SILENUS

Fat, ugly, constantly drinking wine, and sporting a tail and a pair of horses’ ears, Silenus was the guardian and best friend of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and intoxication. He proved to be a wise and caring companion.

Silenus was a satyr, one of a race of wild male

Creatures, half human, half animal, who attended Dionysus. The younger satyrs had human heads and chests, with goats’ legs, tails, and horns. The older satyrs known as sileni, were more likely to have horses’ legs, tails, and ears in addition to human upper bodies. In some stories there were many sileni; in others, Silenus was the only one.

There are various accounts of Silenus’s origins. Some relate that he was the son of Pan, god of shepherds and fertility, while other versions say that he was a son of Hermes, messenger of the gods, or Gaia, the ancient earth goddess. Silenus himself was the father of two of the younger satyrs,

Astraeus and Maron, and also of a centaur—a creature who was half human, half horse—named Pholus.

Silenus was more powerful than the younger satyrs and was sometimes regarded as a kind of god, although in his appearance and fondness for overindulging he was more like a human. He was usually depicted as a smiling, bald old man with a huge belly, a beard, and a short, stubby nose. He always carried wine with him and was almost always drunk. He often rode a donkey.

Right: This is a classical bust of Silenus. The satyr was famed for his disreputable behavior but also for his wisdom and kindliness.

He was also, however, very wise, and he possessed the ability to predict the future. Yet Silenus was reluctant to act as a seer and was much happier simply enjoying himself. If humans wished the satyr to share his knowledge with them, they had to catch him while he was drunk and tie him up with flowers.

Another aspect of Silenus’s character was his caring nature, which he demonstrated in his relationship with Dionysus. Dionysus was the son of Zeus and the mortal Semele. Semele died while pregnant with Dionysus. Zeus snatched the baby from her womb and concealed him in his thigh before giving birth to Dionysus himself. Hera, Zeus’s wife, was jealous of her husband’s affair and consequently hated the baby. Silenus claimed that he had rescued Dionysus and looked after him so as to protect him from Hera’s anger. Later, the satyr became Dionysus’s tutor. He taught him how to make wine from grapes and how to keep bees. When the god grew up, Silenus became his most trusted companion. Along with the other satyrs, he rode into battle with Dionysus when the Olympian gods went to war against the Giants.