Among the retinue of Dionysus one could often see the god Pan. When the great Pan was born, his mother, the nymph Dryope, looked at her son and fled in horror. He was born with goat legs and horns and a long beard. But his father, Hermes, was delighted at the birth of his son, he took him in his arms and carried him to bright Olympus to the gods. All the gods rejoiced loudly at the birth of Pan and laughed as they looked at him.
God Pan did not stay to live with the gods on Olympus. He went into the shady forests, into the mountains. There he grazes his flocks, playing a sonorous pipe. As soon as the nymphs hear the wonderful sounds of Pan’s pipe, they rush to him in crowds, surround him, and soon a merry round dance moves along the green, secluded valley, to the sounds of Pan’s music. Pan himself loves to take part in the dances of the nymphs. When Pan is cheerful, then a cheerful noise rises in the forests along the mountain slopes. Nymphs and satyrs frolic merrily along with the noisy goat-footed Pan. When the hot afternoon comes, Pan retires to the dense thicket of the forest or to a cool grotto and rests there. It is dangerous to disturb Pan then; he is quick-tempered, he can send a heavy oppressive sleep in anger, he can, unexpectedly appearing, frighten the traveler who disturbed him. Finally, he can also send panic fear, such horror when a person rushes headlong to run, without making out the road, through forests, through mountains, along the edges of abysses, not noticing that flight threatens him with death every minute. It happened that Pan inspired a similar fear in an entire army, and it turned into an uncontrollable flight. You should not irritate Pan - when he flares up, he is formidable. But if Pan is not angry, then he is merciful and good-natured. He sends many blessings to the shepherds. The great Pan, a cheerful participant in the dances of frantic maenads, a frequent companion of the god of wine Dionysus, protects and cares for the herds of the Greeks.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru