Antieke juwelen glossarium
(verklarende woordenlijst)

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z         (alles)

Centaurs

Centaurs, according to Greek mythology, were said to be the offspring of Ixion, son of Ares, and a cloud. These strange creatures had the head arms and chest of a man but the legs and lower half of a horse.

In later myths and stories they sometimes had horns, wings or both. Back to Greek mythology, these Man-Horse beasts lived in Thessaly, fed on meat and were given to riotous revelries. They came to symbolize the dark, unruly forces of nature. They were usually depicted as drunken followers of Dionysus, except for Chiron who was the tutor to several heroes, including Achilles.