You know the old saying about March coming in as a lion or a lamb? I thought this year...why not have March come in like a satyr. Present in Greek mythology, satyrs were beasts or spirits with horse-like ears and tails and mane-like hair.
Over the course of Greek history, satyrs gradually acquired goat-like characteristics in some depictions as a result of confusion with the god Pan with the legs and horns of goats. They commonly appear in works of fantasy and children's literature, in which they are most often referred to as "fauns".
Prospero had a marble statue of this mythological creature in an outdoor garden alongside his house, where it "stared mindlessly into an empty cup, as water gushed out of his ears" (The Face in the Frost, 3).
Perhaps a throwaway line to some but not to Bellairs's longtime friend, the late Alfred Myers. He believes the statue with water coming out of its ears - rather than its mouth - may be traced to the early days of television, specifically the weekly variety show of American entertainer Red Skelton (1913-97). His program first aired in the 1950s and over the course of its two-decade run featured an assortment of wacky characters all portrayed by Skelton: Deadeye, the inept sheriff; Cauliflower McPugg, the punch-drunk boxer; lovable bum Freddie the Freeloader; and his perennial-drunk character, Willie Lump-Lump.
"In one of these early shows, Willie took a big swig of booze which immediately proceeded to gush out of both of his ears. Somehow, the subject of this show came up in one my freshman year conversations with John and we both agreed that it was one of the funniest things we'd ever seen, though of course it was much too crass and crude for the tastes of the 17-year old sophisticates that we had since become. Yeah, right!"
A number of Skelton's programs are available for viewing online. Now to go through the pre-1956 programs to find this bit of inspiration.
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