March 28: International Women in Music Day

In ancient times, woods and planes would be crowded with mythical creatures, invisible to the human eye. But they could make their presence known if they wanted to. And for the herdsman Kerambous, they did. He played the lyre so beautifully, that the nymphs of Mount Othrys couldn’t resist swirling around him, hand in hand. Wildlife god Pan adored the scene, snapped his fingers, and suddenly, Kerambous saw himself surrounded by a string of the most beautiful creatures, dancing to his music. You’d think he would be impressed, and grateful for the privilege, but in the arrogance of youth, he thought it was only fair that he should have an audience. A retinue of nymphs suited him, even if they were just uncivilised forest creatures, of questionable parentage. Pan warned him for slandering the nymphs lineage, but he haugtily ignored the advice. Until the lyre fell out of his hands, his body shrunk, his hook-teeth grew…. And as a “cerambyx”-beetle, he’s chewing on wood ever since. And on his words, wishing he could take them back.

Pan, marble mask, Metropolitan Museum, New York, USA

Herdsman with six muses, pyxis, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA