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I think the Chapter Heading image is better than the current one for the heading image of this article. It's too dark. Hufflepuff Half-Giant 09:55, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Male/female centaurs[]

JK Rowling confirmed in an interview that there are no female centaurs in the HP-verse.    Storyseeker1 (talk) 18:40, November 26, 2012 (UTC)

I vaguely recall reading that, but could you provide a source, please? -- 1337star (Drop me a line!) 19:26, November 26, 2012 (UTC)
Oh, I know where you're getting this from now. The W.O.M.B.A.T. has this as a possible answer for one of its questions, however, it's also an incorrect answer. The question asks which of its possible answers is true, with two of the options being that hags eat children and that there are no female centaurs. As the former is true (see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them's introduction), the latter is not. Therefore, there are indeed female centaurs. -- 1337star (Drop me a line!) 19:57, November 28, 2012 (UTC)
So why has there never been an appearance of them in the books/film? Plus, JK said she wrote all the mythical beasts in her books as close as to how they're described in the original myths. Look up Centaurs in Greek myths and you'll see there's no mention of any females.    92.232.155.254 14:49, November 29, 2012 (UTC)
Just because they're absent from the series doesn't mean that they don't exist. Regardless of what she may have based them on, we can't simply draw the assumption. ProfessorTofty (talk) 15:14, November 29, 2012 (UTC)
They're not just absent from the HP series, they're absent from the entire myth itself. In fact, from what I've been able to find, as well as the actual Greek myths themselves, there's no mention of female centaurs anywhere except for the Narnia films (but Lewis never wrote about them in his books either). Centaurs were described in myth as being wild and lustful creatures, often carrying off and raping human women, including the Lapith wedding and inciting war (centauromachy). (One note about this, is if there were centaur females then why were the males forever carrying off humans?)    92.232.155.254 14:41, November 30, 2012 (UTC)
I believe you, but we still prefer not to make assumptions that can't be supported by the text of the Harry Potter books themselves. Particularly when we actually have information that contradicts, as mentioned above. ProfessorTofty (talk) 14:54, November 30, 2012 (UTC)
This would make an interesting Behind the Scenes note if both the WOMBAT test and original myths were mentioned. --xensyriaT 18:34, November 30, 2012 (UTC)

(Resetting indent.) Actually, the thing about their being no female centaurs in mythology isn't true either. See, for instance, Hylonome, a centauride written about by the Roman poet Ovid. Centaurs were only a male-only race in the earliest of Greek myths. But, again, this has absolutely nothing to do with Harry Potter, in which it's already been conclusively proven that female centaurs exist. -- 1337star (Drop me a line!) 18:56, November 30, 2012 (UTC)

Actually, it is true.  Female Centaurs were only mentioned in later centuries. They were never mentioned in early Greek literature and art (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur#Female_centaurs). And you do know that Romans weren't Greek (so they don't count because they altered the myths to their style)?  And where has it been conslusively proven that female centaurs exist in HP? Because they have never even been mentioned in the books or films? There have only ever been males. 92.232.155.254 16:50, December 1, 2012 (UTC) 
Whatever. As I've continually reiterated, we aren't discussing mythology, we're discussing Harry Potter. The only point I was trying to make is that the concept of female centaurs was done centuries before Rowling, to refute the idea that a "Behind the scenes" note would be needed. And I've already said where the conclusive proof is, see my second post in this section. Not to be rude, but I would advise you to let this matter drop. This is certainly the last reply I'm going to give to this matter unless some sort of new evidence that's actually relevant to the Harry Potter universe arises. -- 1337star (Drop me a line!) 18:30, December 1, 2012 (UTC)
From your second note "Therefore, there are indeed female centaurs", when the article doesn't mention them; clearly an omission. The fact that none are seen in the films makes it noteworthy that they do, in fact, exist. Unless there's a compelling reason why they should not be included in the article this deserves a mention (and the historical and linguistic origins of centaurs being uniquely male, in the same way that nymphs are uniquely female for example, would make the mythology relevant to a behind the scenes note). I also propose we add a footnote to the sentience section of the infobox, as a casual reader may not understand the "near-human intelligence" reference. --xensyriaT 19:01, December 1, 2012 (UTC)

Inclusion in "XXXX Creatures" category[]

I am confused as to why this article appears in this category, when the hub category "Centaurs" is sorted under it, making it here redundant, but I can't even see the category anywhere on this article so I cannot work out why it is present in the above category under the letter "X". RedWizard98 (talk) 18:55, 11 February 2022 (UTC)

Alas, I have since fixed the problem myself. RedWizard98 (talk) 18:58, 11 February 2022 (UTC)

Wrong Image[]

The centaur "Firenze" who saves Harry from Voldemort in the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a palomino, he has long light blond hair, a clever face and fascinating blue eyes. His naked upper body merges into a magnificent palomino body (golden coat with silver or white mane) at the rump.
In the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, it is a dark centaur that more closely matches the (book) description of Bane.
If one refers to the book source (canon), the image of Firenze, in the article, is wrong.LG♥ Hauselfe Ayla (talk) 17:43, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

the image used for Firenze is from the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone played by Ray Fearon, it's no unusual on the wiki to use the actors' images on the articles (Hermione Granger, Rubeus Hagrid and others)  Silver  Discusión  18:57, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Yes, I know that. But it does not correspond to the book source given as a reference in the article. This should be set right for connoisseurs of the Harry Potter books. The sentence:" In the film, Firenze's body is depicted differently from the book description", should be sufficient.
Or the film should be given as the source of the image and not the book. Actually, one only needs to insert the picture from the article Firenze or both pictures.
I feel like I'm being taken for a ride with this image selection, I read the article Firenze and find an image of probably Bane in the article Centaur, which is given as Firenze.
The books are the first canon, not the films. LG♥ Hauselfe Ayla (talk) 09:26, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

The same would apply to using images of Petunia and Dudley from the films with different hair colours to their book depictions; we still use them in articles because they are the most widely known image of the character in existence, and I don't see any problem with it. Film images should be used in articles. RedWizard98 (talk) 09:29, 11 April 2023 (UTC)


For me, that is not correct when you call the books the first canon. It is confusing when Dudley is described as blond in the character description and then there is a dark-haired Dudley in the picture, it is the same with Petunia. That's why we in the German HP-Wiki (de) don't use pictures of people from the films.
Okay, I won't go into it any further, there are more important things.LG♥ Hauselfe Ayla (talk) 12:57, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

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