LESSON I HOMEWORK

Hello everyone!

As you know, teachers nowadays are enforcing the PM Rule. I, however, slightly frown upon such a rule. First of, I don't like my inbox to be full of messages that I will delete sooner or later, so in order to turn in your homework, you will simply post it here. I TRUST THAT YOU WILL NOT CHEAT. If I catch the slightest hint of cheating, you will sit in my office and we will discuss your homework. Anyway, here is your first homework.

Write a three-inch essay about any of these famous Centaurs (in Greek Mythology). Research a legend or myth about any of them, and simply write about them. I need to be able to recognize that you actually know the material you are writing about, so please, when you research it, do a good job.


List of optional Centaurs:
Chiron
Eurytion
Pholus
Nessus

THIS HOMEWORK IS DUE BY SEPTEMBER 10TH, WHICH IS WHEN THE SECOND LESSON WILL START.

Keith Parker
Gryffindor
First Year

Chiron


Similar to satyrs, which are a troop of half-man, half-goat male companions of Pan and Dionysus, centaurs were notorious for being wild and lusty, overly indulgent drinkers and carousers, given to violence when intoxicated, and generally uncultured delinquents. Chiron, by contrast, was intelligent, civilzed and kind, but he was not related directly to other centaurs. Chiron was more commonly known for his knowledge and skill with medicine. He was sired by Cronus when he had taken the form of a horse and impregnated the nymph Philya, according to an archaic myth. He frequented Mount Pelion; where he then married the nymph Chariclo, later giving him three daughters, Hippe (or Melanippe), Endeis, and Ocyrhoe, and one son named Carystus. Chiron was a deeply respected oracle, along with being a great healer and astrologer. He was said to be the first of all centaurs and highly revered as a teacher and tutor.

Chiron's father was a Greek god Kronus (Saturn) and his mother was a beautiful nymph named Philyra. Krnous was a cruel and devouring father god - and he met the nymph Philyra during one of his many searches for his (then) baby son, Zeus. Upon seeing Philyra, Kronus managed to get sidetracked - instantly falling for the nymph. The only problem was that the nymph, Philyra, did not share in his lusty desires. So Philyra turned herself into a mare in the attempt to flee the unwelcome desirous advances of Kronus. But Kronus, likewise, transformed himself into a stallion and thus was able to consummate his overwhelming desire for Philyra. Satisfied, Kronus left, never to return. Philyra, upon seeing her newborn son, Chiron, is so disgusted and appalled that she rejects and abandons her child. Later in his life, Chiron was adopted by the Greek sun god, Apollo. Perhaps I should mention here that time and chronology in Greek Mythology is often a wee bit, well, unusual - since Kronus was Apollo's grandfather and Chiron's father. So Apollo was actually Chiron's nephew. Upon becoming Chiron's foster parent, Apollo, the god of music, prophecy, poetry and healing, taught Chiron all that he knew.

As a result, Chiron later in life, became a powerful mentor to the sons of kings and many of the most famous Greek heroes, including Jason, Asclepius, Achilles and Hercules. Speaking of Hercules, Hercules plays a starring role in the continuing saga of Chiron becoming a wounded healer. Good old Hercules always seemed to be at odds with the centaurs. During a skirmish with a rowdy bunch of centaurs - Hercules carelessly, accidentally wounded his friend and mentor, Chiron, in the knee with one of his arrows. The arrows Hercules had chosen to use on this particular day were arrows coated with the blood of the monster Hydra. Arrows coated with the blood of the Hydra were known to cause painful wounds that would never heal. And being an immortal, Chiron having a wound that would never heal was a way serious problem, Chiron would never be able to heal from the wound caused by Hercules, and being immortal he could never die.

And so after a long passing of time, with no relief, the wound caused Chiron much severe pain, Hercules, being the one responsible for his wound, worked out a deal. The Titan god Prometheus had been chained to a rock by Zeus, the chief Olympian god. Being chained to the rock was to be his punishment for having previous stolen fire from Olympia as a gift to mortals. Each day, Zeus' eagle would come and eat Prometheus' liver. Each night, the liver would heal itself. Then the eagle would come again for his liver snacks. As stipulated by Zeus - Prometheus could only be released if, and when, an immortal offered to go to Tartarus and take his place. Going to Tartarus would mean the immortal was giving up his status as an immortal and would die. Chiron, being the son of Kronus and half-brother of Zeus, agreed to take the place of Prometheus, and then eventually died. Upon his death, he was then released from his wound that would never heal. Chiron was then honoured with the constellation of Centaurus.

Your Homework has been graded, you have been sent a Private Message with my comments and points given.
Thank you.
Professor Vega

Wade Malfoy
Care of Magical Creatures
Slytherin






Nessus, son of Centauros, was a centaur who fought in the Lapith War but later fled toward the Euenos River, where he became a ferryman. In Greek Mythology, Nessus was known for his role in The Tunic of Nessus, which is a legend that says that after carrying Heracles’ wife across a river, Nessus attempted to kidnap her. Heracles saw him and shot a poisoned arrow at the centaur’s breast, and as the centaur lay dying, he told the woman that his blood would make Heracles be forever faithful to her, which she believed foolishly. Once, when she began to have doubts about her husband’s fidelity, she rubbed the centaur’s blood on Heracles’ shirt and gave it to him. When she accidentally spilled some of the blood, it began to fume at the touch of sunlight. She recognized it as poison and sent a message to warn Heracles, but he was already dying slowly and painfully as the shirt burned his skin.




OOC: I know I could've done better, but I didn't want to write about Chiron since he's pretty famous. I wanted something easy, something that I could do really quick. Sorry if it's too short Professor.

Your Homework has been graded, you have been sent a Private Message with my comments and points given.
Thank you.
Professor Vega

Eurytion or Eurytus was one of the Centaurs from Arcadia involved in disrupting and fighting the Lapiths, at the wedding of Peirithous and Hippodameia. There were fighting for the land in Thessaly, particularly in the valley of the Peneius River.

An uneasy peace between the Lapiths and Centaurs existed before this wedding. The Centaurs shared the same ancestors with the Lapiths. According to Diodorus Siculus, Lapithus and Centaurus were brothers. But according to other sources, it was Peirithous who was half-brother of the Centaurs, and Ixion, king of the Lapiths were their father.

Being kins, Peirithous invited the Centaurs to the weddings. Peirithous had invited several other prominent figures, guests such Theseus, Peirithous' best friend; Peleus and young Nestor.

According to Ovid, it was the Centaur Eurytion who started disrupted wedding; he led other drunken Centaurs to abduct Hippodameia, the Lapith king's bride and other Lapith women. Fighting ensued. Theseus, Peleus and Nestor aided the king, and Caeneus, a Lapith chieftain, killed many Centaurs, before the Centaurs killed Caeneus. Eventually, the Lapiths drove out the Centaurs from the city and out of their kingdom. Many fled to Arcadia, including Eurytion. The Nessus fled to Aetolia.

Losing this battle resulted in the Centaurs being forced out of their home on Mount Pelion. Later Eurytion forced King Dexamenus to agree to give his daughter Mnesimache to be his wife. When he came to collect her Heracles, who was the kings guest killed him.

Your Homework has been graded, you have been sent a Private Message with my comments and points given.
Thank you.
Professor Vega

James Riddle
Ravenclaw
First Year

Your Homework has been graded, you have been sent a Private Message with my comments and points given.
Thank you.
Professor Vega

Aurelia Rosier
Slytherin
First Year

Nessus

Nessus was the grandson of King Ixion who ruled parts of Thessaly in the 14th Century BC. Ixion had married Dia, a princess from Thrace, but neglected to pay the bride price to her father, King Eioneus. Eioneus took Ixion's mares as a security in lieu of payment; when invited by Ixion to collect payment, he was instead murdered, in what was the first known murder recorded in Ancient Greece. As it was the murder of his father-in-law, Ixion could not find anyone to purify him of the foul deed. Dia, however, was seduced by Zeus and eventually gave birth to Ixion's heir, Peirithous. She convinced Zeus to purify Ixion, but once Ixion learned that Zeus had seduced his wife, he demanded Zeus's wife, Hera, as added compensation to what he considered an insult. Zeus returned Ixion to Earth and told him that Hera would be sent to him later. Ixion, however, was visited by Nephele, the cloud-goddess, who bore him a deformed, horse-like son named Centaurus. For offending the gods, Ixion was chained to a flailing wheel in the underworld as punishment.

Peirithous ended up living with the Lapith tribes and eventually inherited the throne of Thessaly. Centaurus, as an adult, fathered Nessus and numerous other Centaurs from normal horses. Centaurus made a claim for the throne of Thessaly himself and, after several battles, came to a truce with Perithous who shared the land with him. The peace was shattered when Nessus and the Centaurs tried to abduct Hippodameia, Peirithous's bride, at their wedding. The Centaurs were driven south to Malea and eventually reached Mount Pholoe in Arcadia, where they encountered the huntress Atalanta, who slew Ripheus and Rhoecus. Pholus, a centaur son of Silenius, tried to instill in the remaining Centaurs more civilized manners, but once more aroused by the taste of wine, the Centaurs tried to abduct wives again. During his Fourth Labor, Hercules drove them off, but killed Eurytion in the attack. Most of the Centaurs fled to Eleusis, but Nessus fled to Aetolia, where he got a job as the ferryman of the river Euenos. He even began claiming he received the job, because the gods swore to his sterling character.

One day, Heracles and his wife, Deianeira, passed by the banks of the river Euenos and wished to cross to the other side. After carrying Deianeira across the river, he attempted to take advantage of the situation and steal her away. Heracles witnessed this from across the river and shot a Hydra-poisoned arrow into Nessus’ chest. As a final act of malice, Nessus informed Deianeira that his blood would ensure that Heracles would be faithful to her forever and that, should Heracles ever prove unfaithful, she should use it as a love charm. Deianeira foolishly believed him and, when her trust in her husband began to wane, she spread the centaur’s blood on a shirt and gave it to Heracles. He went to a gathering of heroes, where his passion got the better of him. In the meantime, Deianeira accidentally spilled a portion of the centaur’s blood onto the floor. To her immense horror, she discovered that it began to fume by the light of the rising sun. Instantly recognizing this as poison, Deianeira immediately sent her messenger to warn Heracles, but it was too late. Heracles lay dying as the shirt burned his skin—either in actual flames or by the heat of poison. Heracles died a noble death on a funeral pyre of oak branches, and was taken to Mount Olympus by Zeus and welcomed amongst the gods for his heroic exploits.

OOC: I know you didn’t ask me to complete this homework, Professor Vega, but I wanted to do it anyways, so that I can catch up with the rest of the class and be prepared for the exam. Would you still be willing to mark this? :OOC

Your Homework has been graded, you have been sent a Private Message with my comments and points given.
Thank you.
Professor Vega