Pean

The paean (in ancient Greek Παιάν, or Παιήων in Ionian dialect) was a chant addressed to Apollo as a healing god.

Later, the meaning of prayer or song extended to other gods: Ares, Dionysus, etc., and pre-combat singing directed by warriors to Apollo became more important, possibly in its aspect of warrior god and purifier related to his victory over the python.

In the field of literature, the paean specialized in choral songs addressed to Apollo, with a metric based on the foot of the same name. Fragments of Bacchylides and Pindar, among others, are preserved, and even a musical fragment by Limenius of Athens (ca. 128 BC).