The Word Panic Originates From the Greek God Pan

 

 

 

The word Panic, Panikos in Greek, meaning a sudden sensation of fear, overwhelming anxiety or agitation; a feeling so strong as to often block out reasonable and logical behavior, is derived from Pan, the name of the Greek god of shepherds, woodlands and meadows.

Pan, an impish little fellow, a satyr who has a body half man, half goat and an erotic nature, is usually depicted with horns and carrying panpipes.

Pan liked nothing more, than to spend his days frolicking in the green pastures, lush forests and fast flowing rivers of Acardia his homeland.

More often than not he was in a state of permanent ‘arousal’, forever on the lookout for an attractive wood nymph (dryad), with whom there may be a chance of a roll in the hay.

 

 

How the word panic originated

 

Despite his mischievous, devil may care attitude, if woken abruptly from his siesta, Pan’s angry shouting was known to instill panic into the Arcadians.

Pan’s voice was claimed to be so ferocious, that by only opening his mouth and shouting, it’s said, during the Battle of Marathon (490 B.C.), the enemy (the Persians), retreated in a state of panic.

 The same panic, on hearing Pan roar, caused the Titan’s to abandon their attack on the gods of Olympus.

One of Pan’s favourite tricks, it has been said, was to hide in the bushes, awaiting unsuspecting passers by.

As they neared his hiding place, pan would give the bushes a good shake, causing the leaves to rustle, then, as fast as lightning, would run on ahead, again hide in the bushes and rattle the branches.

By now, the passer by had quickened his pace, his breathing had grown heavy and his heart was beating fit to burst, never again would the poor traveller enter the forests of Arcadia, without a feeling of utmost anxiety.

This is how the word panic came into existence.

 

 

Pan in Greek Mythology

Pan and the nymph Syrinx

 

Pan was also known for his music, said to arouse inspiration, sexuality, or even panic, based upon the god’s scheme.

One of the better known Greek myths concerning Pan, is the story of how his renowned pipes, made from hollow reeds, came into existence.

One day, Syrinx, daughter of the river god, Ladon, an enchanting wood nymph, whilst on her way home from the hunt, came upon Pan, who had had her in his sights for a while and was waiting for such an opportunity to practice his seductive skills on her.

 

 

Syrinx, who had heard all about Pan’s reputation, to avoid an amorous encounter, ran off to beg help from her sisters on Mount Lycaeum.

Pan gave chase but was thwarted when, to save their sister from Pan’s clutches, they transformed Syrinx into a reed.

As Pan was sitting, plotting his next move, a breeze passed through the reeds, creating a heartrending melody.

Intoxicated by the sound and still thinking of Syrinx, Pan cut down the reeds, some say seven, others say nine, tied them together, side by side, in decreasing lengths, and named the pipes Syrinx.

 

 

Pan and the nymph Echo

 

There are, as usually happens with Greek mythology, more than one version of the story of Pan and the nymph Echo, a wonderful singer and dancer.

Echo, whose voice had been stolen by the goddess Hera was infamous for rejecting the advances of all men, this included Pan and angered him greatly and so he had Echo torn to pieces which were scattered across Earth.

Mother Earth, Gaia, gathered up the remains of poor Echo, whose voice, forever more, was destined only to repeat the last words of others.

 

 

Another version of the story, has Pan and Echo producing two children together, Lambe and Lynx.

 Yet another version has Pan falling in love with Echo, not to be reciprocated as it turns out, as Echo is in love with Narcissus, who only loved himself, this unrequited love causes Echo to waste away, but her voice could still be heard in caves.

 

‘The Great God Pan Is Dead’

 

As with many ancient traditions, myths and gods, which, with the advent of Christianity, died a death, or were renamed so as not to appear too pagan, so it was with Pan:

‘It is said truly in a sense that Pan died because Christ was born.’ –  G.K. Chesterton

Plutarch on Pan, From Wikipedia:

‘According to the Greek historian Plutarch Pan is the only Greek god who actually dies. During the reign of Tiberius (14–37 CE), the news of Pan’s death came to one Thamus, a sailor on his way to Italy by way of the island of Paxi. A divine voice hailed him across the salt water, “Thamus, are you there? When you reach Palodes take care to proclaim that the great god Pan is dead.” Which Thamus did, and the news was greeted from shore with groans and laments.’

 

G.K. Chesterton on Pan (Wikipedia):

‘Christian apologists such as G. K. Chesterton have repeated and amplified the significance of the “death” of Pan, suggesting that with the “death” of Pan came the advent of theology. To this effect, Chesterton once said, “It is said truly in a sense that Pan died because Christ was born. It is almost as true in another sense that men knew that Christ was born because Pan was already dead. A void was made by the vanishing world of the whole mythology of mankind, which would have asphyxiated like a vacuum if it had not been filled with theology.” It was interpreted with concurrent meanings in all four modes of medieval exegesis, literally as historical fact, and allegorically as the death of the ancient order at the coming of the new. Eusebius of Caesarea in his Praeparatio.’

Is it possible, that Pan of Ancient Greece, with the onset of Christianity, became the devil, who is depicted as a man with horns and the legs of a goat ?

Some think, Pan, the god of nature, maybe the oldest of all gods and may in fact be the Green Man, the personification of nature and the oldest religious symbol known to man.

 

 

Pan lives on

 

 

Today Pan lives on in modern literature.

Between 1890 and 1926, interest in Pan made a great comeback, he was mentioned in poetry, in novels and in children’s books.

The most famous of all, children’s books based on the Greek God Pan was:

‘Peter Pan’, the boy who wouldn’t grow up, by J. M. Barrie.

Barrie describes Peter as:

‘a betwixt and between’, part animal and part human’.

 

Related links:

Interesting ‘untranslatable’ Greek words