"The Story of Chiron, The Wounded Healer" Wikipedia Chiron The story of Chiron is the story of the wounded healer. A son of Kronos, he was a "product of the first union not directly incestuous" (Rinehart). Kronos was searching the world for Zeus, his son, who had escaped the fate of being eaten and was hiding in Crete. He came across his niece, Philyra, and desired her. To escape his attentions, Philyra assumed the form of a mare. Kronos, not to be thwarted, became a stallion and took her. Chiron, the Centaur, was the product of the union -- half man, half horse and also a god. Philyra was so horrified by the monster that she called for the gods to turn her into a linden tree. Thus Chiron's first wound was abandonment. Because of his animal nature, his time with the gods was largely spent as an outsider. Yet he was adopted by Apollo.and fell in love with learning, becoming a highly-skilled healer and teacher. Chiron taught many of the Greek heroes, including Heracles (Hercules). His healing skills became available to mankind through his pupil Asclepius (whose symbol was two snakes climbing a staff, represented in the constellation of Ophiucus, the thirteenth sign of the zodiac.). Asclepius was eventually slain by Zeus' lightning bolts because his healing skills were so powerful that Hades was afraid that the Underworld would become unpopulated. Chiron's origins set him apart from the wild race of Centaurs who are known around this time. They resembled him, but without his divine parentage. Their reputation for wildness was confirmed when, according to one story, they attacked the Amazon camp at night and began to rape the women. Heracles arrived to stop them. Another account has it that Heracles brought roast meat to the cave of the Centaur Phobus, and asked for wine to accompany it. Phobus was unwilling to open the winejar since it belonged to all Centaurs, but relented. The other Centaurs smelt the open wine, descended on the cave, and a battle ensued. Whatever the cause of the dispute, Chiron became involved. On one hand, Heracles was one of Chiron's pupils, and a great friend. On the other, Chiron was related to the Centaurs, and could use his healing skills to treat their wounds. In the heat of battle, Heracles fired an arrow at the Centaur Elatus, which went through his arm and hit Chiron in the thigh. Heracles tried to treat the wound with Chiron's herbs, but the arrow had been dipped in the blood of the Medusa and and the wound was incurable. In great pain, Chiron wandered the earth for many years searching for a herb which would cure the wound. Nothing would stem the pain or heal the wound. Chiron was able to cure everyone but himself. In the final act of his tragedy, Chiron and Heracles came across Prometheus, bound to a rock, condemned by Zeus to have his liver eaten daily by an eagle, and grow back overnight (for the offencee of stealing fire from the gods). His only escape would be if an immortal offered him his own immortality -- an unlikely event! Sacrifice was the answer to Chiron's dilemma. He traded his divine nature for Prometheus' mortality, and took his place on the rock. Zeus was so impressed by Chiron's gift that he honoured the trade, and then immortalised Chiron again in the constellation Centaurus. Sacrifice is an on-going theme of Chiron. His unification of the three realms of nature, animal, human and divine, is echoed by the orbit of this comet which has bound itself to the sun. At a certain point, it comes inside the orbit of Saturn. It then travels out almost to Uranus. Saturn, boundary of the known and the material, is thus connected with Uranus, gatekeeper of the mysteries and the depths of the outer system.