Satyrs

Art
Boris Vallejo : SATYR
CJFA- Annibale Carracci: Venus with Satyr & Cupids
CJFA- Correggio: Venus & Cupid with a Satyr
CJFA- Jacob Jordaens: Satyr at the Peasant's House
CJFA- William-Adolphe Bouguereau: Nymphs & Satyr
JBL Catalog Satyr/Herne
Satyr Contemplating His Foot
Statue of a Satyr

Information
Aesop's Fable: The Man and the Satyr
bnewman@3rdplanet.com -- Satyr Page
Satyr - from the Guide to Unbiological Species
satyr.html

From the Encyclopedia Mythica
Article: Pan
Article: Satyrs

Satyr Traits
as told by Nalissi Erenlohm

Everyone has heard of Pan, the most known Satyr in mythology, but there are satyrs here, as well, running around on feet instead of hooves. Though they sport no horns that can be seen by most, they do share many other things in common with that Pan of legends.

Satyrs seem to carry something of the Woods and the Wild in them, no matter how urban their setting. This will often show through their eyes. The satyr I was lucky enough to have loved had changeable eyes of the woodsiest green/brown I have ever seen. They faerly glowed with emotion when he was happy (which was usually), and turned the deep, dark colors of the densest Forest shadows when he was not.

Though his legs were human in appearance, and the knees bent the right way, he had a slouch that I have observed in many Satyrs. The shoulders appear sloped, and the back is slightly bent so that the lower backs and hips are tilted forward. (This also causes the most adorable little rounding of the stomach, no matter how taut it is.) This posture may seem weird until you realize that it is exactly how they would stand for balance if their legs truely did bend the other way, as with Satyrs of legend.

Many are familliar with the renowned Satyr sexuality, at least intellectually. Well... it is often true. It isn't just sex, though. Satyrs tend to be that passionate about anything that interests them. Some things just hold their attention longer than others, as do some people. They do somehow seem to have a natural talent for sensual or sexual activities, however.

Along with this there is the subject of.. umm... physical attributes. As far as I have seen, and from talking to others with a familliarity with male Satyrs, the rumors are true. They tend to be, well.. impressive. And should you get to a point when you see a Satyr male unclothed, you might note the pattern of body hair growth. Some tend to have alot of hair, but even with the ones who don't, there is often a definite line where hair growth starts at the top of the legs, bringing to mind the fur covered legs of Pan.

I have also observed that Satyr males tend towards a smaller, more wirey muscle build. Even the very thin ones have alot of strength, though. The Satyr I lived with was not that much taller than I am, and outweighed me by only a few pounds, but often carried me up the stairs of our house with very little effort.

Satyrs are often very fond of Music and Dancing. Some also tend to be very fond of drinking and partying, but this is just another example of them being very passionate about the things they do, not necessarily that they are more prone to this than any other type.

Satyrs are also usually good with animals, and fond of them. They tend to be good with people, as well, even when they are being less than tactful (which is often). They have unexplainable charm about them and are usually incorrigable flirts. They do tend to be very blunt, though, and pull no punches what saying how they feel about something. They can also have strong tempers, which are often set off easily, but blow themselves out just as quickly. Don't expect this to mean they will admit they were wrong about something when they cool off though. With a Satyr you learn to read appologies into some odd behaviors. It is often something to that effect of "Well... that shouldn't have happened, so you can buy me a drink now." But when it comes down to loyalty and being there when it counts, seldom do you find any to match a Satyr.

The best way to understand a Satyr is not to try. They defy logic and reason - usually on puropse. They strive for the unconventional, and revel in the unique. They delight in playing the clown, often to simply avoid taking themselves too seriously. Rarely are they guilty of taking another too seriously, either. They will often use humor, teasing and insults to show you where they think you need to work on yourself. And quite often, they are right. They will often have a good idea of where they are less than perfect, or where their life is less than ideal, but are very talented when it comes to shrugging it off rather than fixing it. They know their shortcomings, but seem to say "I'm okay with it, so you should be, too."

Sometimes dealing with a Satyr is frustrating. Sometimes you want nothing more than to strangle them, though you love them fiercely at the same time. They are hard to catch, (actually, you should always make them do the chasing.. best way to get their interest) and even harder to hold onto. Talking to them about something serious can resemble nothing so much as banging your head against a brick wall... with about such constructive results. It isn't easy, but despite all the Trouble, it is worth it.

Sometimes we all need a little more Wild in our life.

Sometimes we all need to dance for a while with a Satyr by our side.

To Dance with a Satyr...
as told by Nalissi Erenlohm

I have had many loves in this life who touched me deeply one way or another, but none, I think, that taught me as much as I learned during my all too brief time with a Satyr.

He came into my life in an unexpected way and, looking back now, I would expect nothing else. We were friends, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to become lovers. It was during one whirlwind Summer that he danced his way into my heart and changed my life, and me, forever.

Our Summer was one filled with music. Countless nights out, Dancing and enjoying life. I learned the Satyr way of living life. "If you aren't enjoying it, what in Hel are you doing it for?" As the wilder nights of Summer ended, and Fall began, out times became quieter, but just as intense. In long Fall nights filled with candlelight and more music, I wrote tales of a world where love really mattered to help my Satyr deal with a world where sometimes we must do things we don't enjoy. Time was slipping away, but we never really noticed.

I was not in very good shape when I met my Satyr. I was a Ragdoll whose patchwork heart had seen too many heartaches and whose worn patches and ribbons were threatening to burst. It is sometimes very hard for a Satyr heart to deal with heartache, and so often they simply don't. But with unbelievable patience and tenderness, my Satyr picked me up out of my corner and dried my tears, time and time again. He told me, whenever I thought the world was going to crumble and fall in on me, that I just had to want to be okay. I am sorry to say that I didn't learn that fast enough.

We are still friends, of a sort. I worry about him, and he always tells me "I'm always okay.. you know that" with that cocky little grin and those sad eyes of his. The grin is how he faces the world, they sadness in is eyes from what he sees there. Satyrs live life to the fullest, and that is how they feel everything. Most simply refuse to let the bad stuff bring them down. And so it was with my Satyr.

I still think of the times we had together, and I still treasure the gift I was given in being loved by such a soul, even for a short time. Sometimes, when I reread the letters written during those long nights, I can hear the echo of the Music that is his soul.. a deep haunting melody played out on pipes whose playful air is tinged always with Sadness.

I am a much better person, myself, for having loved my Satyr. I am more sure of Who I Am, and more confident in my Belief that that is Who I Should Be. It was through his concern for me that I finally found the strength to be okay with my life, and to make things better for myself. I did finally learn that I didn't *have* to let things upset me, that I could choose see things in a better light. He taught me how to let go of unneccessary worries and how to embrace life as a gift. It was through his gentle teasing that I finally learned how to like myself more, and to believe it possible to be truely loved, and not to settle for anything less than happiness.

Most importantly, he taught me how to be truely thankful for what love we are given, instead of worrying about what we might be missing. My one regret is that I only learned this after our time together had ended. I do not waste my time wishing to get back what has passed from my life, for I have learned to treasure what I now have instead. I will not waste the joys in my life now by dwelling on what was, or what might have been. I am forever grateful to my satyr for teaching me that lesson, no matter what I had to lose before it truely reached me.

I promised my Satyr love I would love him forever. And so I shall. I owe him much, and I can only hope that he thinks as well on our time together, despite the Hel I put him through before I learned to let go. I know he still loves me, and that he does not regret that we were together, for all that I nearly drowned him in a sea of tears and petals. I do know that I gave him something, for before loving me he lived behind Walls built to keep out heartache. Those walls are gone now, and I know he loves more truely for it. I have always been able to give love freely, but it took him to teach me to accept it in return.

Even if our lives drift apart.. never to touch again, there will be a part of me that remembers and loves that sad-eyed Satyr. I gave our love a place to last forever, in those worlds I created at night while he slept. In letters written by candlelight I made for him a Forest on the Edge of Forever, where lovers could dance until Time ended, to comfort him in a world that hardly believes in Forever anymore. I promised him that no matter what, there would always be a part of me there, loving him whenever he needs it. That Satyr danced his way into my heart, and because of that I can truely cherish the love in my life now. I miss him sometimes, but I can now laugh my way through it. I thank the Universe for having given me such a gift, and I thank him for having taught me so much, simply by being himself... which is what Satyrs do best.

If you have a love in your life, hold on to each Moment and don't worry about what might be missing. If that love passes, don't dwell forever on what might have been, but rather embrace what you were given and what it has taught you. If you find yourself worrying alot too many things in life and in love, stop. Remember that you can be as happy as you will let yourself be. If you choose to see things as being okay, you really can *be* okay with them. And when everything seems it is getting to be just a little too hard to deal with.. go Dance. If you see someone else on the dancefloor, moving as if the music were part of them, grinning a cocky little grin, with maybe just a hint of Sadness in their eyes... stop and say hello, and be prepared for things to get a little Wild.

©1998, Valindė Wilwaren