Pan: The Lustful Greek God of Nature Quiz

Answer: goat

Pan has been typically depicted as having the horns, hindquarters and legs of a goat with the upper body of a human male. His appearance is similar to a satyr. Pan was also the god of hunters, shepherds, forests and mountain wilds. He spent much time and effort chasing nymphs with mixed results.

The word "pan" can likely be traced to an old Arcadian word for rustic. Some sources, including the website "mythagora", suggest the gods gave Pan his name, because it means "All".

Answer: Hermes

Hermes was the messenger of the Greek gods and was credited with inventing the lyre. Pan taught Hermes how to play panpipes. Pan's mother may have been a daughter of Dryops, whose flocks Hermes was tending. Some, including Pindar, have claimed that the god Apollo was Pan's father and Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, his mother.

Pan's offspring have been claimed to include Krotos (by Eupheme), Akis (by Symaithis), and Seilenos (by Melia).

Answer: Syrinx

Syrinx was a follower of Artemis and had undertaken a vow of chastity; she was transformed into a reed while attempting to escape Pan's advances. Not knowing into which reed Syrinx had been transformed, Pan fastened several reeds together and when the wind blew, music came out. This flute-like instrument is called a panpipe or syrinx and Pan is often depicted with one.

The Syrinx legend has appeared in several literary works, including the ancient Roman, Achilles Tatius', "Leukippe and Klietophon", as well as Longus' "Daphnis and Chloe".

Answer: Fled in terror

Pan's mother was shocked by his appearance. The legend was that after Pan's mother ran away, he was taken to Mount Olympus by Hermes. Upon arriving at the home of the gods, the Homeric Hymn 19 "To Pan" relates: "Then all the immortals were glad in heart...and they called the boy Pan because he delighted all their hearts."

Answer: Marathon

Herodotus' "Histories" related that prior to the Battle of Marathon, the great Athenian messenger, Phidippides, encountered Pan while running to Sparta to ask for military assistance. Pan promised he would help Athens in the upcoming battle; sources say that when Pan was awakened from his sleep, his shout would cause panic among the nearby people. Apparently his shouts were believed to have caused panic among the Persians, and after the Greek victory Athenians began worshiping Pan.

The Battle of Marathon in 490 BC was a victory for the Athenians, whose general, Miltiades, employed a successful strategy of weakening the Athenians' center to strengthen the wings. According to legend, Phidippides ran 25 miles to Athens to report the news of the battle victory.

Answer: Arcadia

Arcadia, a mountainous region in central Peloponnessus, was a rural area. It was considered uncivilized by other Greeks. Arcadia was the place where worship of Pan began and the traditional center of Pan's cult was Mount Mainalos. Due to his association with nature, Pan was typically worshiped in caves rather than temples.

Answer: Apollo

One legend has it that Pan compared his musical abilities to those of Apollo, who played the lyre. Pan challenged Apollo to a competition. Timolus, a mountain god, was the judge of the competition. Timolus chose Apollo as the winner. King Midas, the king with the golden touch, was present and said he believed that Pan should have won.

In anger Apollo changed Midas' ears into those of a donkey. This transformation of Midas' ears was depicted in the painting by Palma il Giovane, "Apollo and Marsyas".

Answer: Echo

The story is that Pan saw Echo one day and lusted for her. When Echo rejected him, Pan's followers tore Echo to pieces, killing her. Echo's pieces were scattered by the wind, but Gaia, the Greek personification of the Earth, allowed Echo's pieces to retain her voice.

Other myths involving Echo include the tale that Hera, Zeus' wife, was jealous of Echo and caused her to only be able to repeat the last words she heard. This legend includes Echo falling in love with Narcissus, who grew tired of Echo repeating his words.

Answer: Pitys

Pitys was an Oread nymph, who was pursued by Pan. The gods transformed her into a pine tree to escape Pan. Pan then fashioned a wreath of pine branches in her memory to wear.

Another version of the myth claimed that Pitys was loved by both Pan and Boreas. Boreas blew Pitys off a cliff when she chose Pan. Gaia, taking pity on Pitys, changed her into a pine and when the north wind (Boreas) blows, Pitys can be heard crying.

Answer: Selene

According to the myth, Pan gave Selene a herd of white oxen. Not recognizing Pan because of his white sheepskin disguise, Selene agreed to ride on Pan's back and she was seduced.

Selene was the daughter of Hyperion and Theia. She had an affair with a mortal, Endymion. Angered by the affair, Zeus gave Endymion the choice of when he would die and Endymion chose to fall into an eternal sleep.