\b0 One day\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht6 Athena\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 made herself a double flute from a stag's horn and play
ed it at the banquet of the gods. During the performance she had the distinct impression that\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht3 Hera\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 \cf7 and\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht2 Aphrodite\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 were laughing at her behind her back but she did not underst
and why: the sound of the instrument was harmonious and the concert had pleased everyone. It was only when she caught sight of her reflection in a pool, with her cheeks swollen and her face red with the effort of blowing into the instrument, that she gra
sped the reason for such hilarity and, in vexation, threw away the flute, adding a curse against anyone who picked it up.\par
The innocent victim of this curse was the satyr\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht11305 Marsyas\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 , who came upon the instrument
by chance. As soon as he brought it to his lips, sweet notes came forth that made a great impression on the peasants of Phrygia, where Marsyas was accompanying the chariot of\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht10335 Cybele\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 . It was they who proclaimed t
hat the divine\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht9 Apollo\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 \cf7 could do no better with his lyre, but Marsyas was foolish enough not to contradict them. The god was enraged and challenged the satyr to a musical contest: the winner of the tournament, to
be judged by the\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht11321 Muses\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 , would be able to subject the loser to whatever treatment he wished. The result was a tie, but Apollo was not satisfied and told his rival to play the instrument upside down, as was done wi
th the lyre, and to sing at the same time. Naturally poor Marsyas was unable to accept the challenge and was declared the loser. Apollo, in spite of his vaunted indulgence, hung him from a tree and flayed him alive, suspending his woolly hide at the spri
