Rick Rogers, age 13, of New Bedford, Mass., for his question:

WHO WAS PAN?

Pan was the god of woods and pastures in Greek mythology. He was also the protector of shepherds and their flocks. Shepherds and farmers prayed to Pan to make their animals fertile.

Pan was half man and half goat. The ancient Greeks believed he had a wild, unpredictable nature. They also thought he had the power to fill human beings and animals with sudden, unreasoning terror. The word "panic" comes from his name.

The Greeks believed that Pan lived in caves, on mountain slopes and in other lonely places. He was one of the most popular gods.

Pan tried to start an affair with the nymph Syrinx, but she ran away from him in terror and begged the gods to help her. Instead, the gods changed Syrinx into a bed of reeds, from which Pan made a musical instrument called a panpipe. He became famous for the beautiful music he played on his panpipe.