satyr

(noun)

A male companion of Pan or Dionysus with the tail of a horse and a perpetual erection. Also known as a faun.

Related Terms

Examples of satyr in the following topics:

  • Sculpture in the Hellenistic Period

    • The Barberini Faun, also known as the Sleeping Satyr (c. 220 BCE), depicts an effeminate figure, most likely a satyr, drunk and passed out on a rock.

  • French Architecture in the Northern Renaissance

    • The tympanum was to be flanked on either side by bronze sculptures of nude satyrs, posed as mirror images of one another, also cast by Cellini.

  • Classical Greek Theater

    • At the end of the last play, a satyr play was staged to revive the spirits of the public after they had witnessed the heavy events of the tragedy that had preceded it.