Thyrsis is a prominent figure in Theocritus's Idylls and later pastoral works, representing the poet-shepherd ideal central to the bucolic tradition; the name appears in Matthew Arnold's elegy "Thyrsis" commemorating Arthur Hugh Clough. As a character, Thyrsis embodies the fusion of poetic artistry and rustic simplicity, often participating in amoebaean verse contests that showcase pastoral poetry's competitive and performative aspects, while his laments and songs explore themes of mortality, friendship, and the transience of beauty.

Thyrsis appears throughout pastoral poetry as a shepherd-singer, the name becoming conventional for the accomplished bucolic poet. Poets invoke Thyrsis when depicting pastoral singers, competitions, or the tradition itself. The character's fame extends beyond classical poetry to later pastoral, notably Matthew Arnold's elegy "Thyrsis" mourning Arthur Hugh Clough. The name became so emblematic of pastoral that using it signals the bucolic tradition and claims connection to its long history. Thyrsis demonstrates how certain pastoral names transcended individual poems to represent the entire genre.