satyrs

satyrs (satyroi), in Greek mythology, attendants of the god Dionysus, boisterous creatures of the woods and hills, represented as mainly of human form but with some bestial aspect, e.g. a horse's tail or the legs of a goat (but they are not usually represented as goats until the fourth century BC). They are lustful and fond of revelry. The Romans identified them with the Fauni (see FAUNUS). The chorus in Attic satyr-plays was dressed to represent satyrs (see SATYRIC DRAMA). See also SILENUS.