Satyr
Three mentions:
To a satyr gave the thyrsus of a god.
— Book 2 Canto 7
— Book 2 Canto 7
The eternal Powers assumed a dubious face:
Idols of an oblique divinity,
They wore the heads of animal or troll,
Assumed ears of the faun, the satyr’s hoof,
Or harboured the demoniac in their gaze
— Book 10 Canto 3
Idols of an oblique divinity,
They wore the heads of animal or troll,
Assumed ears of the faun, the satyr’s hoof,
Or harboured the demoniac in their gaze
— Book 10 Canto 3
The hero’s face divine on satyr’s limbs,
The demon’s grandeur mixed with the demigod’s
— Book 10 Canto 4
The demon’s grandeur mixed with the demigod’s
— Book 10 Canto 4
All kinds of satyrs belong to the retinue of Dionysus (see Bacchic). They are always depicted as fond of wine and of every kind of sensual pleasure: they are shown sleeping, playing musical instruments or engaged in voluptuous dances with nymphs. (Apollodorus, iii. 5. § 1 and ii. 1. § 4).
Dionysos surrounded by Maenads and Satyrs. Louvre Museum. Public domain
Satyrs generally symbolize the pleasure derived from the satisfaction of vital desires.
Indeed, if Dionysus represents mystical ecstasy, it can easily be mixed with the lower vital if the latter is not purified.