*image taken from google

This card is often described as the devil represented in his most well-known "Satyr form". A Satyr (or at that time known as 'saturos') in Greek mythology were wild spirits of nature who were half human, half animal and would spend their days drinking, playing instruments and chasing women.

In Greek art they would be pictured as a man with a horses ears and tail which differed from the Roman representation later on as a man with goats ears, tail, legs and horns. It didn't take me long to understand why this card has such a reputation, as in modern day times, we still all know men (well, not just men) who like to have a bit too much too drink and chase women! And, the modern day interpretation of the word 'Satyrs' are persons with strong sexual desires.

The word seems to originate from the Ancient Greeks and was only used to describe this mythological character.

Although, as the bible was translated into English in 1382, the word Satyr in the King James Version is used to translate the Hebrew word se'īrīm which when properly translated describes a type of hairy being said to inhabit the desert.

When I researched the word se'īrīm, it does in fact bring up information regarding "goat-demons', but with a bit more research I found that the translation for demon is "shedim". Could the original writings have meant the se'īrīm (hairy being) to have been a goat? It is highly possible and all the research I have done would suggest that. And, if you change the words slightly in passages above from satyr to goats, they would read as follows:

I personally think that this sounds more plausible, than throwing a demon into the mix, however this is just my opinion! And, maybe that is why, in the late 14th century satyr was used as a word in England to describe apes, and then again in 1690 to describe an orangutan - because even though some had translated se'īrīm to mean a demon, others had translated it to mean a hairy being!

It was only in 1781 that the word was used in England to describe a "lecherous" person rather than a mythological creature or an animal.

Why am I delving into the bible to discuss this card? Because, I have noticed that when I read for people, that 90% of those people will grimace when this card is pulled. They believe that if this card is in their spread, that it means something "bad" is going on and, I believe that this has come from thousands of years of programming and conditioning that the Devil is "bad" and "evil".

And, where did we learn that from? In fact, when you really think about it - whether you believe that there is a God or not, where do most of our moral codes, rules and laws come from? What has determined what we believe to be good and bad, right and wrong, positive or negative?

A Satyr, started out as an apparent mythological creature, dancing around, drinking too much and chasing women, much like people still do today? Would we call those people evil, or, young and horny? In fact, could this character have been made up to describe a randy teenager who without the hygiene routines we have today, could have looked very much like half man/half horse(or goat)?

Now, obviously, that is just an opinion and i have no proof of that, but looking back at my days in high school, only 25 years ago, and the rate in which hygiene has improved since then, I would say that this could be possible!

Moving forward from my view on 90's teens, if we revisit the meaning of the word Satyr, you will notice that the description begins with, "wild spirits of nature".

It is interesting how the words "wild" and "spirit" have been linked here. We still link these words together today, calling children a "wild spirit" if they are the kind of child who refuses to follow the rules of society, maybe having a bit of an attitude towards people in authority, questioning why things are done in a certain way or even just saying "no" and doing their own thing in their own way. They are the group of children who refuse to be tamed and won't be dictated to. Now, here's the thing. We don't necessarily think that these children are "bad" children, in fact, I doubt many will think that children are "bad" at all. Instead what we try to do, is bend them to our way of thinking and doing, and give consequences for those children that do not follow the "rules".

And, as these children grow and become adults, if we have not managed to tame them, then we seem to change how we describe them to, "free spirit", as though acknowledging that we were unable to tame the wild side of them and therefore will let them be and set them free, with a warning of course, that life will not be easy for them unless they choose to change their ways!

Whether consciously or sub-consciously we recognise the definition of the word wild, "living or growing in their natural state; not changed by people and a refusal to be tamed".

Why is it then that even though we recognise that these people cannot be tamed do we try? After all, it is their character that we are trying to break, in order for them to conform to the societal norms of the time. And, if you go back through the etymology of the word "spirit" you will find that it comes from the Latin word "Spirare" which simply means, "breathe". Are we as a society across all ages, stopping these people from catching their breath in life? Are we stopping their souls and characters from prevailing?

To summarise: Should the Satyr really be deemed a "bad" thing? If we were to really look at what a Satyr truly was, from the description, "wild spirits of nature who were half human, half animal and would spend their days drinking, playing instruments and chasing women" would we really be thinking that they were demons?

*image from Tarot Deck 'Magnetic Limitless Love' created by Nantakay(aka Annie Dustan)