For even a god can regret. Marsyas was a satyr who was punished by Apollo for his hubris. When Marsy

For even a god can regret.

Marsyas was a satyr who was punished by Apollo for his hubris. When Marsyas played the flute, everyone became frenzied with joy. This led Marsyas to think that he was better than Apollo, and he challenged the god to a musical contest. The contestants agreed to take turns displaying their skills and the rule was that the victor could “do whatever he wanted” to the loser.

Apollo was declared the winner and, angered with Marsyas’ haughtiness and his accusations, decided to flay the satyr.

Apollo flayed Marsyas alive for his hubris to challenge a god.  Marsyas’ blood turned into the river Marsyas. But Apollo soon repented, and, being distressed at what he had done, he tore the strings of his lyre and threw it away. The lyre was later discovered by the Muses and Apollo’s sons Linus and Orpheus. The Muses fixed the middle string, Linus the string struck with the forefinger, and Orpheus the lowest string and the one next to it. They took it back to Apollo, but the god, who had decided to stay away from music for a while, laid away both the lyre and the pipes at Delphi and joined Cybele in her wanderings to as far as Hyperborea.