Centaurs - inconvenient shape

[tantric]

Does anyone know of an internet resource that discuss what centaurs can and cannot do given their morphology? As in, can a centaur reach its tail?

Or, alternately, we can discuss it here.

[Anthony]

Depends on the actual shape and articulation of a centaur; mythological creatures are not standardized.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by tantric

Does anyone know of an internet resource that discuss what centaurs can and cannot do given their morphology? As in, can a centaur reach its tail?

Like according to Greek myth? That's not really the sort of thing that the pre-Helleistic oral tradition really worried about, is it?

[tantric]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Like according to Greek myth? That's not really the sort of thing that the pre-Helleistic oral tradition really worried about, is it?

I was thinking more Gygaxian. Something like "the Ecology of the Centaur". Is there something with some internal anatomy that's vaguely believable? I'm elaborating on the centaur culture in my campaign world. Their shape is so weird, it's hard to envision certain parts of their culture.

[Anthony]

Well, based on this image (warning: nude greek stonework, though the genitals seem to have suffered the ravages of time), the equine part of the body is much smaller than an actual horse, and reaching the tail looks at least plausible.

[tantric]

That's actually helpful, I hadn't considered making them smaller than horses.

If you want verisimilitude in a fantasy society, you need to consider a species' basic biology. Do they have to sit down to touch the ground? Can they reach every part of their body? Where are the mammary glands and how do the young nurse? A mother can't pick up her baby, right?

[Irish Wolf]

Remember that despite the equine portion, they can't be grass-eaters, at least not of Terran grass; there's no way to shove enough grass through a human mouth to keep an equine going. There's a reason horses and cows have such large mouths...

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by tantric

That's actually helpful, I hadn't considered making them smaller than horses.

If you want verisimilitude in a fantasy society, you need to consider a species' basic biology. Do they have to sit down to touch the ground? Can they reach every part of their body? Where are the mammary glands and how do the young nurse? A mother can't pick up her baby, right?

Humans can pick up colts, so centaurs ought to be able to as well.

John Varley's Gaea trilogy (TITAN, WIZARD, DEMON) is the most realistic SF treatment of centaurs that I can think of, though Gene Wolfe's fantastic Soldier books (SOLDIER OF THE MIST, SOLDIER OF ARETE) have some specific physical elements like smaller, ponylike bodies. Varley had redundant organs on both torsos, including three sets of genitalia (both of equine variety and scale, single alternating varieties on the human).

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by Irish Wolf

Remember that despite the equine portion, they can't be grass-eaters, at least not of Terran grass; there's no way to shove enough grass through a human mouth to keep an equine going. There's a reason horses and cows have such large mouths...

Greek Centaurs were hunters... hence the common depictions with bows and spears.

They also won't have a horse's endurance, as they can't move enough air for even a large-goat sized body through a human nose and throat for that level of exertion. Now, if one were to give them a horse's head, or at least a larger neck and huge nose (bigger than Jimmy Durante's, with wider openings), they might be able to maintain pace. Or secondary nostrils on the back.

[Danukian]

Originally Posted by ak_aramis

Greek Centaurs were hunters... hence the common depictions with bows and spears.

They also won't have a horse's endurance, as they can't move enough air for even a large-goat sized body through a human nose and throat for that level of exertion. Now, if one were to give them a horse's head, or at least a larger neck and huge nose (bigger than Jimmy Durante's, with wider openings), they might be able to maintain pace. Or secondary nostrils on the back.

They would have restrictions to the amount of air they pass through their neck/nostrils, but could possibly have the lung capacity of a horse and a human combined, allowing a slow, steady circulation of a huge amount of air.