The faun ( Latin : Faunus , pronounced [ˈfäu̯nʊs̠] ; Ancient Greek : φαῦνος , romanized : phaûnos , pronounced [pʰâu̯nos] ) is a half- human and half- goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology .
33-574: Originally fauns of Roman mythology were ghosts ( genii ) of rustic places, lesser versions of their chief, the god Faunus . Before their conflation with Greek satyrs , they and Faunus were represented as naked men (e.g. the Barberini Faun ). Later fauns became copies of the satyrs of Greek mythology, who themselves were originally shown as part-horse rather than part-goat. By the Renaissance , fauns were depicted as two-footed creatures with
66-401: A Faun ) choreographed to Debussy's score in 1912 by Vaslav Nijinsky . [REDACTED] Media related to Fauns at Wikimedia Commons Genius (mythology) In Roman religion , the genius ( Latin: [ˈɡɛnɪ.ʊs] ; pl. : genii ) is the individual instance of a general divine nature that is present in every individual person, place, or thing. Much like a guardian angel ,
99-744: A Phenomenology of Architecture . Adaptations of the original concept of the genius loci appear in some modern fantasy works. Tom Bombadil in The Lord of the Rings has been described by Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey as the genius loci of the Old Forest , a wooded land bordering the Shire . In the Dungeons and Dragons 3.0 edition book the Epic Level Handbook , the genius loci
132-587: A changing expression, white or black". Octavius Caesar on return to Rome after the final victory of the Roman Civil War at the Battle of Actium appeared to the Senate to be a man of great power and success, clearly a mark of divinity. In recognition of the prodigy they voted that all banquets should include a libation to his genius . In concession to this sentiment he chose the name Augustus , capturing
165-452: A cornucopia in his left hand and a patera in his right", which previously has been "erroneously identified as Asclepius ". The numinous spirits of places in Asia are still honored today in city pillar shrines , outdoor spirit houses and indoor household and business shrines . In contemporary usage, genius loci usually refers to a location's distinctive atmosphere or a " spirit of
198-726: A corporate social body is often a cameo theme on ancient coins: a denarius from Spain, 76–75 BC, featuring a bust of the GPR ( Genius Populi Romani , " Genius of the Roman People") on the obverse ; an aureus of Siscia in Croatia , 270–275 AD, featuring a standing image of the GENIUS ILLVR ( Genius Exercitus Illyriciani , " Genius of the Illyrian Army") on the reverse; an aureus of Rome, 134–138 AD, with an image of
231-850: A god named Faunus often associated with bewitched woods, and conflated with the Greek god Pan and a goddess named Fauna who were goat people . The Barberini Faun (located in the Glyptothek in Munich , Germany ) is a Hellenistic marble statue from about 200 BCE , found in the Mausoleum of the Emperor Hadrian (the Castel Sant'Angelo ) and installed at Palazzo Barberini by Cardinal Maffeo Barberini (later Pope Urban VIII ). Gian Lorenzo Bernini restored and refinished
264-539: A youth holding a cornucopia and patera (sacrificial dish) and the inscription GENIOPR, genio populi Romani , "to the genius of the Roman people", on the reverse. Genius loci In classical Roman religion , a genius loci ( pl. : genii locorum ) was the protective spirit of a place. It was often depicted in religious iconography as a figure holding attributes such as a cornucopia , patera ( libation bowl), or snake . Many Roman altars found throughout
297-405: Is a malign, powerful ooze that mimics the landscape and has no intelligence of its own. It can magically enslave a visitor whose mind affects the genius loci' s behaviour. It is spontaneously generated when a place is undisturbed for a long time. In The Dresden Files , a genius loci is an elemental spirit of a place. The island of Demonreach has a genius loci , also named Demonreach, which
330-451: Is also reflected in Latin gignō , "give birth", and gēns , gentis , "tribe, people". The genius appears explicitly in Roman literature as early as Plautus , where one character jests that the father of another is so avaricious that he uses cheap Samian ware in sacrifices to his own genius , so as not to tempt the genius to steal it. In this passage, the genius is not identical to
363-557: The Genius Augusti . The emperor's genius is then regarded as the genius loci of the Roman Empire as a whole. Roman examples of these genii can be found, for instance, at the church of St. Giles, Tockenham , Wiltshire, England, where the genius loci is depicted as a relief in the wall of a Norman church built of Roman material. This shows "a youthful and curly-haired Roman Genius worked in high relief, holding
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#1732772917779396-655: The Western Roman Empire were dedicated to a particular genius loci . The Roman imperial cults of the Emperor and the imperial house developed in part in connection with the sacrifices made by neighborhood associations ( vici ) to the local genius . These 265 local districts had their cult organised around the Lares Compitales (guardian spirits or lares of the crossroads), which the emperor Augustus transformed into Lares Augusti along with
429-504: The genius would follow each man from the hour of his birth until the day he died. For women, it was the Juno spirit that would accompany each of them. Each individual place had a genius ( genius loci ) and so did powerful objects, such as volcanoes. The concept extended to some specifics: the genius of the theatre, of vineyards, and of festivals, which made performances successful, grapes grow, and celebrations succeed, respectively. It
462-629: The Christian soul with the Roman genius , citing Varro as attributing the rational powers and abilities of every human being to their genius . Although the term genius might apply to any divinity whatsoever, most of the higher-level and state genii had their own well-established names. Genius applied most often to individual places or people not generally known; that is, to the smallest units of society and settlements, families and their homes. Houses, doors, gates, streets, districts, tribes, each one had its own genius . The supreme hierarchy of
495-459: The Roman gods, like that of the Greeks, was modelled after a human family. It featured a father, Jupiter , who was also the supreme divine unity, and a mother, Juno , queen of the gods. These supreme unities were subdivided into genii for each individual family; hence, the genius of each female, representing the female reproductive power, was a Juno . The male power was a Jupiter . The Juno
528-472: The context in which they are located. A priori , archetype , and genius loci are the primary principals of Neo-Rationalism or New Rationalism. Pioneered by the Italian architect Aldo Rossi , Neo-Rationalism developed in the light of a re-evaluation of the work of Giuseppe Terragni and gained momentum through the work of Giorgio Grassi . Characterized by elemental vernacular forms and an adaptation to
561-488: The existing environment, the Neo-Rationalist style has adherents beyond architecture in the greater world of art. In the context of modern architectural theory, genius loci has profound implications for place-making, falling within the philosophical branch of phenomenology . This field of architectural discourse is explored most notably by the theorist Christian Norberg-Schulz in his book, Genius Loci: Towards
594-552: The fable of The Satyr and the Traveller , in the title of which Latin authors substituted the word Faunus . Fauns and satyrs were originally quite different creatures: whereas late-period fauns are half-man and half-goat, satyrs originally were depicted as stocky, hairy, ugly dwarves or woodwoses , with the ears and tails of horses. Satyrs also were more woman-loving than fauns, and fauns were rather foolish where satyrs tended to be sly. Ancient Roman mythological belief included
627-490: The foreground is one or two serpents crawling toward the genius through a meadow motif. Campania and Calabria preserved an ancient practice of keeping a propitious house snake, here linked with the genius . The English term is borrowed from Latin genius , "household guardian spirit"; earlier, "innate male power of a race or clan", deriving from the Indo-European root *g̑enh₁-, "give birth, produce", which
660-406: The genius and honor" or in the case of couples, "to the genius and Juno". Surviving from the time of the empire hundreds of dedicatory, votive and sepulchral inscriptions ranging over the entire territory testify to the flourishing of official cult ( cultus ) of genius . Stock phrases were abbreviated: GPR, genio populi Romani ("to the genius of the Roman people"); GHL, genio huius loci ("to
693-402: The genius of this place"); GDN, genio domini nostri ("to the genius of our master"), and so on. In 392 AD with the final victory of Christianity Theodosius I declared the veneration of the genii , Lares and Penates to be treason, ending their official terms. The concept, however, continued in representation and speech under different names or with accepted modifications. The genius of
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#1732772917779726-532: The heav'n to scale, Or scoops in circling theatres the Vale, Calls in the Country, catches opening glades, Joins willing woods, and varies shades from shades, Now breaks or now directs, th' intending Lines; Paints as you plant, and, as you work, designs. Pope's verse laid the foundation for one of the most widely agreed principles of landscape architecture , that landscape designs should always be adapted to
759-530: The horns, legs, and tail of a goat and the head, torso, and arms of a human; they are often depicted with pointed ears. These late-form mythological creatures borrowed their look from the satyrs, who in turn borrowed their look from the god Pan of the Greek pantheon. They were symbols of peace and fertility, and their Greek chieftain, Silenus , was a minor deity of Greek mythology. Romans believed fauns stirred fear in men traveling in lonely, faraway or wild places. They were also capable of guiding men in need, as in
792-457: The infant would be in danger. Hundreds of lararia , or family shrines, have been discovered at Pompeii , typically off the atrium , kitchen or garden, where the smoke of burnt offerings could vent through the opening in the roof. Each lararium features a panel fresco containing the same theme: two peripheral figures ( Lares ) attend on a central figure (family genius ) or two figures ( genius and juno ) who may or may not be at an altar. In
825-404: The military. From Gallia Cisalpina under the empire are numerous dedications to the genii of persons of authority and respect; in addition to the emperor's genius principis , were the genii of patrons of freedmen, owners of slaves, patrons of guilds, philanthropists, officials, villages, other divinities, relatives and friends. Sometimes the dedication is combined with other words, such as "to
858-462: The numinous meaning of English "august". The household cult of the Genius Augusti dates from this period. It was propitiated at every meal along with the other household numina . Thus began the tradition of the Roman imperial cult , in which Romans cultivated the genius of the emperor rather than the person. If the genius of the imperator , or commander of all troops, was to be propitiated, so
891-419: The person, as to propitiate oneself would be absurd, and yet the genius also has the avarice of the person; that is, the same character, the implication being, like person, like genius . Horace , writing when the first emperor was introducing the cult of his own genius , describes the genius as "the companion which controls the natal star; the god of human nature, in that he is mortal for each person, with
924-601: The place " rather than necessarily a guardian spirit. An example of contemporary usage might be "Light reveals the genius loci of a place." Alexander Pope made the genius loci an important principle in garden and landscape design with the following lines from Epistle IV, to Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington : Consult the Genius of the Place in all; That tells the Waters or to rise, or fall, Or helps th' ambitious Hill
957-403: The sensual experiences of a faun who has just woken up from his afternoon sleep and discusses his encounters with several nymphs during the morning in a dreamlike monologue. The composer Claude Debussy based his symphonic poem Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894) on the poem, which also served as the scenario for a ballet entitled L'après-midi d'un faune (or Afternoon of
990-633: The statue. The House of the Faun in Pompei, dating from the 2nd century BCE , was so named because of the dancing faun statue that was the centerpiece of the large garden. The original now resides in the National Museum in Naples and a copy stands in its place. The French symbolist Stéphane Mallarmé 's well-known masterpiece L'après-midi d'un faune (published in 1876) describes
1023-478: Was extremely important in the Roman mind to propitiate the appropriate genii for the major undertakings and events of their lives. Thus man, following the dictates of his heart, venerated something higher and more divine than he could find in his own limited individuality, and brought to "this great unknown of himself" offerings as a god; thus compensating by veneration for the indistinct knowledge of his divine origin. The Christian theologian Augustine equated
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1056-491: Was that of all the units under his command. The provincial troops expanded the idea of the genii of state; for example, from Roman Britain have been found altars to the genii of Roma , Roma aeterna , Britannia , and to every legion , cohors , ala and centuria in Britain, as well as to the praetorium of every castra and even to the vexillae . Inscriptional dedications to genius were not confined to
1089-405: Was venerated under many titles: Genii were often viewed as protective spirits, as one would propitiate them for protection. For example, to protect infants one propitiated a number of deities concerned with birth and childrearing : Cuba ("lying down to sleep"), Cunina ("of the cradle") and Rumina ("of breast-feeding"). Certainly, if those genii did not perform their proper function well,
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