The Contest between Apollo and Pan

Unknown artist

Pan, the god of nature, was skilled at playing the pan pipes or pan flute (named after him), and he challenged Apollo, the god of music, to a musical contest. Naturally, Apollo won. King Midas disagreed with this verdict, choosing Pan’s plain piping over Apollo’s sublime strumming of the lyre. The enraged god punished Midas by giving him the ears of an ass.