Chiron

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Chiron is a centaur presented as the leader of the centaurs, distinguished from the others by wisdom and authority. Dante depicts him with a reflective and pensive attitude, as befits the tutor of Achilles. In the verses of Inferno XII he is the recipient of Virgil's indication, who intends to speak directly with him to obtain a safe passage. Always in Canto XII, Chiron is struck with astonishment upon noticing that Dante, by moving the stones, reveals his presence as a living being, and the dialogue with Virgil takes place in a courteous and familiar tone. The notes also recall the mythological tradition that presents him as an expert in music and medicine, lacking the traditional ferocity of the centaurs, according to the representation given by Ovid and Statius. A further reference to Chiron is contained in Purgatorio IX, where he is remembered as the centaur who raised Achilles in Thessaly, before his mother hid him on the island of Scyros.