Editing Faunus (section)

==Festivals==
In [[Justin (historian)|Justin]]'s epitome, Faunus is identified with ''Lupercus'' ("he who wards off the wolf"), otherwise a priest of Faunus. [[Livy]] named Inuus as the god originally worshiped at the [[Lupercalia]], 15&nbsp;February, when his priests (''Luperci'') wore goat-skins and hit passers-by with goatskin whips.

Two festivals, called '''Faunalia''', were celebrated in his honour—one on 13&nbsp;February, in the temple of Faunus on the [[Tiber Island|island in the Tiber]], the other on 5&nbsp;December, when the peasants brought him rustic offerings and amused themselves with dancing.<ref name=Peck-1898/>

[[File:Joseph Haydn - Armida - Esterhaza 1784 - Costume Faunus.png|thumb|left|Sketch of a Faunus costume for the [[Joseph Haydn]] opera ''[[Armida (Haydn)|Armida]]'']]
A [[euhemerism|euhemeristic]] account made Faunus a [[Latium|Latin]] king, son of [[Picus]] and [[Canens (mythology)|Canens]]. He was then revered as the god [[Fatuus]] after his death, worshipped in a sacred forest outside what is now [[Tivoli, Italy|Tivoli]], but had been known since Etruscan times as Tibur, the seat of the [[Tiburtine Sibyl]]. His [[Numen|numinous presence]] was recognized by wolf skins, with wreaths and goblets.

In [[Nonnus|Nonnos]]' ''[[Dionysiaca]]'', Faunus/Phaunos accompanied Dionysus when the god campaigned in India.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PHAUNUS (Phaunos) - Greek God of Forests (Roman Faunus) |url=https://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Phaunos.html |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=www.theoi.com}}</ref>