Syrinx
nymphSyrinx was a nymph who fled Pan's pursuit and was transformed into marsh reeds — from which Pan fashioned the syrinx (panpipes), his signature instrument.
The Myth
Syrinx was a devotee of Artemis who had rejected many suitors. When Pan chased her, she ran to the River Ladon and begged the water nymphs for help. They transformed her into marsh reeds. When Pan sighed over the reeds, his breath produced a haunting melody. He cut the reeds into graduated lengths and bound them together, creating the syrinx — the instrument whose melancholy sound evokes solitude and the wild.
Parents
Ladon (river god)
Symbols
Fun Fact
A "syringe" originally meant a tube or pipe — from the syrinx/panpipes, which were hollow tubes. The medical syringe preserves this nymph's name.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
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