Winds

Greek and Roman Both Greek and Roman cultures in classical times personified the winds, recognizing the power of these forces. In Greek mythology, the four principle winds were known as the Anemoi, and were the children of the Titans Astreus and Eos, goddess of the dawn. However, the god Aeolus was known as the father of the winds and was said to have kept them in a bag to protect people from their power. In Rome, the winds were called the Venti, and their characteristics often varied depending on the storyteller. Winds were described by their moods—anger for a cold north wind, pleasant for a warm west wind. Some Greek winds, such as Boreas and Zephyrus, had important roles to play in stories. Boreas, for example, was the father of two of the fastest Argonauts, Calais and Zetes, and of the marvelous horses that belonged to King Erichthonius, which could gallop across water without causing a ripple. Zephyrus carried Psyche to Cupid and pushed Apollo's discus off course, causing it to kill Hyancinthus. People invoked the names of the other winds when they needed favors related to those winds or their fates. The wind gods were among the oldest invoked by the Romans and the people of Central Italy who preceded them. The oldest was, according to some writers, the god of the northwest wind Corus (Caurus) or perhaps Africus, a warm wind from across the Mediterranean Sea. Surviving documents, from poets, historians, and scientists, provide a jumbled picture of the importance of the winds in mythology and in explaining the world around them. However, the frequency with which the eight winds are named shows scholars that the people of classical Rome and Greece had significant respect for the power of these natural forces.