Saturday, July 16, 2016

TFBT; The Great God Pan

A little research, I thought I would share
“Louder than all trumpets sounds his (Pan’s) voice alone, and at that sound fall helm and sword, the charioteer from his rocking car and bolts from gates of walls by night; nor might the helm of Ares and the tresses of the Erinyes, nor the dismal Gorgon from on high spread such terror, nor with phantoms so dire sweep an army in headlong rout.” Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 3. 46
“(Pan) is said to have had a terrific voice (Val. Flacc. iii. 31), and by it to have frightened the Titans in their fight with the gods. (Eratosth. Catast. 27.)”. Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
More clearly Theon of Alexandria (1st century BC) says.
“the god Pan struck terror into the hearts of the giants, when they warred against heaven, by blowing into a sea-shell.”

PS, any one know a primary source fot Pans involvement in the Titanomachy or Gigantomachy?

6 comments:

  1. I cannot think of any other god so unfit for stories. Pan is the only major god whom I left out from my theogony.

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  2. Maya
    Be careful. This sort of denial of divinity got Pentheus torn apart by his mother and aunts. In your theogony does Pan help in the Typhonomachy?

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    1. My Zeus defeats Typhon in single combat, using a thunderbolt (i.e. a weapon delivering discharge of static electricity) supplied by the Cyclopes.
      Initially, Zeus just leaved Typhon's body where it is. However, its periodic convulsions terrify local residents, who are not reassured by the explanation that these are just spinal reflexes. So Zeus feels compelled to drag the body into the crater of Etna. After that, however, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are attributed to Typhon. Zeus makes a vow never again to kill an immortal, because it is to no avail.

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  3. Plus, keep in mind the gods and heroes honored (or were afraid not to honor); the gods Frued and us dscuss still are archetypes. They are manifestastionof of our collective subconscious. Pan is that irrational, lustful, rustic inconvient part of each of us that ritually or with professional health care must deal with.

    Bill

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    1. Seems like a less sophisticated version of Dionysus. BTW, the top Pan picture at Theoi.com showes him picking grapes.

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  4. Maya,

    Pan (Silenus, various Satyrs) were adopted into the retinues of Dionysus and Cybele early on. Sort of like Athena in the Oresteia, taking over the Erinyes duties, but keeping the elder goddesses around.

    Bill

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