Little is known about satyrs these days. Many of us are familiar with these horned creatures with goat hooves as unchanging characters in the Rococo era canvases, and even as heroes of ancient Greek myths read in childhood. However, history keeps many secrets of these goat-footed creatures, thanks to which satyrs appear before researchers in a completely different light.
Creature from the forest
Idols like satyrs have been worshiped by people since time immemorial. In the caves of the Paleolithic era, researchers more than once met images of hairy and horned creatures looking after rushing animals - potential prey of ancient people. Unfortunately, history has not preserved the names of these forest patrons, but they were highly respected by our distant ancestors. It depended on them whether the hunt would be successful or the ancient hunters would return home without prey. Therefore, the horned deities should have been appeased with songs and dances. Moreover, only men should have worshiped them, since the prayers of women were ignored by the satyrs of antiquity.
An interesting fact is that it was thanks to the unknown gods that the first wind musical instruments appeared on earth, which served to satisfy the ears of the owners of the game. This is evidenced today by numerous drawings carved on animal bones discovered by archaeologists.
"Hippies" of Rome and Hellas
Several centuries later, satyrs no longer enjoyed the same respect among people and occupied the niche of lower deities. In Ancient Greece, and then in Ancient Rome, they densely "populated" forests and banks of sources, spending their lives in carefree fun.
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Divine cuckolds possessed unbridled love, constantly pursuing the beauties of nymphs and inhabitants of Olympus. Once the goat-footed ladies' men even infringed upon the honor of the goddess Iris, who miraculously escaped their persecution, sacrificing feathers from her rainbow wings.
It was the satyrs who were the first to make a heady drink from grapes, and then taught this art to the young Dionysus, who was given to them to be raised by Zeus. When the god of winemaking grew up, the shaggy mentors formed his retinue and began to follow their master on his endless journey through the lands of the Ancient World. This journey of satyrs and Dionysus resembled an endless holiday, where unpretentious loud music was constantly sounded, and wine, to which the horned deities were great hunters, flowed like a river. It must be said that Dionysus and his retinue were venerated by the Greeks and Romans, and therefore in their honor, grandiose festivals with songs, dances and generous libations were often held in their honor.
Satyrs, without exaggeration, could be called "hippies" of the Ancient world, since they led a carefree lifestyle, never took up arms, tried not to quarrel with the creatures around them, and cared little about morality. The forest cuckolds had a special relationship with people. And although these horned hairy gods were quite harmless and never did anyone any harm, in a fit of fun they could nevertheless joke for the sake of hiding a herd of a shepherd-rotozee in the forest or scare half to death of a belated passer-by.
However, the people themselves were not averse to hunting satyrs. It was believed that these goat-footed drunks have the gift of foresight, and if you catch a drunken cuckold, he will certainly reveal to a person his future.
The harsh master of the thickets
The formidable Cernunnos ("horned") - the lord of the northwestern forests of Europe - and his furry assistants had a completely different character. These creatures observed order in the wilderness, and therefore the owner himself regularly went around his possessions, holding in one hand a staff crowned with a horned snake, and in the other - a bowl carved from bone. Northwestern satyrs strictly observed that people did not cut trees unnecessarily, and hunters killed just as much game as they needed to feed. Unlike the Greek and Roman cuckolds, Cernunnos' assistants did not require people to celebrate merry holidays in their honor. Instead, every hunter who shot an animal or a bird had to perform some magical ritual at the end of the hunt, which would release the soul of the killed animal back into the forest, thereby feeding unknown creatures of the thicket.
Those who violated the forest laws faced retribution. As soon as the guilty man entered the forest again, he was attacked by an unaccountable fear and his feet themselves carried the poor fellow into a deaf thicket, where he died in terrible agony. In addition, he could send Cernunnos to shameless hunters and terrible diseases, from which a person who was so full of health died in a matter of days.
It was believed that forest satyrs make friends with druids and often share their secrets with those, revealing to them the secrets of the future and giving the priests practical advice. In gratitude for this, the white-bearded wanderers left refreshments or flasks of wine near the forest sanctuaries to the assistants of Cernunnos.
Devil's helpers
Surprisingly, it was the popularity of satyrs that "endowed" the devil's minions with such a well-known "goat-like" appearance. After the spread of Christianity in Europe, the first clergymen began to fight zealously against paganism. It's hard to believe, but here the "serious" gods quickly gave up their positions, but the cult of the cheerful Dionysus became a strong rival for the harsh shepherds. Even in the 7th century, when Christianity everywhere strengthened its position, without fear of church punishment and anathema, on moonlit nights people made their way into the forest in order to pay homage to the God of wine and his retinue. It is no wonder that the priests branded the worshipers of goat-footed creatures as minions of Satan, calling the ancient rituals the covens of witches, and the harmless satyrs the demons of hell. And their eerie appearance - sharp ears, body overgrown with hair,goat horns and hooves - perfectly suited the still faceless forces of darkness of the new religion.
For a long time, satyrs were branded in their sermons by priests of all ranks as servants of the underworld, and their images certainly appeared in churches on the frescoes of the Last Judgment. And only with the beginning of the Renaissance, satyrs again became harmless horned gods, hiding in the shadows of the forests.
Revived myths
According to the surviving historical sources, satyrs became characters in myths, "stepping" into them from real life. One of the first such documents, telling about creatures with horns and hooves, is Popol-Vuh - an epic book of the Quiche Indians. On its pages, the ancient author calls the cuckolds "old people" who lived on earth long before humans. After the "new people" became the masters of the planet, the "old" ones went underground, where they live to this day.
Several centuries later, the Roman dictator Sulla described in his memoirs how, during his trip to Epirus, he found a man sleeping in the meadows, overgrown with wool, with horns on his head. Sulla and his companions addressed the stranger in different languages, trying to find out who he was and where he was from, but in response the cuckold only shouted in a harsh and shrill voice.
Fascinating notes were also left by the envoy of Diadochus Seleucus I of Nicagora, who lived for a long time at the court of the Indian king Chandragupta Maurya. He argued that in the local possessions there are many satyrs, who can be easily met while walking along the local plateaus.
It must be said that, supplementing the above records, the ancient Roman researcher Pliny the Elder (23-79 years) wrote in his Natural History that satyr is found not only in India, but also in Ethiopia, presenting it as follows: “A dexterous animal overgrown with wool, moving on four limbs, but able to walk on its hind legs, like a man."
The testimony of one innkeeper who lived in a small village in Provence in the 16th century is also interesting. This man filed a complaint with the city fathers, in which he colorfully described the "shaggy man" who tried to enter his wine cellar at night.
It is possible that the numerous meetings of our contemporaries with "forest" or "hairy people", which are often reported by the media around the world, are directly related to satyrs.
This is not surprising, because if the once huge tribe of cheerful, in their own way cute creatures existed on earth, it is quite possible that its last representatives have survived to this day. This means that you and I have a chance to get to know them someday.
Elena LYAKINA