Today we start our week-long workshop on creature design at the
Woodstock School of Art. We’re going to create the most famous
satyr, Pan, based on studies of a human and goat model, some
skulls, and other props. Here’s some background info about the
creature we’ll be trying to bring to life: In Greek mythology,
Pan is the protector of flocks and shepherds. He lives in
Arcadia, the region of rustic mountain folk. He is a satyr (in
Greek, Σάτυροι — Sátyroi), half-human, half goat or ram.
(“Satyresses” were a late invention of poets). In mythology they
are often associated with male sex drive and vase-painters often
portrayed them with uncontrollable erections. The early Greek
respesentations of satyrs often showed them as balding and
bearded, with human legs and a horse’s tail. Their chief was
called Silenus, a minor deity associated (like Hermes and
Priapus) with fertility. These characters can be found in the
only remaining satyr plays: Cyclops by Euripedes and Sophocles‘
The Searching Satyrs. The satyr play