The onocentaur is similar to the
centaur, but part-
human part-
donkey. However, unlike a centaur, which is portrayed with
four legs, the onocentaur is often portrayed with only
two legs, and some artwork depicts it with no front legs on the donkey part of its body. The first known mention was in reign of
Ptolemy II Philadelphus by an officer named Pythagoras, as quoted by
Claudius Aelianus in
De Natura Animalium. Aelian as well uses the term
onokentaura for description of the female form. He interpreted the onocentaur as: "its body resembles that of an ass, its colour is ashen but inclines to white beneath the flanks. It has a human chest with teats and a human face surrounded by thick hair. It may use its arms to seize and hold things but also to run. It has a violent temper and does not endure capture." The
Life of Antony written by
Athanasius of Alexandria mentions a "beast like a man to the thighs but having legs and feet like those of an ass", though it does not use the term onocentaur. ==As biblical corpus==