The Races
The Centaurs
The Centaurs were creatures living in the mountains of Thessaly
(Greece) having the upper part of a human being and the lower
part of a horse. As a race they are said to have the following
parentages but some Centaurs have other parentages [see list
below]. The Lapiths, are a people from Thessaly who became famous
mainly because of their battle against the Centaurs together with
Pirithous and his friend Theseus. Heracles had several fights
with Centaurs.
Vase painting left : Chiron was the famous teacher
of Achilles.(Musée du Louvre)
Vase painting wright : Combat opposing Centaurs and Lapithae (Musée
du Louvre) (Click at the
pictures for full size)
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The Amazons
The story about the
Amazons was one of the most popular themes for Greek artists.
There is a great number of pictures depicting Amazons.
Most of the Amazon pictures are scenes of fighting. Amazons were
considered as very brave, daring and fearless combatants,
therefore only the most famous Greek heroes as Heracles,
Achilleus and Theseus were capable to defeat them. Very popular
were scenes of the heroic fight between Heracles and Hippolyte -
Queen of the Amazons (Picture left), and the life-and-death
struggle between Achilleus and Penthesilea at Troy (Picture down)
. But Amazons were also desirable, so Antiope - Queen of the
Amazons - was abducted by the Athenian hero Theseus.
(Picture
left) Penthesilea brought her Amazon warriors to help the Trojans
defend their city, but was killed in combat with Achilles, the
greatest of the Greek warriors. The scene on this vase shows
Achilles looming above her as she sinks to the ground. Achilles's
face is masked and protected by his helmet; Penthesilea's helmet
is pushed back to expose her features and emphasize her
vulnerability at this vital moment. Her spear passes harmlessly
across Achilles's chest, while his pierces her throat and blood
spurts out. According to a later version of the story, at this
very moment the eyes of the two warriors met and they fell, too
late, in love.
(Click at the pictures for full size)
The Gorgons
Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale -- have serpents for hair
(snake-hair), swine tusks, brazen hands, and golden wings, who
turned to stone those who looked upon them . Perseus had to bring
the head of Medusa back to Polydectes (Hesiod, Theogony 270-283;
Apollodorus 2.4.2)
Now there have been in Libya a number of races of women who were warlike and greatly admired for their manly vigor; for instance, tradition tells us of the race of the Gorgons, against whom, as the account is given, Perseus made war, a race distinguished for its valor; for the fact that it was the son of Zeus, the mightiest Greek of his day, who accomplished the campaign against these women, and that this was his greatest Labor may be taken by any man as proof of both the pre-eminence and the power of the women we have mentioned. Furthermore, the manly prowess of those of whom we are now about to write presupposes an amazing pre-eminence when compared with the nature of the women of our day.(Diodorus of Sicily)
(Picture: detail of a vase shoulder with Gorgon) (Click at the picture for full size)
Relevant Races:
Ancient Alien Visitors (The Skythians,
Neolithic Chinese People , The Dogons, Mysteries of the Yellow
Emperor)
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