Ixion, the Thessalian king of Larissa, is thought to be Phlegyas. According to some sources, his father is Ares, the god of war.

Ixion wants to marry Dia, the beautiful daughter of Eioneus, but prepares a trap for her unaware father-in-law in order not to pay the bride price. This trap is a pit filled with fire. When Eioneus went to visit his daughter, he fell into this pit and died, and Ixion thus went down in history as the first person to kill his relative.

After such betrayal, he can no longer properly rule Thessaly. He is ostracized by all humans and gods. Only Zeus took pity on him and invited him to a feast on Mount Olympus. But he notices Iksion's interest in his wife, Hera. To test her, she makes a copy of Hera from the clouds and deceives Ixion. From this union, the Centaur race is born. Centaurs are evil and barbaric creatures because they are the fruits of treason. They also feed on raw meat.

Zeus takes Ixion underground to the kingdom of Hades to serve his punishment. There, Ixion suffers his punishment by being forever tied to a wheel and dehydrated. The good and wise Centaur Cheiron, unlike other Centaurs, is not a descendant of Ixion.