The pan flute is one of the oldest wind instruments. Its name comes from ancient Greek mythology. According to legend, the Arcadian god Pan, patron of shepherds and their herds, fell in love with a beautiful nymph called Syrinx. Because Pan was half-man and half-goat, she didn’t requite his love. When his interest in Syrinx became unbearable for her, she began to run away from him and hide. However, Pan kept following her all the way to a river. It was there that the nymph asked the chief deity, Zeus, to turn her into reeds and he answered her plea. Pan’s love for her was so strong that he used the reeds to make a musical instrument consisting of pipes of different lengths and every evening he played mournful, gloomy melodies on it.