InGreek mythologyPitys (Ancient Greek:Πίτυς,romanized: Pítus,lit. 'pine') is a little-knownnymph who was pursued byPan. Pitys was turned into a pine tree.
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According to a passage inNonnus'Dionysiaca (ii.108), she was changed into a pine tree by the gods in order to escape him. Pitys is mentioned inLongus'Daphnis and Chloe (ii.7 and 39) and byLucian of Samosata (Dialogues of the Dead, 22.4).[1]
Pitys was chased by Pan—as wasSyrinx, who was turned into reeds to escape the god who then used her reeds for hispanpipes. The flute-notes may have frightened themaenads running from his woodland in a "panic".
In another version, given by the later Greek writerLibanius, both Pan and the north windBoreas vied for the girl's affections, and tried to make her choose between them. To impress her, Boreas uprooted all the trees with his might. But Pan only laughed, and Pitys choose him instead of Boreas. Angry, Boreas chased Pitys down and threw her off a cliff, killing her. Gaia, pitying the girl, changed her dead body into a pine tree.[2]
The subject is illustrated in paintings of (roughly chronologically)Nicolas Poussin,Jacob Jordaens,François Boucher,William-Adolphe Bouguereau,Annibale Carracci,Andrea Casali,Arnold Bocklin, SirLawrence Alma-Tadema, andMaxfield Parrish.
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