In
Greek mythology, a
satyr (, ;
satyros, ) is one of a troop of
ithyphallic male companions of
Dionysus with
horse-like (equine) features, including a horse-tail, horse-like ears, and sometimes a horse-like phallus because of permanent erection. Early artistic representations sometimes include horse-like legs, but in 6th-century BC
black-figure pottery human legs are the most common. In Roman Mythology there is a concept similar to satyrs, with
goat-like features: the
faun, being half-man, half-goat. Greek-speaking Romans often used the Greek term
saturos when referring to the Latin
faunus, and eventually syncretized the two. The female "
Satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing.