You hear the sweet music of the pan pipes in the distance, but who created these? They were the instrument of the Greek forest god, Pan. Though insignificant in most literature, Pan was a very important god in Greek mythology. He is depicted in many vases and art works throughout Greece. Pan is also shown with many distinct traits and people that make him significant to mythology. “Pan was the god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music” (“Pan” Theoi 1). He was also a god of fertility and enjoyed the company of nymphs. His name comes from the Doric contraction “paon” meaning pasture and the Greek word “pan” meaning all (“Pan” 1). Therefore, his name would make him the god of all pastures. Sometimes, he…show more content… It is known that his father was Hermes, but the mother is in question. She is said to be Thymbris or Sose, fresh water nymphs, Penelopeia, a dryad nymph who was daughter of Dryopos, Dryopos herself, Kallisto, or Orneios (“Pan” Theoi 2). Sometimes, he is said to be born from an orgy of Odyssesu’s wife, Penel and the men who tried to suitor her (“Pan” 1). This, however, was only used as a comedic reference due to Penelopeia’s name being confused with Penelope. Since Pan was a fertility god, he had many children and many lovers. One of which is Selene, the Titan goddess of the moon. There is also a short story of how pan had chased three different nymphs, causing them to transform. “Syrinx ran and was transformed into a clump of reeds, out of which the god crafted his famous pan-pipes. Pitys escaped and was turned into a mountain fir, the god’s sacred tree. Ekho spurned his advances and fading away left behind only her voice to repeat forever the mountain cries of the god” (“Pan” Theoi 1). He bore a child with Ekho named Iynx who became a forest nymph and invented a love charm. His other children included Krotos, a rustic satyr who invented the hunting bow and rhythmic beats used to accompany music who became the constellation Sagittarius, with Eupheme, a fresh water nymph of Mount Helicon, Akis, a river god who was eventually killed by the Cyclops Polyphemos and transformed into a river because