Satyr

A satyr is a figure from Greek mythology. Satyrs were male companions of Pan and Dionysus who roamed the woods and mountains. They are often portrayed as men with strong bodily desires, wild, orgiastic and obsessed with drinking wine, music, dancing, and sex. They are after women (often the nymphs) and boys.

The Romans connected their fauns (place-spirits of untamed woodland, who were depicted with horns, with the upper half of a man and the lower half of a goat) with the Greek satyrs, which gave them a very similar appearance. Mature satyrs are often depicted in Roman art with goat's horns, while boy satyrs are often shown with bony nubs on their foreheads (both the fauns, satyrs and Pan resemble the later depictions of the devil in Christian iconography).

The name satyr is often thought to be linked to the rhethoric, literature and art technique of satire, but this is a false etymology.

Satyrs in art

Satyrs are very often depicted in erotic or sexual situations, often with erections. They are a classical subject matter in erotic art. Occasionally they are also seen in BDSM type activities such as whipping or spanking women (see the examples to the right).

Engraving by Francesco Primaticcio (1504 – 1570).
Engraving by Francesco Primaticcio (1504 – 1570).
Engraving by Francesco Primaticcio (1504 – 1570).
Venus uses a bunch of roses to "birch" Cupid while a satyr tries to hold her back. Engraving by Giovanni Luigi Valesio, 17th century.
A satyr spanks a naked woman horsed on another satyr.