The father of melancholy in mythology is often regarded as Chiron, the wise centaur from Greek mythology. Unlike other centaurs, who were known for their wildness, Chiron was a figure of knowledge, healing, and profound sorrow due to his immortality combined with a painful injury. His story embodies the duality of human experience—wisdom intertwined with suffering. Chiron’s influence extends beyond mythology into literature and psychology, where he symbolizes the deep, often painful pursuit of knowledge and the burdens that come with it, defining the melancholic hero archetype.