Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Percy Jackson Reread: Mythology Wednesday!

Hi all! Welcome back to another Mythology Wednesday, which is part of me and Caroline's Percy Jackson reread!

My topic this week is the god Pan, and Caroline's is Icarus. Let's get started! :)


Now, when I saw Pan, I don't mean Peter Pan. I mean the god Pan, son of Hermes and Dyriope. He's the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, and woodland music. 



One of the most famous icons of Pan are his pan flute. Syrinx, a water-nymph, attracted Pan one day, and fled from him, until she found her sisters at Mount Lycaeum. Her sisters turned her in a reed to help escape him, and Pan, not knowing which reed she had turned into, collected 7 reeds and glued them together to form the famous pan flute. Pan is always seen with his reed pipes, and is seen as him refusing to part with Syrinx.



The story goes that 2000 years ago, Pan was pronounced to be dead. Different versions tell different things about how this came to be: in some, Pan assigned the satyr Lysas to spread the word of his death, whereas in others, Pan told a sailor named Thamus to spread the word. But all stories agree that Pan is one of the gods who actually have undergone a supposed death. In Percy Jackson, the satyrs all refuse to accept it, and ever since, have been looking for him...


Pan, apart from being the god of the wild, is also known for giving out angry shouts, causing the word panic to form. This shout is one of anger and frustration, and is said to be so terrifying that any enemies who hear it immediately turn around to flee.


And that's it for this week! Don't forget to check out Caroline's blog for some fun things about Icarus!


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7 comments:

  1. I didn't know that about the origin of Pan's flute, or that he's where the word 'panic' comes from! It's amazing to think how embedded Greek mythology is in Western cultures. Thanks for this post!

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    1. I know, right? I had no idea at all either! It's so neat to see all the modern words we have that actually have Greek roots!

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  2. How interesting! I just love this series, I need to reread then myself!

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  3. Great post! :D I like how factual it is :)
    I have a set of pan flutes! I’m not great at playing them, but I love the woodsy sound they make.

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    1. No way! I'm so jealous. Maybe you should double check to make sure your set isn't Pan's ACTUAL set? ;)

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