Picus (Woodpecker) Roman An ancient Italian god of the wild country, perhaps a satyr.

Picus (Woodpecker) Roman An ancient Italian god of the wild country, perhaps a satyr. In this very early mythology, Picus was said to be the son of a laborer whose name meant "dung heap." He had the power to see into the future and to change his shape. He often chose to be a woodpecker, an animal sacred to the god Mars. Picus, the woodpecker, was believed to have helped the she-wolf protect the infants Romulus and Remus, who would start the city of Rome, after they were abandoned in the wild. Over time, the myths surrounding Picus changed. Eventually, he evolved into an early legendary king of Latium. In this role he was the son of King Saturnus, who would be deified as the god Saturn; father of the Faunus, another ancient god whose story evolved in a way to give him human ancestry; and grandfather of Latinus, king of Latium when Aeneas arrived from Troy. In this version of his story, Picus was a great warrior with the power to see into the future, a gift that helped him in battle. He used his skills to his advantage. He kept as a pet a green woodpecker, for woodpeckers also had the gift of prophecy. Eventually, the king fell victim to jealousy. Though Picus was married to the Nymph Canens, he loved the goddess Pomona, but the goddess Circe also fell in love with Picus. When he did not return her love, Circe, in a fit of rage, turned Picus into a woodpecker.