Centaur Centaurs are a half - humanoid , half - horse , war - like tribal race . They abound in central and southern Kalimdor , primarily in Desolace and the Barrens , where they engage in constant war against other centaur and tauren tribes . Though rare , the woods of the Blasted Lands in the Eastern Kingdoms were once heavily populated with centaurs . They are savagery and brutality incarnate . History . Background . Centaurs originated from Cenarius and / or from his sons Zaetar and " the centaur " . Five centaur clans in Kalimdor are the bastard offspring of Zaetar — a keeper of the grove and the eldest son of the demigod Cenarius — and an earth elemental , Princess Theradras . They are therefore related to the keepers of the grove and the dryad s — through their Cenarion lineage — and the element of Earth . The centaurs , ever grateful creatures , slew their father in a bloodthirsty rage and their mother buried his remains in Maraudon , which became a holy place for the centaurs . To this day , she stands guard over Zaetar ' s remains , holding his spirit prisoner . Other centaurs integrated into Zaetar ' s clans , and those that make up other clans are said to be born from Cenarius or by his son " the centaur " . Conflict with the Horde . Hatred of the Centaur , a tauren myth , tells how the early tauren were driven from their ancestral lands ( presumably in Mulgore ) and forced to wander the Barrens of Kalimdor . The tauren claim that the centaurs have always existed to scourge the land . When the orc s first arrived in Kalimdor , they found the nomadic tauren under constant attack from the centaurs . Through the aid of the orcs , the tauren were finally able to reclaim their ancestral lands and live in peace once more . The conflict between the Horde and the centaurs continues , however , particularly in the Barrens . The members of the Horde hate them so intensely that they have taken to skinning their corpses and making rugs out of them . Such decorations are a common sight in cities such as Orgrimmar and Thunder Bluff . The Horde and the Alliance are both attempting to control the savage centaurs by encouraging inter - tribal conflicts , so as to prevent the centaur from banding together and becoming a dangerous force . The Pariah . Despite the hostility each centaur clan has traditionally had for the others , recently a centaur known only as the Centaur Pariah , labeled as a heretic by his people , developed plans to unify the clans . Players can aid him in his design by entering the holy tomb of Maraudon and forging the Amulet of Union , which he intends to use to bring his warring people together as one . Whether or not the centaurs would actually be able to consolidate into a unified , civilized people remains unknown . If redeemed , Zaetar ' s Spirit will also speak of hope for a more positive future for his offspring . The union of the centaurs may be the only thing that can stop the increasing demonic presence of Desolace . Origins . According to information in the " Warcraft III " manual , " Dungeons & Dragons Warcraft The Roleplaying Game " , " Manual of Monsters " , and " Horde Player ' s Guide " , there is another myth for the origin of the centaur race . It has been theorized by night elves that the centaurs may have been the direct bastard offspring of Cenarius . However a couple of sources mention this may just be a rumor or legend . Legend holds that the primitive , barbaric centaurs are actually the bastard off - spring of the night elf demigod , Cenarius . Whether or not this is true , it is certain that they are savagery and brutality incarnate . It is also widely rumored that he sired the cursed , barbaric centaur that ravage the duty plains of the Barrens — though this claim has never been substantiated . Cenarius ' s children are literally the offspring of the demigod Cenarius . Centaur are his bastard children , while dryads are his daughters and keepers of the grove are his sons . Centaur in Azeroth are the bastard children of the demigod Cenarius . Centaur are the cursed offspring of Cenarius . Centaur somewhat resemble his other children , dryads and keepers of the grove : they have the torsos , heads and arms of humans , and the bodies and legs of horses . Night elves claim that centaur are the bastard children of the demigod Cenarius . Despite their origins , these primitive , barbaric horsemen are the embodiment of savagery . According to a night elf legend ( as told by a tauren storyteller ) , it was one of his sons known only as " the centaur " who was also the father of centaurs . ; " Long , ago , the kaldorei god Cenarius bore three children , the centaur , the dryad , and the keeper of the grove . However , one son , the centaur , grew to despise his beautiful siblings , then all other creatures of the world , and challenged Cenarius . The centaur believed that he was the strongest of the three children , and that Cenarius refused to love him and instead doted on his other children . In embracing his hatred and savagery , he struck his father in blind rage , trying to force his father to love him above all other creatures . In retort , the god cursed the centaur , stripping him of his beauty and powers , leaving him only with his hatred and anger . The centaur fled in rage , and swore a blood feud on all the creatures of the world . He reserved most of his hatred for Cenarius ' favored children , and thus the night elves drew his ire as well . We tauren too drew his anger , as he was jealous of our strength and power with the world , the same power he lost . His children carry his anger , and destroy everything they touch , bearing their father ' s hatred of all things of the world . The origin of the centaurs mentioned in the " Warcraft III manual " was likely originally referring to all centaurs . However , it is now known that Zaetar fathered five centaur tribes who live in Southern Kalimdor , as stated in the " Warcraft The Roleplaying Game " core rule book ( though it also states Cenarius may have fathered some in the Barrens ) , " World of Warcraft " , and " Lands of Mystery " . Although , some of Cenarius ' centaurs may have integrated into those clans . Cenarious has in fact , fathered at least one centaur according to legend , and may have fathered other centaurs as well . While the five centaur tribes ( Kolkar , Magram , Maraudine , Gelkis , and Galak ) being fathered by Zaetar is explained by a separate legend , there appears to be some truth to this other legend . It is also implied that some of these children may have integrated into Zaetar ' s clans as well . It also explains the existence of other tribes found in the Eastern Kingdoms , the Stonetalon centaurs , Centaur Marauders , and the Krenka . For it is said that " the centaur " became the father of many tribes . " The centaur " . It may also be possible that the two legends are one in the same in which the son called " the centaur " may in fact be Zaetar , for full speculation see : Zaetar # Speculation Appearance . A centaur appears as a creature with a horse ' s body and legs and with a humanoid ' s torso , arms , and head extending from the front part of where a horse neck and head would normally be placed . A full grown male centaur can stand over seven feet tall from hooves to head and weighs over a ton . Kalimdor centaurs can actually suffer the effects of undeath . Culture . The nomadic centaur culture and the term " khan " have their roots in the culture of the Mongols . Centaur homes resemble traditional Mongol yurts . Each tribe of centaurs is lead by a khan , who is generally a leader of above - average strength and intelligence . Some of the clans , if not all , practice cannibalism and will eat the flesh of other sapient races as well , such as the tauren . Centaurs follow a shamanistic faith , but their brand of shamanism is far different from the more gentle practices of the Horde . Curiously , most centaur shamans are female . Centaurs are savage and brutal , and they often take prisoners . These prisoners are usually eaten . However , rumors tell of centaurs dragging humanoids of all sorts off to become slaves , forcing them to work in hardscrabble opal mines . Opal s are used to make crude trinket s or are thrown into sacrificial offerings to the spirits . Young tauren have made something of a game out of this tradition , snatching away the centaur ' s offerings and leaving insulting totems in their place . They must be swift , lest they be caught by the centaur , who leave their gutted remains as a warning to others who would consider doing the same . Filthy creatures , centaurs are always followed by swarms of flies , which are attracted by the centaur ' s repellent odor . Centaurs have no qualms about leaving piles of dung strewn about their encampments , and no concept of privacy . Each of the five tribes in Desolace had their own unique tribal color : black , brown , green , red , and yellow . Members used the colors to mark their weapons and their faces . These colors are literally the names of centaur tribes fathered by Zaetar , but likely refer to the five main centaur tribes ( Kolkar , Magram , Maraudine , Gelkis , and Galak ) . The Red tribe for example lived in Spearhold . Additional tribal colors found in modern Desolace include blue and purple . Languages . Centaurs speak Low Common and Common . The Krenka clan speaks Krenkese and Low Common . A few centaurs learn the languages of their enemies . Taur - ahe is learned as a secondary language , though a few centaur primarily speak Taur - ahe . Centaur remains . Centaur skins can be found in many places around Azeroth , even other centaur camps . Centaur skins are all over lower Blackrock Spire , perhaps having come from the rare Eastern Kingdom ' s breed . If it is the case , then the Blackrock clan may have brought the eastern centaurs to near extinction by the time of " World of Warcraft " . Centaur skins can also be found in some locations in Outland , such as in the ogre leader ' s hut in Ango ' rosh Stronghold . Centaur clans . Desolace tribes . Five barbarous centaur tribes dominate the entire region with the strength of overwhelming numbers and unequaled ferocity . each tribe is led by one of the dreaded khans and is known by a distinctive tribal color — Black , Brown ( Gelkis clan ) , Green ( Magram clan ) , Red ( Kolkar clan ) and Yellow . Members use the color to mark their weapons and their faces . The khans who lead each tribe rarely have contact with each other except in times of war . Centaurs from the Eastern Kingdom . Centaurs dwell in the forests of the Eastern Kingdoms and the Blasted Lands . Since the centaurs in the Eastern Kingdoms are rare , a traveling centaur is more likely to draw curiosity than arrows . Garithos unleashed a squad of mercenary centaur khans in Lordaeron in the Eastern Kingdoms to try to stop the blood elves from escaping Dalaran in The Crossing . Other centaurs that live in the continent of Azeroth are described in Appendix Three of " Manual of Monsters " , however the validity of the source is disputed . Even though " Manual of Monsters " states that the centaurs in the book are the bastard sons of Cenarius , it is unknown as to whether the centaurs found in the Eastern Kingdoms have a connection to the five tribes in Kalimdor — who are the offspring of Zaetar . A posibility is that they are in fact the offspring of " the centaur " , the other son of Cenarius . Another explanation is that they may have been a group or groups of centaurs that splintered from the original five tribes and made it across ancient Kalimdor before the Sundering , arriving in the present day Eastern Kingdoms . Myth . The ( Greek : Κενταυροι ) are fairly popular beings in Greek mythology , but myths pertaining to them directly are not plentiful . The handfuls of tales that survive relate the nature of a boisterous race of horse - men who care only for drinking and numerous other vices . They were the children of Nephele ( a nymph formed out of clouds in the shape of Hera by Zeus ) . The lustful and devious Lapith king Ixion raped Nephele ( thinking it was Hera ) , thus impregnating her . She promptly gave birth to a clan of horse - men ( the Centaurs ) . Though there are sparse references to female Centaurs from antiquity , they only appear in later art and literature of other cultures . Despite the barbaric nature of centaurs in general , certain centaurs were renowned for their wisdom . Kheiron ( Chiron ) , for example , was the teacher of some of the greatest of Greek heroes , including Achilles , Herakles , Jason , and Theseus . Blizzard took a distinctly central Asian influence for their centaurs , borrowing cultural elements from peoples such as the . Most notably , they are led by and live in .