Lesson 4 – Centaur, Unicorn
Available: Nov 6
Due Date: Nov 26. Please try to hand in assignments before the due date. Due to time zones, while you may think you still have an hour left, in actuality the assignment may have closed 2 hours ago.
CENTAUR- MoMC- XXXX (given this classification not because it is unduly aggressive, but because it should be treated with great respect).
The centaur is a beast that has a human head, torso and arms connected to a horse’s body. The horse’s body can come in many colours such as: chestnut, palomino, bay, black, or grey. They are very intelligent and fully capable of speech, but have asked to be classified as beasts, not beings. Centaurs are forest-dwelling beasts, believed to have originated in Greece, though there are now centaur communities in many parts of Europe. There have been special allocated areas for centaurs where they will not be bothered by muggles, though centaurs need little wizarding protection as they have their own means of hiding from muggles. They live in herds of 10-50 members. Centaurs are very mysterious beasts. They are as mistrustful of wizards as they are muggles! They are well versed in magical healing, divination, archery and astronomy.
In ancient Greece, centaurs were rowdy, wild and had a lawless lifestyle. The most famous centaur in literature is Chiron, who served as a teacher and mentor for young men such as Hercules, Achilles, Jason (Captain of the Argonauts) and Asclepius (God of medicine). Different myths tell us that Chiron went on teaching young heroes for a while, as he was born immortal. He chose to give up his immortality after a poisoned arrow belonging to Hercules accidentally wounded him. When the pain became too much to bear, Chiron asked Zeus to allow him to die. Zeus granted his request but immortalized him in the sky as the constellation Centaurus. This constellation is visible to people living near of south of the equator. It contains the third brightest star in the sky, Alpha Centauri.
Based on their ability to read the future in the sky, it is safe to assume that Ronan, Bane and Firenze may have descended from Chiron’s side of the family.
UNICORN – MoMC – XXXX (given this classification not because it is unduly aggressive, but because it should be treated with great respect).
The unicorn is a pure white, horned horse (when fully grown), found throughout the forests of northern Europe. Foals are initially golden and turn silver before becoming fully mature. They avoid human contact at all costs, and if approached by a person with magical ability, they are more likely to be accepting of a witch rather than a wizard. Unicorns are very sure-footed, very quick and therefore incredibly difficult to capture.
Unicorn’s were fist described more than 2000 years ago by a Greek physician Ctesias- and since then muggles have argued whether they really exist or not. But for muggles and wizards alike, unicorns have been a favourite subject to write about, be painted, and be sculpted. According to Ctesias, unicorns were native to India, and had a dark red head, a white body, blue eyes and an 18-inch long horn extending from its forehead. The horn itself was white at the base, black in the middle and flaming red at the tip. Ctesias wrote that if the horn was separated from its owner and made into a cup for drinking, it protected those who drank from it from poisons, convulsions and epilepsy.
By the Middle Ages, the image that we most often see now, a graceful, white, pure innocent beast, had evolved. In literature the unicorn came to represent innocence, strength, power and purity. It became part of the royal coat of arms in England and Scotland. Many medieval stories were told of animals coming to a pond to drink, but the water being tainted. A unicorn would come along and dip its horn into the water purifying it for the others.
The unicorn’s horn, blood and hair all have magical properties. The horn, as described above, could be used as a cup to protect the drinker from poison, convulsions, and epilepsy. The blood can be drunk and the person will become immortal. But for someone to be able to slay something so pure and innocent – there must be a price. The drinker may be immortal, but they will live a half, cursed life. Unicorn hair is a common core in wizard wands, particularly useful in charms.
Please be sure to complete Assignment 4 .