Centaurs in popular culture

Updated on Jan 21, 2024

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Centaurs appear often in popular culture.

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Centaurs have appeared in many places in modern fiction, and may be regarded as a fantasy trope. In modern literature differing views of centaurs vary with the author.

Novels

In Piers Anthony's series Xanth, centaurs are frequently major/main characters of the various stories. As a race, they generally don't show magic talents as other species do, treating it as something for lesser species, although they have been shown to have talents as well.

Centaurs appear in the Well World books as one of the races found both on the Well World, and as such, throughout the universe. They are generally kind and hospitable people, living simple lives without advanced technology or magic, though this is mostly due to the rules of the Well World and likely may not apply to those in the rest of the universe.

In C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, centaurs are noble, loyal, and brave. Oreius (Aslan's general) and his tribe of centaurs help Aslan's army fight against the White Witch, in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but they gain a more prominent role in the fourth book, Prince Caspian where a centaur named Glenstorm (who also studies the stars and reads the future) is an important character.

In R.A. Salvatore's The DemonWars Saga series, there is a Centaur featured named "Bradwarden" that plays the bagpipes and is one of the supporting characters throughout most of the series.

Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series features Foaly, one of the heroes, and the most intelligent centaur on and under the Earth.

In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series centaurs are near-humans that live in the Forbidden Forest. The centaurs tend to be passive creatures, but become violent if people intrude on their territory too often. They study the stars and planets, and can also sometimes see the future - although they may speak in very indirect and ambiguous terms about it.

In the novel The Neverending Story by Michael Ende appears a centaur, which name Cairon and profession as physician directs to Chiron, an ancient Greek mythological centaur and great doctor.

In Monsterology: The Complete Book of Monstrous Creatures, centaurs are shown as being party animals, which raises the question of how they stayed concealed for so long, who live in Southern Greece, and have the Latin name Centaurus Indomitus. A picture shows one with two chests.

In Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel The Moon Maid, the moon is inhabitted by centaur like beings evil Communist-based "Kalkars".

In Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & The Olympians series centaurs are friendly and help Camp Half Blood against the attacks of Kronos and Luke. However they are very wild, and seem to enjoy getting drunk.

In Star Wars there are two centauroid races, the very centaur-like species called Chironians, most likely a play on the name of the legendary centaur, Chiron, and the striped hermaphrodite Berrites, which are very clumsy, but sneaky.

The American poet May Swenson wrote a poem called "The Centaur", which appeared in her book A Cage of Spines in 1958, and which portrays a girl riding a make-believe horse (actually a willow branch) who comes to feel that she is the horse.

Another book series called Animorphs includes a centauroid race of aliens called Andalites.

P. C. Cast's Partholon series includes numerous centaur characters, including the protagonist, Brighid, of Brighid's Quest.

Graphic novels and comics

The Belgian comic series Les Centaures by Pierre Seron features two young, blueskinned centaurs named Aurore and Ulysses as protagonists.

In the manga series Bleach (and the anime based on it), when the character Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck enters her released form, she becomes a powerful centaur.

The manga series A Centaur's Life's main character is a centaur in a fantastically-set but otherwise everyday world.

The manga series Yu-Gi-Oh! (and the anime and card game based on it) features numerous centaurs summonable from cards.

In the Micronauts comics, based on toys, both Baron Karza and Prince Argon can transform into centaurs.

Pierre Seron's comic series The Centaurs narrates the adventures of a pair of young centaurs named Ulysses and Aurore who have been expulsed of the Olympus.

The manga series Monster Musume by Okayado features a female Centaur character named Centorea Shianus who is one of the seven "Extra Species" characters living with protagonist Kimihito Kuruso.

In the manga series One Piece (and the anime based on it), Franky has a "backward" Centaur form.

Film

Centaurs, among many other mythological creatures, played a key role in one of the animated shorts from The Walt Disney Company's Fantasia (The Pastoral Symphony). Among them were the typical white, bay, and chestnut centaurs, along with various unnatural colors, and also a pair of Nubian centaurs which were dark-skinned and Zebra.

In the Italian sword and sandal film La vendetta di Ercole, actor Claudio Undari performs the character Polimorfeo, a creature which can change between the forms of a centaur and faun at will.

Centaurs have appeared in the Harry Potter film series, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as well as in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and also in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

In the movie Step Brothers, John c. Reilly's character, Dale, appears as a centaur in a dream sequence.

A one-eyed Centaur appears on the mythical island Lemuria in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. It represents evil, and is very savage. Sinbad finally kills it at the Fountain of Destiny.

The Centaurs (1921 film), a 1921 animated film by Winsor McCay, features what appears to be a family of centaurs. Only fragments of the film have survived.

Television

A female Centaur girl appears in Wizards of Waverly Place. In the episode 'Beware Wolf', she is mentioned at the beginning and is seen in the credits. In the episode it's mentioned she was Justin Russo's date.

On Phineas and Ferb, in the episode Isabella and The Temple of Sap, in Isabella's daydreams, Phineas is a centaur.

In the animated series The Mighty Hercules, the title character's sidekick is a boy centaur named Newton.

In the animated series "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends", in the pilot episode, House Of Bloo's, an imaginary Centaur is seen during the run scene. He is also seen in "The Big Cheese".

In the television series Xena: Warrior Princess, the centaurs are portrayed as a noble race and allies of Xena's late husband Boreas. Also, they have forged an uneasy alliance with the Amazons.

In Futurama: Bender's Game, Leela appears as a centaur.

In an Old Spice Commercial, Scott Bailey appears in two as a centaur; one for Double Impact and one for Live Wire.

In the Parks and Recreation episode "Jerry's Painting," Jerry Gergich paints the centaur goddess Diaphena. His depiction coincidentally resembles Leslie Knope, much to Leslie's pleasure.

On the TV show Impractical Jokers, one of guys, Murr is forced to dress up as a centaur as punishment for losing.

On the TV show The Simpsons, centaurs have appeared twice in the Treehouse of Horror series. In the 13th episode, Lisa is transformed into a centaur and in the 14th Ned Flanders is changed into a cowtaur by Dr. Hibbert.

Games

Centaurs are a monster and a race in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and the Forgotten Realms campaign setting

Centaurs are common characters in the Shining series of games by SEGA.

Centaur Angels(Acceptance, Accolade, Allegiance) are Main Angelic Enemies in the Bayonetta 2 of games by SEGA and Platinum Games.

In the series Digimon, Beastman Digimon Centaurumon is based on centaurs.

You may create centaurs as allies for battle in Age of Mythology. They are sacred to the Greek Classical Age god Hermes.

Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider: Anniversary both feature centaurs and centaur mutants as foe.

The Mortal Kombat character Motaro is the leader of his centaur race.

Warcraft Centaurs are depicted as the savage and bastard children of Cenarius

In Guild Wars, Centaurs are a common enemy for a player to face. In the Nightfall Campaign, players may recruit a Centaur Hero named Zhed Shadowhoof.

In Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, centaur-like creatures appear in many maps under the names Tarvos and Maelduin.

Centaur Man is a Robot Master in Mega Man 6. He appears as a light-green robotic Centaur with the ability to freeze his enemies and teleport around the room.

Centaurs frequently appear in the video game series Heroes of Might and Magic as soldiers of the forests.

Centaurs are enemies in Titan Quest.

In the 2008 game Fallout 3, centaurs are radiated human enemies who have sprouted 6 arms and a tongue that attacks the player with great force.

In EVE Online, there are several ships which bear the names of a multitude of figures, some of which include: Erebus, the Gallente Titan class ship and Charon, the Caldari Freighter class ship. The references to Greek mythology occur primarily within the Gallente race, with a few exceptions.

The God of War series offers centaurs as enemy units. They are vicious, quick, but can easily be overtaken in a few moves. They are depicted as almost zombie-like and wear large, steel helmets. In the third game, they can increase enemy stats, such as speed and defense.

Lex battles three centaurs (Including Nessus, the boss) in Bookworm Adventures.

The champion Hecarim from League of Legends is based on a Undead Centaur Knight.

The hero Bradwarden (possible reference to R. A. Salvator's centaur of the same name) from the Dota series.

In the first MediEvil game, Ravenhooves is shown to be a centaur.

Music

The 1975 solo album Ride a Rock Horse by Roger Daltrey of The Who portrays him as a centaur on the album cover. The cover photography is by Graham Hughes.