In Greek mythology, a centaur
is a member of a composite race of creatures,
part human and part horse. This half-human
and half-animal composition has led many
writers to treat them as liminal beings,
caught between the two natures, embodied
in contrasted myths, both as the embodiment
of untamed nature, as in their battle with
the Lapiths, or conversely as teachers,
like Chiron.
