ABSTRACT
Stercutus), the husband of the nymph Canens, and the father of Faunus. There was a story that Picus was changed into a woodpecker (which is the meaning of his name) through the jealousy of the witch Circe (‘hawk’), who was angered by his refusal to respond to her advances. According to the other tradition Picus was a country god who, possessing the power to change his shape, preferred the form of Mars’ sacred bird, the woodpecker. He had prophetic powers, and used them to give oracles at one of Mars’ shrines, sitting on a wooden column. Picus and Faunus were once lured into a trap by King Numa Pompilius, who introduced wine into their drinking water. They became very drunk and were easily captured; they changed their shape to foil him, but at last agreed to tell him how to bring Jupiter down from heaven (see FAUNUS). Picus was also said to have guided the Piceni, an eastern Italian people, to new homes-this was regarded as an explanation of their name; and there was a tradition that he helped the she-wolf to feed Romulus and Remus.
