The Myth Of The Faun, God Of The Forests

The myth of the Faun is the Roman version of the myth of the god Pan. In both cases, he was the divinity who ruled the forests and fields, protector of the flocks, whom he safeguarded from the attacks of the beasts and granted fertility. In fact, he was also known as ‘Lupercus’, which means ‘the one who protects the wolf’.

Around the myth of the Faun there is some confusion, since in the Greek version it was associated with satyrs, beings that also inhabited the forests and had an appearance similar to that of the god. Satyrs , however, were lewd, while Faun was a hopeless romantic.

Also, there are versions of the myth of the Faun in which he is considered a god with the ability to cast hexes on the peasants, but most considered him a protector. It is said that he had prophetic gifts and that he revealed the future through whispers in the forest  or in the middle of dreams.

The origin of the Faun myth

The myth of the Faun begins with Pico, who in turn was the son of Saturn. Pico was a prophetic god , who used the woodpecker to make his predictions. This bird was supposed to be dedicated to Mars. Pico was a tough-looking being, but in sophisticated ways. He married the nymph Canente, with whom he had his son Fauno.

Faun had a strange and unpleasant appearance. His legs and feet were of a male goat. It also had horns and pointed animal ears. In some versions it is said that when he was born, Mercury took him to Olympus to amuse the gods and in exchange for allowing others to laugh at him, he granted him immortality.

One of the aspects that most characterized the Faun was his tendency to fall in love and not be happy. Being very young, he fell in love with the nymph Syrinix, who did not appreciate him at all. The Faun pursued her, trying to win her love, and when he was about to catch her, the gods took pity on the young woman and turned her into a reed.

Disillusioned by what happened, the myth of the Faun tells that this being took two unequal stems from the plant and joined them in parallel. Thus he built a flute with which he played beautiful melodies. This instrument is currently known as a reed.

Misfortunes and glories of the Faun

The myth of Fauno tells that he lived in the forest and was in constant contact with the nymphs. They were very pleased with the sound of his flute and gathered to listen to it. In the middle of those meetings, this god fell in love with another nymph: Pitis. Unlike what had happened in the past, she did reciprocate.

However, Aquilón was also in love with Pitis. This was the god of the North Winds and his appearance was that of an old man with messy hair. The nymph’s heart belonged to the Faun, but Aquilon did not accept it. So, in a fit of jealousy, he blew hard and threw her off a cliff.

The gods, this time sympathetic to the fate of the Faun, prevented the nymph from falling and transformed her into a pine tree. This plant was consecrated to the god of the forests. Later, tired of so many misfortunes, he enlisted in the army of Bacchus, where he excelled as a military strategist.

An eternal myth

According to some versions of the Faun myth, the god of the forests ended up marrying Bona Dea, goddess of fertility, chastity and health. He was a true model of virtue. In some authors, this goddess also appears as the daughter or sister of Fauno, which is why she was also known as “Fauna”.

The most popular version says that in principle she was not a goddess, but an ordinary mortal. She was very virtuous, to the point where she remained locked in the house and no one but Faun could see her, speak to her, or know her name.

However, one day the woman found a jug of wine and drank it until she was drunk. When Faun saw her, he was so outraged that he hit her with a myrtle branch to death. Then, with great remorse, she paid her goddess honors and established a cult in her honor. The Faun never managed to be happy in love.