Guys, today I’m going to write a guide to write fauns. Ever since I read Narnia, I loved fauns, and there’s just not much about them online. So, I’ll try to gather the main information I can and answer common questions on writing about fauns.
Writing About Fauns: Main Questions
- What are fauns?
- Are fauns evil?
- Are fauns and satyrs the same thing?
- Are fauns fae?
- Can fauns be female?
- Can fauns shapeshift?
- What powers do fauns have?
- Where do fauns come from?
- How were fauns created?
- How long do fauns live?
- How tall are fauns?
- What do fauns eat?
- What do fauns symbolize?
Writing About Fauns: What are fauns?
Fauns are mythological creatures from Greek and Roman mythology, and they’re often represented as half-human, half-goat. They’re often seen as creatures from the woods living peacefully in forests and such. They represent fertility and joy too. They’ve been portrayed many times in media, in different forms, but usually resembling a goat, with horns, tails, and legs of a goat. They also relate to Pan, the god of the wild.
Writing about Fauns: Are Fauns evil?
Fauns can be either good or evil. However, originally, they were portrayed in mythology as these peaceful creatures from the forest, which only wanted to have a good time, look for berries, and such. So, I’d say they’re more good than evil. However, as with every type of creature from other mythologies, Christianity tried to portray them as being bad, especially because of their goat-like appearance, which would be like a demon.
Guillermo Del Toro’s fauns are also neutral, so it really depends on what you’re going for. You can decide if you want them to be evil or not, although, I feel that they were born to be good.
Writing about Fauns: Are fauns and satyrs the same thing?
No, fauns and satyrs aren’t the same. They’re different creatures that, with time, came to be represented as almost the same. Satyrs are closely related to Dionysus, the god of wine, while Fauns are more related to Pan, the god of the wild. However, in current media, like DnD, both creatures got mixed as one.
Originally, Fauns looked like half-goats, half-humans, while Satyrs were creatures covered by fur, looking much more beastly.
Ultimately, you can decide how you feel about both creatures’ appearances, and if they’ll be the same in your story or not.
Writing About Fauns: Are fauns fae?
Yes, fauns can be a type of fae. Faes are described as humanoid, mystical creatures, with powers of magic and elements. So, fauns can be a type of fae, although they’re not the same thing, as there are many faces that aren’t fauns. Some fae, for example, is represented as fairies, which are totally different from fauns.
Writing About Fauns: Can fauns be female?
Yes, fauns can be female, especially nowadays. It’s common to see female fauns describe in today’s representation of fauns. Originally, the Romans had female fauns, although they were rarer and came to be later on. It’s also common to call a female faun a fauna.
Writing about fauns: Can fauns shapeshift?
Originally, no, they could not shapeshift. However, depending on today’s lore, they can shapeshift into trees or animals of the forest. You can do whatever you want with your own faun, but, just know that in the original mythology, no, they could not shapeshift, as shapeshifting was also portrayed in Greek and Roman mythology as a punishment from the gods.
Writing About Fauns: What powers do fauns have?
Fauns are portrayed as forest creatures. They can play the flute, luring others with their music, they are masters of seduction, and they’re really charismatic. Like the God Pan, they care for the well-being of forests and nature, and they need to have enormous strength to do that. They also can have elemental powers, as they’re so in touch with nature.
However, as said before, you can adapt your faun to have whichever abilities you want. Fauns have changed a lot from the earlier mythology.
Writing About Fauns: Where do fauns come from?
Fauns come from the woods and the forests. It’s where they live and where their powers thrive and originate.
Writing About Fauns: How were fauns created?
They came from other gods. And they mate with nymphs and other creatures from the forest. However, they were really created by the imagination of the Greeks and Romans. So, you can also imagine whatever you want as their origin story.
Writing About Fauns: How long do fauns live?
It depends on which lore you’re talking about. In DnD, they live up to 200 years, so the internet started to take it as a fact. However, originally, they didn’t have a number. So, you can basically decide how much your fauns will live for.
Writing About Fauns: How tall are fauns?
As fauns are like humans, with only the legs of a goat, they’re as tall as humans, or just a little bit taller. As I said, you can choose it.
Writing About Fauns: What do fauns eat?
Again, it depends on which lore you’re talking about. It’s known that they prefer a vegetarian diet, however, they could eat anything, as they’re half-humans.
Writing About Fauns: What do fauns symbolize?
Fauns symbolize nature, fertility, joy, sex, wine, and everything that’s good in life. We must be more like fauns.
Writing About Fauns: Final Thoughts
I hope this gave you a general idea of how to write a faun. It’s all based on research I’ve done online. But, ultimately, the best tip is just to create your own version of it. It’s what has been done since the beginning of times, so don’t get too stuck in being “true” to the original mythology, even that is a version of something.