#study for Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

William Adolphe Bouguereau (French, 1825-1905) Female Study, ca.1858 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, probably 1560s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.5 x 21.9 cm (2 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7 x 22.5 cm (2 3/4 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.670

[achilleswasaqueer]

Caeneus, the (Transgender) Greek Hero

(Trigger warning: rape, uneven pronoun usage due to the way Ovid told the story)

As Nestor tells the tale in Ovid’s Metamorphosis to a group of rapt soldiers (Achilles among them), he says, “...long ago I saw another man able to bear unharmed a thousand strokes, Caeneus of Thessaly, Caeneus who lived upon Mt. Orthrys. He was famed in war yet, strange to say, by birth he was a woman!”

Nestor goes on to tell the tale thus: Caenis was the daughter of Elatus, a Lapith chieftain. By all reports, she was stunningly beautiful but “never became the bride of any suitor.” One day, as she walked along a lonely shore, Poseidon abducted and raped her - just as he had done to Medusa. When the act of violence was done, he told Caenis that he would grant her a wish.

“The great wrong which I have suffered from you justifies the wonderful request that I must make,” Caenis said to the god of the sea. “I ask that I may never suffer such an injury again. Grant I may be no longer woman, and I’ll ask no more.”

By the end of the sentence, the transformation had begun. Poseidon turned Caenis into Caeneus, and he also gave the young man skin that was “proof against all wounds of spear or sword” - Caeneus would never again by penetrated by man, in any sense of the word.

After his transformation, Caeneus set out to travel Thessaly and had many adventures as the warrior that he became. He had a son, who sailed with Jason as an Argonaut (see: Apollonius of Rhodes), and he fought in the war between the Lapiths and the centaurs. Because he could not be killed by the weapons of man, he made a fearsome enemy, and the story goes that he felled five of them in battle before the centaur Latreus approached Caeneus and taunted him with the knowledge of his transformation. “Go, pick up your distaff and basket of wool and twist the spun thread with your thumb: leave war to men.”

Caeneus defeated Latreus, decisively and with ease. The centaurs, in their fear, buried Caeneus under a mound of rocks and trees. As Nestor says:

‘His fate is doubtful: some said his body was thrust down to empty Tartarus, by the mass of forest: but Mopsus, the son of Ampycus denied this. He saw a bird with tawny wings fly into the clear air from the midst of the pile, which I saw also, then, for the first and last time ever. As Mopsus watched him smoothly circling his camp in flight, making a great noise, he pursued him with mind and vision, saying “Hail to you, Caeneus, glory of the race of Lapiths, once a great hero, but now a bird alone!” The thing was believed because of its author: grief was added to anger, and we could barely accept one man being conquered by so many enemies. Nor did we cease to work off our pain with the sword until half were dead, and half, fleeing, were swallowed by the night.’

This story is important for a number of reasons:

One, the presence of a trans man in Greek myth isn’t really covered in most classics courses that one can take - he is a relatively minor character, and though his story is powerful, it is dwarfed by stories like those of Achilles or Odysseus.

Two, it is really interesting to follow the pronoun usage in Ovid; once Caeneus is transformed by Poseidon, he is thereafter always referred to as a man (with the exception of the centaur’s taunting). The implication here is very simple: once the transformation takes place, Caeneus IS a man. There is no room for interpretation, Ovid makes Caeneus’ manhood very clear. The unique nature of how he came by his manhood is subject for wonderment, but not scorn or derision (except, again, on the part of the centaurs - who in the myth are the villains anyway, so it serves to bolster the narrative that they are the only ones unable to accept Caeneus and are slain by him even in their disbelief).

The story of Caeneus is tremendously powerful. A man takes his past and his trauma and weaves it into strength, and becomes a self-made man in a world that accepts him but doesn’t necessarily understand him. He becomes a famed warrior and a hero, so much so that Achilles himself clamors to hear his tale. This story is exactly why we study the classics; it has tragedy and pain, but the pain is followed by intense bravery and the story of a man finding himself and overcoming his obstacles to become the warrior he was meant to be. There’s something very beautiful in that.

Sources:

Ovid, Metamorphosis book XII

Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica

[sutdog]

Asteroid #8405 Asbolus

In mythology, Asbolus was a seer, or augur, with a reputation for accurately predicting the future. He foresaw the Centaurs' battle against the Lapiths at Pirithous' wedding, and how much of a calamity it would be for the Centaurs, but tried in vain to persuade them from fighting. And yet this Centaur is also said to have led the pack of Centaurs that rampaged toward Pholus' cave in an attempt to get the wine. And for this, Heracles is said to have crucified Asbolus with his arrows. The smell of the wine pervading the air, apparently, deadened Asbolus' abilities as a seer.

Asbolus: Asbolus was a prophet and seer for the Centaurs; he had an overly stern sense of justice that led to his death in the battle with Hercules. He is seen as representing management, achievement, leadership and materialism; it would seem he can see into the future especially as concerns loss, injustice or destruction but his words are not always heeded. Astrologer Johathan Dunn notes that Asbolus is prominent in the charts of people who are serious and even bitter. This Centaur insists that one always, always must follow their intuition. Typically real life circumstances demand their payment for failure to adhere to instinct. Leading charges against causes not worth engaging bring short circuits of life efforts and a significant loss of energy. Studying intuition and psychic development feed the protocol of Asbolus. Learning augury or reading the omens and totems of life restore Asbolus-like guidance.

Keywords: intuitive auger, wisdom going unheeded, eagle + serpent, magician, preacher, secrets, hiding, mystery, taboo, confession, alchemy, mysteries of blood

Positive: intuitive, clairvoyance, dreams, intrepid, courageous, leading the charge, motivated to reach the top, intuitive, wise, common sense insightful, solid advice, drive for accomplishment

Negative: intoxicated, disconnected from the bigger picture, intense, humorless, fearful, serious, bitter, foggy lack of sensibility, blind action, failing to follow instincts/intuitions, omens or sensors, easily intoxicated, unable to receive advice from self/others, not following wisdom given Neutral: common sense, intuitive forces, mountain climbing, abstract logic, extreme sense of smell

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, probably 1560s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.5 x 21.9 cm (2 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7 x 22.5 cm (2 3/4 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.669

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, probably 1560s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.5 x 21.9 cm (2 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7 x 22.5 cm (2 3/4 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.667

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.6 x 21.9 cm (2 5/8 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7.1 x 22.5 cm (2 13/16 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.674

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.5 x 21.9 cm (2 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7 x 22.5 cm (2 3/4 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.671

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, probably 1560s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.5 x 21.9 cm (2 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7 x 22.5 cm (2 3/4 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.668

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.5 x 21.9 cm (2 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7.1 x 22.3 cm (2 13/16 x 8 3/4 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.673

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, probably 1560s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.5 x 21.9 cm (2 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7 x 22.5 cm (2 3/4 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.675

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, probably 1560s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.5 x 21.9 cm (2 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7 x 22.5 cm (2 3/4 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.668

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, probably 1560s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.5 x 21.9 cm (2 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7 x 22.5 cm (2 3/4 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.668

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.6 x 21.9 cm (2 5/8 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7.1 x 22.5 cm (2 13/16 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.674

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.6 x 21.9 cm (2 5/8 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7.1 x 22.3 cm (2 13/16 x 8 3/4 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.672

[cma-prints]

Combats and Triumphs, Etienne Delaune, probably 1560s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Prints

Etienne Delaune (French, 1518/19-1583) Combats and Triumphs, probably 1560s Engravings Gift of Leonard C. Hanna 1924.671-.674 The Triumph of Bacchus Battle of Men and Animals Combat of the Naked Men Battle of the Centaurs and the Lapiths The four prints shown here come from a series of twelve known as the Combats and Triumphs. The friezelike composition reflects the artist's study of marble relief carvings on Greek and Roman sarcophagi (coffins), here reduced to a preciously small setting. Against a flat, stagelike background, Delaune's balletic warriors engage in a Mannerist version of artificial war. Etienne Delaune was inspired by the art created at Fontainebleau, but he worked in Paris and then Strasbourg during the late 1500s. His small, exquisitely executed engravings reflect his training as a goldsmith and his work as a medallist. Size: Image: 6.5 x 21.9 cm (2 9/16 x 8 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 7 x 22.5 cm (2 3/4 x 8 7/8 in.) Medium: engraving

https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.677