Pan's Pipe

Pan’s Pipe
General Information
Origin:	Neverland
Underworld version:	Pan's Pipe
Physical Description
Type:	Magical instrument
Color:	Brown and beige
Usage Information
Possessed by:	Peter Pan † Rumplestiltskin † (briefly)
Used by:	Peter Pan †
Used on:	Baelfire † Henry Mills The Lost Boys Rumplestiltskin †
Used for:	Drawing out boys who feel lost and unloved
Show Information
Only appearance:	"Nasty Habits"
Relevant Pages

“

The only thing magic about this pipe is that only certain boys can hear it... boys who feel unloved, boys who feel lost. I guess that's why you can hear it, Rumple.

”

—Peter Pan to Rumplestiltskin ^src

Peter Pan's Pipe is an item featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It appears in the fourth episode of the third season.

Pan's Pipe is based on the musical pipe from the fairytale of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin", and Peter Pan's pipes from the Peter Pan story and the Disney film of the same name.

History

Before First Curse

After being alone in Neverland for years, Peter Pan concocts a way to gather children from the Enchanted Forest who can become his companions and come back with him to his world. Scouring the town of Hamelin, he uses a magic pan flute, in which only those who feel lonely and unloved can hear its tune, to draw out young boys. The instrument leads them away to a bonfire in the woods, where they all don masks and dance as Pan continues to play the pan flute throughout the night. The song also draws in Rumplestiltskin's son, Baelfire, who longs for freedom and friends.

The next morning, the many townspeople of Hamelin are unable to find their children, and when Rumplestiltskin confronts them about his own missing son, they admit hearing a pan flute during the prior night and their suspicion that whoever was playing it took their children. The next night, while sitting atop a roof, Rumplestiltskin hears the pan flute and sees various boys escape out of their homes to follow the music. He trails them to the woodland bonfire, spotting the cloaked piper, and stops the stranger by snapping the pan flute in half. In the ensuing conflict, Rumplestiltskin recognizes the piper as Peter Pan, his father who once abandoned him for youth. Pan, making no apologies for leaving him, taunts his grown son about his abandonment issues. He explains his reason for being in the Enchanted Forest, and notes only certain boys, those filled with loneliness, can hear the instrument's music, which explains why Rumplestiltskin and Baelfire heard it also. Pan suggests Rumplestiltskin give Baelfire a choice to stay or leave for Neverland, but the Dark One coldly refuses and forcibly whisks his son home. ("Nasty Habits")

After First Curse

At Pan's campsite, the Lost Boys are celebrating Henry's arrival, though the guest of honor himself is not feeling very festive. When Pan tries to lighten his mood by playing the pan flute, Henry is unable to hear the musical notes. Pan finds this interesting and reveals to Henry that the pipe is enchanted so that it can only be heard by certain children. Henry wishes to know which children and Pan promises him that he will find out soon enough.

That same evening, Mr. Gold puts all the boys, including Henry, to sleep, so he and Neal can take Pan by surprise. Neal with a sleeping Henry, but he is quickly intercepted by Pan and the Lost Boys. As Henry groggily begins waking up, Neal is dragged away by the Lost Boys to an unknown location, as he desperately shouts his promise to come back for him. Fully reaching consciousness in Pan's camp, Henry recalls hearing his father call for him, but he deducts it was just a dream since, as far as he knows, Neal is already dead. Pan gives condolences for Henry's loss, remarking that it makes sense to dream about the things he lost and hopes for such as his father being alive or his mother coming to rescue him, but eventually, he'll find new things to dream about that will start to come true. Pan reveals Neverland used to be a place where new dreams are born and believes Henry can bring that magic back. After offering himself and the Lost Boys as Henry's new family, Pan plays a pipe song in his honor, and this time, Henry hears the music and joins the crowd of dancing Lost Boys. ("Nasty Habits")

Trivia

• Cultural References

Fairytales and Folklore

• The type of pipe Peter Pan uses is called a Pan flute (also known as a syrinx). In Greek mythology, Syrinx, a nymph, attempts to escape the affection of Pan (a god who is half man and half goat). After Zeus transforms her into water-reed, Pan smashes the reeds before binding them together to make the instrument. ("Nasty Habits")

Appearances

Once Upon a Time: Season Three
"The Heart of the Truest Believer":	"Lost Girl":	"Quite a Common Fairy":	"Nasty Habits":	"Good Form":	"Ariel":	"Dark Hollow":	"Think Lovely Thoughts":	"Save Henry":	"The New Neverland":	"Going Home":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Appears	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
"New York City Serenade":	"Witch Hunt":	"The Tower":	"Quiet Minds":	"It's Not Easy Being Green":	"The Jolly Roger":	"Bleeding Through":	"A Curious Thing":	"Kansas":	"Snow Drifts":	"There's No Place Like Home":
Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent

Other Appearances

An illustration of the pipe appears on Grumpy's drinking stein in "Dreamy" and "Heart of Darkness". A duplicate version of Pan's Pipe appears in the Underworld.