Philyra
An Oceanid nymph who bore the centaur Chiron after Kronos mated with her in the form of a horse.
The Myth of Philyra
Philyra was an Oceanid, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, who lived on an island in the Black Sea. Kronos desired her but was interrupted by his wife Rhea. To disguise himself, Kronos transformed into a stallion — and in that form, coupled with Philyra. The result was Chiron, born as a centaur: human from the waist up, horse below.
Philyra was horrified by her child's appearance. In some versions she begged the gods to transform her into anything else, and they turned her into a linden tree (philyra is the Greek word for linden). In other tellings, she simply abandoned Chiron on Mount Pelion and vanished from the story.
But the child she rejected became the noblest figure in Greek mythology's supporting cast. Chiron grew to be wise, gentle, and learned in medicine, music, and prophecy. He tutored Achilles, Jason, Asclepius, and a dozen other heroes. Everything good that came from Chiron — and it was considerable — originated in this unhappy union on a Black Sea island between a shape-shifting Titan and an unwilling nymph.
Parents
Oceanus and Tethys
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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