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Immortal Journey
The Tales of Heracles, Leo, Cancer,
Sagittarius, Centaurus, Draco, Sagitta and Cerberus
Chapter 5: The Erymanthian Boar
On the way to Psophis, Heracles traveled
through the magical land of Pholoe where it was always spring, for
blossoms never left the trees and their fragrance brought sweet
dreams. "I have been tired for so long. I'll just take a short nap
in a safe place," Heracles thought as he curled up in a thicket
of roses, protected by their thorns. As he put his head down, he
instantly fell asleep and began to dream. In his dream he was surrounded
by creatures with the chest, head and arms of men and torso and
legs of horses as they carried single red roses in their teeth while
they galloped after young women. There were herds of these creatures
and together they drank a lot of wine and boasted of the women they
had loved.
As Heracles awoke he saw hoofs by his face and a man's hand reached
out to him. The hoofs and human arms were part of a body like that
in his dream.
"This morning I saw an unfamiliar hawk from a distant region and
it slept in an apple tree," the creature said. "I sat beneath the
tree to watch it. When the hawk awoke it spied a boar, chasing it
until the boar was so far away that it couldn't return. Now, on
my way home, I find you, an unfamiliar man from a distant region,
asleep in the roses. Pardon me if I make my assumptions, but I believe
in the power of dreams. Come with me and let me be your host, for
I assume you are on a special mission or you wouldn't be here."
"My name is Heracles," he said as he got up. "Your assumptions are
correct, for I am on my way to capture the Erymanthian Boar. Thank
you for your kind and hospitable offer. By the way, what is your
name and what kind of creature are you?"
"I am a centaur and my name is Pholus," he replied. "I am the son
of Seilenus and a nymph. Come, and while I fix food for us I will
answer all your questions."
Together they walked to the nearby woods and entered the mouth of
a deep cave. Its walls were lined with lit torches and its rooms
contained meat hung from the ceiling with casks of wine piled like
hills along the corridors. In the center of the main room, a fire
burned in a circular rock-lined pit and his host carried a large
shank of lamb and placed it next to the fire. "I assume you would
prefer to eat your meat cooked," Pholus said. "Men usually do."
"Yes, thank you," said Heracles as Pholus put half the meat upon
a spit and turned it to roast over the open fire. "I don't wish
to sound rude," continued Heracles, "but are there more creatures
like you?"
"Oh yes," responded Pholus. "There is an entire race of centaurs.
Our race began when Ixion fell in love with Hera. Against her will
he tried to embrace her and, angry and frightened, she returned
to Olympus and told Zeus. Zeus never completely believed anything
Hera told him so he devised a test it see if it was true.
"Zeus created a cloud that looked like Hera and he blew it down
to earth in a fog where it rested on a hillside next to the sleeping
Ixion. Ixion awoke, made love to the cloud, and then bragged about
it to anyone who would listen.
"Now Zeus had proof of Hera's story, so he punished Ixion by tying
him to a wheel which the air turns endlessly. And so, Ixion is eternally
blown in dizzy circles by the winds of his desire and is on display
with the other tortured souls in the land of the dead. Meanwhile,
the cloud, impregnated by him, gave birth to a race half man half
horse. They are known as centaurs and are the embodiment of lust
and desire, a trait which they got from their father.
"However, there are a few of us who have a different lineage and
are not subject to crudeness. We were placed here in an attempt
to show the other centaurs that there is more to life than self-indulgence,
and in this, Chiron is our leader. He invented the healing arts
and has taught them to men. Achilles, Asclepius and Jason were all
his students, and for this Zeus made him immortal. His birth preceded
all the rest of our race for, when Kronos searched for Zeus during
the War of the Titans, he met Philrya, the daughter of Ocean. He
assumed the form of a horse and made love to her, but when she saw
the strange creature that she gave birth to, she was horrified.
She made an offering to young Zeus begging him to change her into
another form. He complied by changing her into a linden tree.
"Chiron was raised by horses and taught by both Kronos and Zeus
who, although usually at war with each other, both jointly took
responsibility for his well-being. And that is how he became our
link between the mortal and immortal worlds." The centaur checked
his cooking. "Your food is ready," Pholus said as he removed the
meat from the spit and handed it to Heracles. He himself took the
other uncooked portion of meat and began to eat.
"I'd like some wine with this, for it looks like you have a lot,"
Heracles said to his host after taking a bite of the meat.
"I'm sorry I can't offer you any. Those casks are owned jointly
by all the centaurs. They store it with me for they know I won't
drink it. They will get very angry if I open a cask," Pholus said.
"Nonsense. Don't worry, I'll take responsibility," Heracles calmly
opened a cask and poured himself a large portion. Seated back by
the fire, Heracles enjoyed the fine food and drink.
Heracles didn't know that centaurs have a sophisticated sense of
smell, especially where wine is concerned. He hadn't even finished
his meal before they arrived to protect their property.
Armed with rocks and with clubs carved from the boughs of silver
fir trees, they came from every direction. Anchius and Agrius entered
the cave as the advance guard. "Who opened the wine?" Agrius shouted
at the stranger, expecting him to cower.
With each hand Heracles grabbed a torch from the wall and turned
toward the centaurs, crouching like an attacking lion as he screamed,
"I did." Running toward them he hurled the first torch, striking
Agrius in the face and setting fire to his beard; then he hurled
the other, hitting Anchius squarely on his chest and singeing the
hair. "And I'll have more when I'm ready," he continued, chasing
them out of the cave.
Spying the other centaurs outside, he shot a volley of arrows against
them. They had never seen a madman like this one. As a group they
ran to the forests of Malea to ask their mentor, Chiron, what they
should do. Heracles followed, not knowing where they were going
or what they went to do. He followed only to prove he was more powerful
than they were.
A cloud of dust stirred up by their galloping hoofs blew swiftly
toward the south to where Chiron made his home after the Lapiths
drove him from his birthplace on Mount Pelion. When it happened,
the centaurs wanted to take revenge and kill the Lapiths, but Chiron
said calmly, "There is a purpose that we are not yet able to see."
Being primitive creatures, the centaurs thought him eccentric and
impractical at times, and too intellectual for his own good; but,
whenever they needed advice, they always came to him just as they
did now.
Heracles was not as fast as the fleet-footed centaurs, but he had
no trouble tracking where they had gone. When he arrived, he saw
them crowded together and decided to show them that he had followed.
He shot an arrow up into the air as a warning and was curious to
see where it would fall. When it came down in the midst of the huddle
all the centaurs screamed, for it penetrated the arm of Elatus and
landed in Chiron's knee.
Heracles watched in horror as he realized what he had done. Though
he had never met Chiron, Pholus had created a vivid picture of a
great being. Heracles ran to him and pulled out the arrow. "What
can I put on your wound to heal it?" he asked Chiron.
The old centaur healer pointed to a jar of salve and Heracles immediately
fetched it and dressed the wound, but it didn't help for the wound
continued to fester. "I am afraid my injury cannot be cured," Chiron
said. "Please carry me home to my cave."
Chiron was in constant pain and longed for death. Immortality seemed
so desirable when he was young and his dreams were eternal. Now
that sweet release to an existence beyond the gate called death
was closed to him. The pain he now felt would continue for eternity.
"Oh Zeus, all-knowing and all-seeing protector of the secrets of
the universe, help me understand why I must suffer throughout eternity
while Prometheus is tortured for giving fire to humankind. Immortality
would allow him to survive until you agree to his rescue. He fulfilled
a requirement of human evolution; he was a tool of time. If only
you could give my immortality to him and allow me the release of
death," Chiron prayed, and Zeus answered his prayer.
Chiron's body was laid out in flowing white priestly robes. A crown
was placed at his feet, as was the fateful arrow. All the centaurs
crowded around him while Pholus, standing at Chiron's feet picked
up the tiny arrow. "How sad," Pholus said, "that such a small arrow
could cause the death of such a great soul." As he turned the arrow
over in his palm, it slipped from his grasp, hitting him in the
foreleg and killing him as well. One single arrow had killed both
the Centaur's healer and their seer.
Heracles returned to place Chiron's body on the pyre. "What is this?"
he asked. Turning the body over, he saw that it was his friend Pholus
and he saw the arrow stuck in his leg. Sadly he placed both bodies
on the pyre as the Centaurs together lit their torches from a single
flame. Circling the pyre, they all touched their torches to it and
the bodies of their leaders burst into flames.
As the smoke rose high into the sky, Zeus collected the ashes and
turned them into stars. He placed Pholus in the sky as Centaurus
offering a sacrifice at the altar. Then he placed Chiron in the
sky, calling him Sagittarius and giving him a bow and arrow of stars.
"Aim your arrow at Scorpio's heart and draw the bow tight," Zeus
said to Chiron, "for throughout eternity you will be the scorpion's
judge and executioner," while at the feet of the holy archer Zeus
placed the crown that Chiron would not wear upon his head, for the
wise centaur had known that power comes from one's soul and not
from symbols of authority over others.
Heracles sat by the pyre until nothing was left but embers beneath
a starry sky. He looked up and saw two new constellations in the
night, and he heard Pholus say to him, "Although there are many
methods by which to solve a task and many paths to get there, it
is not the result that is important but what we witness on our way."
Heracles left to complete his task and he quickly found the boar.
He shouted and frightened it out from it's hiding place behind a
clump of trees, chasing it through the heavy snow of the Erymanthus
Mountain and lassoing it when it collapsed in exhaustion. He picked
it up, throwing it over his shoulders and carried it to Tiryns.
Heracles approached the gate and Copreus opened it only wide enough
for the boar to be placed inside. "How silly," thought Heracles,
"surely Copreus knows that if I wish to enter, neither he nor that
locked gate could stop me." But Heracles said nothing for he also
realized that it was not the herald's idea. He also was simply following
orders.
Tales of
the Immortal Night ©2003, J.J. Kuhl
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