The main difference between faun and satyr stems from their origins – faun is a mythical creature found in Roman literature while satyr has its origins in Greek mythology. Though both creatures are male, the faun has the hind legs of a goat while the satyr resembles a woodwose.
Distinctions. Faun resemble slightly stocky humans with furry lower bodies and cloven hooves similar to that of goats. Male faun are known as satyrs, while female faun are known as maenads. There are reletively few female faun, forcing satyrs to mate with other species (typically humanoid) in order to reproduce.
Satyress is the female equivalent to satyrs. They are entirely an invention of post-Roman European artists, as the Greek satyrs were exclusively male and the closest there was to female counterparts were the nymphs, altogether different creatures who, however, were nature spirits or deities like the satyrs.
Both are human from the waist up, but fauns have the legs of deer, while satyrs have the legs of goats. Both may have pointed ears, or horns, or both — and for some reason, both are very likely to be male (though fauns seem a bit more likely to have females.)
The Satyrs were nature spirits in ancient Greek mythology. They were depicted as wild, animalistic creatures who were half-goat and half-man. They were also connected with the god of festivities, Dionysus, and the god of the wilds, Pan. The ancient Romans believed in a similar class of spirits, the Fauns.
In Greek mythology, a satyr (Greek: σάτυρος, translit. sátyros, pronounced [sátyros]), also known as a silenus or silenos (Greek: σειληνός seilēnós [seːlɛːnós]), and selini (plural), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection.
faun, in Roman mythology, a creature that is part human and part goat, akin to a Greek satyr.
Origins. Romans believed fauns inspired fear in men traveling in lonely, remote or wild places. They were also capable of guiding humans in need, as in the fable of The Satyr and the Traveller, in the title of which Latin authors substituted the word Faunus.
Satyr and Silenus, in Greek mythology, creatures of the wild, part man and part beast, who in Classical times were closely associated with the god Dionysus. Their Italian counterparts were the Fauns (see Faunus).
The content of this article is from Forgotten Realms Wiki. Satyrs, also called fauns, were fey creatures that delighted in singing, dancing, feasting, and debauchery.
In addition, the god pan was strictly not a satyr but was more likely to be a satyr than a faun. He had the hind legs of a goat and two horns on his forehead. He was also a deity in Greek mythology which links him to a satyr; because fauns originated from Roman myths.
Are satyrs good or evil? Ancient Greek mythology probably would not define satyrs as good or evil, but rather wild and uncivilized. They were nature spirits.
Antiope in Greek mythology was the daughter of King Asopus of Boeotia. Zeus, enchanted by her beauty, transformed himself into a satyr and raped her. Antiope's rape by the father of the ancient Greek gods was only the beginning of her misfortunes. Soon after it became evident that she was pregnant with Zeus' child.
According to Guillermo del Toro, the Faun is "a creature that is neither good or evil.... like nature....a character there to be witness and shepherd her (Ofelia) in her rite of passage, but he has no agenda.
Pan, in Greek mythology, a fertility deity, more or less bestial in form. He was associated by the Romans with Faunus. Originally an Arcadian deity, his name is a Doric contraction of paon (“pasturer”) but was commonly supposed in antiquity to be connected with pan (“all”).
Reproduction. Being an all-male race, the satyrs required mating with other creatures in order to reproduce. These creatures were specifically their fellow fey, the dryads, nymphs, and oreads. They also shared the dryads' affection for humans of the opposite sex.
On this page you'll find 45 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to satyr, such as: casanova, debaucher, gigolo, libertine, lothario, and philanderer.
Centaur, Greek Kentauros, in Greek mythology, a race of creatures, part horse and part man, dwelling in the mountains of Thessaly and Arcadia.
The onocentaur (Latin: onocentaurus, from Greek: Ὀνοκένταυρος, translit. Onokéntauros, lit. "donkey centaur") is a legendary creature from Ancient folklore and Medieval bestiaries.
Special Abilities
They are known for using wooden flutes to produce extraordinary melodies that can hypnotize others. No one can resist a faun when they play their flute, which is why they sometimes use this ability to lure travelers into the forest, where they get lost.
In an effort to escape her difficult, unforgiving life, Ofelia follows a fairy into a labyrinth, where she meets a faun who tells her she is the princess of the underworld. She is thrilled to learn that she can return to her kingdom if she completes three tasks.
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Faunus [ˈfau̯nʊs] was the rustic god of the forest, plains and fields; when he made cattle fertile, he was called Inuus. He came to be equated in literature with the Greek god Pan, after which Romans depicted him as a horned god.
Did you know a father goat is called a billy or buck? Bring your dad to meet our resident buck, Louis.
Fauns a goat people, usually male who have the top half of a human but with horns, and the bottom half of a goat with hooves. Although female fauns are more prevalent in modern depictions, in original mythology the main female faun is the goddess Bona Dea.