The centaur is a creature in the Harry Potter book series and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. They are half-human, half-horse. They are their own species and not a half-breed. They are exceptionally proud creatures and skilled at healing, astronomy, divination and archery. They live in herds with one colony living in the Forbidden Forest.
Even though they have human intelligence, centaurs choose to have the beast status instead of being so they are separate to Dark creatures like hags and vampires. Centaurs prefer to focus on their own business separately to wizardkind.
About[]
Firenze, a Centaur
The centaur has the head, torso and arms of a human, and the body of a horse. They are intelligent and capable of speech, and they live in herds of ten to fifty centaurs. They are forest-dwelling. Their ways are mainly unknown because they do not trust wizards, but they are known to be very skilled at archery, healing, astronomy and divination.[1] They live in the wild away from humans by choice, and do not want to wear clothing. However, their intelligence is equal to humans.[2] They can be one of several different colours.[1]
Centaurs originated in Greece but have colonies across Europe now,[1] They are exceptionally proud creatures who value their independence and consider it shameful to work in servitude. There are centuars who say it is wrong to help wizards and hate carrying anyone on their back like a horse.[3] They banish centaurs from their herd if they feel the centaur has betrayed them, even physically harming them and potentially killing them.[4]
The centaur is the type of creature to avoid Muggles and as such, does not cause infractions of the International Statute of Secrecy.[5] They have a high beast classification because they have to be treated with great respect and is not due to an aggressive nature.[1]
History[]
In the twelfth century, the Chief of the Wizards' Council, Burdock Muldoon gave centaurs the beast status because his definition of a being was a creature with two legs even though centaurs could understand shape wizarding law. His successor, Elfrida Clagg changed the definition of a being to those that could understand and speak human languages. However, even though centaurs reached her definition of a being, they refused to attend her gathering in protest because merpeople did not because they can only speak Mermish above water.[2]
In 1692, centaurs sent a delegation to a summit held by the International Confederation of Wizards to discuss the International Statute of Secrecy and how they can conceal wizarding creatures. Before the Statute of Secrecy, centaurs were known to Muggles and often appeared in art and literature throughout the Middle Ages. After the Statute was enacted, centaurs have been stringently hidden from Muggle knowledge and they've grown to believe centaurs are fictional.[6]
The statute has worked in favour of the centaurs who prefer a life in hiding and Muggle-repelling charms have been put in sections of the forests that they live in.[5] Wizarding governments in each country had to find living spaces for centaurs, but centaurs didn't need their help securing their protections because they had their own ways of hiding.[1] Centaurs were also invited to a meeting to discuss precisely how many magical creatures had to be concealed. After seven weeks of discussion with other creatures, centaurs agreed with everyone other than goblins that twenty-seven species had to be hidden.[6]
In 1811, Grogan Stump reached a finalised definition to what a being is - they need to have the ability to understand and take part in shaping wizarding law. Centaurs could have been classified a being but objected to being put in the same category that Dark creatures like hags and vampires are in. Preferring to focus on and control their own lives separate to wizards, they refused to help shape wizarding laws and asked to be classified as beasts.[2]
Even though the Ministry of Magic reluctancy accepted their choice and classified centaurs as beast, they established a Centaur Liaison Office in the Beast Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures but no centaur has ever used it.[2]
At least one known herd lives in the Forbidden Forest. Firenze was pro-human and was unashamed of helping wizards.[7]
Known centaurs[]
Notes and sources[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: An A-Z of Fantastic Beasts (Centaur)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Introduction (What is a Beast?)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 9
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 26
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Introduction (Magical Beasts in Hiding)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Introduction (A Brief History of Muggle Awareness of Fantastic Beasts)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 15