差分

現代では、G・K・チェスタートンがパーンの「死」の意味を繰り返し、増幅し、パーンの「死」とともに神学の到来を示唆している。この点についてチェスタートンは、「キリストが生まれたからパーンが死んだというのは、ある意味で真に迫っている。パーンはすでに死んでいたので、人々はキリストが生まれたことを知ったというのは、別の意味でもほとんど真実である。人類の全神話の世界が消滅することによって空洞ができ、神学で満たされなければ真空のように窒息してしまうところだったのだ。」と主張した<ref>G.K. Chesterton, [http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/chesterton/everlasting/part1c8.htm "The End of the World"], ''The Everlasting Man'', 1925</ref><ref>1986, The Collected Works of G.K. Chesterton II, San Francisco, Ignatius Press, pages292, isbn:978-0-89870-116-6</ref><ref>2004, Orthodoxy, New York, Dover Publications, Inc., pages69 , isbn:978-0-486-43701-9</ref>。文字通りの歴史的事実として、また新しい秩序の到来に伴う古代秩序の死として、中世の釈義の4つの様式すべてにおいて、同時に意味をもって解釈されたのである^{（''Original research inline、July 2013''）}。

 In more modern times, some have suggested a possible naturalistic explanation for the myth. For example, [[Robert Graves]] (''The Greek Myths'') reported a suggestion that had been made by Salomon Reinach<ref>Reinach, in ''Bulletin des correspondents helleniques'' '''31''' (1907:5–19), noted by Van Teslaar.</ref> and expanded by James S. Van Teslaar<ref>Van Teslaar, "The Death of Pan: a classical instance of verbal misinterpretation", ''The Psychoanalytic Review'' '''8''' (1921:180–83).</ref> that the sailors actually heard the excited shouts of the worshipers of [[Tammuz (deity)|Tammuz]], {{lang|grc|Θαμούς πανμέγας τέθνηκε}} ({{lang|grc-Latn|Thamoús panmégas téthnēke}}, "All-great Tammuz is dead!"), and misinterpreted them as a message directed to an Egyptian sailor named 'Thamus': "Great Pan is Dead!" Van Teslaar explains, "[i]n its true form the phrase would have probably carried no meaning to those on board who must have been unfamiliar with the worship of Tammuz which was a transplanted, and for those parts, therefore, an exotic custom."<ref>Van Teslaar 1921:180.</ref> Certainly, when [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] toured Greece about a century after Plutarch, he found Pan's shrines, sacred caves and sacred mountains still very much frequented. However, a naturalistic explanation might not be needed. For example, [[William Hansen (classicist)|William Hansen]]<ref>William Hansen (2002) "Ariadne's thread: A guide to international tales found in classical literature" Cornell University Press. pp.133–136</ref> has shown that the story is quite similar to a class of widely known tales known as ''Fairies Send a Message.''