The Mother of Pan
According to Greek legends and myths the name of his mother is generally undisclosed because his appearance so frightened her that she ran away. His mother has been variously identified as the nymph Callisto, a hunting companion of the goddess Artemis, Iris the rainbow goddess, Penelope the wife of Odysseus or Penelope, the daughter of King Dryops. He was raised by Sinoe, an Oread nymph of Mount Sinoe who became the the teacher of Pan.
Pan (Roman Counterpart was Faunus or Silvanus)
When the Roman Empire conquered the Greeks in 146BC, the Romans assimilated various elements from other cultures and civilisations, including the gods and goddesses that were worshipped by the Ancient Greeks. Many of the Greek gods and goddesses were therefore adopted by the Romans but were given Latin names. The Roman counterpart of this ancient Greek was Faunus or Silvanus.
The Pipes of Pan
The musical instrument called the Pipes of Pan are depicted in many representations of this ancient Greek god. The Pipes of Pan are a primitive wind instrument consisting of several parallel pipes, made of reeds that are tied together. The pan pipes are considered to be the first mouth organ and usually consist of five or more pipes of gradually increasing length and, occasionally width. The Pipes of Pan relate to the mythology of this rustic god and the Arcadian Nymph called Syrinx. The nymph, Syrinx, was beautiful and desired by many of the gods. Pan fell in love with her but she refused his advances disdaining him as neither man nor goat. He pursued her relentlessly and she became trapped by a stream she was unable to cross. There was no visible escape so Syrinx asked to the Nymphs of the river to help her. The river nymphs transformed her into marsh reeds, all that was left of Syrinx were the reeds. Pan created the pan pipes, its eerie sound reminding him of his lost love. The pan-pipes are alternatively called the Pandean pipe or the syrinx.
Pan in Greek Mythology - the lover of Nymphs
Pan was notorious as a lover of nymphs. The nymphs he was particularly associated with were the Dryads and the Oreads who were minor goddesses of nature. The Dryads were the nymphs of the forest, woods and groves and the Oreads were the nymphs of the mountains, grottoes, rocky precipices and ravines. Most of the nymphs were horrified at his advances and ran from him. Syrinx ran away from the god and was transformed into a clump of marsh reeds, out of which the god made his famous pan-pipes. Pitys was an an Oread nymph who was pursued by Pan. Pitys was changed by the gods into a a mountain fir, the god's sacred tree in order to escape him.
