CHIRON

This immortal centaur was kindly and wise

CENTAURS

Centaurs are human from the waist up, horse from the waist down.

Chiron: The Basics

Centaur of great wisdom & kindness Son of Kronos and Philyra

Father coupled with his mother in the shape of a horse

Represents: Ancient wisdom, knowledge of music, medicine, & ethics

Symbol: wild horse, full of strength, tamed to be enormous help to human beings

Centaurs: known for being violent & alcoholics Chiron was completely the opposite

Wise and kind to humans

Chiron: The Basics

Born immortal, granted by Zeus to teach heroes

Received his education from the divine twins: Apollo & Artemis

Famous for medical knowledge: introduced surgery Replaced a damaged bone in Achilles’ ankle

Became the tutor for many famous Greek heroes: Asclepius (god of healing), & heroes Jason & Achilles

Chiron: The Story

Unintentionally wounded by Heracles during a brawl with the centaurs (wild & unruly)

Heracles rushed to the side of Chiron but there was nothing either one could do

Reason: the arrow of Heracles had been dipped in the poisoned blood of Hydra, the many-headed water-serpent

Chiron was immortal… thus he was doomed to suffer eternal pain

He retreated to a cave, begging Zeus to take his immortality

Chiron: The Story Continued

Zeus granted his wish:

He allowed Chiron to confer his immortality on Prometheus in return for the peace of dying

Aeus placed Chiron in the heavens as part of the Sagittarius constellation (The Archer)