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The bronze candelabrum found in 1896 during the Austrian excavations in the ›Marble Hall‹ of the Harbour Gymnasium in Ephesus, which shows a group with two persons—Herakles fighting with a Centaur—in front of a tree, has been part of the collection of antiquities of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna since the end of the 19th century. In the course of recent research, questions concerning the history of the find and the object, technical aspects and modern restoration measures, as well as the dating and the original context of the installation were addressed. Scientific analyses were carried out, which helped to identify one of three other fragments present, a horse’s front hoof, as belonging to the group. A second human foot and a horse hind leg indicate that there was a second group of the same size. This one, however, was not quite identical as assumed in previous research, but probably showed a similar motif—maybe the hero kneeling on the centaur. Stylistic and technical aspects point to a dating in late Hellenistic times, in the middle of the 1st century BC, and eventually to a workshop in Alexandria. It is therefore possible that this is the oldest preserved bronze candelabrum of this form.

The article provides a semantic analysis of the theme of kitovras (centaur) in Russian medieval fine art. The author argues that in the system of relief decorations of Russian medieval cathedrals in Vladimir, the centaur is associated with the Jerusalemite kings David and Solomon and serves to accentuate the theme of a wise and righteous ruler. The study of kitovras images in Russian medieval art, traces the origins of this character back to apocryphal literature or even further to ancient mythology, Talmudic tradition and biblical narratives, which merged into a ‘Russian centaur’. The earliest kitovras images are found in Novgorod region in the 11th century. The typology of centaur images in Rus’, as well as the study of possible contexts for the use of these images in church decoration and in everyday life, make it possible to systematize the semantic and axiological connotations evoked by this figure of a man-beast. These connotations are associated with the ideas of (1) natural savagery, (2) demonic character, (3) duplicity, (4) wisdom, (5) architectural skills, (6) moral perfection, (7) saving pedagogy, (8) protection from evil and, finally, (9) religiously sanctioned authority. Since all these connotations are associated with the same character, the kitovras should be understood as a polyvalent symbol that reveals to viewers one or another of its aspects depending on a viewer’s semiotic code and on the visual and narrative contexts in which it is integrated. Russian churches open their facades into the surrounding urban environment and thereby saturate it with certain meanings, conveyed both by the outline of the churches and by their exterior decoration. Any figure, any scene and any character represented on external surfaces of the churches directly contributes to the semantics of the urban space, to its ideological and cultural program, and functions as a means of informing both confessional and local identity. Such is also the function of kitovras images in the semantic structure of traditional Russian cities. В статье проведён семантический анализ образа китовраса (кентавра) в русском средневековом изобразительном искусстве. Автор констатирует, что в системе рельефных украшений соборов Владимирской Руси кентавр связан с персонами иерусалимских царей Давида и Соломона и служит для усиления мотивов мудрости, зодчества и праведной власти. Исследование темы китовраса в русском средневековом искусстве позволяет обнаружить истоки этого персонажа в апокрифической литературе; ряд мотивов перенесён на русского кентавра из античной мифологии, талмудической традиции и библейских нарративов. Начальный этап распространения образа китовраса связан с культурой Новгорода XI века. Типология изображений кентавра на Руси, а также изучение возможных контекстов использования этого образа в храмовой декорации и повседневном обиходе дают возможность систематизировать те смысловые и ценностные коннотации, которые заключены в фигуре человека-зверя. Эти смысловые подтексты связаны с идеями (1) природной дикости, (2) демонического характера, (3) двуличия, (4) мудрости, (5) архитектурного мастерства, (6) нравственного совершенства, (7) спасительной педагогики, (8) защиты от зла и, наконец, (9) религиозно санкционированной власти. Поскольку все эти коннотации связаны с одним и тем же персонажем, постольку китоврас должен быть понят как поливалентный символ, обнаруживающий перед зрителем тот или иной конкретный содержательный аспект в зависимости от визуально-нарративного контекста, в который он включён, и от того кода, которым располагает (пользуется) реципиент. Русский храм открывается своими фасадами в окружающую городскую среду и тем самым активно участвует в наполнении этой среды определёнными смыслами, выраженными и с помощью формы храма, и с помощью его экстерьерного декора. Таким образом, любой сюжет, любая сцена и любой персонаж, которые помещены на внешних поверхностях храма, напрямую влияют на смысловое содержание городского пространства, его идеологическую и культурную аранжировку, выступают как средства формирования и универсальной, и локальной культурной идентичности. Такова роль образа китовраса в оформлении смысловой структуры традиционного русского города.

This article deals with the figure of the Centaur in Hölderlin’s later poetry. The constellation of this figure is based on the Ode Chiron introducing the Night Songs as well as on its earlier version, The Blind Singer. There are equally two fragments by Pindar that Hölderlin translated and commented on: Untreue der Weisheit and Das Belebende. An early fragment by Walter Benjamin brings us closer to Hölderlin’s figure. Chiron, who distinguished himself among the Centaurs, forms an anthropological center around which Walter Benjamin’s philosophy of history revolves.

The bronze candelabrum found in 1896 during the Austrian excavations in the ›Marble Hall‹ of the Harbour Gymnasium in Ephesus, which shows a group with two persons--Herakles fighting with a Centaur--in front of a tree, has been part of the collection of antiquities of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna since the end of the 19th century. In the course of recent research, questions concerning the history of the find and the object, technical aspects and modern restoration measures, as well as the dating and the original context of the installation were addressed. Scientific analyses were carried out, which helped to identify one of three other fragments present, a horse's front hoof, as belonging to the group. A second human foot and a horse hind leg indicate that there was a second group of the same size. This one, however, was not quite identical as assumed in previous research, but probably showed a similar motif--maybe the hero kneeling on the centaur. Stylistic and technical aspects point to a dating in late Hellenistic times, in the middle of the 1st century BC, and eventually to a workshop in Alexandria. It is therefore possible that this is the oldest preserved bronze candelabrum of this form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An orally administered, fixed-dose coformulation of sodium phenylbutyrate-taurursodiol (PB-TURSO) significantly slowed functional decline in a randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial in ALS (CENTAUR). Herein we report results of a long-term survival analysis of participants in CENTAUR. In CENTAUR, adults with ALS were randomized 2:1 to PB-TURSO or placebo. Participants completing the 6-month (24-week) randomized phase were eligible to receive PB-TURSO in the open-label extension. An all-cause mortality analysis (35-month maximum follow-up post-randomization) incorporated all randomized participants. Participants and site investigators were blinded to treatment assignments through the duration of follow-up of this analysis. Vital status was obtained for 135 of 137 participants originally randomized in CENTAUR. Median overall survival was 25.0 months among participants originally randomized to PB-TURSO and 18.5 months among those originally randomized to placebo (hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.34-0.92; P = .023). Initiation of PB-TURSO treatment at baseline resulted in a 6.5-month longer median survival as compared with placebo. Combined with results from CENTAUR, these results suggest that PB-TURSO has both functional and survival benefits in ALS.

Debris-generating events in orbit pose a significant threat to all space-faring activities. In order to mitigate such events, it is essential to uncover their causes. This paper examines the fragmentations of three Atlas V Centaur upper stages (2009-047B, 2014-55B, 2018-079B) which occured in 2018 and 2019. Three different data sources—data from the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB), the Vimpel catalog, and the Spacetrack catalog—are used for this investigation and the outcomes are compared. Ephemerides and two-line elements (TLEs) from these sources are first propagated to obtain breakup epoch estimates. Subsequently, techniques developed by Tan and Reynolds to obtain Gabbard plots, velocity and angular distributions of fragments, and event intensities, are applied. This work finds that these events stray from existing fragmentation models and patterns exhibited by past events, such as those of the explosive Delta upper stages in the 1970s. Only one of the three events, 2018-079B, may have exploded due to leftover propellant combustion. 2009-047B appears to have endured a structural failure—inferred from clustered fragments with low velocities. A torus-shaped fragment distribution is observed for the 2014-055B event, suggesting it may have been pierced by a small piece of debris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Tau-positron emission tomography (PET) outcome data of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) cannot currently be meaningfully compared or combined when different tracers are used due to differences in tracer properties, instrumentation, and methods of analysis., Methods: Using head-to-head data from five cohorts with tau PET radiotracers designed to target tau deposition in AD, we tested a joint propagation model (JPM) to harmonize quantification (units termed "CenTauR" [CTR]). JPM is a statistical model that simultaneously models the relationships between head-to-head and anchor point data. JPM was compared to a linear regression approach analogous to the one used in the amyloid PET Centiloid scale., Results: A strong linear relationship was observed between CTR values across brain regions. Using the JPM approach, CTR estimates were similar to, but more accurate than, those derived using the linear regression approach., Discussion: Preliminary findings using the JPM support the development and adoption of a universal scale for tau-PET quantification., Highlights: Tested a novel joint propagation model (JPM) to harmonize quantification of tau PET. Units of common scale are termed "CenTauRs". Tested a Centiloid-like linear regression approach. Using five cohorts with head-to-head tau PET, JPM outperformed linearregressionbased approach. Strong linear relationship was observed between CenTauRs values across brain regions., (© 2024 The Author(s). Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)

The development of accurate non-invasive tests to detect and measure the extent of fibrosis and disease activity in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) – the progressive phenotype of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) – is of great clinical importance. Herein, we aimed to validate the performance of PRO-C3 and ADAPT for the detection of moderate/severe fibrosis within the CENTAUR screening population. PRO-C3 was assessed in plasma from the screening population of the phase IIb CENTAUR study (NCT02217475) in adults with NASH and liver fibrosis. The relation between PRO-C3 and histologic features of NASH was evaluated, as well as the demographics of patients with high and low levels of PRO-C3. The diagnostic ability of PRO-C3, as a standalone marker or incorporated into ADAPT, to identify patients with F≥2 and NASH was estimated using receiver-operating characteristic analysis and logistic regression models. A total of 517 individuals with matched biopsy and PRO-C3 measurements were included. Patients with PRO-C3 levels ≥20.2 ng/ml showed increased levels of insulin, HOMA-IR, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, and platelet count compared to patients with low PRO-C3 (p < 0.05). PRO-C3 increased stepwise with increasing liver fibrosis, lobular inflammation, hepatocyte ballooning, steatosis, and NAFLD activity score (p < 0.05), and could distinguish between NAFL and NASH (p < 0.0001). PRO-C3 was independently associated with fibrosis and NASH when adjusted for clinical confounders. ADAPT outperformed Fibrosis-4, AST-to-platelet ratio index, and AST/ALT ratio as a predictor of advanced fibrosis and NASH (p < 0.001). PRO-C3 was associated with NAFLD activity score and fibrosis. ADAPT outperformed other non-invasive scores for detecting NASH. These data support the use of PRO-C3 and ADAPT as diagnostic tools to identify patients with NASH eligible for inclusion in clinical trials. NCT02217475 PRO-C3 is a serological biomarker associated with liver disease activity and fibrosis. Its performance for the detection of disease activity and fibrosis is improved when it is incorporated into the ADAPT score. Herein, we showed that ADAPT was better at selecting patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis for inclusion in clinical trials than other non-invasive scores. [Display omitted] • It is recommended to screen high-risk populations for NASH; however, accurate non-invasive tests are lacking. • PRO-C3, a direct non-invasive test of liver fibrosis, is associated with the activity of NASH. • ADAPT, a PRO-C3 based score, outperformed other indirect non-invasive tests for detecting features of NASH. • PRO-C3 and ADAPT are useful tools to identify patients with NASH and liver fibrosis eligible for clinical trial inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracking the ancient centaur as myth and metaphor through cultural history to the twenty-first century reveals how humans have begun to reconceive animal-human relations. Its origins are open to question, but at least date from pre-classical and early Greek history, when nomadic tribes with superior horsemanship skills appeared. Associated with the astronomical constellation Centaurus, the centaur metaphor was initially gendered. The hybrid embodied human and equine qualities, both negative and positive (for example, the bestial classical centaur and the supra-human Spanish conquistador). After examining the history of the centaur metaphor as well as relationships between horses and humans in the pre-twentieth century Western literary tradition, this research focuses on five texts: Monty Roberts’ "The Man Who Listens to Horses (2009); Tom McGuane’s Some Horses" (2013); John Steinbeck’s "The Red Pony" (1945); Jane Smiley’s "Horse Heaven" (2000); and Gillian Mears’ "Foal’s Bread" (2011). It argues that contemporary nonfiction and fiction demonstrate a change in the way in which the metaphor has been used, reflecting a will to reshape relationships between species, grounded in empathy as well as respect for alternative communication strategies. The centaur metaphor as non-gendered hybrid appears when riders feel one with their horses through harmonious partnerships inherent in teamwork. They feel as if they have become the centaur, literalizing the metaphor within themselves.

This article deals with the crucial role of mythology, ideology, reign, hegemony, ethnicity, language, visual signs as well as other events and components upon ancient, narrative and visual archetypes of Iran and its boundaries. The series of cultural and political exchanges occurring due to the rise of governments and the companionship of intellectuals and artists, changed the foundation of visual signs and veiled the religious teachings within them. As a result, such structure brought about a shift of concept and also a delicate variation in the appearance of the equid of the Messenger of Islam (Buragh) in the tale of 'Miraj' (Ascension). With its animal body and beautiful human visage, the counterpart myth of the Grecian 'Centaur' has summed up in its character the power of the rulers of the Islamic regions, symbolic relations of numerology, the male unconscious and female gender and others with a sacred tale attributed to Muslims (the prophet's ascension). Therefore, the combination is the product of cross-cultural conformation and political worldview within the discrete Iranian Kingdom which, so as to promote religious ideal, overtly and covertly combines the story of 'Miraj' with the role of 'Buragh' and infuses it into the Islamic culture. The above statements are the results of a comparative study made through desk study of library resources and slice model in order to reach another aspect of the speculative and pictorial essence of art in Iran. The study endeavors to find responses to two questions:1: how BURAGH and CENTAUR are physically and spiritually related? 2: What are the genders, concepts and effective factors affecting femininity or masculinity of the prophet's horse.

Copyright of Journal of Art History / Sanat Tarihi Dergisi is the property of Ege University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• Siemens Centaur hs-cTnI assay provided more values above LOQ than the contemporary assay. • Using the hs-cTnI assay did not increase the incidence of elevated troponin above URLs. • There is proportional bias between the hs-cTnI and the contemporary assays. • Analytical comparisons between the two assays were consistent in two hospitals. This study aimed to compare the incidence of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations above the limit of quantification (LOQ) and the sex-specific 99th percentile upper reference limits (URLs) between the Ultra contemporary cTnI assay and the high-sensitivity (hs-cTnI) assay on Siemens Centaur in patients evaluated in the emergency department (ED) and inpatient at a U.S. urban academic hospital. A retrospective study was performed in an unselected patient cohort who presented to the hospital with symptoms suggestive of myocardial injury. All clinically ordered samples for cTnI assay (n = 1,056, LOQ 0.03 µg/L, URL 0.04 µg/L) were simultaneously tested on the hs-cTnI assay (LOQ 2.5 ng/L; URL 58 ng/L and 39 ng/L for male and female, respectively). The incidence of elevated cTnI above the 99th percentile URL in males measured by the hs-cTnI assay was significantly lower compared to the cTnI assay (31.4% vs. 38.7%, p = 0.016), whereas there was no difference in females (27.4% vs. 30.2%, p = 0.35) in all the patient samples. In ED patient samples (n = 718), the incidence of elevated cTnI above the sex-specific 99th percentile URL was not significantly different between the hs-cTnI and contemporary cTnI assays in either sex (male: hs-cTnI 16.6% vs. cTnI 21.5%, p = 0.13; female: hs-cTnI 19.6% vs. cTnI 21.1%, p = 0.66). The agreement between the two assays was 93.5% (kappa = 0.798). Results were confirmed in an independent patient cohort measured by the same instruments at another hospital. Our study suggests that implementation of the hs-cTnI assay would not lead to an increase in the proportion of elevated cTnI above the 99th percentile in the emergency department and other inpatient units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines, in its first part, the symbolic aspects of the relation between horses and men, and the mythical figure of the centaur, most often assimilated to virility and male sexual drive, but also to women and their sexuality. In its second and central part, it focuses on Bartabas and Ko Murobushi's performance, The Centaur and the Animal (2012) while raising ethical issues relating to performing animals. The essay analyzes how this play deconstructs the opposition between masculinity and femininity, as well as between animal and human, among other oppositional pairs such as reason vs. instinct, activity vs. passivity, verticality vs. horizontality or "inclination," immunity vs. vulnerability, life vs. death, animate vs. inanimate, among others. It posits that Bartabas's performance opens the possibility of a posthuman and postanimal perspective on the relation between human and nonhuman animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Machiavelli is usually viewed as the founder of sober political realism, consumed by concerns of acquiring and maintaining power, his thought is also notably masculine, replete with themes concerning male sex and gender. He condemns all manifestations of effeminacy and proclaims what could be called a centaurial ideal of masculinity. Gładziuk argues, however, that contained in Machiavelli’s concept of the masculinum is a male desire to be unmanly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gillian Mears' Foal's Bread (2011) is an award-winning Australian novel that broadens ways of conceptualising the relationship between humans and horses through metaphor, with attention to the nurturing or abuse of both humans and horses. 'Therapeutic metaphors' in Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EFP) suggest how the horse-human bond can act as a catalyst to promote healing from sexual abuse and domestic violence. Little research has identified this rhetorical link. Concepts such as hybridity, or the melding of identities, embodied in the mythical Centaur, a primary trope in Mears' novel, reflects upon the sense of union discussed in horse-human bond research. This essay explores metaphoric structures in Foal's Bread and correspondences in EFP metaphors, arguing that EFP provides an evidentiary basis for Mears' figurative language, which demonstrates the rethinking of horse-human relationships in the context of the horse's role in human recovery or amelioration from sexual or domestic abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Adalya is the property of Koc University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Confluenze. Rivista di Studi Iberoamericani is the property of Universita di Bologna, Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature e Culture Moderne and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Tracking the ancient centaur as myth and metaphor through cultural history to the twenty-first century reveals how humans have begun to reconceive animal-human relations. Its origins are open to question, but at least date from pre-classical and early Greek history, when nomadic tribes with superior horsemanship skills appeared. Associated with the astronomical constellation Centaurus, the centaur metaphor was initially gendered. The hybrid embodied human and equine qualities, both negative and positive (for example, the bestial classical centaur and the supra-human Spanish conquistador). After examining the history of the centaur metaphor as well as relationships between horses and humans in the pre-twentieth century Western literary tradition, this research focuses on five texts: Monty Roberts' The Man Who Listens to Horses (2009); Tom McGuane's Some Horses (2013); John Steinbeck's The Red Pony (1945); Jane Smiley's Horse Heaven (2000); and Gillian Mears' Foal's Bread (2011). It argues that contemporary nonfiction and fiction demonstrate a change in the way in which the metaphor has been used, reflecting a will to reshape relationships between species, grounded in empathy as well as respect for alternative communication strategies. The centaur metaphor as non-gendered hybrid appears when riders feel one with their horses through harmonious partnerships inherent in teamwork. They feel as if they have become the centaur, literalizing the metaphor within themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Centaurs, minor planets with a semi-major axis between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune (5–30 AU), are thought to be among the most diverse small bodies in the solar system. These important targets for future missions may have recently been Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), which are thought to be chemically and physically primitive remnants of the early solar system. While the Kuiper Belt spans distances of 30–50 AU, making direct observations difficult, Centaurs' proximity to the Earth and Sun make them more accessible targets for robotic missions. Thus, we outline a mission concept designed to reconnoiter 10199 Chariklo, the largest Centaur and smallest ringed body yet discovered. Named for a legendary Centaur tamer, the conceptual Camilla mission is designed to fit under the cost cap of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) New Frontiers program, leveraging a conservative payload to support a foundational scientific investigation to these primitive bodies. Specifically, the single flyby encounter utilizes a combined high-resolution camera/VIS-IR mapping spectrometer, a sub-mm point spectrometer, and a UV mapping spectrometer. In addition, the mission concept utilizes a kinetic impactor, which would provide the first opportunity to sample the composition of potentially primitive subsurface material beyond Saturn, thus providing key insights into solar system origins. Such a flyby of the Chariklo system would provide a linchpin in the understanding of small body composition, evolution, and transport of materials in the solar system. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Flyby concept for 10199 Chariklo, the largest Centaur and smallest ring system. • Opportunity to learn about Kuiper Belt Objects much closer to Earth. • Impactor would provide deepest yet subsurface sampling in the outer Solar System. • Mission concept fits well within NASA New Frontiers Program cost cap. • Mission concept may fit within NASA Discovery Program cost cap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southern façade of the Holy Sepulchre was adorned until 1929 with two carved lintels, distinct in their iconographies (exhibited ever since in the Rockefeller Museum). Whereas the western Christological lintel represents the narrative of the last days of Jesus in Jerusalem (albeit in breach with the narrative sequence), the eastern peopled-scroll lintel is a non-narrative representation of a variety of beasts, birds, and naked male figures, some of whom are obscenely pointing to their genitalia. The puzzling iconography of this bestial world includes the conspicuous images of a bird-siren and a centaur. Rather overlooked by past scholarship, it would seem implausible that the most important holy site in Christendom and a meta-pilgrimage church would have been decorated with meaningless imagery. This paper contextualizes the eastern lintel within crusader concepts of history and mythology, biblical symbolism, liturgy and patronage. The eastern door gave way to the funerary chapel of the crusader kings, located beneath the Calvary Chapel. An examination of the funerary context reveals that sirens played part in such schemes, endowing the lintel with an apotropaic vitality. A remarkable chapter in the chronicle of Fulcher of Chartres, illustrating the curiosities of the Lands of the Saracens, is suggested as a major conceptual notion for the understanding of the non-narrative lintel, which actually stands within the Bestiary tradition. The lintel thus becomes a liminal site, where all polyvalent layers meet, meant to show the opposition of good and evil forces. This opposition is established by installing a historiated Christological lintel to the west, embodying a liturgical vision of the New Jerusalem recently established by the Franks and, to the east, an image of the conquered beasts of the Saracens, doomed to hell, signaling Latin victory, on the one hand, and promising an apotropaic protection for the departed, on the other. The patronage of Queen Melisende, in collaboration with the crusader Church, is then analyzed.

The brief triangular love between Nietzche, Salomé, and Rée – as crystallised in the famous photograph of kitsch (literal) horse-play, where the woman is depicted as treating the two men as beasts of burden – allows us to consider the role of ‘creaturely love’ in our more general understanding of the lover’s discourse. That is to say, through such images we can explore the role and figure of the animal within ‘the anthropological machine’, itself designed to produce a sense of the human from the inhuman (especially through mediated forms of intimacy). Further, in the different intermedial relationships between photography, poetry, and philosophy, the Centaur – in the letters and texts circulated by this group (later including Rilke) – provides a charged specific totem for a libidinal ecology of souls, striving to understand themselves as simultaneously creaturely and spiritual. Such a figure allowed both a recognition and a disavowal of the nonhuman basis (and telos) of human affections.

While analyzing the traces left on the ground by the thief of his cows, Apollo mentions allusively a Centaur as the author of the theft, although he formulates this hypothesis only to reject it immediately. Despite the incongruity of this false syllogism and beyond its comic effects, the allusion reveals “theological” significations corresponding to the theogonic issues of the Homeric Hymn to Hermes.

Migrating from Greek mythology to scripture and ecclesiastical writing, sirens are best known for the perils they put on the road of Odysseus, and conversely, on that of the crucified Christ and on that of the pilgrim, two significations that Odysseus, the eternal voyageur tied to the mast, came to symbolize in the Middle Ages. Long acknowledged in past scholarship, the siren motif was perceived of as a multi-layered image, whose negative Homeric connotations suited an even vaster range of destructive meanings, moral, social and political. More than sheer misogyny, the hybrid sirens represent violation of social order, mainly that of the manly world. It is therefore no coincidence to find them dwelling in the biblical debauched town of Babylon, and in the land of Edom, destined to be destroyed, alongside hybrid centaurs, both in the Septuagint and in the Vulgate. These beasts gained much popularity throughout the Middle Ages, and embody the ultimate significance of evil in the medieval bestiary, as well as in a wide-ranging exegetical literature. This development may stand for the immense dispersion of the siren motif in Romanesque sculpture. Meant at an edifying purpose, sirens associated with urban destruction, lust, and avarice, signify the menace of sin they seduce humanity to fall into. The virtuous Christian, recognizing the long-enduring classical motif in its new Christian context should take the paradigm of Odysseus in his Christological typology, and restrain from evil. Though constituting a rather popular motif of Romanesque sculpture in general, sirens seem to inhabit many of the churches of the Auvergne and the Velay regions of France, along pilgrimage shrines, located lengthwise the Via Podiensis and crosswise routes, thus forming a marked feature of the local imagery. More than sheer enthusiasm for the antique, as past scholarship would have it, sirens seem to have chanted a very specific local chant in Auvergne-Velay. Constituting a major motif, which testifies to a profound understanding of their contextual implications, they represent a multifaceted image, denoting didactic, apotropaic, liturgical, social, and political messages. The context of pilgrimage and pilgrimage roads seems to have constituted a perfect setting for this multitude of sirens. The Via Podiensis was known as particularly uninviting. The mountainous topography, infested with thieves and brigands, provided lucrative opportunities of ambushing pilgrims on their way. It is the purpose of this paper to uncover the versatile imports of the siren antique motif in Romanesque Auvergne-Velay, by pointing out their meticulous perplexing delineation in the context of actual hardships pilgrims and congregants endured within pilgrimage shrines and roads. The first part of this paper will survey the range of allegorical significances of sirens from Homer to Jerome and to medieval exegeses, followed by a description of sirens in Auvergne-Velay. Then, I would like to suggest a new reading of the particular rendering of sirens in the small church of Pont-du-Château and in the pilgrimage church of Notre-Dame of Orcival, which may bear a local historical significance, resulting from the conflicting situations of pilgrims, on their way to worship the celestial realm.

In the IInd century of our era Galen of Pergamus built up a rational medical work which ruled out the magic practices or explanations drawn from mythological narratives looked upon as so many false beliefs. He indulged in particular in a critical analysis of the fabulous figure of the Centaur whose existence seemed to him incompatible with his knowledge of living bodies. And yet that keenly rational thought gave birth in its turn to a myth. Galen relied on his medical knowledge to construct the figure of the demiurge.