Silvanus (Latin: "of the woods") was a Roman tutelary spirit of woods, a genius loci that was apparently inherited from the Etruscan Selvans. In Cato's De Agricultura an offering to Mars Silvanus is described, to insure the health of cattle.
The Celtic god Sucellos was assimilated into Silvanus. The Slavic god Borevit has similarities with Silvanus.
There is no apparent connection to the Greek Silenus, the bibulous companion of satyrs in the retinue of Dionysus.
External links
- Cato's De Agricultura: an offering to Mars Silvanus (e-text in English and latin)