Pholus was the son of Silenus by a Melian nymph, giving him a lineage entirely separate from the other centaurs who descended from Ixion and Nephele.
The Centaurs, the wild horse-men of Thessaly, counted among their notable members the wise Chiron, the hospitable Pholus, and the ferryman Nessus.
Pholus and Chiron were the only two civilized centaurs, both distinct from the savage Ixion-born herd. Both died from accidental wounds inflicted by Heracles' Hydra-poisoned arrows during the same centaur battle.
The wine jar in Pholus's cave was a gift from Dionysus to the centaurs, meant to be opened only when Heracles visited. Its scent, once uncorked, maddened the other centaurs and sparked the battle at Mount Pholoe.
Pholus hosted Heracles in his cave on Mount Pholoe during the hero's hunt for the Erymanthian Boar, offering roasted meat while Heracles demanded wine. The opening of the communal wine jar triggered a battle with the other centaurs.
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