

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/harrypotter/images/0/0e/Philostone.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/270?cb=20101208171110

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/harrypotter/images/4/46/Hig3Tw2-jHo.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/270?cb=20151102032853

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/narnia/images/5/50/LionWitchandWardrobeposter.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/250?cb=20120212204245

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/digimon/images/7/78/Centarumon_b.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090205054741

http://k43.kn3.net/taringa/8/5/3/2/E/D/victor_chileno/C70.jpg

http://www.rpgvault.hu/images/Titan/Leny/tqcentaur.jpg