Question: Name for a species similiar to centaur but cat-based instead of horse.

[Andar]

OK, I don't know if it a problem of a language barrier or if this name doesn't exist, so I'm asking around.

Several games and a lot of artwork gives enemies that have the body of a large cat with a human torso replacing the head.
Unfortunately either they have no name assoziated, or the name is confusing if cross-referenced.
Example-Link (not my artwork): https://www.deviantart.com/annazonart/art/Cat-Lamia-769820684

In a lot of cases they are called "Lamia", but if you search for Lamia alone most results are with the lower body of a snake or even more different forms of demons.
Does anyone know another name for this concept of catbased centaur, one that can't be confused with a naga or other types of demons if someone searches the term on the web?

Thanks

 

[VeryXInh]

Meowotaurus?

 

[Bastrophian]

how about Gataur? google says Gata is greek for cat, and centaurs are a mainly from greek myth, so... sounds pretty plausible, no? :3

EDIT: Oh, im sorry. I didint read all the way.

Well, I've honestly never actually encountered such a creature described in any medium, game, literature or mythology. Personally, I would just look up names of things, preferably from latin or greek and smash them together until I got something that sounds cool and believable. Like what I did for the above. :3

Alternatives: Gatar, Gatoar, Torgata, Taurgata

 

[Milennin]

Sphinx.

 

[gstv87]

that's a sphinx alright.
although there are several types of sphinx: male torso and lion, female torso and lion, lion body and human head, winged sphinx, feathered sphinx....
I seem to remember each having a specific name, other than "sphinx"

 

[Andar]

@Milennin @gstv87 no, a sphinx has only the head replaced, not the torso - I never came around any description of a shpinx with arms and hands.

And I have no problems creating names, I just hoped that this would have one already. You can try to search for "cat lamia pictures" on google and will see several of such pictures, but even there the snakes are mixed in:
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=i...z-img.....0..0j0i30j0i8i30j0i5i30.M-zsBztyRoA

Most probably I'll have tto go with lamia and just provide more descriptions (I don't have any usable pictures).
Or hope that someone else can provide a name that would work on a google search...

 

[slimmmeiske2]

According to a commenter on that first picture, it's called a Wemic? (Although that seems to be a D&D term for human-torso and lower body lion).

 

[gstv87]

Anggitay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anggitay

closest thing I could find.

 

[Tiamat-86]

a sphinx is a half human-half feline species

 

[mlogan]

But a sphinx does not have a human torso, just the head. Sometimes wings.

My guess is that these human/cat creatures are just something that is catching on now, which is why you are not going to find them in any ancient references and lamia was the closest name these artists could find to go with them, hence, them specifying that it is a cat lamia, as opposed to just lamia.

Personally, I’d probably just make my own name up.

 

[Tai_MT]

I'd just call it a Katar (Cat-Taur, ha ha ha ha). And make their specialty little Katar blades that they call "Hist" (haaa… hissing sounds).

I like puns, sue me.

 

[Finnuval]

@Milennin @gstv87 Tiamat-86 @mlogan a Sphinx comes in two variaties, Egyptian and Greek.
The Greek version is represented as a monster with a head of a woman, the body of a lioness, the wings of an eagle and a serpent-headed tail (the latter not always the case) and you also had versions with the head of a ram or hawk respectively.
The Egyptian version instead was male without the wings and tail.

There also is the Indian purushamriga which is a creature half-man, half-beast of any variety.
@Andar Lamia is a (Libian) child-eating demon monstress with serpent-like qualities.
Lastly there is the (simple) were-cat, similar to were-wolves from European mythology, the Lamassu (or Shedu) who can have the body of a lion, the head of a human and wings, various gods with cat/feline heads and cat-like spirit creatures/demons from Asian Mythology like the Nekomata however a true Hybrid with human torso and head and cat body I have not found in my studies (or at least not that I remember)

 

[gstv87]

the specific human/cat creature with a full woman's torso and arms, is indeed a Wemic, and it's a D&D creature, it has no equivalent in world mythology.
the closest thing is an Anggitay, which is a Centauride, a *female* Centaur, *Centaur* being specifically a half-human half-horse, and "Anggitay" being a specific naming in the Phillipines, that of the female centaur (specifically), as opposed to the naming of "centaur" encompassing all that is human/horse hybrids.

you know.... "if all beep are boops, and are bleeps are beeps... then, are all boops bleeps?"
that kind of inheritance mess.

except in this case, it's a human/cat hybrid, not a human/horse.

 

[Restart]

I think you're a bit mixed up - you're putting the cat before the horse.

 

[Darth Equus]

Felitaur?

 

[Restart]

Wait wait
Lion-Otaur

 

[Tiamat-86]

just call it a Nekotaur and move on.
cant spend this much time on 1 monsters name when gotta name every town, region, npc, monster.... you know what i mean

 

[tobimura.tobi]

Cheshire cat?
I think he's cute... and lazy -_-

 

[Andar]

Cheshire cat?

That doesn't even comes close because that still is a four-footed cat, nothing with human torso or arms.

anyway, the missing answers basically proofed that there never was a classical, unique name for such a race and that made me go with a fictional name from myself several months ago. The story where that race is used is also linked in my signature, and I'm slowly preparing to create a game in it as well.

But no more answers needed here - as said the name is already set inside the story.

 

[slimmmeiske2]

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