So! I just had a thought the other day after a discussion with my partner. Why don't we see many centaurs in fantasy movies and games, or in roleplays? Now that I think about it, I can only recall seeing centaurs in the Harry Potter movies and in World of Warcraft. Vampires, werewolves, fae and tieflings/demons are a lot more prevalent in media and RP in my experience but never have I come across a centaur in an RP. I am wondering if they are perhaps in that middle ground between being "too human" for furries to be interested and "too animal" for players who prefer humanoids. But for a fantasy setting that does not involve any kind of ERP, centaurs could be really interesting imo. There is this old painting I love because it tells such a story in a simple way and raises many interesting questions.
What WOULD a fantasy city or town be like if centaurs lived there too? Would they live in their own camps outside the borders of the city, or would they have refuge in stables? What would a house specifically built for a centaur look like? Would humans find them uncanny, would cultures between human and centaur be different or would they get along?
What're your thoughts? Have you come across or played a centaur in an RP before? š
What WOULD a fantasy city or town be like if centaurs lived there too? Would they live in their own camps outside the borders of the city, or would they have refuge in stables? What would a house specifically built for a centaur look like? Would humans find them uncanny, would cultures between human and centaur be different or would they get along?
What're your thoughts? Have you come across or played a centaur in an RP before? š
Hoookay. I have been summoned here by my friend because centaurs make me cry (frick you anatomy like how am i supposed to work with it aaaaa) i may ramble and i do apologise if it seems disjointed and for probably horrible spelling.
How centaurs would interact in fantasy settings would entirely depend on who was making the story and how they wanted to have the species interact with others. If were going based on horse psychology, you could even have varying groups who bicker about whether the "two legged" populations can be trusted or not. I like to think you can have both "integrated into society" and "reclusive hunter gatherer" centaurs in the same settings.
If i was to make a town that was livable for centaurs or centaur travelers (i primarily play dnd campaigns and text rps). First call of business would have a part of the kitchen with access to the outside (like a canteen/tuck shop (sorry for aus slang) so that those who are claustrophobic do not have to go inside to order a meal. Would also have raised tables outdoors for centaurs and other large races to stand at and socialise with each other. NOW if you had centaurs who had overcome or had less issues about being indoors, doors would be double doors so that the larger breed centaurs can enter and exit without issue and preferably swing both ways for easy of movement or else risk some awkward maneuvering. Also many shops would have a part of the store accessible to the road (like the tavern example) so that the shopkeeper can take a centaurs order without the shops needed to be much larger to accommodate 8 ft long of horse and 6ft tall of human. Lots of things would need to be accessible from walkways if you wanted centaur to do business with you. Streets would have to be wider and small narrow alleyways with sharp corners would be near inaccessible to centaur due to their length. Not sure how well it would work for centaurs, but lots of flat level areas to rest would also be necessary because if centaurs have the same lung structure as a horse, sleeping down inclines or accidentally rolling over against a wall could get them stuck and [possibly unsettling horse fact] cause their lungs to collapse.
Centaurs could live in a variety of homes. The more nomadic ones can obv sleep under the stars or hang tarps from trees if they wanted some extra protection from the elements. However if you wanted to house a centaur, both temporary accommodation (like a horse stable) could be suitable if a larger roofed house with larger doorways was not available to them. I actually had a house built in a dnd game for my 5'3 centaur pony. It more reflected human designs but the bed was more like the japanese mats rather than a bedframe and lower cupboards wouldnt have doors on them to make accessing easier.
As for the uncanny thing. Its kinda like anything. If youre exposed to something often enough, it stops being weird. A human whos never seen or heard of a centaur might freak out compared to the blacksmith just a few towns over who makes shoes for them. Also shoes for centaurs is such a cool idea because it implies that theyre working more closely with humans and on rougher terrain more often that their hooves need protection or else they go lame (sore). Im sure a blacksmith would love having centaurs over horses as clients because you can tell the centaur to hold steady and the centaur can tell them exactly what the problem is rather than going through all the guesswork with a horse or other non intelligent horse adjacent species.
And to answer your main question... we done see centaurs often in movies, shows ect is probably because of how difficult it would be to make it move and act in a realistic way without it seeming too weird or uncanny. I frequently cringe at animated and drawn horses because even small incorrect anatomy makes a big difference between realistic and wrong (please stop drawing horse legs like a dogs leg. its not the same T-T /jk)
How centaurs would interact in fantasy settings would entirely depend on who was making the story and how they wanted to have the species interact with others. If were going based on horse psychology, you could even have varying groups who bicker about whether the "two legged" populations can be trusted or not. I like to think you can have both "integrated into society" and "reclusive hunter gatherer" centaurs in the same settings.
If i was to make a town that was livable for centaurs or centaur travelers (i primarily play dnd campaigns and text rps). First call of business would have a part of the kitchen with access to the outside (like a canteen/tuck shop (sorry for aus slang) so that those who are claustrophobic do not have to go inside to order a meal. Would also have raised tables outdoors for centaurs and other large races to stand at and socialise with each other. NOW if you had centaurs who had overcome or had less issues about being indoors, doors would be double doors so that the larger breed centaurs can enter and exit without issue and preferably swing both ways for easy of movement or else risk some awkward maneuvering. Also many shops would have a part of the store accessible to the road (like the tavern example) so that the shopkeeper can take a centaurs order without the shops needed to be much larger to accommodate 8 ft long of horse and 6ft tall of human. Lots of things would need to be accessible from walkways if you wanted centaur to do business with you. Streets would have to be wider and small narrow alleyways with sharp corners would be near inaccessible to centaur due to their length. Not sure how well it would work for centaurs, but lots of flat level areas to rest would also be necessary because if centaurs have the same lung structure as a horse, sleeping down inclines or accidentally rolling over against a wall could get them stuck and [possibly unsettling horse fact] cause their lungs to collapse.
Centaurs could live in a variety of homes. The more nomadic ones can obv sleep under the stars or hang tarps from trees if they wanted some extra protection from the elements. However if you wanted to house a centaur, both temporary accommodation (like a horse stable) could be suitable if a larger roofed house with larger doorways was not available to them. I actually had a house built in a dnd game for my 5'3 centaur pony. It more reflected human designs but the bed was more like the japanese mats rather than a bedframe and lower cupboards wouldnt have doors on them to make accessing easier.
As for the uncanny thing. Its kinda like anything. If youre exposed to something often enough, it stops being weird. A human whos never seen or heard of a centaur might freak out compared to the blacksmith just a few towns over who makes shoes for them. Also shoes for centaurs is such a cool idea because it implies that theyre working more closely with humans and on rougher terrain more often that their hooves need protection or else they go lame (sore). Im sure a blacksmith would love having centaurs over horses as clients because you can tell the centaur to hold steady and the centaur can tell them exactly what the problem is rather than going through all the guesswork with a horse or other non intelligent horse adjacent species.
And to answer your main question... we done see centaurs often in movies, shows ect is probably because of how difficult it would be to make it move and act in a realistic way without it seeming too weird or uncanny. I frequently cringe at animated and drawn horses because even small incorrect anatomy makes a big difference between realistic and wrong (please stop drawing horse legs like a dogs leg. its not the same T-T /jk)
Thanks for your interesting points! 
I'm glad I'm not the only one having these questions rolling around in my head haha.
I grew up with World of Warcraft where the world is very intricate in the sense that opinion against different species vary vastly. There are those who are within the same faction (Alliance/Horde) who hold different opinions and there are creatures that generally are hostile to all in-game who might have the odd "Friendly" NPC, so it's not "every X is bad and evil" but rather a nuance. I imagine it could be the same with centaurs; some humans - or maybe specific human provinces/cities - could be more opposed to centaurs. And I'm sure some centaurs might be more set in their own ways and live simpler lives closer to nature and see humans as harmfull to the land with how much they build and expand etc etc. I like the idea of different tribes and unique customs within said tribes, so its not "every centaur is the same".
I'm wondering if centaurs might offer services to humans, like transportation or heavy labour. Like plowing fields or transporting goods/people between cities. Maybe some humans would prefer to work with them because, like you say, they can actually communicate. On the other hand centaurs would surely demand pay and not be easily bribed with just carrots unlike a horse lol. I wonder if they'd make good mercenaries?
I agree with you that the cost and difficulty of animating/CGI-ing horse-human hybrids might be a big part in why we don't see them as much in movies or shows. Its unfortunate though, with how good the technology is I feel like they should be able to pull it off. I genuinely also think its the issue of "we don't want to make this horse-person look too hot" for fear of people shipping even non-romantic characters with some human main character etc etc, especially in live-action movies or shows. I can see it get dicey, but its sad. Centaurs are cool and deserve more screen time š
I'm glad I'm not the only one having these questions rolling around in my head haha.I grew up with World of Warcraft where the world is very intricate in the sense that opinion against different species vary vastly. There are those who are within the same faction (Alliance/Horde) who hold different opinions and there are creatures that generally are hostile to all in-game who might have the odd "Friendly" NPC, so it's not "every X is bad and evil" but rather a nuance. I imagine it could be the same with centaurs; some humans - or maybe specific human provinces/cities - could be more opposed to centaurs. And I'm sure some centaurs might be more set in their own ways and live simpler lives closer to nature and see humans as harmfull to the land with how much they build and expand etc etc. I like the idea of different tribes and unique customs within said tribes, so its not "every centaur is the same".
I'm wondering if centaurs might offer services to humans, like transportation or heavy labour. Like plowing fields or transporting goods/people between cities. Maybe some humans would prefer to work with them because, like you say, they can actually communicate. On the other hand centaurs would surely demand pay and not be easily bribed with just carrots unlike a horse lol. I wonder if they'd make good mercenaries?
I agree with you that the cost and difficulty of animating/CGI-ing horse-human hybrids might be a big part in why we don't see them as much in movies or shows. Its unfortunate though, with how good the technology is I feel like they should be able to pull it off. I genuinely also think its the issue of "we don't want to make this horse-person look too hot" for fear of people shipping even non-romantic characters with some human main character etc etc, especially in live-action movies or shows. I can see it get dicey, but its sad. Centaurs are cool and deserve more screen time š
Centaurs definitely could offer to do heavy labour jobs. And it would be the same as paying for standard human labour. And it theoretically would work out kinda even when compared to keeping and maintaining a horse/ox compared to a paying a wage.
Iāve thought about carriage centaurs kinda being hired like you would a limo. Someone driving it for you n such. Obviously field work would be another good one, especially during harvest seasons and those centaurs might even take goods over money for the winter stores. Mail centaurs too. Heaps of jobs that use horses/large livestock that could easily be supplemented by centaurs. And even just like. Shepherd centaurs. Able to doze off whilst standing and able to run faster than a human ever could would be perfect to look after sheep.
Mercenaries. I mean. Any race can be a mercenary and centaurs already are known to be hunters and protectors so I donāt think there would be much of a leap to do the same thing but get paid for it.
Iāve thought about carriage centaurs kinda being hired like you would a limo. Someone driving it for you n such. Obviously field work would be another good one, especially during harvest seasons and those centaurs might even take goods over money for the winter stores. Mail centaurs too. Heaps of jobs that use horses/large livestock that could easily be supplemented by centaurs. And even just like. Shepherd centaurs. Able to doze off whilst standing and able to run faster than a human ever could would be perfect to look after sheep.
Mercenaries. I mean. Any race can be a mercenary and centaurs already are known to be hunters and protectors so I donāt think there would be much of a leap to do the same thing but get paid for it.
Another interesting point is also like you say, their anatomy as far as lungs and stomachs etc go since they technically have two torsos. And something I've thought about is if they at all require clothing on their upper part to be comfortable. Since they have human skin on their humanoid part it makes sense that they can get cold or sunburnt, but on the other hand most media that actually does have centaurs tend to show them with no clothing so just like a wild horses more or less, or minimal clothing like the centaurs in WoW. Ooh, what if they have little boots š special horseshoe-boots for fancy dinners or whatnots! (No heels though rofl)
After searching a little for centaurs in media, I found this snippet of a movie about centaurs from 1921! Apparently this is all that's left and most of the movie is lost. But just - look at those animations. Especially of the little one at the end
I can only imagine the struggle of hand-animating all that haha! I would love to see a movie like that though, shame its lost.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Centaurs.ogv
After searching a little for centaurs in media, I found this snippet of a movie about centaurs from 1921! Apparently this is all that's left and most of the movie is lost. But just - look at those animations. Especially of the little one at the end
I can only imagine the struggle of hand-animating all that haha! I would love to see a movie like that though, shame its lost.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Centaurs.ogv
Min-ya wrote:
After searching a little for centaurs in media, I found this snippet of a movie about centaurs from 1921! Apparently this is all that's left and most of the movie is lost. But just - look at those animations. Especially of the little one at the end I can only imagine the struggle of hand-animating all that haha! I would love to see a movie like that though, shame its lost.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Centaurs.ogv
I can only imagine the struggle of hand-animating all that haha! I would love to see a movie like that though, shame its lost.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Centaurs.ogv
Pfft, dude just randomly kills and ignores a buzzard for no reason. And the goofy little foal.
I remember there's animated centaurs in the original Fantasia collection from Disney. It's a very... springtime sequence that definitely also has a lot of contemporary influences. Here's a piece of that sequence featuring them dancing with Bacchus and making wine:
There's also a moment during the part where the centaurs are coupling up that references the Rococo swing painting, with a male centaur pushing a female centaur on a swing that's set up as a much larger platform to better support the whole horse end. Also, centaur cuddles that may or may not make sense to a horse expert?
I think the true reason why we don't see centaurs in movies or shows has more to do with the fact that nobody's telling a story that involves them. We do see them in Harry Potter when they apply to the screen time, but otherwise, we're not really presented with situations where centaurs exist, and even when we are, it's generally noted that centaurs don't trust or like humans.
That said, here are, however, about 11 movies that do feature centaurs in some way.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe & Prince Caspian: Featuring Centaurs as noble warriors/generals.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (and others): Featuring centaurs in the Forbidden Forest.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) & Sea of Monsters (2013): Featuring Chiron.
Fantasia (1940): Centaurs appear in the "Pastoral Symphony" segment.
Disney's Hercules (1997): Features various centaurs.
Onward (2020): Features police officer centaurs.
Bright (2017): Features centaur LAPD officers.
Trolls World Tour (2020): Introduces country music centaur trolls.
Step Brothers (2008): Features a centaur in a dream sequence.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014): Features animated, inauthentic centaur figures.
And, as for thinking they're hot, I would remind you, that's already happened. It states in the fifth Harry Potter book that Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and several other older girls thought Firenze was incredibly pleasing to look at. I guarantee that has spurred several fanfictions.
That said, here are, however, about 11 movies that do feature centaurs in some way.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe & Prince Caspian: Featuring Centaurs as noble warriors/generals.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (and others): Featuring centaurs in the Forbidden Forest.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) & Sea of Monsters (2013): Featuring Chiron.
Fantasia (1940): Centaurs appear in the "Pastoral Symphony" segment.
Disney's Hercules (1997): Features various centaurs.
Onward (2020): Features police officer centaurs.
Bright (2017): Features centaur LAPD officers.
Trolls World Tour (2020): Introduces country music centaur trolls.
Step Brothers (2008): Features a centaur in a dream sequence.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014): Features animated, inauthentic centaur figures.
And, as for thinking they're hot, I would remind you, that's already happened. It states in the fifth Harry Potter book that Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and several other older girls thought Firenze was incredibly pleasing to look at. I guarantee that has spurred several fanfictions.
Zelphyr wrote:
I remember there's animated centaurs in the original Fantasia collection from Disney. It's a very... springtime sequence that definitely also has a lot of contemporary influences. Here's a piece of that sequence featuring them dancing with Bacchus and making wine:
There's also a moment during the part where the centaurs are coupling up that references the Rococo swing painting, with a male centaur pushing a female centaur on a swing that's set up as a much larger platform to better support the whole horse end. Also, centaur cuddles that may or may not make sense to a horse expert?
Honestly the centaur from Fantasia was one of the only things that interested me in that movie as a child haha, its such a great scene. I love how that little clip shows parts of their lives and how things work for them, like the swing you mentioned for example. Old Disney was great at hand-drawn animation but I can only imagine the time and effort especially to draw the dancing. Superb! š
Also kind of interesting that they really went the fantasy style on it with the colors, like green etc to make it more removed from both regular horses and humans.
To TheCaffeineQueen: Thank you for the list! Some of those I had not heard about. Do the centaurs take main stage in any of those? I find that even movies and shows that include centaurs make them more a supporting character or "flair" in the world, but I'm really really interested to find something where they are the main characters so to speak, or at least take up a chunk of the time. A little like how orcs were treated in the Warcraft movie. Though, I don't think there is much of it because as you say, it is not the center of the stories that are being told, for whatever reason. I can imagine centaurs might be hard to make into main characters. Maybe it wouldn't sell well, who knows. Its a little nische I suppose.
I donāt believe any of them star the centaur as the main character. They are more āsideā characters, if you will.
But I honestly think the problem with that is, what story would even be told about the centaur? Following everything we know about them, I canāt think of a logical story that even could be told.
But I honestly think the problem with that is, what story would even be told about the centaur? Following everything we know about them, I canāt think of a logical story that even could be told.
TheCaffeineQueen wrote:
I donāt believe any of them star the centaur as the main character. They are more āsideā characters, if you will.
But I honestly think the problem with that is, what story would even be told about the centaur? Following everything we know about them, I canāt think of a logical story that even could be told.
But I honestly think the problem with that is, what story would even be told about the centaur? Following everything we know about them, I canāt think of a logical story that even could be told.
I mean anything can be made into a story so long as the story itself follows the story beats that make it engaging
You could have a story about different centaur clans and political intrigue in their world, just like there are such movies starring humans. Or just let them play a big role in a fantasy story that stars an odd group of different creatures, like an elf, a tiefling, human and a centaur for example going on an adventure. It could be anything from really gritty to more fantasyesque and absurd like Labyrinth. I think a fair problem with centaurs specifically though is their odd shape and that they could be difficult to put in situations where they have to sneak or climb for example. So any secret plot where they have to sneak past guards or climb up a wall into a castle are out of the question. It certainly makes them harder to write for. As well as the previously mentioned issues of what a city would have to look like for centaurs to be able to live, operate or feel welcomed there.
Min-ya wrote:
Ooh, what if they have little boots š special horseshoe-boots for fancy dinners or whatnots! (No heels though rofl)
Fun fact. Horses already have boots. With vary degrees and uses. Most are used as a shoeing alternative though for varying reasons. And we actually have raised horse shoes too! Theyāre mostly for remedial purposes but I could see a fashion savvy centaur getting a pair of heeled/raised horse shoes custom made to make them taller.
(This actually happens in the horse world. People do make slightly thicker shoes to put their horse into another height catergory when showing/competing)
You can make a great deal of fun stories for a centaur. Just like any other race/species. Itās purely up to oneās imagination for it. But I do believe cost and small audience would be a main driving factor in so few centaur media. Centaurworld does have centaurs (human ish torso with animal legs) in it too btw. The āhorsetaursā are pretty close to human+horse but theyāre hella snobby and aristocratic and show up much later in the series iirc. Great show though
Also. I find it so dumbā¦ that rules as written in dnd 5e (2014) a centaur can:
1. Climb a ladder/climb a wall
2. Ride a horse
3. not use a lance one handed because theyāre not considered āmountedā
4. Can use enchanted humanoid footwear despite having hooves and not feet
Iām probs missing some but those came up in my dnd campaign when I played a centaur lol
I have a centaur character! Not much to add to the discussion. Just thought I'd brag/point out they do exist.
I used to have a centaur a long time ago. I actually made it at the encourage of a friend who invited me to play in a Multi-User Dungeon (MUD). The reason was... Centaurs could wear two pairs of pants That means they got double the stat-boost to two-legged races. They were considered very beginner friendly races.
That means they got double the stat-boost to two-legged races. They were considered very beginner friendly races.
Honora Al-Amin wrote:
I have a centaur character! Not much to add to the discussion. Just thought I'd brag/point out they do exist.
Claine wrote:
Centaurs could wear two pairs of pants That means they got double the stat-boost to two-legged races.
That means they got double the stat-boost to two-legged races. Did they have suspenders so they wont slide down? I could see them trip easily over those if they spring into a run!
My reason is: they're hard to draw. P:
Roughly about a decade ago, a few friends and I had put together a fantasy quasi-medieval-Byzantine setting whose primary population were various ātaurā type combos! It was a good deal of fun working out the fiddly little daily-life bits like furniture and clothes and things like that.
Iāve not been particularly drawn to making taur-type characters since thenā¦but a lot of thatās just practical and convenience related - theyāre difficult for me to draw without getting super nitpicky!
Iāve not been particularly drawn to making taur-type characters since thenā¦but a lot of thatās just practical and convenience related - theyāre difficult for me to draw without getting super nitpicky!
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