Asbolus

In Greek mythology, Asbolus (Ancient Greek: Ἄσβολον or Ἄσβόλη means "sooty" or "carbon dust"<ref>according to Dieter Koch</ref><ref name="Chiron and Friends - Asbolus">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>) was a centaur. He was a seer and Hesiod calls him an augur (oionistes οἰωνιστής) who read omens in the flight of birds.<ref name="springer" /><ref>Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 185</ref><ref>Philostratus, Heroicus 19.17</ref>

Mythology

Asbolus foresaw the Centaurs' battle against the Lapiths at Pirithous's wedding, and unsuccessfully attempted to prevent them from attending.

The above is mentioned in Ovid's Metamorphoses,

<poem>...Asbolus the prophet who had warned,

Though no one heard him, all his friends To give way, not to fight [the Lapithae]. He cried to Nessus, "You need not run; you shall be saved till that Fine day Hercules' arrow strikes your back."</poem>{{#if:|

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He appears again when Heracles came to visit the centaur Pholus. Pholus opened a jug of wine for him which belonged to all the Centaurs; Asbolus saw Pholus do this and brought the other Centaurs, who, as it was proved by Pirithous's wedding, were unused to the drink. It resulted in a bloodbath in which Pholus and Chiron, as well as Nessus, met their deaths at Heracles's hands. It is said that Asbolus himself was crucified by Heracles's arrows.<ref name="Chiron and Friends - Asbolus"/><ref>Tzetzes, Chiliades 5.6=22</ref>

Namesake

Asbolus's name was given to 8405 Asbolus, a minor planet in the outer Solar System. It belongs to the class of centaurs, whose orbits lie between Jupiter and Neptune.<ref name="springer" />

References

• Hesiod, Shield of Heracles from The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
• Publius Ovidius Naso, Metamorphoses translated by Brookes More (1859-1942). Boston, Cornhill Publishing Co. 1922. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
• Publius Ovidius Naso, Metamorphoses. Hugo Magnus. Gotha (Germany). Friedr. Andr. Perthes. 1892. Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
• Tzetzes, John, Book of Histories, Book V-VI translated by Konstantinos Ramiotis from the original Greek of T. Kiessling's edition of 1826. Online version at theio.com.

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