Mythful Meanings

In the English language, many meanings come from myths. This blog considers many of those words.

Myths are stories people tell to explain the great mysteries of life, such as birth and death, why the sun rises and sets, and why the moon changes in a predictable pattern.

I decided to start over from the end of the alphabet and work toward the beginning. I have a stack of index cards with information typed on them, all in alphabetical order. When I started this blog, I started at A, because I didn't realize that all the entries would be pushed down.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Centaur

In both Greek and Latin myths, a centaur is a creature that is half man and half horse. They are said to be descended from Ixion, who violated the ancient law of hospitality as both host and guest. As host, he violated it when he murdered his father-in-law, who had come to collect his bride price.

He also violated it as a guest He was wandering in exile, because nobody would perform the ritual to cleanse him of the sin of killing his father-in-law
Zeus took pity on him and invited him to Olympus as a guest. Once there, Ixion lusted after Hera, the wife of Zeus, further violating the law of hospitality. To trick him, Zeus created the likeness of Hera from clouds, and watched as Ixion mated with the cloud form, which gave birth to the monster Centaurus, and his twin brother Lapithus. While Lapithus became a noble warrior, Centaurus was deformed, and mated with wild mares, founding the race of Centaurs. Some people speculate that this myth sprang from the sight of the first horse-mounted men.

English word: The word in English refers to the same mythical creature, half man and half horse.

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