In Greek mythology, the centaurs are a race part human and part horse, with a horse’s body and a human head and torso. Dwelling in the mountains of Thessaly, the centaurs were the offspring of Ixion and Nephele, the rain-cloud. Alternatively, the centaurs were the offspring of Kentauros (the son of Ixion and Nephele) and some Magnesian mares or of Apollo and Hebe. The Centaurs are best known for their fight with the Lapithae, caused by their attempt to carry off Hippodamia (a &quothorse&quot woman herself) on the day of her marriage to Peirithous, king of the Lapithae, himself the son of Ixion. The strife among these cousins is a metaphor for the conflict between the lower appetites and civilized behavior in humankind. Theseus, who happened to be present, a hero and founder of cities, threw the balance in favor of the right order of things, and assisted Pirithous. The Centaurs were driven off.