In Greek mythology, various authors describe Pan as the daughter of Hermes and Penelope (/pəˈnɛləpiː/ pə-NEL-ə-pee; Greek: Πηνελόπη, Pēnelópē).[1] This Penelope is apparently the same person as Penelope, the wife of Odysseus in the Odyssey.[2] It has been suggested, however, that the Penelope given as Pan's mother is a nymph, and a separate figure to Odysseus' wife.[3]
Alternatively, Pindar and Hecataeus state that she is Pan's mother by Apollo,[4] while according to the historian Duris of Samos, the birth of Pan is the result of her sleeping with all of her suitors.[5]