PAN

This was a part of a school project where we had to illustrate a hero’s journey. PAN - The son of Hermes and a mortal was the god of shepherds and hunters, and of the meadows and forests of the mountain wilds. When he was born, his mother saw his little horns and goat hooves and immediately ran away. She wanted nothing to do with her furry baby. Hermes, on the other hand adored his son. He took him to visit the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus. They were amazed and fascinated by his appearance but loved him all the same. And as the story goes, he was thus named “Pan”, because “all” of the gods loved him. Pan led a merry life helping take care of animals on earth. He was loved by everyone – mortals (his fellow shepherds and countrymen), by fauns and satyrs, birds and beasts alike. His home was the woods and waters; he was the lord of everything outdoors! He spent his days lost in music, dance and laughter. The woods were never lonely as it was the home of nymphs, nereids, maenads, and other nature spirits. Despite all the company in the woods, Pan was lonely. He was loved and adored by everyone; everyone except the nymphs. He spent a lot of his following, chasing and trying to woo them. On one such occasion, Pan saw a beautiful wood-nymph by the name of Syrinx. He thought she was lovely and thought to tell her, so he hurried after her. Syrinx got one glimpse of his shaggy hair and horns and took off, trying to escape this beast chasing her. She ran and ran until she came to the edge of a river. she was forced to stop. In one last effort to save herself, she prayed to the water-nymphs asking for an escape. The water-nymphs could only think of one thing - Pan had just about caught up to Syrinx and stretched out his arms to embrace her when she vanished and in her place, he found a cluster of tall reeds. He sat down next to the reeds and as he sighed, the reeds made a sweet sound. Pan, upon hearing the sudden music believed it to be her voice. So, he took a few reeds, tied them together and blew through the hollow pipes making beautiful music. Pitys was another nymph who preferred to be transformed into a plant (in her case, the pine tree) as compared to being desired by Pan. And Echo was too infatuated with Narcisse to even notice Pan. However, he did complete one pretty admirable conquest: that of Selene, the moon goddess, whom he tricked by wrapping himself in sheepskin and luring her into the woods as she was riding her silver chariot through the night. Pan She was not the first or the last nymph to have encountered Pan. Pan was a lecherous god and is often portrayed in a phallic way. Syrinx was not the first or the last nymph to have encountered Pan. However, even though he wasn’t picky when it came to women and love, he was too unattractive and odd to be loved by them. When upset, he was known to be able to let out an angry, blood-curdling shout which inspired a sudden sensation of fear and anxiety in everyone unfortunate enough to hear it (Panic). According to some stories, he used this shout to help the Athenians win a battle against the Persians. And that is how they came to worship the Lord of the wild. In the first years of the Christian era, as a sailor sailed along the western coast of Greece, he heard a divine voice claiming that “the great god Pan is dead.” If true, this would make Pan one of the very few Greek gods – if not the only one – to actually die. In “The Hero’s Journey” by Joseph Campbell, the author refers to Pan and uses him as an example for a few stages of “the hero’s journey.” Once such instance is referred to in the fifth stage i.e. Crossing the Threshold. In this stage, the Hero is one step away from leaving behind his world (the mundane/normal world) and stepping into the unknown (the supernatural world). This “step” could be as simple as doing something he’s always been scared to try or doing something he has always wanted to do but hasn’t had the courage to. It is at this stage that the hero will find himself in the presence of the “guardian of the Threshold”. This guardian is often portrayed as a fearsome or monstrous beast (to represent the fears of leaving the known and stepping into the unknown). The hero sees this beast as a threat, an obstacle in his way and overcomes it. Pan is the prime example for this “beast” for he represents two warring sides – the humane, normal side and the wild, mysterious side. He is also an example here because, according to stories, Pan would instil an irrational fear and anxiety into those who dared disrespect him (Panic), but would gift wisdom and bounty to all those who respected and paid homage to him.