26 Ulisse Aldrovandi

... worshipped them as demigods or forest deities; later, they called them Satyrs, Fauns, and Silvans—the gods of the forests and groves—and the Pans, gods of the fields. Poets, however, frequently confuse these names; as Ovid sang of them:

"I have demigods, I have rustic spirits, Fauns, and Nymphs, and Satyrs, and the mountain-dwelling Silvans."

For this reason, we can assert with good cause that in ancient times the Devil strove in every way to lead humanity astray by transforming himself into various forms. But in our own age, after Almighty God granted us his immense mercy by sending his only-begotten Son to redeem the human race with his blood, all those malignant spirits vanished. Nevertheless, it pleases us at present to publish two images of Satyrs, one of which was depicted with a trumpet and the other without.

Furthermore, a greater difficulty confronts us. As historians relate, during the reign of Constantine, a hairy man of the Satyr kind was brought to Alexandria. His corpse was preserved in salt and sent to Antioch so that it might be seen by the Emperor. Moreover, Albertus Magnus himself reported that in the forests of Saxony toward Dacia, not long before his time, hairy monsters reflecting the human form were captured.

The female of these died from the weapons of hunters, having the character of a dog, but the male became tame and learned to walk upright on two feet. He rightly judged that these creatures should be assigned to the family of Satyrs, as they were consumed daily by a most deceptive lust. To these we may add that Saint Anthony, while in the hermitage, once observed a monster of this kind wandering through the desert. Indeed, when the Prophet Isaiah mentioned that "hairy ones" would inhabit Babylon, learned commentators maintained that these were Satyrs. Therefore, to overcome this difficulty, we offer the reader another elegantly drawn species of Satyr, so that by examining it diligently, one may see whether it conforms to the teachings of Ptolemy. Ptolemy declared that there are three islands of Satyrs adjacent to India and that the inhabitants are endowed with tails, just as painters attribute to Satyrs; hence, these types of islands were called the Saty rides. Whether these animals should be referred to the human race or to that of brutes, Saint Augustine taught us best when he wrote that one must investigate whether any trace of reason can be found in them. If so, the human race would encompass these animals; if not, they are to be placed among the brutes.

Having established these points, let us now turn our attention to the Nereids (or Nymphs) and the marine Satyrs—namely, the Tritons. To begin with, some wise men have come to the opinion that marine Satyrs, Tritons, or sea-men are found nowhere. Instead, they believe only humans highly skilled in swimming were seen, such as the Fish-eaters (*Ichthyophagi*), who use only fish for food. Indeed, in the past, skill in swimming was so tested and held in such high regard that it gave rise to a proverb for a lazy man: "He has learned neither to swim nor his letters."

On the other hand, learned authors freely assert that sea-men or marine Satyrs do dwell in the deep. First, Alexander ab Alexandro records that a Triton was found on the shore who repeatedly harassed women as they approached; but at last, he was captured by a ruse and died after refusing the food offered to him.

Furthermore, Juan Luis Vives left a record of a sea-man caught among the Dutch who was kept for two years; he was mute, but was just beginning to speak when he was struck twice by the plague and returned to the sea.

In Portugal, too, a sea-man was seen who made a sound by blowing into a shell. And Aelian mentions marine Satyrs that end in a fish tail living around Taprobana. In a volume of Roman history, it is read that Menas, the Prefect of Egypt, wrote the following to the Emperor Maurice: "When I was walking with many companions at sunrise through the place in the Egyptian Delta called [the Delta], animals of human form appeared in the river. Their upper limbs down to the loins were naked, while the remaining parts were covered by water; one appeared to be a bearded male, and the other a beardless female." These can be seen elegantly drawn in Paré under the name of the Nile Monsters.

Gyllius also relates that while he was in Venice, he learned from certain Dalmatians—men of proven faith—that a sea-man once appeared near the town of Spalato in Dalmatia, striking great terror into all who saw him.

He heard from others who had spent a long time around the Red Sea that sea-men were often captured there, from whose very tough skins shoes are fashioned so robustly that they last for fifteen years. Fur-