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Thefaun (Latin:Faunus,pronounced[ˈfäu̯nʊs̠];Ancient Greek:φαῦνος,romanized: phaûnos,pronounced[pʰâu̯nos]) is a half-human and half-goat mythological creature appearing inGreek andRoman mythology.
Originally fauns of Roman mythology were ghosts (genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their chief, the godFaunus. Before their conflation with Greeksatyrs, they and Faunus were represented as naked men (e.g. theBarberini Faun). Later fauns became copies of the satyrs of Greek mythology, who themselves were originally shown as part-horse rather than part-goat.
By theRenaissance, 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 godPan of the Greek pantheon. They were symbols of peace and fertility, and their Greek chieftain,Silenus, was a minor deity of Greek mythology.[1]
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 ofThe Satyr and the Traveller, in the title of which Latin authors substituted the wordFaunus. Fauns andsatyrs were originally quite different creatures: whereas late-period fauns are half-man and half-goat, satyrs originally were depicted as stocky, hairy, ugly dwarves orwoodwoses, 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 namedFaunus often associated with bewitched woods, and conflated with the Greek godPan[2][3] and a goddess namedFauna who weregoat people.
TheBarberini Faun (located in theGlyptothek inMunich,Germany) is a Hellenistic marble statue from about 200 BCE, found in the Mausoleum of the EmperorHadrian (theCastel Sant'Angelo) and installed atPalazzo Barberini by Cardinal Maffeo Barberini (laterPope Urban VIII).Gian Lorenzo Bernini restored and refinished the statue.[4]
TheHouse of the Faun in Pompei, dating from the 2nd century BCE, was so named because of the dancing faun statue that was the centerpiece of the large garden. The original now resides in the National Museum in Naples and a copy stands in its place.[5]
TheFrench symbolistStéphane Mallarmé's well-known masterpieceL'après-midi d'un faune (published in 1876) describes the sensual experiences of a faun who has just woken up from hisafternoon sleep and discusses his encounters with severalnymphs during the morning in a dreamlike monologue.[6] The composerClaude Debussy based his symphonic poemPrélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)[7] on the poem, which also served as the scenario for a ballet entitledL'après-midi d'un faune (orAfternoon of a Faun) choreographed to Debussy's score in 1912 byVaslav Nijinsky.
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