Chariclo- Greek GodDeity · Nymph

The Cave on Pelion

Chariclo was a nymph — identified as a Naiad or, in some traditions, a daughter of Apollo — who married Chiron, the wisest of the centaurs and the only one among his kind known for learning rather than wildness. They lived together in the caves of Mount Pelion in Thessaly, where Chiron raised and educated a succession of heroes.

When the Argo launched for Colchis, Chiron came down from the peak to the shore, wading into the surf and waving farewell with his great hand. Chariclo stood beside him holding the infant Achilles, lifting the child so that his father Peleus, aboard the ship, could see his son one last time before the voyage.

The Prophetess Silenced

Chariclo bore Chiron a daughter named Ocyrhoe — also called Hippe — who possessed the gift of prophecy. In Ovid's telling, the girl stood over the infant Asclepius in Chiron's cave and began to reveal his fate: that he would grow to heal the sick, even to raise the dead, and that the gods would destroy him for it. She also foresaw her father's end — that he would suffer a wound past healing and pray for death to release him from immortality. But as the words poured out, Ocyrhoe felt herself changing — her fingers fused into hooves and her mouth stretched into a muzzle. She tried to cry out but could only whinny. The gods had silenced her by turning her into a mare, and though she remained near her parents on Pelion, the prophetic voice was gone forever.

That prophecy proved true. When Chiron was wounded by one of Heracles's arrows poisoned with the Hydra's blood, he chose to surrender his immortality to end his agony. What became of Chariclo after that, no source records.