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 that ruled the forests and the fields, protector of the flocks, to whom he safeguarded from the attacks of beasts and granted fertility. In fact, he was also known as “Lupercus”, which means ‘he who protects from the wolf’.

There is some confusion around the myth of the Faun, since in the Greek version he was associated with the satyrs, beings who also inhabited the forests and had an appearance similar to that of the god. The satyrs However, they were lascivious, while Faunus was a hopeless romantic..

Likewise, there are versions of the myth of the Faun in which he is considered a god with the ability to cast hexes on 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 myth of the Faun

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 sacred to Mars. Pico was a being with a rough appearance, but with sophisticated ways. He married the nymph Canente, with whom he had his son Faunus.

Faunus had a strange and unpleasant appearance. His legs and feet were those of a goat. He 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, 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 chased 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 He took two unequal stems of the plant and joined them together in parallel. So he built a flute with which he interpreted beautiful melodies. This instrument is currently known as a pipe.

Misfortunes and glories of the Faun

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

However, Aquilon was also in love with Pitis. This was the god of the northern 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 pitied by the fate of the Faun, They prevented the nymph from falling and transformed it 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 stood out 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 Faun, so she was also known as “Fauna”.

The most popular version says that in principle she was not a goddess, but a mortal common and ordinary. She was very virtuous, to the point where she stayed locked in her house and no one other than Faunus could see her, talk to her or know her name.

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

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