Silenus. In Greek mythology, Silenus was a companion and tutor to the wine god Dionysus.
He is typically older than the satyrs of the Dionysian retinue, and sometimes considerably older, in which case he may be referred to as a Papposilenus. The plural sileni refers to the mythological figure as a type that is sometimes thought to be differentiated from a satyr by having the attributes of a horse rather than a goat, though usage of the two words is not consistent enough to permit a sharp distinction.
Coin from Mende depicting Silenus Obv: Inebriated Silenus reclining on a donkey, holding kantharos with wine Rev: Vine of four grape clusters within shallow linear incuse square, of Mendians Silver tetradrachm from Mende, 460-423 BC The original Silenus resembled a folkloric man of the forest, with the ears of a horse and sometimes also the tail and legs of a horse. The later sileni were drunken followers of Dionysus, usually bald and fat with thick lips and squat noses, and having the legs of a human.
Later still, the plural sileni went out of use and the only references were to one individual named Silenus, the teacher and faithful companion of the wine-god Dionysus. A notorious consumer of wine, he was usually drunk and had to be supported by satyrs or carried by a donkey.
Silenus was described as the oldest, wisest and most drunken of the followers of Dionysus, and was said in Orphic hy
He is typically older than the satyrs of the Dionysian retinue, and sometimes considerably older, in which case he may be referred to as a Papposilenus. The plural sileni refers to the mythological figure as a type that is sometimes thought to be differentiated from a satyr by having the attributes of a horse rather than a goat, though usage of the two words is not consistent enough to permit a sharp distinction.
Coin from Mende depicting Silenus Obv: Inebriated Silenus reclining on a donkey, holding kantharos with wine Rev: Vine of four grape clusters within shallow linear incuse square, of Mendians Silver tetradrachm from Mende, 460-423 BC The original Silenus resembled a folkloric man of the forest, with the ears of a horse and sometimes also the tail and legs of a horse. The later sileni were drunken followers of Dionysus, usually bald and fat with thick lips and squat noses, and having the legs of a human.
Later still, the plural sileni went out of use and the only references were to one individual named Silenus, the teacher and faithful companion of the wine-god Dionysus. A notorious consumer of wine, he was usually drunk and had to be supported by satyrs or carried by a donkey.
Silenus was described as the oldest, wisest and most drunken of the followers of Dionysus, and was said in Orphic hy
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