Starfall
A Classic Myth

by Kimber

One brisk winter day, for reasons known only to herself, Athena, Goddess of Wisdom came to be walking on the earth. She and her constant companion Bubo the Owl were strolling in a beautiful snow-covered glade during the time of Proserpine's captivity, when the goddess heard a sound. It was quiet at first, barely lofting over the trees surrounding the field. But as she walked further, Athena began to notice the sound take the shape of an enchanting melody, played by obviously loving hands on a pipe. At first she thought that it must be coming from the reed pipes of Pan, who often accompanied the winds with his music, but then she realized that the sound was much too delicate to come from such a barbaric source.
As she neared the source of the music, Bubo, who never strayed from his perch on his beloved mistress' shoulder, lifted his wings and flew off beyond the trees. The goddess was greatly distressed and called for her little friend to come back, but alas, he seemed not to hear. Hoping to catch him, she took the form of a dove and followed.
When Athena again found Bubo he was perched on the shoulder of a young man. He was dark of complexion and hair and dressed in simple clothing. He was sitting cross-legged on a large rock, surrounded by all forms and types of flying creatures. His thin fingers moved deftly over the homemade single pipe he was playing and his eyes roamed happily over the wide array of colored plumage that surrounded him. The youth marveled at the beautiful contrast they made with the white of the snow.
Athena immediately fell in love with the young man, whose name was Harrodes. She dropped her guise and went to sit at his side on the rock. At first he was startled at such a revelation from an god but soon after he, too, admitted love for the goddess. Together through the day they shared their love and were happy. Athena praised her lover for his musical gifts. She proclaimed him better than any musician on earth or in the heavens.
Unfortunately, as often happen in these cases, Pan heard this random remark and was greatly angered. Since he could do nothing to Athena, the forest god punished Harrodes. On the spot where Athena's love sat, a great oak tree grew, enclosing him in it's bark and encasing him forever inside.
The goddess in all her anger and her fury rose to Olympus on a pillar of fire to plot her revenge on Pan. She stormed the great halls of her father Zeus' palace trying to think of a suitable torture to put to the goat-god, going from room to room dismissing one idea after another. At length she came to the storeroom where he kept the stars to be placed as constellations in the sky, commemorating deserving mortals. She struck upon a plan and had a cartload taken to Hephaestus' mountain.
Athena arrived at the forge not long after the cart and approached her crippled brother as he leaned over the anvil. He was examining the horseshoe he was making for one of Apollo's horses and heard her approach.
"What can I do for you, my sister?" he asked as he lowered the shoe into the water bath.
"I need you to fashion a machine. One that will constantly search the earth for that demon Pan when it finds him, strike him down with these stars." Her eyes glowed red and Hephaestus saw that asking why she would want to do this when she knew Pan couldn't be killed would be a vain effort. He went to his drafting table and set about sketching some plans.
"It can be done," he said. He looked again in her eyes and sighed. "It will be done." Athena smiled and went down from the vulcan forge.
Two days later a messenger came from Hephaestus stating that the job was done and would she like to come see it. She went immediately to the forge again and saw a beautiful structure of metal with a great pearl eye and a long copper arm.
"Begin." Athena smiled that same cold smile as her brother pushed down a lever and the eye began to roam the surface of the earth. Suddenly the arm swung into motion, looping down into the cart of stars and coming up around gaining strength and momentum. At the apex of the swing, the star was released and Athena watched with dark satisfaction as it hurtled flaming toward the earth. She listened in eager anticipation for the cries of her unfortunate victim and was rewarded almost immediately with a shrill cry.
"I will be avenged!" She laughed and turned to leave.
"It didn't kill him, you know," the lame god stated to her retreating back.
"I never intended that it should," Athena said without turning around. "Find a place to permanently house it. Turn it on and break the lever. I want him to never have a moment's peace until the day the earth comes to an end."
From that day to this Pan has truly become the Forest God, for he can never leave it. Whenever he dares, a star comes burning through the sky and strikes him down, setting his fur on fire and leaving him bare for months, which in the winter isn't terribly comfortable. So whenever you look to the sky and see a shooting star, you know Pan has come out of hiding and Athena's revenge has taken its toll once more.