10
HYPNOS
While Pan is featured in numerous myths and
thus, not as obscure, people often forget that
Pan is in fact a god. His strange strange
appearance and comedic persona distract from
his deity status. Pan is the god of pasture lands, nature,
wilderness, and shepherds. His upper body was that of a
normal man while his legs were those of a goat. Pan's origin
is not certain. Some claim that he is the son of Hermes while others say that he is the result of the union between Zeus and Penelope, Odysseus's wife. It is said that Pan's mother had left Pan on a mother and fled after giving birth to him when she saw his strange goat legs.
In almost every painting or statue, Pan is shown holding his
reed, an instrument he made. When Syrinx, a beautiful wood
nymph, rejected Pan's advances, her fellow goddesses
transformed Syrinx into a river reed in order to hide her from
Pan. He became upset when he could not distinguish which
river reed was Syrinx, so he cut several and lined them up to
make his very own instrument.
Another famous myth involving Pan features a musical competition between Pan and Apollo. When Pan made a rash statement comparing his own music to that of Apollo, Apollo
challenged Pan to a contest in front of a large audience. Pan showcased his skill on his reeds while Apollo played his lyre. Everyone in the crowd overwhelmingly declares Apollo the winner except Midas, a supporter of Pan. Apollo, angered, stretches out Midas's ears to make them look like those of a donkey.
While Pan is often referred to in modern literature, his status as a god is overlooked. The several myths he is involved in may not paint such an almighty portrayal of him, but Pan is nonetheless a god with his own powers.
PAN
Hypnos is known for having wings either on his
shoulders or his temples. He is said to wield the
horn of opium, which drips water from the river
Lethe located in the Underworld. This horn
induces mortals to sleep.