| A
centaur of Greek mythology who, unlike his
kin, was docile and intelligent; he was the
personification of man taming the horse. He was the
leader of the centaurian race and the mentor of such
heroes as Achilles and Jason, as well as the friend of
many of the gods. On an occassion when he was trying to
bring peace between his people and Hercules, a stray
poisoned arrow shot by Hercules accidentally hit Chiron,
and nothing could be done to heal his wound or alleviate
the pain, so he had the gods take his life. He was
resurrected as the constellation Sagittarius. |