![\"pan-god-of-the-wild\"](\"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Pan-God-of-the-wild-1-1024x697.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nPan\u2019s Appearance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps because of his association with nature and animals, Pan did not have the appearance of a normal man. The bottom half of his body was like a goat, with the top half of his body being like other men. However, he is often depicted with horns on his head, and his face is usually unattractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pan\u2019s Lineage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The parentage of Pan is uncertain. Some accounts say he is the son of Hermes<\/a> and Dryope. Others say he is the son of\u00a0Zeus<\/a> or the son of Penelope, wife of Odysseus. The story of his birth says that his mother was so distressed by his unusual appearance that she ran away, but he was taken to Mount Olympus where he became the favorite of the gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like the other gods of Ol<\/a>ympus<\/a>, Pan possessed enormous strength. He could also run for long periods of time and was impervious to injury. It was believed he could transform objects into different forms and was able to teleport himself from Earth to Mount Olympus and back. He is depicted as very shrewd with a wonderful sense of humor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Ancient Roman mythology, a sim<\/a>ilar god<\/a> is called Faunus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mythological stories<\/a> involving Pan usually involve his romantic interest in a lovely goddess of the woods who spurns his advances and gets turned into an inanimate object to escape him or who otherwise flees from his ugly appearance. One story concerns Syrinx, a beautiful wood nymph. She flees from Pan\u2019s attentions, and her follow goddesses<\/a> turn her into a river reed in order to hide her from him. As the winds blow through the reeds, they make a gentle musical sound. Because he does not know which reed Syrinx is, he cuts several from reeds from the group and set them in a line to make the musical instrument, the pan flute. Pan\u2019s image is often depicted with this instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One story involving Pan is the tale of war, in which Pan helps his friend survive a vicious struggle by letting out an immense cry that frightened the enemy and caused him to run away. From this story, we get the word \u201cpanic,\u201d the sudden, uncontrollable fear that leads people into irrational behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the ages, Pan has been a symbol of the force of nature. In the 1800s, interest in this mythological figure revived, and communities organized festivals in which Pan was the central figure. Mythical stories of his antics abound, and he continues to be a figure representing the ancient mystery of the forest, hunting activities and wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPan\u2019s Powers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pan and Music<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pan Gave Humans the Word \u201cPanic\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Symbols and Items<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Sacred Animals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Pan in the Modern World<\/h3>\n\n\n\n