| Anne Beversdorf states in her article Chiron's Mythology:
"His centaur-like form was actually a 'birth defect'... Saturn [his father] fell in love with a sea-nymph, Philyra, but Saturn was married to Rhea. (Rhea, by the way, was actually one of Saturn's sister, and together they produced Pluto, Neptune and Jupiter. Chiron, Saturn's bastard son, had powerful brothers!) To escape detection by Rhea, Saturn and Philyra turned themselves into horses to pursue their affair. When Philyra was delivered of their child, she was so ashamed to see its centaur-like form that she begged the gods to turn her into a tree [linden], and she abandoned the child on Mount Pelion, near a cave.
"Being immortal, the infant Chiron didn't die, but grew up alone. Some versions of the story say that Apollo came to teach Chiron, but this is a rare version. Whatever the case, Chiron studied and learned much, became a master musician... and became known to the Olympian community as a wise and honorable being. In time, parents sent their sons to Chiron to be taught and trained to meet their fates.
"Chiron was the tutor and foster-parent to many of the great heroes, including Jason, Achilles, Hercules, and Asclepius... Chiron's teachings focused on integrating the physical, spiritual/moral, and intellectual natures, because only by developing and integrating all three could heroes realize their true nature..." |