Pan: Purveyor of Music and Panic

 In Greek mythology, Syrinx was a forest Nymph. In her attempt to escape the affection of the god Pan (god of the wild, shephers, and flocks with the hindquarters, legs and horns of a goat), she was transformed into a water-reed or calamos (cane-reed). Then, Pan cut several reeds, placed them in parallel one next to the other, and bound them together to make a melodic musical instrument. Ancient Greeks called this instrument Syrinx, in honour of the Muse, and Pandean, or Pan-pipes or Pan-flute, after Pan. The Syrinx, a predominantly pastoral instrument for the Greeks, was adopted by the Etruscans who played it at their festivals and banquets called it a fistula. The Romans adopted both Pan, whose Roman counterpart was Faunus, father or Bona Dea, and the Syrinx from the Greeks and the Etruscans, and they too played it at their banquets, festivals, as well as in religious and funeral processions.

Despite Homer's account of the chaste nature of Odysseus' wife Penelope in "The Odyssey", some ancient writers, including Pausanias, Duris of Samos, and the Vergilian commentator Servius, attribute the birth of Pan to Penelope's unfaithfulness while Odysseus was away at the Trojan War.  Pausanius simply claims she was unfaithful, while Duris and Servius claim she slept with all 108 suitors in Odysseus' absence, and gave birth to Pan as a result. In other accounts, Pan, like other nature spirits, appears to be older than the Olympians, considering myths where he gave Artemis her hunting dogs and taught the secret of prophecy to Apollo.  In "Rhesus," Aeschylus  distinguishes between two Pans, one the son of Zeus and twin of Arcas, and one a son of Cronus saying "In the retinue of Dionysos, or in depictions of wild landscapes, there appeared not only a great Pan, but also little Pans, Paniskoi, who played the same part as the Satyrs."

Although Pan was associated with the sweet music of his pipes, his angry shout was also known to cause panic (panikon deima).  In Zeus' battle with Typhon and the Titans, Pan let out a horrible screech, scattering the Titans in terror.  At the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE, it was said Pan favored the Athenians so inspired panic in the hearts of the Persians.

The Romans, including Hyginus and Ovid, substituted Pan for the satyr Marsyas in the myth about a musical competition with Apollo.  But, instead of Pan being flayed alive for his hubris, his faithful friend, Midas, who disagreed with the judge, Timolus, that Apollo's lyre produced superior music to Pan's pipes, had his ears turned into those of a donkey by Apollo.

Roman statue of Pan, marble, from Argyroupoli (former Lappa), 2nd-century CE at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum by Wikimedia Commons contributor Jebulon

Pan and Daphnis or Olympus at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples photographed at an interesting angle by Wikimedia Commons contributor ho visto nina volare.

Roman fresco of Pan from Pompeii, 1st century BCE - 1st century CE, at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples courtesy of Miguel Hermoso Cuesta (white balance adjusted).

Closeup of one of the Pan figures on a 2nd century CE Roman sarcophagus depicting Dionysus preparing to resurrect and wed Ariadne 190-200 CE that I photographed at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

Pan Roman 1st-3rd centuries CE from southern Italy that I photographed at "The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece" exhibit, assembled by the British Museum and displayed at the Portland Art Museum.

Pan Teaching Daphnis to play the flute 2nd century CE Roman copy of Hellenistic original that I photographed at the Palazzo Altemps in Rome.

Mosaic of Pan and the nymph Amadriade from the collection of the Duke Carafa of Noja that I photographed at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Roman bronze of a young Pan or satyr from a garden in Pompeii that I photographed at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

My photography of Pan teaching Daphnis to play the flute at the National Archaeological Museum in Naples.

Table support with a marble statue of Pan Roman Imperial Period 1st or 2nd century CE that I photographed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Satyr "Della Valle” one of a pair depicting Pan were found near the Theater of Pompey and are thought to be part of its original decoration sculpted from a Hellenistic period original 1st century BCE that I photographed at the Capitoline Museum in Rome.

Pan pulling a thorn from the foot of a satyr. Marble, Roman copy of the 1st-2nd centuries after a Hellenistic original of the middle 1st century BCE, The Louvre by Wikimedia Commons contributor Marie-Lan Nguyen.

Pan with panpipe, ceramic, painted, Greater Greece, 5th-3rd century BCE by Wikimedia Commons contributor Helvetiker.

If you enjoyed this post, never miss out on future posts by following me by email!

Satyrs: The Mischief-Makers of Antiquity

In Greek mythology, a satyr, also known as a silenos is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse. Early artistic representations sometimes include horse-like legs, but, by the sixth century BCE, they were more often represented with human legs. Satyrs were characterized by their ribaldry and were known as lovers of wine, music, dancing, and women. They were companions of the god Dionysus and were believed to inhabit remote locales, such as woodlands, mountains, and pastures.
Satyrs and silenoi in Greek mythology are thought to be derived from earlier human-equine hybrids in other Indo-European mythologies including Kimpurusas described in the Indian epic Rāmāyaṇa and the Celtic dusii, hairy demons believed to occasionally take human form and seduce mortal women. The Illyrians believed in satyr-like creatures called Deuadai. The Slavic lešiy is described as being covered in hair and having a goat's horns, ears, feet, and long clawlike fingernails. Like Greek satyrs, these creatures were portrayed as tricksters, mischief-makers, and dancers who played pranks, stole horses, tied knots in people's hair and stole children who were replaced with changelings.
One of the earliest Greek sources for satyrs is Hesiod's "Catalogue of Women." In it, Hesiod says satyrs are born alongside the nymphs and Kouretes, offspring of the god Apollo (or sometimes Zeus) and a muse (Thalia, Thytia, or Calliope) and are described as "good-for-nothing, pranksters with insatiable sexual appetities. Though superficially ridiculous, satyrs were also thought to possess useful knowledge, if they could be coaxed into revealing it. The satyr Silenus was the tutor of the young god Dionysus.
Over the course of Greek history, satyrs gradually became portrayed as more human and less bestial. They also began to acquire goat-like instead of equine characteristics in some depictions as a result of conflation with the god Pan who was portrayed with the legs and horns of a goat. The Romans identified satyrs with their native nature spirits, fauns, and eventually the distinction between the two was lost entirely.

Image: Pan, protector of flocks and shepherds, removing a thorn from the foot of a satyr, Roman, 2nd century CE sculpture after a 50 BCE original at The Louvre courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Ladislav Luppa (cropped and digitally enhanced).

If you enjoyed this post, never miss out on future posts by following me by email!

Roman pan displayed at Arbeia Rom Fort

An ancient Roman pan, which was made sometime after AD 122 but was only uncovered in 2003, is to go on display at Arbeia Roman Fort on Saturday January 5 2007.

Unearthed by a man using a metal detector in the Staffordshire Moorlands, the pan is a tiny cast copper-alloy bowl missing its base and handle and shows exceptional craftsmanship.

Although the pan is a small object, it can tell us a great deal about life on Hadrian’s Wall,” said Alex. “The inscription on the pan names four of the westernmost forts of the Wall; it is the earliest naming of the fort Congabata.”

“Hadrian’s Wall is possibly named for the first time here (Aelius was Hadrian’s family name), which tells us that the pan was made after AD 122.”

An inscription on the pan suggest it might have belonged to somebody called Draco and the small exhibition also questions who Draco was and what relevance the pan had to him.

The pan may have been an offering to the river gods, as its burial site overlooks a river valley. Courtesy British Museum, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and Tullie House

A band of Celtic-style curvilinear decoration dances around the wall of the vessel and there is a vibrantly coloured enamel inlay around the engraved inscription.

If you enjoyed this post, never miss out on future posts by following me by email!