HEAD OF PAN/ A Ceramic Sculpture With Natural Earth Pigments and Raku Glaze

                                                      Head of Pan

                                                      1992
                                                      by Eric Whollem
                                                      earth pigments in acrylic emulsion , raku glaze
                                                                 on white clay
                                                      Collection of Marlene Permar
                                                      12" x 10"
                                                            Photo copyright by the artist.

PAN

Pan is famous from Greek mythology. He is said
to have the legs of a goat; but insofar as dolphins
were said by the Greeks to be goats of the sea,
I speculate that Pan may be related to the dolphin,
especially as his protoype, Ea, from Mesopotamia
is a being with head of a goat and fins of a fish.

Also there may be a correlation of Pan to Pushan,
from the Rig Veda, said to have had a chariot
pulled by goats. These "goats" may possibly
be a link to the dolphins, as the Aswins, the
god twins from the Vedas, have a chariot pulled
by a porpoise and a bull. The "bull of the sea"
is a mythological reference to the womb in Greek
lore.

Also dolphin, or delphys, means womb in
Greek. Chariots are frequently found in stellar
constellations. And in ancient astrology the stars
of the sky are frequently referred to as existing
in the sea of the sky. Hence the aquatic
metaphors.

Legendary lore to the effect that Pan is a leader
of the fairies may stem from the ancient legend
that Ea was a teacher and leader of mankind.

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This sculpture was featured on my fantasy stamps
from Lemuria.
Click on Lemuria in my Labels to see other
Lemurian stamps.