Satyr
29067
225806749
2008-07-15T14:22:48Z
Sucrine
973336
C S Lewis -> C. S. Lewis
{{otherpeople4|the Greek mythological creature|the musician|Sigurd Wongraven}}
[[Image:Komos Douris BM E768.jpg|thumb|200px|A bald, bearded, horse-tailed satyr balances a winecup on his [[erect penis]], on an Attic red-figured ''psykter'', ca. 500-490 BC.]]
In [[Greek mythology]], '''satyrs''' (in [[Ancient Greek|Greek]], '''Σάτυροι''' — '''Sátyroi''') are a troop of male companions of [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] and [[Dionysus]]— "[[Satyress|satyresses]]" were a late invention of poets— that roamed the woods and mountains. In mythology they are often associated with sex drive and vase-painters often portrayed them with uncontrollable erections.
==Mythology==
The satyrs' chief was called [[Silenus]], a minor deity associated (like [[Hermes]] and [[Priapus]]) with fertility. These characters can be found in the only remaining [[satyr play]] ''Cyclops'' by [[Euripedes]] and the fragments of [[Sophocles]]' ''[[The Tracking Satyrs]]'' (''Ichneutae''). The satyr play was a lighthearted follow-up attached to the end of each trilogy of tragedies in Athenian [[festivals honoring Dionysus]]. These plays would take a lighthearted approach to the heavier subject matter of the tragedies in the series, featuring heroes speaking in tragic [[iambic verse]] and taking their situation seriously as to the flippant, irreverent and obscene remarks and antics of the satyrs. The groundbreaking tragic playwright [[Aeschylus]] is said to have been especially loved for his satyr plays, but none of them has survived.
[[Image:Satyros Cdm Paris 509.jpg|thumb|left|Another horse-tailed satyr suspends his pipe-case from his erection, on an [[Attica|Attic]] black-figure plate, 520–500 BCE, from [[Vulci]]]]
[[Pottery of ancient Greece|Attic painted vases]] depict mature satyrs as being strongly built with flat noses, large pointed ears, long curly hair, and full [[beard]]s, with [[wreath]]s of vine or ivy circling their balding heads. Satyrs often carry the [[thyrsus]]: the rod of [[Dionysus]] tipped with a pine cone.
Satyrs acquired their [[goat]]-like aspect through later Roman conflation with [[Faunus]], a carefree [[Ancient Italic peoples|Italic]] nature spirit of similar temperament. Hence satyrs are most commonly described in Latin literature as having the upper half of a man and the lower half of a goat, with a goat's tail in place of the Greek tradition of horse-tailed satyrs. Mature satyrs are often depicted in Roman art with goat's [[horn (anatomy)|horns]], while juveniles are often shown with bony nubs on their foreheads.
<!--too generic to transmit information:In some recent works satyrs have become more human, with fewer animal characteristics, until only the tail remains to show that they are satyrs. In most books, drawings, etc., however, they still have their general half-goat, half-man appearance.-->
[[Image:SatryWithWomen.jpg|thumb|Satyr on a mountain goat, drinking with women. [[Gandhara]], 2nd-4th century.]]
Satyrs are described as roguish but faint-hearted folk — subversive and dangerous, yet shy and cowardly. As Dionysiac creatures they are lovers of wine, women and boys, and are ready for every physical pleasure. They roam to the music of pipes (''[[aulos|auloi]]''), [[cymbal]]s, [[castanets]], and [[bagpipes]], and love to dance with the [[nymph]]s (with whom they are obsessed, and whom they often pursue), and have a special form of dance called [[sikinnis]]. Because of their love of wine, they are often represented holding winecups, and appear often in the decorations on winecups.
Some satyrs are depicted as old. On painted [[vase]]s and other Greek art, satyrs are represented in the three stages of a man's life: mature satyrs are bearded, and are shown as fat and [[baldness|balding]], both a humiliating and unbecoming disfigurement in Greek culture.
===In Greek mythology and art===
[[Image:Euphronios 0012.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Detail of an Attic [[Chalice (cup)|chalice]] depicting a satyr with a [[tail]] and [[erection|erect penis]], [[Euphronios]], end of the 6th century]]
[[Image:Satyr maenad Louvre G34.jpg|thumb|Satyr and [[maenad]], shown on a red-figure Attic cup, ca. 510 BC–500 BC., [[Louvre]], [[Paris]], [[France]]]]
In earlier Greek art, satyrs appear as old and ugly, but in later art, especially in works of the [[Attic school]], this savage characteristic is softened into a more youthful and graceful aspect.
This transformation or humanization of the Satyr appears throughout late Greek art. Another example of this shift occurs in the portrayal of [[Medusa]] and in that of the [[Amazons|Amazon]], characters who are traditionally depicted as barbaric and uncivilized. The compassionate representation of the Satyr in a work of [[Praxiteles]] known as the Resting Satyr shows the level of Greek civilization and their desire to accept all types of people.
Older satyrs were known as [[sileni]], the younger as [[satyrisci]]. The [[hare]] was the symbol of the shy and timid satyr. Greek spirits known as [[Calicantsar]]s have a noticeable resemblance to the ancient satyrs; they have goats' ears and the feet of [[donkey]]s or goats, are covered with hair, and love women and the dance.
Although they are not mentioned by [[Homer]], in a fragment of [[Hesiod]]'s works they are called brothers of the mountain nymphs and [[Kuretes]], strongly connected with the [[cult of Dionysus]], and are an idle and worthless race. In the Dionysus cult, male followers are known as satyrs and female followers as maenads or bacchants.
In Attica there was a species of drama known as the legends of gods and heroes, and the chorus was composed of satyrs and sileni. In the Athenian [[satyr plays]] of the [[5th century BC]], the chorus commented on the action. This "satyric drama" burlesqued the serious events of the mythic past with lewd [[pantomime]] and subversive mockery. One complete satyr play from the 5th century survives, the ''[[Cyclops (play)|Cyclops]]'' of [[Euripides]].
A [[papyrus]] bearing a long fragment of a satyr play by [[Sophocles]], given the title 'Tracking Satyrs' (''Ichneutae''), was found at [[Oxyrhynchus]] in [[Egypt]], [[1907]].
===In Roman mythology and art===
[[Image:Villacasale03.jpg|thumb|A Satyr depicted on a Roman [[mosaic]] in [[Villa Romana del Casale]], an archeological site near [[Piazza Armerina]] in [[Sicily]], [[Italy]]]]
[[Image:IMG 05951.JPG|thumb|right|This satyr [[gargoyle]], affixed to the [[Cathedral of St. Vincent]] ([[Bern]], [[Switzerland]]), is posed in the act of choking a [[mermaid]].]]
Roman satyrs were conflated in the popular and poetic imagination with Latin spirits of woodland and with the rustic spirit Pan, called the [[Pane (mythology)|Panes]].
Roman satyrs were described as goatlike from the [[haunches]] to the [[hooves]], and were often pictured with larger horns, even [[ram (sheep)|ram]]'s horns. Roman poets often conflated them with the [[faun]]s.
Roman [[satire]] is a [[literary]] form, a [[poetic essay]] that was a vehicle for biting, subversive social and personal criticism. Though Roman satire is sometimes linked to the Greek satyr plays, satire's only connection to the satyric drama is through the subversive nature of the satyrs themselves, as forces in opposition to urbanity, [[decorum]], and civilization itself.
==Other references==
In the [[King James Version of the Bible]], Isaiah 13:21 and 34:14, the English word "satyr" is used to represent the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] שעירים, ''hairy ones.'' In [[Hebrews|Hebrew]] folklore, שעירים are a type of demon or supernatural being which inhabits waste places. There is an allusion to the practice of sacrificing to the שעירים (often translated as "devils") in Leviticus 17:7. They correspond to the "shaggy demon of the mountain-pass" (أزب الاكب) of old [[Arab]] legend.
==Baby satyr==
[[Image:Ladysatyr.JPG|thumb|left|200px|A female satyr holding two infants, by [[Clodion]] ([[Walters Art Gallery]], Baltimore)]]
[[Image:Tizian 048.jpg|thumb|A child satyr (center) depicted in [[Titian]]'s painting [[Bacchus and Ariadne]] c.1520-1523]]'''Baby satyrs''', or '''child satyrs''', are [[mythological creature]]s related to the satyr. They appear in popular [[folklore]], [[classics|classical]] artworks, [[film]], and in various forms of local art.
Some classical works depict young satyrs being tended to by older, sober satyrs, while there are also some representations of child satyrs taking part in [[Bacchus|Bacchanalian]]/[[Dionysian ritual]]s (including drinking [[alcoholic beverage|alcohol]], playing [[musical instrument]]s, and [[dance|dancing]]).
The presence of a baby or child satyr in a classical work, such as on a [[Greek pottery|Greek vase]], was mainly an aesthetic choice on the part of the artist. However, the role of a child in Greek art might imply a further meaning for baby satyrs: [[Eros (mythology)|Eros]], the son of [[Aphrodite]], is consistently represented as a child or baby, and Bacchus, the divine sponsor of satyrs, is seen in numerous works as a baby, often in the company of the satyrs. A prominent instance of a baby satyr outside [[ancient Greece]] is [[Albrecht Dürer]]'s [[1505]] engraving, "Musical Satyr and Nymph with Baby (Satyr's Family)". There is also a [[Victorian period|Victorian-era]] napkin ring depicting a baby satyr next to a barrel, which further represents the perception of baby satyrs as partaking in the Bacchanalian festivities.
[http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/exhibits/revivals.shtml See ''Revivals, Reveries, and Reconstructions: Images of Antiquity in Prints from 1500 to 1800'', an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.]
There are also many works of art of the [[rococo]] period depicting child or baby satyrs in Bacchanalian celebrations. Some works depict female satyrs with their children; others describe the child satyrs as playing an active role in the events, including one instance of a painting by [[Jean Raoux]] (1677–1735). "Mlle Prévost as a Bacchante" depicts a child satyr playing a tambourine while Mlle Prévost, a dancer at the Opéra, is dancing as part of the Bacchanal festivities. [http://www.unh.edu/music/Icon/igtamms.htm]
==Satyrs and orangutan==
In the 17th century, the satyr legend came to be associated with stories of the [[orangutan]], a great ape now found only in [[Sumatra]] and [[Borneo]]. Many early accounts which apparently refer to this animal describe the males as being sexually aggressive towards human women and towards females of its own species. The first scientific name given to this ape was ''[[Simia satyrus]]''. {{Fact|date=February 2008}}
==In popular culture==
{{Trivia|date=February 2008}}
* The Satyr is an oft-made reference to the Dionysian in [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]'s [[The Birth of Tragedy]].
* [[The Pastoral Symphony]] section of [[Disney]]'s [[Fantasia (film)|Fantasia]] features baby satyrs, sometimes called Fauns.
* In Guillermo del Toro's 2006 film [[Pan's Labyrinth]], a young girl encounters a faun at the entrance to a magical kingdom. He gives her three challenges to determine if she is the long-lost princess of the Underworld.
* In [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]]'s [[1997]] film ''[[Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules]]'', the character Phil is an [[wikt:amalgamation|amalgamation]] of the hero [[Philoctetes]] and the stereotypical satyr; his circumstances are those of the classical Philoctetes, but he looks like a satyr and exhibits satyr-like desires for wine and women.
* In [[Ridley Scott]]'s ''[[Legend (film)|Legend]]'', the villain Darkness bears many similarities to a satyr (both in appearance and in nature). Scott said that he wanted Darkness to be "very sexual", so wanted him to be a satyr.
* The Satyr is the name of a satirical newspaper written by students of [[Manchester University]].
* Satyr is the name of the union of the four revues at the faculty of science of the university of Copenhagen.
* [[Gnosticism|Gnostic]] satyrs of both genders appear in [[Umberto Eco]]'s ''[[Baudolino]]''.
* In the computer game series [[Warcraft]], Satyrs appear as a race of [[Demon]]ic creatures, as corrupted [http://www.wowwiki.com/Night_elf Night Elves].
* Satyrs appear occasionally throughout the [[Chronicles of Narnia]] series, by [[C. S. Lewis]].
* [[Grover Underwood (Percy Jackson)|Grover Underwood]] in the [[Percy Jackson & The Olympians]] book series is a satyr.
*Satyr is the pseudonym of [[Sigurd Wongraven]], one of the founding members of black metal band [[Satyricon (band)|Satyricon]]
*Satyr is also the title of an award winning adult film starring Jenna Jameson.
*Satyr is one of many species of mutated creatures found on Earth in [[Roger Zelazny]]'s 1966 Hugo award winning novel ''[[This Immortal]]''.
* In [[Hans Christian Andersen]]'s [[fairy tale]] "[[The Shepherdess and the Sweep]]" (1845), a bearded and horned satyr carved into the mahogany door of a curio cabinet is known as "Major-general-field-sergeant-commander Billy goat's legs" and threatens a porcelain shepherdess on a nearby table top with taking her for his wife. The shepherdess shudders in horror and flees the house with her lover, a porcelain chimney sweep with a princely face "as fair and rosy as a girl's".
* The Christian antagonist, Satan, is often depicted as a satyr, the link being pagan religions and the 'sinful' pleasures that satyrs enjoy.
* In the video game [[God of War]], the satyr is an enemy found towards the end of the game. They are depicted as extremely skilled fighters and are some of the toughest enemies found.
* In [[Brian Keene]]'s Dark Hollow (previously published as The Rutting Season) a satyr is living near a small town and originally thought to be a serial killer.
==See also==
{{wiktionary|satyr}}
*[[Faun]] - [[Italy|Italian]]
*[[Glaistig]] - [[Scotland|Scottish]]
*[[Leszi]] - [[Slavic mythology]]
*[[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] - early [[Greek mythology|Greek myth]]
*[[Sileni]] - early [[Greek mythology]]
*[[Torgo]] - one of the main characters (and by far the most popular) in the movie ''[[Manos: The Hands of Fate]]''
*[[Centaur]] - half man/half horse from [[Greek mythology]]
*[[Urisk]]- Goat-Man Fairy from [[Scottish folklore]]
* [[USS Satyr (ARL-23)|USS ''Satyr'' (ARL-23)]]
==References==
* Harry Thurston Peck ''Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities'', 1898: "Faunus", "Pan", and "Silenus".
==External links==
*[http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Satyroi.html Satyroi]
*[http://www.newanimal.org/satyr.htm Satyrs in Cryptozoology]
*[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=274&letter=S&search=Satyr Jewish Encyclopedia: Satyr]
{{commonscat|Satyrs}}
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[[Category:Roman mythology]]
[[Category:Greek legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Mythological hybrids]]
[[Category:Classical elements]]
[[Category:Legendary mammals]]
[[Category:Dionysus]]
[[Category:Greek mythology]]
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