In
Greek religion and
mythology,
Pan (; ,
Pan) is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature of mountain wilds and rustic music, and companion of the
nymphs. His name originates within the
Ancient Greek language, from the word
paein (πάειν), meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat, in the same manner as a
faun or
satyr. With his homeland in rustic
Arcadia, he is also recognized as the god of fields, groves, and wooded glens; because of this, Pan is connected to fertility and the season of spring. The ancient Greeks also considered Pan to be the god of theatrical criticism. In
Roman religion and myth, Pan's counterpart was
Faunus, a nature god who was the father of
Bona Dea, sometimes identified as
Fauna; he was also closely associated with
Sylvanus, due to their similar relationships with woodlands. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Pan became a significant figure in
the Romantic movement of western Europe and also in the 20th-century
Neopagan movement.