Submitted Name Revision History

Latinized form of Kaineus. This was the name of several characters from Greek mythology, one of which was a hero of the legendary Lapith people of Thessaly. He was born a woman, with the name of Kainis (usually latinized to Caenis). After being raped by Poseidon, the god promised to grant her one wish. She wished to be given the body of a man and the lifestyle that came with that, and Poseidon subsequently fulfilled that wish. After the transformation, the brand new man changed his name to Kaineus (Caeneus in Latin) and joined in both the hunt of the Calydonian Boar as well as joining the other Lapiths in the Centauromachy, where some versions of his myth say is where Caeneus died.

In the Centauromachy, Caeneus killed five (named) centaurs: Antimachus, Bromus, Elymus, Pyracmus and Styphelus. Caeneus also engaged in combat with a centaur named Latreus, who knew of Caeneus' birth sex and took offense to his chosen life. Caeneus' spear barely misses Latreus, who then strikes Caeneus in the face with his own, only for the spear to shatter across Caeneus' skin. He attempts again to kill Caeneus with his sword and receives the same results. At this point the story diverges, with some saying that Caeneus kills Latreus with a blow to the side. Others say Latreus was wounded by Caeneus and became enraged, so he instead tried to bury Caeneus under pine or fir trunks so heavy that even Caeneus' immense strength could not free him. Depending on the myth, this results in either Caeneus being buried alive, being pushed through the earth and straight into Tartarus or he instead shape-shifts and flies away as a golden-winged or tawny bird. In the myths where Caeneus kills Latreus, it is instead Monychus who buries Caeneus (albeit with the help of the other centaurs).