Satyrs vs. Fauns

[Super_Gnat]

What, exactly, is the difference between a satyr and a faun in mythology? Are they interchangeable? Or what??

[Chez_Guevara]

A satyr was one of a body of forest gods or demons who, in classical Roman mythology, were the attendants of Bacchus. Like the faun, they are represented as having the legs and hind-quarters of a goat, budding horns, and goat-like ears, and they were very lascivious.

Hence, the term is applied to a lustful or brutish man. The psychological condition among males characterised by excessive venereal desire is known as satyriasis.

Faunus, again in Roman mythology, was a good spirit of forest and field, and a god of prophecy. He had the form of a satyr and is identified with the Greek Pan. Fauna is sometimes given as his wife, sometimes as his daughter. At his festivals, called Faunalia, peasants brought rustic offerings and made merry. He was also fabled to have been a king of Latium, subsequently deified for his devotion to agriculture.

Fauni, or fauns, were minor Roman deities of the countryside, merry and mischievous, small counterparts of Faunus.

[fish_in_the_sky]

Uhm, I always thought that “Satyr” was the Greek name & “Faun” the Roman one for a half-goat / half-man creature…

Okay, googling it I find this:

Faunus/faun/fauna/flora
Faunus, whose name means one who shows favor, was a Roman woodland deity. He was thought to bring prosperity to farmers and shepherds and was often depicted with horns, ears, tail, and sometimes legs of goat; therefore he was associated with the Greek god Pan and also Dionysiac satyrs. A faun comes to be another name for a satyr. Faunus’ consort was Fauna, a female deity like hiim in nature. Flora was another, though minor, agricultural deity, a goddess of flowers, grain, and the grape vine. When we talk of flora and fauna, we refer respectively to flowers and animals collectively.

satyr/satyriasis
Satyrs were male woodland deities with the ears and legs of a goat, who worshipped Dionysus (Bacchus) god of wine, often in a state of sexual excitement. A satyr today is nothing more than a lecher. A man who has an excessive and uncontrollable sexual drive suffers from satyriasis… See nymph/nymphomania/nympholepsy.

from http://www.oup-usa.org/sc/0195143388/glossaries/

[Super_Gnat]

Thank you. I feel my knowledge is now complete.