Ever wonder where we get the word "panic"? Meet Pan, the half-goat Greek god who literally gave his name to sudden, irrational fear. This wild deity of shepherds and wild places had a habit of lurking in caves and mountain groves, then leaping out with terrifying shouts that sent travelers fleeing in what became known as "panikos" – Pan's terror.

But Pan's naughty reputation goes way beyond jump scares. He was notoriously lusty, constantly chasing after nymphs through the forests with mixed success. His most famous pursuit was Syrinx, a beautiful nymph who wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. When he cornered her by a river, she begged for help and was transformed into hollow reeds. Pan, ever the optimist, cut those reeds and fashioned them into his signature pan flute – literally making an instrument out of his rejection. That's one way to handle being turned down.

The Romans believed Pan let out an earth-shaking scream during the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE, causing the Persian army to flee in terror and helping secure Greek victory. He was also one of the few gods whose death was actually reported – a sailor supposedly heard a divine voice announcing "Great Pan is dead!" during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. Early Christians later claimed this coincided with Christ's crucifixion, marking the end of the old pagan gods. Talk about dramatic timing.