Chiron and Achilles in a fresco from Herculaneum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples)

In Greek mythology, Chiron or Cheiron ("hand"^[1]) was held as the superlative centaur among his brethren. "Achilleus" redirects here For the emperor with this name see Achilleus (emperor. Fresco (plural either frescos or frescoes) is any of several related Painting types done on Plaster on walls or Herculaneum (in modern Italian Ercolano) is an ancient Roman town located in the territory of the current commune of Ercolano. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance In Greek mythology, the centaurs (from Ancient Greek: Κένταυροι - Kéntauroi are a race of creatures composed of part Human Like the satyrs, centaurs were notorious for being overly indulgent drinkers and carousers, given to violence when intoxicated, and generally uncultured delinquents. In Greek mythology, satyrs (Σάτυροι Satyroi) are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus – " Satyresses quot Chiron, by contrast, was intelligent, civilized and kind. He was known for his knowledge and skill with medicine. Sired by Cronus when he had taken the form of a horse and impregnated the nymph, Philyra,^[2] Chiron's lineage was different from other centaurs, who were born of sun and raincloud, rendered by Greeks of the Classic period as from the union of the king Ixion, consigned to a fiery wheel, and Nephele ("cloud"), in the Olympian telling Zeus invented, to look like Hera. Cronus or Kronos, ( Ancient Greek Κρόνος Krónos) was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form In Greek mythology, Philyra was an Oceanid, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. In Greek mythology, Ixion was king of the Lapiths, the most ancient tribe of Thessaly, and a son of Ares or Antion or the notorious In Greek mythology, Nephele (from Greek: nephos, "cloud" Latinized to Nubes) was a cloud Nymph who figured prominently Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology In the Olympian pantheon of classical Greek Mythology, Hera (ˈhɪərə or /ˈhɛrə/ Greek) or Here ( in Ionic and Homer

Chiron married the nymph Chariclo who bore him three daughters, Hippe (Melanippe or Euippe), Endeis, and Ocyrhoe, and one son Carystus. In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form In Greek mythology, Chariclo was a Nymph, daughter of Cychreus and Stilbe. In Greek mythology, Hippe (Ἵππη also known as Melanippe Μελανίππη or Euippe Εὐίππη English translation: "mare (horse" Endeis in Greek mythology was the wife of Aeacus and mother of Telamon and Peleus. In Greek mythology, Ocyrhoe or Ocyrrhoe refers to three characters Chiron, his wife and children lived on Mount Pelion. Pelion or Pelium (Πήλιο Pilio, Ancient/Katharevousa Πήλιον Lat) is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in central Greece

A great healer, astrologer, and respected oracle, Chiron was said to be the last centaur and highly revered as a teacher and tutor. An astrologer practices one or more forms of Astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a Horoscope for the time of an event such as a person's birth and interprets Among his pupils were many culture heroes: Asclepius, Aristaeus, Ajax, Aeneas, Actaeon, Caeneus, Theseus, Achilles, Jason, Peleus, Telamon, Heracles, Oileus, Phoenix, and in some stories, Dionysus. A culture hero is a Mythological Hero specific to some group ( cultural, ethnic, racial, religious, etc Asclepius (pronounced /æsˈkliːpiːəs/, Greek, transliterated Asklēpiós; Latin Aesculapius) is the god of Medicine A minor god in Greek mythology, which we read largely through Athenian writers Aristaeus or Aristaios ( Greek: Ἀρισταῖος "ever close "Aias" redirects here For other uses of this name see AIAS and Ajax. This article is about the Roman hero For other uses see Aeneas (disambiguation. In Greek mythology, Actaeon (ækˈtiən (Greek Ακταίων) son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, In Greek mythology, Caeneus ( Ancient Greek Καινεύς or Kaineus was a Lapith hero and originally a Thessalonian woman Caenis For other uses see Theseus (disambiguation Theseus (Θησεύς was a Legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered "Achilleus" redirects here For the emperor with this name see Achilleus (emperor. Jason ( Greek: Ἰάσων, Etruscan: Easun, Laz: Yason) was a late ancient Greek mythological In Greek mythology, Pēleús (Πηλεύς was a hero who was already known to Homer. In Greek mythology, Telamon (in Greek, Τελαμών) son of the king Aeacus, of Aegina, and Endeis and brother of In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles ("glory of Hera " or In Greek mythology, Oileus (or Oïleus (Ὀϊλεύς was the king of Locris. In Homer's Iliad, Phoenix, son of Amyntor, is one of the Myrmidons led by Achilles who along with Odysseus and Ajax In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman

His nobility is further reflected in the story of his death as Chiron sacrificed his life, allowing mankind to obtain the use of fire. Being the son of Kronos, a titan, he was immortal and so could not die. So it was left to Heracles to arrange a bargain with Zeus to exchange Chiron's immortality for the life of Prometheus who had been chained to a rock and left to die for his transgressions. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology In Greek mythology, Prometheus (Προμηθεύς "forethought" is a Titan known for his wily intelligence who stole Fire from Zeus Chiron had been poisoned with an arrow belonging to Heracles that had been treated with the blood of the Hydra, or, in other versions, poison that Chiron had given to the hero when he had been under the honorable centaur’s tutelage. In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra ( Greek: ( was an ancient nameless serpent -like Chthonic water beast that possessed numerous This had taken place during the visit of Heracles to the cave of Pholus on Mount Pelion in Thessaly when he visited his friend during his fourth labour in defeating the Erymanthian Boar. Pelion or Pelium (Πήλιο Pilio, Ancient/Katharevousa Πήλιον Lat) is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in central Greece Thessalia redirects here For the Butterfly Genus, see Thessalia (butterfly. In Greek mythology, the Erymanthian Boar is remembered in connection with The Twelve Labours, in which While they were at supper, Heracles asked for some wine to accompany his meal. Pholus, who ate his food raw, was taken aback. He had been given a vessel of sacred wine by Dionysus sometime earlier, to be kept in trust for the rest of the centaurs until the right time for its opening. In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman At Heracles' prompting, Pholus was forced to produce the vessel of sacred wine. The hero, gasping for wine, grabbed it from him and forced it open. Thereupon the vapours of the sacred wine wafted out of the cave and intoxicated the wild centaurs, led by Nessus, who had gathered outside. In Greek mythology, Nessus (Νέσσος was a famous Centaur who was killed by Heracles, and whose tainted blood in turn killed Heracles They attacked the cave with stones and fir trees. Heracles was forced to shoot many arrows (poisoned, of course, with the blood of the Hydra) to drive them back. In Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra ( Greek: ( was an ancient nameless serpent -like Chthonic water beast that possessed numerous During this assault, Chiron was hit in the thigh by one of the poisoned arrows. After the centaurs had fled, Pholus emerged from the cave to observe the destruction. Being of a philosophical frame of mind, he pulled one of the arrows from the body of a dead centaur and wondered how such a little thing as an arrow could have caused so much death and destruction. In that instant, he let slip the arrow from his hand and it dropped and hit him in the foot, killing him instantly.

The Education of Achilles, by Eugène Delacroix

Ironically, Chiron, the master of the healing arts, could not heal himself, so he willingly gave up his immortality. Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix (26 April 1798 &ndash 13 August 1863 was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of He was honoured with a place in the sky, for the Greeks as the constellation Sagittarius, and in modern times represented by the constellation of the southern hemisphere, Centaurus. In common usage a constellation is a group of celestial bodies that are connected together in some arrangement typically stars to form a visible figure or picture Centaurus ( Centaur) is a bright constellation of the southern hemisphere.

Chiron saved the life of Peleus when Acastus tried to kill him by taking his sword and leaving him out in the woods to be slaughtered by the centaurs. In Greek mythology, Pēleús (Πηλεύς was a hero who was already known to Homer. Acastus (Ἄκαστος is a character in Greek mythology. He sailed with Jason and the Argonauts, and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Chiron retrieved the sword for Peleus. Some sources speculate that Chiron was originally a Thessalian god, later subsumed into the Greek pantheon as a centaur. Thessalia redirects here For the Butterfly Genus, see Thessalia (butterfly. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία

The Education of Achilles by Donato Creti, 1714 (Musei Civici d'Arte Antica, Bologna)

Chiron's disciples

A vase depicting Chiron and Achilles.

• Achilles - When Achilles' mother Thetis left home and returned to the Nereids, Peleus brought his son Achilles to Chiron, who received him as a disciple, and fed him on the innards of lions and wild swine, and the marrow of she-wolves. "Achilleus" redirects here For the emperor with this name see Achilleus (emperor. This article is about the Greek sea nymph Thetis should not be confused with Themis, the embodiment of the laws of nature but see the sea-goddess Tethys.

• Actaeon - Actaeon, who was bred by Chiron to be a hunter, is famous for his terrible death; for he, in the shape of a deer, was devoured by his own dogs. In Greek mythology, Actaeon (ækˈtiən (Greek Ακταίων) son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. The dogs, ignorant of what they had done, came to the cave of Chiron seeking for their master, and the Centaur fashioned an image of Actaeon in order to sooth their grief.

• Aristaeus - The Muses were, according to some, those who taught Aristaeus the arts of healing and of prophecy. A minor god in Greek mythology, which we read largely through Athenian writers Aristaeus or Aristaios ( Greek: Ἀρισταῖος "ever close Aristaeus discovered honey and the olive. Honey is a sweet and Viscous fluid produced by Honey bees (and some other species and derived from the nectar of Flowers According to the The Olive ( Olea europaea) is a Species of small Tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern After the death of his son Actaeon he migrated to Sardinia. Sardinia (sɑrˈdɪnɪə Sardegna Sardigna or Sardinnya is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily)

• Asclepius - The great medicine of Asclepius is based on Chiron's teaching. Asclepius (pronounced /æsˈkliːpiːəs/, Greek, transliterated Asklēpiós; Latin Aesculapius) is the god of Medicine Apollo killed Asclepius' mother Coronis while still pregnant but snatched the child from the pyre, bringing him to Chiron who reared him and taught him the arts of healing and hunting. There are several characters in Greek mythology by the name Coronis (Κορωνίς -ίδος

• Jason - Aeson gave his son Jason to the Centaur Chiron to rear at the time when he was deposed by King Pelias. Jason ( Greek: Ἰάσων, Etruscan: Easun, Laz: Yason) was a late ancient Greek mythological For the Athenian orator with a similar name see Aesion. In Greek mythology, Aeson or Aison ( Greek: Αἴσων Jason is the Captain of the Argonauts. For other uses of this term see Argonaut. In Greek mythology, the Argonauts ( Ancient Greek:) were a band of heroes

• Medus - Medus, who some call Polyxenus and others Medeus, is the man after whom the country Media was called. In Greek mythology, Medus was the son of Medea. His father is generally agreed to be Aegeas, although Hesiod states that Jason fathered In Greek mythology, Polyxenus (Πολύξενος or Πολύξεινος was one of the first priests of Demeter and one of the first to learn the secrets of the The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran. He was the son of Medea by either Aegeus or by Jason. Medus died in a military campaign against the Indians. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

• Patroclus - Patroclus' father left him in Chiron's cave, to study, side by side with Achilles, the chords of the harp, and learn to hurl spears and mount and ride upon the back of genial Chiron. In Greek mythology, as recorded in the Iliad by Homer, Patroclus, or Patroklos (Gr "Achilleus" redirects here For the emperor with this name see Achilleus (emperor.

• Peleus - Peleus, father of Achilles, was once rescued by Chiron: Acastus, son of Pelias, purified Peleus for having killed (undesignedly) his father-in-law Eurytion. In Greek mythology, Pēleús (Πηλεύς was a hero who was already known to Homer. Acastus (Ἄκαστος is a character in Greek mythology. He sailed with Jason and the Argonauts, and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Pelias was king of Iolcus in Greek mythology, the son of Tyro, daughter of Aleus, and of either Poseidon or Cretheus However, Acastus' wife, Astydameia, fell in love with Peleus, and as he refused her she intrigued against him, telling Acastus that Peleus had attempted her virtue. In Greek mythology, Astydameia (or Astydamea, Astydamia) is a name attributed to three individuals Acastus would not kill the man he had purified, but took him to hunt on Mount Pelion and when Peleus had fallen asleep Acastus deserted him, hiding his sword. On arising and looking for his sword, Peleus was caught by the centaurs and would have perished, if he had not been saved by Chiron, who also restored him his sword, after having sought and found it. Chiron arranged the marriage of Peleus with Thetis, bringing Achilles up for her. He also told Peleus how to conquer the Nereid Thetis who, changing her form, could prevent him from catching her. But others say that it was Proteus who helped Peleus. When Peleus married Thetis, he received from Chiron an ashen spear, which Achilles took to the war at Troy. Troy ( Greek: grc Τροία Troia, also, Ilion; Latin: Trōia, Īlium, Hittite: Wilusa or And as they say, no one among the Achaeans was able to wield that heavy and huge spear. This spear is the same with which Achilles healed Telephus, by scraping off the rust

Modern references

Chiron's name, and the underlying mythology, serve to inform many of the root words connected with the ancient healing arts, e. g. cheiromancy, or the art of divining the will of the gods through the interpretation of the patterns of the hands. Chiromancy or cheiromancy, (Greek cheir (χειρ “hand” manteia (μαντεία “ Divination ” is the art of characterization

Chiron has been adapted for more recent fictional works:

• Dante's The Divine Comedy, in which he is the chief guardian of the seventh circle of Hell
• Goethe's Faust (Part II, Act II, scene 5, the section titled "Lower Peneios"), where Faust seeks Chiron's aid in his search for Helen of Troy and receives important lessons in his search for complete understanding. The Divine Comedy ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfgaŋ fɔn ˈgøːtə (in English generally ˈgɝːtə 28 August 1749 22 March 1832 was a German writer Faust or Faustus ( Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky" is the protagonist of a classic German Legend in which he makes This article is about the mythological figure Helen of Troy For other uses see Helen (disambiguation and Helen of Troy (disambiguation.
• John Updike's novel The Centaur is an expansion and interpretation of the story of Chiron, set in the context of 20th century small-town America. John Hoyer Updike (born March 18 1932 in Reading, Pennsylvania) is an American Novelist, Poet, Short story The Centaur is a 1963 novel by John Updike. It won the National Book Award in 1964
• He has also been seen in the book The Lightning Thief as the activities director of Camp Half-Blood, a camp for children with one divine and one mortal parent. The Lightning Thief is a 2005 fantasy/adventure novel written by Rick Riordan.

Additional references:

• Chiron is in the new series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Percy Jackson & The Olympians is a series of adventure books written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek mythology. Percy Jackson - Perseus "Percy" Jackson, Son of Poseidon, is not a true hero from Greek mythology, but was trained by Chiron (along with every other half-blood and satyr) at Camp Half-Blood in Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. In Greek mythology, Poseidon ( Greek:; Latin: Neptūnus) was the god of the Sea and as "Earth-Shaker" In Greek mythology, satyrs (Σάτυροι Satyroi) are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus – " Satyresses quot The Lightning Thief is a 2005 fantasy/adventure novel written by Rick Riordan. Percy Jackson & The Olympians is a series of adventure books written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek mythology. There is another, existing hero in Greek mythology called Perseus. Perseus, Perseos, or Perseas ( Greek: Περσεύς, Περσέως, Περσέας) the Legendary founder
• He is also one of the main heroes in the game, Age of Mythology. Age of Mythology (commonly abbreviated as AoM) is a Mythology -based Real-time strategy computer game developed by
• Also, there is a Yu-Gi-Oh! card called Chiron the Mage in honor to the Greek character. is a Japanese Manga created by Kazuki Takahashi, which has spawned a franchise including multiple Anime series a trading card game and numerous video
• The Chiron Corporation was named after Chiron because of his healing abilities. Chiron Corporation was a Multinational biotechnology firm based in Emeryville California that was acquired by Novartis International AG on April 20
• He forms the basis for the character Philoctetes in the Disney film Hercules. Hercules is the Roman name for the Mythical Greek hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena.

Symbolism

Chiron appears on the cap badge of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps and also appeared on a similar badge worn by the Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps. The Royal Army Veterinary Corps ( RAVC) is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision training and care of animals The Royal Canadian Army Veterinary Corps (RCAVC was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army, founded in 1910 and disbanded in 1940 Chiron is the official mascot of the Delta Lambda Phi national social fraternity. Delta Lambda Phi ( ΔΛΦ) is a national social fraternity for Gay, Bisexual, and progressive men

References

External links

• Theoi Project - Kentauros Kheiron