Centauride
Female centaurs of Greek myth, rare in text but common in art.
In Greek mythology, a Centauride (Ancient Greek: Κενταυρίδε, Kentauride), also called a centauress, is a female centaur. These beings belong to the tribe of the Centauroi and, while rarely mentioned in written texts, show up often in Greek art and Roman mosaics. The most frequently named centauress in literature is Hylonome, who was the wife of the centaur Cyllarus.
As a proper noun, Centauride (or Kentauride) refers specifically to a female member of the Centauroi tribe, which in English is usually rendered as the common noun "centaurs." As a common noun, "centauride" can mean any female centaur. In English, "centauress" is more common, though "centaurelle" and "centaurette" also appear.
In his work *Imagines*, the rhetorician Philostratus the Elder briefly describes Centaurides, noting how beautiful they are even in their horse parts: some arise from white mares, others from chestnut ones, and some have dappled coats that gleam like well-groomed horses. He also mentions a white female centaur growing from a black mare, whose contrasting colors create a unified beauty.
Ovid, in his *Metamorphoses*, describes Hylonome as the loveliest of all centaur-girls in the high woods, who alone won the centaur Cyllarus through love, sweet words, and charm, along with her careful grooming. She combed her glossy hair, adorned it with rosemary, violets, or roses, and sometimes wore a white lily. Twice daily she bathed her face and body in a clear brook from Pagasae’s high forest, and she wore only the best-chosen animal skins on her left side and shoulder.
Shakespeare mentions centauresses in *King Lear* (Act IV, Scene VI, lines 124–125).
In other appearances, a British family named Lambert used a female centaur holding a rose in her left hand as a heraldic device, depicted on their monuments. Lacking official authority for these arms, they changed them in the eighteenth century to a male centaur holding a bow.
In Walt Disney’s film *Fantasia*, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony is illustrated with scenes from Greek mythology featuring male and female centaurs, which the studio called "centaurettes." These centaurettes appear in various situations, some mimicking fashionable women of the 1940s. They are shown in colors other than human skin tones, including blue, and were originally drawn bare-breasted. Under the Hays Code, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors o
- field
- Greek mythology, art, and literature
- known_for
- Female centaurs depicted in Greek art, Roman mosaics, and literary works by Philostratus the Elder and Ovid
- nationality
- Greek (mythological)
Lore & Background
In the 'Imagines', the rhetorician Philostratus the Elder gives a brief description of the Centaurides, noting their varied horse coats—white, chestnut, dappled, and even a white female centaur growing out of a black mare. In the 'Metamorphoses', Ovid describes Hylonome, the comeliest of all centaur-girls, who combed her glossy hair, twined it with rosemary, violets, or roses, bathed twice daily, and wore only the best-chosen beast skins.
Reader's Guide
The Centaurides hold significance as a rare female counterpart to the more commonly depicted male centaurs in Greek mythology. While male centaurs often appear in violent or chaotic roles, the Centaurides are portrayed with beauty and care, as seen in Philostratus' description of their varied and gleaming coats and Ovid's detailed account of Hylonome's grooming and adornment. Their presence in Greek art and Roman mosaics indicates a visual tradition that complemented the sparse literary record. Later cultural references include a British family's heraldic use of a female centaur, Walt Disney's 'Fantasia' featuring 'centaurettes' (originally bare-breasted, later covered under the Hays Code, and with scenes of black centaurettes cut in the 1960s), and the song 'Witch Of The Westmoreland' describing a benevolent witch with a maiden's form and a mare's body. Since the late 2000s, female centaurs have appeared in Japanese anime and manga as part of the monster girl trend. The term 'centauress' is more usual in English, though 'centaurelle' and 'centaurette' also occur.
Did You Know?
- The centauress Hylonome is the most frequently appearing female centaur in literature, described by Ovid in the 'Metamorphoses'.
- Philostratus the Elder described Centaurides with coats of white, chestnut, dappled, and even a white female centaur growing from a black mare.
- In Walt Disney's 'Fantasia', the centaurettes were originally drawn bare-breasted but were covered with garlands due to the Hays Code.
- A British family named Lambert used a female centaur holding a rose as a heraldic device, but later changed it to a male centaur holding a bow.
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