| Faun | |
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Real Name |
Faun |
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First Appearance |
Roman Myth |
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Created by |
Roman Myth |
Origin[]
The faun is a half-human and half-goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology.
Originally fauns of Roman mythology were ghosts (genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their chief, the god Faunus. Before their conflation with Greek satyrs, they and Faunus were represented as naked men (e.g. the Barberini Faun). Later fauns became copies of the satyrs of Greek mythology, who themselves were originally shown as part-horse rather than part-goat.
By the Renaissance, fauns were depicted as two-footed creatures with the horns, legs, and tail of a goat and the head, torso, and arms of a human; they are often depicted with pointed ears. These late-form mythological creatures borrowed their look from the satyrs, who in turn borrowed their look from the god Pan of the Greek pantheon. They were symbols of peace and fertility, and their Greek chieftain, Silenus, was a minor deity of Greek mythology.
Romans believed fauns stirred fear in men traveling in lonely, faraway or wild places. They were also capable of guiding men in need, as in the fable of The Satyr and the Traveller, in the title of which Latin authors substituted the word Faunus. Fauns and satyrs were originally quite different creatures: Whereas late-period fauns are half-man and half-goat, satyrs originally were depicted as stocky, hairy, ugly dwarves or woodwoses, with the ears and tails of horses. Satyrs also were more woman-loving than fauns, and fauns were rather foolish where satyrs tended to be sly.
Ancient Roman mythological belief included a god named Faunus often associated with bewitched woods, and conflated with the Greek god Pan and a goddess named Fauna who were goat people.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of fauns from before January 1, 1929 are in the public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Fabulae
- Astronomica
- Metamorphoses
- Fasti
- Heroides
- Georgics
- De Natura Deorum
- The Argonautica
- Thebaid
- Silvae
- The Golden Ass
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Meteor Comics #1
- Captain Wizard #1
- Wotalife Comics 1
- Animal Fables #5
- Mister Mystery 7
- Black Cat #9
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Fauno (1917)