On the way to capture the Erymanthian Boar, Heracles visited Pholus, a kind centaur and old friend. Heracles ate with him and asked for wine; Pholus had only one jar of wine, a gift from Dionysus to all the centaurs on Mt Erymanthus. Heracles convinced him to open it, and the smell attracted the other centaurs, who attacked, angry that their wine had been opened. Heracles shot at them with his poisonous arrows, and the centaurs retreated to Chiron's cave. Both Chiron and Pholus were killed by stray arrows.
Ovid XII, 306.
Search Encyclopedia
|
Featured Article
|