Silenus (redirected from Silenos)

silenus (sīlē`nəs), in Greek mythology, part bestial and part human creature of the forests and mountains. Part of Dionysus' entourage, the sileni are usually represented as aged satyrs—drunken, jolly, bald, fat, bearded, and possessing horse ears. According to some myths they were prophets; but according to others they were so perpetually stupefied with drink that they were unable to distinguish truth from falsehood. In some legends only one such creature appears, Silenus, described as the oldest of the satyrs, the son of Hermes or Pan. He was the companion, adviser, or tutor of Dionysus.

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Silenus

one of Bacchus’s retinue; fat, always inebriated. [Gk. Myth.: Hall, 283]

See : Drunkenness

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Silenus

knowledgeable tutor of Bacchus. [Rom. Myth.: Daniel, 213]

See : Teaching

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Silenus

in Greek mythology, the tutor and companion of Dionysus; a merry, good-natured, continually drunken, bald old man with a wineskin. Silenus was depicted in ancient Greek and Roman works of art and in later works, including paintings by Rubens and Van Dyck.