Forest
deities, the Satyrs represented the
genial,
luxuriant life in nature.
Companions of
Dionysos, they exhibited typically some small sign of their
bestial nature, as in tiny
horns on the head, a small
goat's tail, or suchlike.
They were divided into three classes, the first and highest were
those who nearly resembled their god, Dionysos, and whose occupation was either to play the flute for his
amusement, or pour out his wine. The second class were older, and called
Sileni, and the third, very young and
juvenile, were known as
Satyriski.
The lives of Satyrs were spent in woods and hills, in a constant round of
drinking,
hunting ,
dancing,
music and gathering and pressing grapes. They were often found in the company of
Dionysos, whirling in
wild, frenetic dances with the
Maenads. Their musical instruments were the
syrinx,
flute and
cymbals.