The Origin of the Word: Centaur

It was only recently while questioning why Centaurs are called centaurs that I stumbled on an interesting fact; they were occasionally referred to as Hippocentaurs.

Why is that interesting? Well, Centaur doesn’t have any roots that mean horse — taur could be Taurus AKA bull, and cen, I’m not sure. But the Greek for a horse is Hippos. You may know the root of the word from the hippocampus – a part of the brain that is said to resemble a seahorse.

The ancient Greek for Seahorse, is, in fact, Hippocampus, hippocamp or hippokampoi, depending on who you are. With Hippo being horse and campus meaning sea-monster. So the literal translation of hippocampus would be horse-sea-monster.

Hippos meaning horse shows that the word centaur is likely shortened from hippocentaur as that would make logical sense. But did they drop the horse bit?

Etymology

Centaur means bull-killer: The is a theory that Centaurs could have originated from a tribe of expert horsemen that kept and hunted bulls – the cowboys of Ancient Greece. It makes you think what future historians will think when we mention cowboys, doesn’t it?

Centaurs are said to have lived mainly in Thessaly, where there was a tradition of hunting bulls on horseback. It is possible that the origin of the Kentauri myth lies there, and that Centaurs were the mythological counterparts of the ferocious and skilful horsemen of Thessaly, who used to hunt and kill bulls.

The myth of the centaurs could easily have been built up around men that were such keen riders, it was as if the horse was part of them. The Greeks may well have got the idea of the centaur from these expert horsemen and hunters. Note that Thessalians had the best cavalry in ancient Greece, next to the Macedonians. This too would have stoked the fire of myth even more.

Are Female Centaurs Called Centaurs too?

This is a good question, and up until recently I was under the impression that a female centaur would, of course, be called a centaur! My understanding was that the word would most likely be an amalgam of horse and person, in the way that mermaid is… except, mermaid is the female version and merman is the male. Apparently, Centaurs are the same, with Centauride or the Centauress being the chosen term for the female centaur.

Centaurs in Greek Mythology

In Greek Mythology

Modern Appearances of Centaurs

Sources & Further Reading

Theoi.com

Britannica.com

Greekmythology.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur

Centaurs

Typically a dragon is depicted as being scaled, and reptilian or serpentine in appearance, and often fire-breathing. They also usually have avian traits, such as being winged, and occasionally feathered. Though they feature heavily across the globe, there is always a likelihood that myth naturally spread between cultures – the two most well-known and well-documented cultural traditions of dragons are

The European Dragon

The European dragon would have originated from European folk traditions and mythologies from the Balkans and Western Asia. Dragons are usually depicted as reptilian or serpentine creatures with animal-level intelligence rather than higher intelligence that they are sometimes imbued today, where they have the ability to talk. Dragons at this time were usually shown as having 6 limbs – four legs and a separate set of wings.

The Chinese Dragon

The Chinese dragon, which in turn would have influenced all of the Asian interpretation of the Dragon, such as the Japanese dragon, and those of Korea and other East Asian and South Asian countries. Most of these dragons are depicted as serpentine creatures, they are quadrupeds, with four legs, but lack the wings of the European counterparts. They also differ from the European dragon, with their above-average intelligence.

The Acephali as an imaginary creature is usually depicted simply as a human with no head and a face on their torso instead – a guy has got to eat right?

Fabled human-like creatures in Greek mythology, similar to Pliny the Elder’s Blemmyae.

Origins

Bao A Qu is a fictional Mewar legendary creature described in Jorge Luis Borges’s 1967 Book of Imaginary Beings. Borges claimed that he found this particular creature in an introduction to the Arabian Nights by Richard Francis Burton, or in the book On Malay Witchcraft (1937) by C.C. Iturvuru.

The Burton reference was given in the original Spanish, but it was changed to the Iturvuru reference in the English text, possibly to make it sound more exotic, or as a reference to Borges’ friend C. C. Iturburu. Borges’s tale might be inspired by the Orang Asli myth of “Abang Aku”.

The Story

As with most good creatures, there is an interesting tale to go with it. In Borges’s story, the A Bao A Qu lives on the steps of the Tower of Victory in Chitor – a tower from which one can see “the loveliest landscape in the world”.The A Bao A Qu waits on the first step for a man brave enough to try to climb up. Until that point, it lies sleeping, shapeless and translucent, until someone passes. Then, when a man starts climbing, the creature

The A Bao A Qu waits, sleeping, on the first step of the tower for a man brave enough to try to climb up. The A Bao A Qu is shapeless and translucent – essentially invisible – until someone passes the creature. Once a person starts climbing, the creature wakes and follows the person close behind. Creepy right?

As the A Bao A Qu climbs further and further up, nearer the top, it begins to become clearer, regaining its opacity and becoming more colourful. It apparently starts to give off a blue light which increases in intensity as it ascends. However, the A Bao A Qu only reaches “perfection” or fully realised self, when the climber reaches the top of the tower and achieves Nirvana, so his acts don’t cast any shadows.But almost all the time, the climber cannot reach the top, for they are not perfect. When the A Bao A Qu

However as the task of reaching Nirvana is almost insurmountable, the climber is unlikely to be able to reach the top. Ultimately they are imperfect and do not make it. When the A Bao A Qu realises this, it hangs back and slows down, losing colour and visibility – reverting to it’s translucent, almost invisible form – and tumbles back down the staircase until it reaches the bottom. Once again it lies dormant and shapeless, in wait for the next person that might have what it takes to reach the top. When it settles on the step it gives a small cry, so soft that it sounds similar to the rustling of silk. When touched, it feels like the fuzz on the skin of a peach. Only once in its everlasting life has the A Bao A Qu reached its destination at the top of the tower.

The A Bao A Qu – Opinions

What initially sounds quite creepy and sinister, actually has a rather different spin. This is about reaching Nirvana, and unlike many imaginary creatures, it does not wish human harm. However, I am not sure why it wants to make it to the top and why it needs a human to do so. Perhaps it is about wanting humanity to succeed, but being let down by our humanity and inability to reach “perfection”. I feel similar when I watch the news at the moment and we seem to be regressing rather than progressing. The A Bao A Qu would be tumbling back down to the first step.

If you have any thought or insight, leave a comment or email us.

Further Reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Á_Bao_A_Qu