Religion

	The religion of the Old Centaurs is that of the Greek pantheon, with emphasis
placed on Apollo, his sister Artemis, and Athena.  These patron gods were surprised to
see these magnificent creatures as their loyal followers and so granted upon them a
special favor.  This favor was that every thirty years there is a triple pregnancy among the
Old Centaurs in the city.  Each mother gives birth at exactly the same time, either on the
fall or spring equinox at midnight.  Each baby born is a demi-god to one of each of the
three deities.  They are immediately recognized for what they are because each bears a
mark.  Apollo marks his with a starburst on the chest.  His demi-gods tend to glow like a
soft lightbulb when excited or angry.  Artemis places upon the body of her baby the
crescent moon.  Her demi-gods seem paler than the others and have brighter eyes. 
Athena marks her baby with a silhouetted owl in front of a vertical spear.  Athena’s mark
is the official army badge.
	Each centaur born is acclimated toward the family’s chosen god.  Most of the
centaurs embrace this and become warriors or scholars for their House.  However,
ocasionally their is born a centaur whom refuses the way of his/her family and becomes a
rogue.  Since most centaurs are honor driven, so as not to embarass his/her family, when
that centaur is old enough to leave, they do.  They leave with the blessing of their family,
who realizes that each centaur is born with a purpose, and also the blessing of the Head
of the House that the family represents.  They are given money and weapons and are
made to promise to never, for ANY reason, reveal the location of Ixion.
	Each god represents their respective Houses and each demi-god is assigned to the
House of its god, and there becomes the elite guard for the head, or in some cases, they
become the head themselves.  There are usually two demi-gods, an elder, who acts more
as an advisor, and a younger who is mainly the messenger and enforcer for the head.  It is
a great honor to be born a demi-god.  Every centaur will listen to what these beings have
to say, and they even have the ear of the three House Heads, regardless of their
denomination.  
	It is interesting to note that all centaurs in the House of Artemis are females, and
likewise, males dominate the House of Apollo.  The House of Athena is open to both
sexes, but is mostly populated by the male Cyber-Horseman.  There are also no priests in
the centaur culture and any duties that require attention are the responsibility of the
centaurs who keep up the Temple.

Religious Ceremonies
	Every fall equinox, the citizens of Ixion hold the Artemis Celebration.  This is a
solemn event where all the people gather and pay homage to Artemis by replanting any
deforested places around their city.  They also send out every hunter they have on a
masterful hunt, bringing in game ranging from squirrels to bear.  Each hunter is allowed
to hunt as much as he/she can carry and upon completion of their hunt, they prepare the
animal for consumption and treat the hides.  When everything is done, they disperse
across the countryside handing out the meat and gifts to wilderness families.  When they
return, the entire city holds a prayer where everybody gives thanks to her.
	Every spring equinox, the citizens throw a remarkably different celebration.  The
Sun God Celebration defines party.  Drinking and dancing rage about the city for the
entire day.  Musical contests can be heard around the clock.  Apollo himself is rumored
to walk among the party occasionally.  The citizens give thanks to every new building
erected and any new sciences learned.  Apollo is given the credit to their ingenuity and
livelihood.  On this day, the sun seems to stay at high noon and the demi-gods of Apollo
seem to glow even more brightly than usual.
	Athena has no official celebration, except that after every battle the centaurs win,
they hold a party and give thanks to Athena for giving them the decisiveness in battle to
win.  If the centaurs lose, the retreat into a day of thought, praying to Athena that she
might guide them on the path of victory once again.  Each soldier will visit Athena’s
temple and ask for the strength and wisdom to learn from his mistakes and to win again
the next battle.
	Celebrations for marriage are grand events, often lasting for days as the centaurs
dance and party.  The couple is showered with gifts and blessings of a frutitious
marriage.  Centaurs marry for life, and it is not atypical for the spouse of a dead centaur
to commit ritual suicide and join their loved one in death.  Funerals for the centaurs
include a somber service where the body is burned on a funeral pyre and chants are raised
in honor of the centaur and ask the centaur’s patron god to receive the fallen in their
House.