Baby satyr

Baby satyrs, or child satyrs, are mythological creatures related to the satyr. The appear in popular folklore, classical artworks, film, and in various forms of local art.

Classical representations

Some classical works depict young satyrs being tended to by older, sober satyrs, while there are also some representations of child satyrs taking part in Bacchanalian/Dionysian rituals (including drinking alcohol, playing musical instruments and dancing).

Ostensibly, the presence of a baby or child satyr in a classical work, such a Greek vase, was mainly an aesthetic choice on the part of the artist. However, the role of a child in Greek art might imply a further meaning for baby satyrs - Cupid, the son of Aphrodite, is consistently represented as a child or baby, and Bacchus, the divine sponsor of satyrs, is seen in numerous works as a baby, often in the company of the satyrs.

Later representations

A prominent instance of a baby satyrs outside of ancient Greece is Albrecht Dürer's 1505 engraving, Musical Satyr and Nymph with Baby (Satyr's Family).

Revivals, Reveries, and Reconstructions: Images of Antiquity in Prints from 1500 to 1800 - Exhbition at Philadelphia Museum of Art

There is also reference in various works of the Rococo period depicting Bacchanal celebrations to child or baby satyrs. Some works depict female satyrs with their children; others describe the child satyrs as playing an active role in the events, including one instance of a painting by Jean Raoux (1677-1735). Mlle Prévost as a Bacchante depicts a child satyr playing a tambourine while Mlle Prévost, a dancer at the Opéra, is dancing as part of the Bacchanal festivities. [1]

A Victorian-era napkin ring depicting a baby satyr next to a barrel further represents the perception of baby satyrs as partaking in the Bacchanalian festivities.

Baby satyrs can be found in some modern art collections [2]. There are also examples on the internet of baby satyrs being represented in garden sculpture [3].

Speculative accounts of baby satyrs have cropped up in various local folklores and contemporary mythologies. Some Greek-oriented college parties may include Bacchanalian characters, including baby satyrs.

See also

• Greek mythology