Pan was the Greek god of the wild, hunting, shepherds and rustic music.
He was depicted as being half human, while having the legs and horns of a goat, just like a satyr.
He was usually accompanied by the nymphs.
It was believed that he often chased nymphs in order to seduce them, but he was always turned down due to his ugly appearance.
There were no temples attributed to Pan, but he was rather worshipped in natural settings such as caves.
Moreover, the word 'panic' derives from the name of the goat-like deity. Pan's angry voice was so frightening, that caused panic to anyone who was unlucky to be close enough to hear it.
Pan fell in love with the nymph Syrinx, daughter of Ladon the river-god. Fleeing his attentions, Syrinx pleaded with Zeus to save her and just when Pan captured the nymph, Zeus turned her into reeds.
Enraged, Pan smashed the reeds into pieces but on reflection he was struck with remorse and wept and kissed the broken reeds, all that remained of his beloved. As he kissed the reeds he discovered that his breath could create sounds from them and so he made the musical instrument that would carry the lost nymph’s name.
According to the Greek historian Plutarch Pan is the only Greek god who actually dies.
