Satyrs have a well-earned reputation for their good spirits, gregarious personalities, and love of revels. Most satyrs are driven by simple desires, to see the world and to sample its every pleasure. While their spontaneity and whimsy sometimes put them at odds with more stoic peoples, satyrs rarely let the moodiness of others hinder their own happiness. Life is a blessing from the gods, after all, and the proper response to such a gift, as far as most satyrs are concerned, is to accept it with relish.
Born of the Wild
In their physical forms, satyrs embody a fusion of humanoid civilization with the freedom of wild beasts. Generally, they look similar to humans, with a range of builds and features. But their goatlike horns, pointed ears, and furred lower bodies sharply distinguish them. Satyrs' solid horns connect to their heads at the base of their skulls, while their legs end in sturdy hooves. Thick fur covers their bodies from the waist down, shorter at the waist and longer below the knees. Short, soft hair grows down their neck and spine, along their shoulders, and on their forearms.
Embracing Life
Most satyrs believe that the other peoples of Theros are woefully burdened with the plague of seriousness. Satyrs scoff at the efforts of polis-builders with their laws and right angles, and they poke fun at philosophers with their endless theories and interminable discourse. Satyrs feel that life is to be lived and experienced with all the senses. Satyrs see the world and everything in it as a book of delights, and they want to explore every page.
The Art of the Revel
The humans of the poleis generally think of satyrs' revels as raucous bacchanals, where anything and everything might happen. This picture isn't wrong, but it's incomplete: there's more to a revel than debauchery. For satyrs, revelry is a way of life. It's the delight in small things: the song of a bird, a warm breeze, the smell of a tasty pie, relaxing by a river in the sunshine. Life freely offers these gifts, and for a satyr, they are more valuable than gold or glory. To revel means to forget the constraints of time, to let go of the future and past, and to be wholly in the present moment. For satyrs, encountering life with all the senses honors the gods, and—most importantly—it feels really good. Driven by instinct and intuition, most satyrs prove unpredictable, following their sense of wonder wherever it leads.
Very Odd Indeed
Satyrs are known for their eccentricities. Some people spend too much time worrying over why satyrs behave as they do. But satyrs themselves simply are as they are, feeling no need to understand what drives them, much less explain it to others. The Satyr Eccentricities table suggests a few tastes or proclivities your satyr character might possess.
Myth of Xenagos the Satyr God
The satyr Xenagos savored his reputation for presiding over the most raucous revels his people had ever known. However, when fate led him to discover the nature of the gods and how they were beholden to mortals for their very existence, the whole order of the world felt like a joke—one at his expense.
With immortal power no longer feeling so out of reach, Xenagos set into motion a plan that would propel him to godhood. His victory shook the pantheon, but his victory was short-lived. Heliod dispatched his champion, Elspeth, who faced many trials but ultimately killed the god-satyr by driving the spear, Godsend, through his heart.
Many satyrs remember Xenagos as a satyr who lived life to the fullest and who played tricks that stirred up even the gods. Yet, he's also an example of how bitterness can turn a great trick nasty and how schemes that get out of hand aren't fun for anybody. What satyr wants the responsibility of being a god anyway?
Satyr Eccentricities
| d8 | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Flowers are the most amazing things ever. I want to pick them, wear them, and discover their silent secrets. |
| 2 | There isn't a tree or statue that isn't fun to climb. |
| 3 | Nothing wards off bad luck like a jolly dance. |
| 4 | Sometimes talking to a plant really helps. |
| 5 | If stumped, I smoke a pipe. And if I'm going to smoke a pipe, it's going to be a splendid pipe. |
| 6 | I imagine that my clothes are my glorious soul on display for all the world to behold, and I dress accordingly. |
| 7 | Having horns is the best. They are fun to decorate, and they can pop open an amphora, no problem. |
| 8 | If I have something really important to say, I always make sure to sing it. |
Satyr Names
A satyr's name is as playful and mischievous as they are, and each one is given when a satyr's personality shines through. Most satyrs also give each other nicknames.