Centaurs are half man (top 1/2), half horse (bottom 1/2) creatures of mythology. Besides Chiron (who trained great heroes), they are best known for the famous battle when they were pushed from their home in Thessaly to Mount Pindus.
Ixion was in love with Hera. This made Zeus jealous. Zeus made a likeness of Hera out of a cloud called Nepheles. Ixion thought this was Hera and made love to her. Their offspring was Centaurus, who mated with the mares of Thessaly to produce centaurs.
Picture: http://www.melaniereinhart.com/melanie/images/CentaurRenee_000.jpg
