Editing Centaur (section)

{{short description|Greek mythological creature}}
{{About|the mythological creature}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox mythical creature
| name = Centaur
| image = File:Terracotta lekythos (oil flask) with centaur battling a warrior MET DP161810.jpg
| image_upright = 1.2
| caption = Centaur in battle, on an [[Attica|Attic]] terracotta [[lekythos]], c. 575&ndash;550 BC<ref>[[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], [https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/253582 39.11.10].</ref>
| Grouping = [[Legendary creature]]
| Sub_Grouping = [[Hybrid beasts in folklore|Hybrid]]
| AKA = Kentaur, Centaurus, Sagittary<ref>For Collins English Dictionary:
"sagittary." Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014. HarperCollins Publishers September 1, 2019, https://www.thefreedictionary.com/sagittary {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190902003928/https://www.thefreedictionary.com/sagittary |date=September 2, 2019 }}</ref>
| Similar_entities = [[Minotaur]], [[satyr]], [[harpy]]
| Folklore = [[Greek mythology|Greek]]
| Region = [[Greece]], Cyprus
| Habitat = Land
}}
A '''centaur''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ɛ|n|t|ɔːr|,_|ˈ|s|ɛ|n|t|ɑːr}} {{respell|SEN|tor|,_|SEN|tar}}; {{langx|grc|κένταυρος|kéntauros}}; {{Langx|la|centaurus}}), occasionally '''hippocentaur''', also called '''Ixionidae''' ({{Langx|grc|Ἰξιονίδαι|Ixionídai|sons of [[Ixion]]}}), is a creature from [[Greek mythology]] with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a [[horse]] that was said to live in the mountains of [[Thessaly]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of ''centaur'' by Merriam-Webster |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centaur |access-date=June 6, 2021 |website=merriam-webster.com |publisher=Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary |archive-date=June 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606112828/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centaur |url-status=live }}</ref> In one version of the myth, the centaurs were named after [[Centaurus (Greek mythology)|Centaurus]], and, through his brother [[Lapithes (hero)|Lapithes]], were kin to the legendary tribe of the [[Lapiths]].

Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being as wild as untamed horses, and were said to have inhabited the region of [[Magnesia (regional unit)|Magnesia]] and Mount [[Pelion]] in Thessaly, the [[Foloi oak forest]] in [[Ancient Elis|Elis]], and the Malean peninsula in southern [[Laconia]]. Centaurs are subsequently featured in [[Roman mythology]], and were familiar figures in the medieval bestiary. They remain a staple of modern fantastic literature.