Satyrs and Nymphs – Pleasure Addicts of Ancient Greece
Landscape with Nymph and Satyr Dancing – Claude Lorrain – 1641 – Prado Museum – Spain
Dedicated to my daughter Nais (Νάϊς)
If I begin by telling you that Satyriasis, the word for the uncontrollable desire in men, to have lots of physical pleasure, especially with different partners is derived from the ancient Greek word satyr and that the word for the same “ailment” which afflicts women; nymphomania, originates from the ancient Greek word nymph, it will go a long way in helping you understand exactly what we are dealing with when it comes to the satyrs and nymphs of ancient Greece.
Nymphs and Satyrs – Thomas Stothard – 1821
Satyrs:
“Good-for-nothing pranksters” Hesiod
Silenus and Three Satyrs – a painting by Charles Howard Hodges 1764–1837.
In Greek mythology, a satyr is a grotesque and uncouth male spirit of nature, always naked, who walks upright on legs usually shown as goat’s legs but sometimes as human.
They have ears and a tail, beastlike faces with snub noses, are often bearded and are obsessed with wine and women and song, as is their god, Dionysus
More often than not satyrs are in a state of permanent ‘arousal’, forever on the lookout for an attractive nymph with whom there may be a chance of a roll in the hay.
The Great God Pan Artist Norman Mills Price.
One of the earliest mentions of satyrs is in the Catalogue of Women, an epic poem credited to the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, who writes that satyrs were born alongside the nymphs and Kouretes (benevolent mythical gods of the wild mountainside) and described them as “good-for-nothing, prankster Satyrs”.
The most famous of all ancient Greek satyrs of Greek mythology is Pan, the Greek god of shepherds, woodlands and meadows; an impish little fellow, with a body half man, half goat and an erotic nature, usually depicted with horns and carrying panpipes.
Nymphs or Naiads:
Female Spirits who Rule over Rivers and Ponds
Dance Of The Nymphs Nikolaos Gyzis – Greek (1842 – 1901).
In Greek mythology there are various types of Nymphs, including dryads; forest nymphs, hamadryads; tree nymphs and oreads; mountain nymphs.
Naiads were freshwater nymphs, (Saltwater nymphs are called Oceanids), mythological spirits of nature, with the appearance of beautiful young women who ruled over wells, springs, brooks, rivers and lakes and had quite a reputation for being jealous and vindictive little sprites.
Nymphs loved nothing better than to frolic in nature, naked as the day the Greek gods created them, cavorting in the company of salacious satyrs; Dionysus, their leader, was especially welcome to join in their madness.
Silenus the Satyr and Nais the Nymph
George Frederic Watts – Nymphs and Satyrs – c.1840
“The mighty one, the dancer, whom the Mount of Malea, nurtured; husband of Nais; Silenus”
Pindar (an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes) quoted by Pausanias (a Greek traveler and geographer of the second century AD).
Nais the River Nymph from Malea
A Naiad (Water Nymph) – John William Waterhouse (1849–1917)
Nais (Νάϊς) was a frisky river nymph from the town of Pyrrhikhos on the Malean peninsular of Lakedaimonia in the southeast of the Peloponnese.
Thought to be the daughter of the river god Okeanos, she was the wife of the lecherous, old wine-swilling god, Silenus.
Silenus the Satyr:
Degenerate Nihilistic Drunkard
Jusepe de Ribera – Drunken Silenus – 1626 (Naples, Museo di Capodimonte)
When Dionysus (Bacchus), the god of wine and fertility was born from the thigh of Zeus, he was whisked away by Hermes, messenger of the gods, who delivered him to the satyr Silenus, ruler and protector of demons and evil spirits, who took care of the infant Dionysus in a cave on mount Nysa, an ancient city of Caria in Anatolia(today Turkey).
Hermes and the Infant Dionysos – Archaeological Museum of Olympia – Greece
The Nysiades, the local nymphs, helped raise the child Dionysus who grew up to become one of the most important gods of ancient Greece.
Eventually, Silenus, became the most devout, oldest, wisest and most drunken follower of Dionysus and his cult and like Dionysus, loved nothing more than to indulge in uninhibited, frenzied rituals of music, dance and extreme wine drinking, and was said to have out-of-body experiences (probably brought about by his over indulgence of strange substances) and was bestowed with the power of prophecy.
Francesco Fracanzano – (1612 – 1656) – The Drunken Silenus
Silenus was often portrayed with a huge belly, puck nose, balding head, donkey ears and tail and as he was perpetually intoxicated, he always carried a wine bag.
As Silenus was one of the oldest satrys he was also known as Paposilenus.
Two Satyrs. 1618-1619. Painting by Peter Paul Rubens. Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
Silenus, who came across as a lazy drunkard, was actually one of the more complex characters of Greek mythology who, on the one hand, was the life and soul of any party and on the other, was fascinated with death and inexistence.
Satyric Dilemma painting by Emily Balivet.
He thought life was not worth living at all, in fact, the only way to obtain happiness, he stated, was not to be born in the first place, or, after being born, to die as quickly as possible, he also claimed that ignorance is bliss.
Silenus came to these conclusions after witnessing the pain and vanity of existence.
The thoughts he harboured about life would come to be known as “The wisdom of Silenus”.
The drunken Silenus brought before King Midas – Sebastiano Ricci – 19th century
What’s in a Name?
My daughter Nais
I baptized my daughter with, according to the Greek Orthodox Church, the name of a heathen: Nais .
You see, children, when baptized in the Greek Church, must take the name of a Greek saint and by tradition, the given name of one of their grandparents.
I have to admit, at the time, I didn’t know the full story of Nais and her dealings with lecherous satyrs and certainly had no idea that the name was associated with loose women!
If I had, would I have gone ahead?
Sorry Nais but yes and you do have something in common with your mythical husband: you love to party and Silenus was the original ancient Greek party animal!
Nais – Party animal!
All I knew at the time, was that Nais, in Greek mythology, was a sweet little nymph, probably frolicking around in the flower-filled meadows of Arcadia and had some connection to the sea god; Poseidon, definitely not that she was his bit on the side!
Maybe the priests had a point after all.
Anyway, it took me four years (Greek children are usually baptized under the age of one year) and the battle of the Greek baptism but my daughter is officially, in the eyes of the Greek Church named Nais.
The trouble didn’t cease here though, at school, one teacher insisted on calling her Constantina (the name of my mother-in-law), this was my second battle.
My daughter – Nais
Nais went on to fight a few battles of her own, the name was more or less unheard of and her classmates found it difficult to pronounce.
I never regretted naming her Nias, it is unique and special, just like she is and I am sure she has forgiven me for the trials and tribulations I put her through.
