Pipes Of Pan

Zeus' wife Hera was extremely jealous (for good reason). She hired Argus to keep an eye on her unfaithful husband. More accurately,
to keep eyes on him, because Argus had a hundred of them. Some eyes would be awake while others slept. Zeus' plan was to get his
clever son Hermes to put all of his eyes to sleep. Hermes played lullabies on a flute made of reeds and told him boring stories.

It didn't work.

Until he told the story of Pan and Syrinx. Pan (the deity) loved Syrinx (the nymph), but the feeling was not mutual. She ran
away from him, and to save her—if you can call it that—the other nymphs turned her into a clump of reeds. In order to have her
anyway—if you can call it that—Pan made the reeds into the same type of instrument that the storyteller had been playing.

It did work.

Now, if you are still awake, you know why this instrument is known as
pipes of pan or panpipes. Also pan flute or pandean. And of course, syrinx.

This instrument is played by blowing across the tops of the individual
pipes, much like most of you have tried on a soft drink bottle. Or, if
your parents were able to come up with a little more money, a flute.

Each pipe produces a different pitch, because their lengths differ, and the
bottom end of each is sealed up. Skills developed are blowing at the correct
angle to get a clear sound, and moving the pipes back and forth with precision.

~ FURTHER READING ~

Pan was the god of shepherds, so this instrument became associated with a
stereotypical image of a young man playing while watching over his sheep.
Pan's top half appeared as human with horns, while his bottom half was goat.