Legend
Hermes sat next to the guardian called Argus and started to play his panflute. When Argus asked him, what instrument this is, hermes said: "I tell you this, if you have enough patience to listen to me at this late nightime." After playing some more sad tunes, he began...
In the snowy Arcadian mountains lived a tree nymph. Her name was Syrinx. The gods of the forest, enchanted by her beauty, followed her with their courtship. But Syrinx was clever enough to escape from them. She just played with their feelings and ejoyed that. One day she met the powerful god Pan, who was on his expeditions into the forest. He approached and courted her passionately with his haughtiness, but Syrinx disdained him and fled through prairies until she reached the bank of an river called Ladon. Its waves were big enough to prevent the nymph from crossing. Then she asked her tutelary goddess Artemis, to have to transform her, before she falls into the hands of the Pan. Some minutes later Pan reached there and embraced the nymph who was standing at the shore. But how was he surprised, when he suddenly held a reed in his arms. Pans sighs multiplied in the reed and repeated with a rustling swish. The pleasant sound from reed consoled the deceived god. "Ðince now ", he called with grievous joy,"should our bond be eternal!" He cut the reed to pipes of different lengths and connected them with wax. "I name this lovely sounding instrument after the nymph,I loved" he said And ever since this sad sounding shepherd's pipe is known as syrinx - the flute of God Pan...