Greek Mythology: The Tale of the Centaur

Welcome back as we continue our Greek Mythology posts written for children! Greek Mythology not only has many great stories, but can also teach valuable lessons. Teaching your child ancient myths will not only expand their imagination and give them an exciting story, but it will also open their eyes to how far back into history these tales go. Each myth teaches a new, important life lesson. Want to turn story time into play time? Each tale has a figure from our mythical realms® collection to go along with it, this way you can make the story interactive! Did you enjoy our last story about Pegasus, the beautiful winged horse? To keep the horse theme going, our next tale will be about a half human half horse creature from Greek Mythology called the Centaur!

The Tale of the Centaur

With four horse-like legs and the body of a man from the torso up, this half human half equestrian creature held an important role in many Greek Myths. The centaurs were typically a noble creature, living in packs in the forest, defending their land and livelihood. As you recall, we told you the story of the heroic Hercules and his twelve great tasks in a previous post. His fourth task in particular was to retrieve the Erythmanthian Boar and bring it to King Eurystheus. While venturing on this somewhat simple task, Hercules met a centaur named Pholus. Pholus was a kind, respectable individual and allowed Hercules to stay with him. During his visit, Pholus would make delicious meals for Hercules and spoil him. As kind as this was, Hercules wanted more. He knew that centaurs possessed some of the finest wine, and he begged Pholus to open a bottle. Pholus respectfully told him no, because this wine did not only belong to him but also to the rest of the centaurs. Hercules was persistent, and after a couple days he finally convinced Pholus to open the bottle of wine. Together they sat, two friends enjoying one of the most delicate bottles of wine to ever exist.

It was not long before the other centaurs found out, and became furious as the two sitting and drinking their wine. Angrily, they decided to charge Pholus and Hercules and take back their wine. Being as strong as he was, this did not scare Hercules and he simple kept them away by shooting arrows at them. As the wine took its effect, it was difficult for Hercules to keep his aim straight and he accidentally hit Pholus with an arrow. At first the injury did not seem life threatening, and Hercules simply treated it. Unfortunately for Pholus, the injury was worse than they had assumed, and it took his life. Dismayed by the death of his friend, Hercules left to go on and complete his task, thinking that the bottle of wine had really not been worth it.

This tale teaches a very important life lesson. What did your child think of the story? Which figure from our mythical realms® collection is your favorite? Share with us in the comment box below and don’t forget to tune in next week for our next Greek mythology post!