Cheiron
HE ron
Χειρων
Chiron
Cheironas
The Most Righteous of the Centaurs
The Accidental Centaur
Cheiron was a Centaur, i.e. half-horse and half-human, but Cheiron was not of the race of Centaurs. His parents were not Centaurs and his centaur appearance was the result of one of the wily tricks of the Titan Kronos (Cronos). Kronos had a romantic encounter with Philyra, a daughter of Okeanos (Ocean) ... he came to Philyra in the guise of a horse and the result of that union was Cheiron.
The actual race of Centaurs was descended from Zeus, Kronos' son. Since Cheiron was also a son of Kronos, that would mean that Cheiron was the first Centaur because he was conceived before the true race of Centaurs came into existence.
Although Kronos was devious, his children became some of the most respected and powerful Immortals to have ever lived. Cheiron is consistently referred to as a noble and honored Centaur even though the race of Centaurs which Cheiron resembled is often considered to be crass and brutish. Cheiron was born from the union of two Immortals but he is not still alive ... his immortality was cut short by none other than the ultimate hero, Herakles (Heracles) ... but his death was just like his birth ... accidental.
Teacher and Mentor
Cheiron was of high moral character and, unlike the other Centaurs, sympathetic to the betterment of the human race. Cheiron was praised for his intellectual abilities and thus became the teacher and mentor for several of the most famous heroes of the ancient world. He was the master of many arts and sciences and did not hesitate in sharing his wisdom with worthy students.
Asklepios (Asclepius)
One of Cheiron's most laudable students was the renowned doctor, Asklepios (Asclepius). Asklepios was a son of the god Apollon and with the healing gifts from his father and the education he received from Cheiron, he became the most noted physician of all time.
Asklepios leaning on his snake-entwined staff.
Herakles (Heracles)
The relationship between Herakles and Cheiron is not clearly described in the ancient texts. However, we do know that Herakles was a student of Cheiron and we can assume that he received an education in the arts and sciences which would aid him later in life. It is also assumed that Herakles first met his cousin and lifelong companion Iolaos (Iolaus) while he was with Cheiron.
Young Herakles
Jason
Another of Cheiron's famous students distinguished himself by bringing the Golden Fleece back from the distant land of Kolchis (Colchis) ... that student was of course was Jason.
Jason's father Aeson (Aison) had been denied his rightful title of king of Iolkos (Iolcos) by Jason's uncle, Pelias ... in order to protect Jason from any ill treatment from his uncle Pelias, he was given to Cheiron to be raised and educated. Jason was an excellent student and when he and the Argonauts sailed in search of the Golden Fleece, Cheiron was there to see him off.
Achilles
Achilles was also one of Cheiron's students ... Achilles was placed in the care of Cheiron when he was still an infant.
Achilles's goddess-mother Thetis had tried to make her son immortal by bathing him in fire ... when her mortal husband Peleus saw the ordeal Thetis was inflicting on Achilles, he panicked ... he and Thetis exchanged bitter words and Thetis returned to her home under the sea. Peleus did not want Achilles to lack a proper education so he entrusted Achilles to Cheiron for his upbringing and education. When Cheiron went to Iolkos (Iolcos) to see Jason off on his Quest for the Golden Fleece, he was carrying the infant Achilles in his arms ... that would have been circa 1270 BCE ... also since Herakles was a member of the crew of the Argo, there were three of Cheiron's students there that fateful day.
Peleus taking Achilles to Cheiron.
The Precepts of Cheiron
There was a book entitled The Percepts of Cheiron which was attributed to the poet Hesiod. The book is lost to us but there are four fragments which refer to the contents of the book ... those fragments have assumed the name The Precepts of Cheiron.
The following is a synopsis of the four fragments:
- fragment 1 - When you come into your home, always offer sacrifices to the gods
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- fragment 2 - Listen to both sides of an argument before you decide who's right
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- fragment 3 - A crow lives out nine generations of aged men; a stag's life is four times that of a crow and a raven's life makes three stags old; the phoenix outlives nine ravens but Nymphs, the daughters of Zeus, outlive ten phoenixes
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- fragment 4 - Many writers believed that the poet Hesiod endorsed the Precept that children under the age of seven should not receive a literary education but the critic Aristophanes was the first to reject the idea that Hesiod wrote the Percepts of Cheiron
The Death of Cheiron
The accidental death of Cheiron was truly a loss for humanity ... it was also another episode which would punctuate the already tragic life of Herakles.
When Herakles was pursuing the Boar of Mount Erymanthos (Erymanthus) during his Forth Labor, he accepted the hospitality of a Centaur named Pholos ... Herakles was not intending any violence when he met Pholos but trouble seemed to have a way of following Herakles no matter where his wandering path led him.
During his second Labor (Killing the Hydra), Herakles had dipped his arrow points in the Hydra's poisonous blood because he thought that the poisoned arrows might aid him in some future combat ... that decision would prove to be disastrous.
While he was in the vicinity of Mount Erymanthos, Herakles accepted the hospitality of Pholos ... Cheiron was also present. A pithos of wine was opened and the aroma of the potent beverage caught the attention of the Centaur neighbors of Pholos. The thirsty Centaurs began to clamor for a portion of the wine ... a fight ensued and in the confusion, Pholos dropped one of the Hydra-blood poisoned arrows on his foot ... it was a fatal injury. Herakles continued to fight with the Centaurs until one of his poisoned arrows accidentally struck Cheiron ... the pain of the poison was so agonizing that Cheiron surrendered his immortality and died.
Herakles opens the wine pithos as Pholos looks on.
The Centaurs
The Centaurs were an intelligent race of beings having the head, trunk and arms of a man but with the body of a horse. As noted earlier, Cheiron was not of the race of Centaurs ... he might be thought of as the Centaur prototype because he was created one generation before Zeus precipitated the race of Centaurs.
The origin of the Centaurs is directly related to the Olympians, Zeus and Hera. A mortal man named Ixion fell in love with Hera and his persistent advances angered Zeus. To distract Ixion, Zeus fashioned a cloud to look exactly like Hera ... Ixion could not tell the difference and made love to Nephele, i.e. the cloud-woman, and she had a son named Kentauros. Kentauros mated with the Magnesian mares and the race of Centaurs was born.
Centaurs are noted for a variety of noble and depraved acts but when they provoked the Lapithae, they ended their peaceful relations with mortal men. One particular Centaur named Eurytion is blamed for the feud which not only severed the Centaurs' relationship with mortal men but also resulted in the banishment of the Centaurs from their traditional home on the slopes of Mount Pelion.
The dispute with the Centaurs centered around King Peirithoos (Peirithous) of Thessaly ... Peirithoos was king of the Lapithae.
Peirithoos invited the Athenian hero Theseus to a wedding feast and, one way or another, the two men ended up leading the Lapithae in a war against the Centaurs. There are at least two versions of how the Centaurs disrupted the wedding feast:
1) The wedding was for Peirithoos and Diedamia. The Centaurs were invited guests but became intoxicated and began to harass the Lapithae women; or
2) The wedding was for Peirithoos' daughter, Hippodamia ... the neighboring Centaurs raided the festivities and tried to kidnap Hippodamia.
Regardless of which event prompted the hostilities, the drunken Centaur Eurytion is blamed for causing the situation to escalate into an all-out war. King Peirithoos and Theseus led the Lapithae men against the Centaurs and, after a bloody conflict, drove the Centaurs from the slopes of Mount Pelion and forced them to relocate on the Peloponnesian Peninsula near Mount Erymanthos.
The war with the Centaurs was a very important theme in ancient Greek art. The war was depicted on the marble sculptures adorning the Parthenon in Athens, the Temple of Apollon in Bassae as well as numerous pieces of pottery.
Cheiron in The Iliad
(listed by book and line from four different translations)
Richmond Lattimore
- 04.219 - But when he [Machaon] saw the wound where the bitter arrow was driven, he sucked the blood and in skill laid healing medicines on it that Cheiron in friendship long ago had given his father [Asklepios (Asclepius)].
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- 11.831 - Eurypylos to Patroklos: "But help save me now at least, leading me away to my black ship, and cut the arrow out of my thigh, wash the dark blood running out of it with warm water, and put kind medicines on it, good ones, which they say you have been told of by Achilleus, since Cheiron, most righteous of Centaurs, told him about them."
Loeb Classical Library
- 04.219 - But when he [Machaon] saw the wound where the bitter arrow had entered, he sucked out the blood, and with sure knowledge spread on it soothing herbs, which once Cheiron had given to his father [Asclepius] with kindly intent.
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- 11.832 - Eurypylus to Patroclus: "But save me, and lead me to my black ship, and cut the arrow from my thigh, and wash the black blood from it with warm water, and sprinkle on it soothing herbs of healing power, which men say you have learned from Achilles, whom Cheiron taught, the most just of the Centaurs."
Robert Fagles
- 04.251 - When he [Machaon] saw the wound where the tearing arrow hit, he sucked out the blood and deftly applied the healing salves that Chiron, friend of Asclepius, gave his father long ago.
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- 11.994 - Eurypylus to Patroclus: "Cut this shaft from my thigh. And the dark blood—wash it out of the wound with clear warm water. And spread the soothing, healing salves across it, the powerful drugs they say you learned from Achilles and Chiron the most humane of the Centaurs taught your friend."
Robert Fitzgerald
- 04.264 - The surgeon [Makhaon] then unbuckled faceted belt and, underneath, his loin-guard, stiff with plate the smiths had hammered out, and when he saw the arrow wound, he sucked it clean of blood, then sprinkled it with balm, a medicine that Kheiron gave his father [Asklepios].
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- 11.963 - Eurypylos to Patroklos: "As for yourself, give me a hand here, take me down to your ship and cut this shaft away from my leg wound; then wash the black blood out with warm water, and sift into the wound that anodyne you learned of from Akhilleus—a drug that, people say, the best of the centaurs, Kheiron, taught him."
Centaurs in The Odyssey
(listed by book and line from four different translations)
Cheiron (Chiron) is not mentioned by name in The Odyssey but there are two references to Centaurs which might be of interest.
Richmond Lattimore
- 21.295 - Antinoos: "It was wine also that drove the Centaur, famous Eurytion, distracted in the palace of great-hearted Peirithoos when he visited the Lapiths. His brain went wild with drinking, and in his fury he did much harm in the house of Peirithoos."
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- 21.303 - Antinoos: "Since his [Eurytion's] time there has been a feud between men and Centaurs, and he was the first who found his own evil in heavy drinking."
Loeb Classical Library
- 21.295 - Antinous: "It was wine that made foolish the centaur, too, glorious Eurytion, in the hall of great-hearted Peirithous, when he went to the Lapithae, and when he had made his heart foolish with wine, in his madness he did evil in the house of Peirithous."
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- 21.303 - Antinous: "Hence arose the quarrel between the centaurs and mankind; but it was for himself first that he [Eurytion] found evil, being heavy with wine."
Robert Fagles
- 21.330 - Antinous: "Wine—it drove the Centaur, famous Eurytion, mad in the halls of lionhearted Pirithous. There to visit the Lapiths, crazed with wine the headlong Centaur bent to his ugly work in the prince's own house!"
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- 21.340 - Antinous: "And so the feud between mortal men and Centaurs had its start. But the drunk [Eurytion] was first to bring disaster on himself by drowning in his cups."
Robert Fitzgerald
- 21.332 - Antinoos: "Even the centaur Eurytion, in Peirithoos' hall among the Lapithai, came to a bloody end because of wine; wine ruined him: it crazed him, drove him wild for rape in the great house."
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- 21.341 - Antinoos: "Centaurs and men made war for this, but the drunkard [Eurytion] first brought hurt upon himself."
Other Text References
Theogony
- line 1001 - But when the son of Aeson ... came to Iolkos (Iolcus) after long toil bringing the coy-eyed girl [Medeia (Medea)] with him on his swift ship, and made her his buxom wife. And she was subject to Jason, shepherd of the people, and bare a son Medus (Medeus) whom Cheiron the son of Philyra brought up in the mountains. And the will of great Zeus was fulfilled.
Catalogues of Women and Eoiae
(Loeb Classical Library vol. 57, Hesiod)
- fragment 13 - Cheiron educated Jason on Mount Pelion
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- fragment 68, line 100 - Achilles was not one of the suitors of Helen because he was still a boy being taught by Cheiron
Catalogue of Women
(Loeb Classical Library vol. 503, Hesiod II)
- fragment 36.2 - Cheiron (Chiron) raised Jason, the son of Aeson, on wooded Pelion
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- fragment 155.87 - When Menelaos (Menelaus) was wooing Helen, Cheiron (Chiron) was caring for Achilles on wooded Pelion
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- fragment 162.2 - She (Athene (Athena) or Artemis) darted throughout the air and came to the cave of Cheiron (Chiron)
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- fragment 162.3 - Cheiron (Chiron) lived in a cave with a Naiad Nymph as his wife
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- fragment 162.4 - She (Athene (Athena) or Artemis) addressed Philyra's son, Cheiron (Chiron)
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- fragment 162.5 - She (Athene (Athena) or Artemis) told Cheiron (Chiron) that when Dionysos went to Mount Olympos (Olympus), Aktaeon's dogs would become his responsibility
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- fragment 163 - Hesiod says that Cheiron (Chiron) married a Naiad
The War of the Titans
- fragment 6 - The author of the "War of the Giants" says that Kronos (Cronos) took the shape of a horse and lay with Philyra, the daughter of Okeanos (Ocean). Through this cause Cheiron was born a centaur: his wife was Chariclo.
Homer's Epigrams XIV
- Potters, if you will give me a reward, I will sing for you. Come, then, Athene, with hand upraised over the kiln. Let the pots and all the dishes turn out well and be well fired; let them fetch good prices and be sold in plenty in the market, and plenty in the streets. Grant that the potters may get great gain and grant me so to sing to them. But if you turn shameless and make false promises, then I call together the destroyers of kilns, Syntribos (Shatter) and Smaragos (Smash) and Asbetos (Char) and Sabaktes (Crash) and Omodamos (Crudebake) who can work this craft much mischief. Come all of you and sack the kiln-yard and the buildings: let the whole kiln be shaken up to the potter's loud lament. As a horse's jaw grinds, so let the kiln grind to powder all the pots inside. And you, too, daughter of the Sun, Kirke (Circe) the witch, come and cast cruel spells; hurt both these men and their handiwork. Let Cheiron (Chiron) also come and bring many Centaurs—all that escaped the hands of Herakles (Heracles) and all that were destroyed: let them make sad havoc of the pots and overthrow the kiln, and let the potters see the mischief and be grieved; but I will gloat as I behold their luckless craft. And if anyone of them stoops to peer in, let all his face be burned up, that all men may learn to deal honestly.
Kypria
- fragment 5 - For at the marriage of Peleus and Thetis, the gods gathered together on Pelion to feast and brought Peleus gifts. Cheiron gave him a stout ashen shaft which he had cut for a spear, and Athene (Athena), it is said, polished it, and Hephaistos (Hephaestus) fitted it with a head.
Argonautika
- book 1, line 553 - Cheiron came down from Mount Pelion to wish the Argonauts a good voyage
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- book 2, line 510 - Apollon took his son Aristaios (Aristaeus) to Cheiron to be educated
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- book 2, line 1240 - When Kronos (Cronos) was caught with Philyra, he assumed the guise of a horse and Cheiron became half-horse/half-man as a result
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- book 4, line 812 - When the goddess Hera was speaking to Thetis, she reminded Thetis that her infant son Achilles was at the home of Cheiron the Centaur and being cared for by water-nymphs
