Satyrs

Mixed creatures of man and billy goat led by the Greek god Pan as representatives of revelry and fertility demons devoted to dancing and drinking wine. The voluptuous creatures are of sturdy, hulking shape, have shaggy hair, a blunt, upturned nose, pointed ears and a goat's tail or small horse's tail. On ancient Greek vases they are often depicted with an erect phallus. The satyrs accompany the Greek god of wine Dionysus (or the Roman counterpart Bacchus) on his travels. The female maenads (frenzy, madness) were also part of the entourage. In the picture on the left, a maenad (left) and a satyr are shown with the thyrsos staff (fertility symbol) and a kantharos (drinking vessel for wine). The father of the satyrs is Silenos, the educator and companion of the young Dionysus. Sometimes Hermes is also mentioned as the father. The first vine sprouted from the corpse of the satyr Ampelos, after whom ampelography is named. See also under wine gods.

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Satyrs

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