Centauroid Creatures

Centaroid is not a euphemism for alien cntaurs from outer space; actually it could refer to normal centaurs too. Centauroid describes any bast and male combination, with four legs, -that of an animal, and the upper torse of a man or woman, resulting in six appendages, and two ribcages. One also wonders if this means they also have two hearts, like Doctor Who, but to be back on topic, the centaur mythology is not limited only to the Greeks and Romans. There have been numerous other cultures with mythology and traditions revolving around centauroid creatures, including the British. And of course, other centauroid creatures in modern pop culture, sometimes fictional literature, television, or the furry fans imagination.

One example, in the “onocentaur”; it makes its appearance in a few medieval bestiaries, –books containing lists of animals, both real and legendary, — as a half man, and half donkey form. Another medieval example of centauroid creatures from England is the “sagittary”, named after the Zodiac Sagittarius. It was depicted usually as a heraldic emblem, as being an male archer with a lion’s body. The half lion, half man centauroid creature was actually the more traditional centaur species of England, unlike that of the Greco-Roman tradition that was half man, half horse.

Still other cultural examples of the centauroid animal-man combination, can be found in Mesopotamian traditions. One such creature is the “urmahlullu”, which was also half man, and half lion, and may have been the inspiration for th English sagittary. The urmahlullu was a guardian spirit of bath houses, and mens’ toiletry. Another Mesopotamian centauroid creature is the “aqrabuamelu” or “girtablilu”, only these creatures were not quite so benevolent, and were half man, and half scorpion. They were bred for war by the goddess Tiamat, against the god Apsu, and are also featured in the Gilgamesh epic.