sileni

A race of woodland divinities resembling elderly satyrs. They too belong to the retinue of Dionysus. See Silenus.

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Iconography

The sileni are depicted numerous times on Greek vases, where they appear as white-haired humanoids with snub noses, thick lips, and the ears and tails of asses or horses.

References

Sources

  • Aken, Dr. A.R.A. van. (1961). Elseviers Mythologische Encyclopedie. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
  • Catullus, 64, 252.
  • Pliny the Elder. Naturalis Historia, 35, 110.