PATROLOGOS project

How the wise Centaur 
educated the heroes. 

In Thessaly there is 
a very green and beautiful mountain, 
which is called Pelio. 

Under this mountain 
and near the sea 
there was, these old years, 
a big city, 
which was called Iolkos. 

In Iolkos was reigning at that time Pelias. 
He stole the throne 
from his brother Aeson, 
and in order not to suffer the same from his relatives, 
others he killed and others 
he locked in the prison. 

Aeson managed to escape 
at night with his son. He advanced 
through the olive trees and the vineyards 
and arrived at the root of the mountain. 

There they sat for a while, 
father and son, to rest 
and at dawn they set out 
to climb the mountain. 

In quite some time they arrived 
at a huge plane tree, 
where at its root water was flowing cold like ice. 

They sat there, 
they ate some bread, 
and then they took the trail 
and climped to the top 
of a formidable cliff. 

Aeson then stopped and said to his son, 
while indicating to the right: 
-«Do you see, my child, these trees? 
There is the cave 
where lives the wise Centaur». 

In a while they approached 
and they looked with admiration. 
From the cliffs to the right and left 
and over the opening of the cave, 
there were hanging vines 
loaded with grapes. 

A little further ahead 
a fountain was pouring its fresh waters 
in a deep valley. 
From time to time in the clamor of the water 
it was heard the sound of the lyre 
and sweet song. 

Aeson then said to his son: 
-«Go, my child, into the cave. 
There you will meet 
a strange man, 
but you shouldn't be scared. 

Go near him, 
put your hands on his knees 
and tell him: On the name of the great Zeus, 
I devote to you my self». 

The little one listened to the words of his father, 
and with courage he entered in the cave. 
There he saw 
the wise Centaur 
lying on branches of laurel and of myrtle. 

He was truly a strange creature, the Centaur. 
From the head to the waist he was human, 
and from the waist down he was powerful horse. 

The white hair of his head 
was falling like foaming waves on his back, 
and the snow white beard of his 
was covering his broad chest. 
His eyes were full of kindness 
and proud was his forehead. 

Lying down over his green mattress 
he was playing his golden lyre 
and he was singing sweetly. 

The kid, as he saw Centaur 
and listened to the melodic song of his, 
he forgot all about what his father said and was looking perplexed. 

Centaur called the child 
to go near him. 

But when he wanted 
to put his hands on his knees 
and talk to him, as he had been advised by his father, 
he said to him: 

-«Go tell your father 
to come himself too here; 
I know well 
both your father and you». 

The kid ran 
and called his father; 
and when they came at the cave, Centaur said to Aeson: 
-«Why didn't you come as well together, 
but you just sent your son?». 

-«I wanted to test him», responded Aeson, 
«to see if he is fearless, as they should be the children of the heroes». 

«But in the name of Zeus, 
accept my child to educate him 
together with the other little heroes; and when he grows, 
let him go to Iolkos to look for his right». 

He extended kindly 
Centaur his hand 
to the blonde head of the little one and said to him: 
-«Did you hear what your father says? 
Do you want to stay with me? 
Aren't you afraid of me?». 

-«No», responded the little one. 
«The will of my father 
is mine too. Ahh, 
how would I also like to be Centaur and to have 
the same sweet voice!». 

Centaur smiled and said: 
-«Come then, 
sit near me. 
When the sun sets, 
they will return here also the other children 
and you will get to know them». 

Then, 
turning to the father of the child 
he said: 

-«You, Aeson, you can go with my best wishes and be patient, 
until they pass the difficult years. 
I hope, that your son 
will honor his generation». 

With tears in his eyes 
Aeson kissed his son, 
bid farewell to Centaur and left. 

It was about time for the sun to set, when were heard from the outside 
voices and footsteps. 
They were the young heroes, who returned from the hunt. 

«Come out to see our prey!». 
they were shouting to Centaur 
Pileas and Hercules, 
who had run ahead from the others. 

Centaur hastened 
to the entrance of the cave 
with the new student of his. 

-«I killed with my arc these two deers», 
Hercules was saying. -«And I killed the two roe deers», 
said Pileas. 

-«I cought alive 
these two wildcats 
that you see tied in the bushes!». 
Agkaios added. 

Orpheus had brought alive 
a wild goat; 

Caeneus 
two small bears; 
they were growling and were trying to bite his hands; 
he nevertheless was laughing, 
because he knew that neither human nor beast 
could hurt him. 

Centaur caressed and praised each of them 
for their strength and for their braveness. 

At that moment 
there appeared from a path another disciple. 

He was walking slowly with his head bent, 
as if he was thinking something important, 
and he was carrying in his hands 
various herbs. 

He went near Centaur 
and he said to him, showing a herb: 
-«It cures the bite of the snake. 

I saw a goat that was bitten by a poisonous snake; 
she run in a deep ravine, 
she ate from this herb and she was saved». 

«This other herb 
cures the diseases of the humans. 
A pastor who was very ill, 
I cured him with this!». 

When he heard 
the words of his disciple 
the wise Centaur said: 

-«Apollo and Athena 
are handing out to each one the charismas. 
To you, Asclepius, 
they gave the greatest». 

«The others are training 
in the art of war 
and they are learning how one 
can kill the others. 
You are looking for the medicines, 
in order to rescue all human beings from the death». 

Then the little heroes 
took the axes 
and began to shred woods 
in order to ignite fire. 
After they had lit the fire, 
they put to roast the deers 
which they killed in the hunt. 

Meanwhile, 
they went and washed at the spring, 
and then 
they sat and they dined with much appetite. 

When they finished supper, 
they talked with their wise teacher, 
and then 
they played the lyre and they sang. 

Centaur then rose from the table 
and he climbed on the top of a high rock. 
From there it seemed 
like silver the sea, 
as the moon illuminated it. 

He stood on the top, 
with his head raised towards the sky, 
and he began to play his lyre 
and to sing to the night 
with its shining stars 
and the silver moon. 

The children remained silent 
and listened to him. When he stepped down from the top, 
they run and they kissed his hands. Then 
each one went to sleep. 

After the children slept, Centaur remained alone out of the cave. 

He was staring the way of the moon 
and the position that each star had, 
and he was drawing it on a big shell. 

When finally the midnight arrived, he entered as well inside the cave, 
and he laid down on his mattress, 
that was prepared with myrtles 
and with woolly skins of bears. 

Next to Centaur 
there was sleeping the child of Aeson. 
A ray of the moon, that was entering into the cave, 
was illuminating the smiling face of the child; 
it seemed that he was seeing sweet dreams. 

At the sweet dawn Centaur woke up. 
He exited slowly from the cave 
and he went down to the fountain. 

He washed well, 
he made his prayer to the Gods, 
and he went up again to his cave. 

He took his trumpet, 
that was made from the horn of a bull 
and he blew three times. 
Immediately they jumped from their beds the kids 
and they ran to the fountain to wash themselves. 

Then, 
they raised their hands to the sky 
and they said: «Help us, oh gods, 
to become equal and better from our ancestors». 

When they returned to the cave, 
Centaur took them and they went to the forest. 

Ahead went the master 
and behind followed the children, 
and listened with attention 
to the wise words that he was telling them. 

The son of Aeson, 
as younger that he was, 
could not follow them 
to the long walk. 
The gentle Centauro lifted him then to ride over his shoulders. 

Thus they walked 
inside the forest, 
until the sun rose high up 
and started to gild 
the tops of the mountains. 

Then they returned to the cave, 
they ate bread, honey, and fresh butter, 
and they drank milk. 

After they ate, 
they took each one his lyre 
and they trained to the learning of music. 

Centaur was inspecting them all, 
he was correcting their mistakes 
and he was teaching them how to play the strings 
in order to make sounds more sweet. 

Afterwards 
they sat on thrones of stone that were dispersed 
under the shadow of the trees, 
and they were listening carefully 
to Centaur who was teaching. 

«The King», was saying the wise Centaur, 
«must sacrifice himself 
and all his possessions for his homeland. 

A single concern only 
must have the good king; 
how to make happy his people, 
and his kingdom strong and famed». 

In the evening they went to a totally green plain due to the vegetation; 
they took off their clothes 
and they trained in running, in wrestling, 
in jumping and in stone throwing. 

Vividly and happily the little heroes were training, 
and from their voices and their laughters 
they were echoing around the mountains and the gorges. 

When they finished the training, 
they lined up all together held by their arms 
and they started a dance. 

Centaur was playing his lyre 
and the children twisted, jumped, 
and moved sometimes forward 
and sometimes backward, 
according to the tune of the lyre. 

Thus they were dancing until the sun set, 
and while they were completely nude, 
they seemed like alive statues 
in the light of the night. 

Together with the others 
he was dancing cheerful also the child of Aeson; 
he was not thinking any more neither of Iolkos, 
nor of his friends, nor of his father. 

It didn't pass a long time 
and he became a handsome and strong young man. 

Centaur taught him 
everything that he thought he would need 
in order to become one day 
an invincible warrior and a famous one, 
and since often he let him ride on his back, 
he also made him a good rider. 

Along with these 
he also taught him many secrets of the medical science, 
and for that reason he called him Jason (the one who cures). 

The time was passing and each one of the little heroes 
was finishing his studies and was departing. 

Asclepius went to Peloponnese 
and was curing the sick people. 

Hercules 
was preparing to do his great achievements 
and Peleas was going to Fthia, 
in order to take as his wife Thetis, the water nymph 
and give birth to Achilles. 

There passed quite a few more years. 
One day Jason climped 
to the highest summit of the mountain 
and he sat there for a long time pensive. 

Turning around here and there his eyes, 
he saw toward the east 
the endless blue sea; 

a little closer, almost under his feet, 
he saw the juicy fields of his homeland, 
and then he saw Iolkos. 

His heart began to beat strongly, 
and a deep sigh 
escaped from his chest. 

At that moment Centauro appeared, 
and as he saw him pensive 
and heard his sighs he asked him: 

-«What happens to you, my son?». 
-«I would like to know», said Jason, 
«if it's true 
that I am the heir of the country 
that extends under this mountain». 

-«It's true», said Centaur. 
«But your unjust uncle will not want to grant you your rights». 

«He will command you to do 
many dangerous feats, 
and only the gods know, whether you shall manage 
to reign some day in Iolkos. 

You must not nevertheless forget 
that the gods always help the brave ones». 

-«There is nothing that scares me!». 
replied Jason. 
Then the wise Centaur said to him: 
-«Then go with my blessing. 
But you should never forget what I am going to tell you». 

«Whoever you encounter on the path of your life, 
man or woman, treat them politely. 

You should never give your word before you think well over it; 
but once you give it, you should keep it 
till you die». 

Thus they separated, 
and Jason descended to Iolkos. 

When Jason 
arrived to his homeland, 
Pelias got scared, 
and in order to ward him off from his side, he ordered him 
to go and fetch the Golden Fleece. 

Jason invited as partners 
many of the kids that he met 
in the cave of Centaur. 
Most of them were already famous heroes. 

Following the advice of the goddess Athena 
he built a ship 
and he named it Argo. 

He entered in the ship with his companions, 
he lifted the sails 
and he started his journey to Colchis. 

It had already started to dawn, 
when Argo was sailing under mountain Pelio. 

At that moment the Argonauts woke, 
and as they saw the mountain, 
they remembered their school years. 

«Why don't we go out», says Peleas, 
«to see our master 
and also receive his blessing? 
Who knows if we will ever see him again! 

Also up there lives my precious son Achilles, 
whom so much my soul is looking for». 

Willingly they all accepted these words of his 
and they went out to the mountain. 

When they arrived to the cave, 
they found Centaur lying down 
and next to him they saw little Achilles 
playing the lyre. 

When Centaur saw them he got up all happy, 
he embraced them one by one, 
he kissed them and he begged them 
to stay a little with him. 

Achilles run 
in the arms of his father 
and after he kissed him, 
he begun to play with his rich armor. 

-«He can't wait», said Centaur; 
and caressed Achilles, 
who was trying to pull from it's scabbard 
the sword of his father. 

Meanwhile Centaur prepared the table 
with tender meats from deers 
and small wild boars, 
and he had filled up the flasks with old wine. 

The argonauts sat 
and ate with much appetite; 
when they emptied the flasks, 
they begged Orpheus 
to play his lyre and to sing. 

Orpheus out of respect for the master 
didn't want to start, 
and for this reason Centaur sung first. 

After he sung 
as always sweetly, 
he turned to Orpheus and said to him, 
passing him his lyre: 

-«I, my son, have grown old now 
and my voice has weakened. 
Take my lyre 
and sing for our sake 
the song of the sea». 

Orpheus stood up from the table 
and climped on a high rock. 

From there he begun to sing 
about the sea the blue, 
that takes the ships 
and drives them to distant lands. 

While Orpheus was singing, his voice was raising 
above the cliffs 
and was pouring soft and sweet all around. 

The trees were bowing their tops 
in order to receive the music, 
and were resounding it downward the slopes and the gorges. 

They stopped all startled the wild beasts 
and begun to crawl tamed 
towards the place from where it was coming 
the magic song. 

And the birds held their flight 
and stood above the cave, 
in order to listen to the melody. 

When he finished the song, 
Centaur hugged Orpheus, 
he kissed him and told him: 

-«You have enchanted me, my boy. 
Apollo and your mother, Kalliopi, 
they offered you the most precious gifts. 
I wish that Zeus will give to you every kind of happiness». 

-«Thank you», responded Orpheus; 
«but since I lost 
my beloved Eurydice, 
no happiness exist for me». 

-«The greatest happiness», 
said the wise Centaur, 
«is for someone to be able 
to make the others happy». 

The time arrived for them to leave 
and Centaur accompanied them till the shore. 
When Argo reached the open sea, the Argonauts turned their eyes towards Pelio. 

There they saw at the top Centaur, 
with raised hands towards the sky, 
in order to make his prayer. 

He was praying to the gods 
to assist the heroes 
in the big and dangerous voyage of them 
to Colchis. 

END.