Friday, December 21, 2012

Roman winds

In  reading about Zephyr and his gentle duties of bearing Psyche's sisters up to and down from the cliff,  it got me thinking about what other wind divinities there had to be.  Since Zephyr is the god of the west wind, what are the other divinities of the compass and what do they represent?

Boreas is the north wind and since he blows cold air, he is usually represented as an old man with a shaggy white beard.

Notus is the south wind and is the opposite of the North Wind.  He blows a very dry wind typically during the late summer period and was feared in that he may kill crops through drought.

Zephyr is the west wind and he brings spring tidings and good fortune and is also as Apuleius relates, the gentlest of the winds.

Eurus is the east wind.  He is seen as a tumultuous force that is the bringer of rain and wind.

Other lesser divinities existed such as Skiron, Apeliotes, and Kaikias the gods of the northwestern, southeastern, and northeastern winds do exist but their mythological footprint is not as firmly established as the four main winds.  The Anemoi are sinister winds who are imprisoned so that they may not wreak havoc.  Winds here serve the combined purpose of wind and weather phenomenon; the east wind is strong and was thought to cause rain.  There is no separate divinity for weather phenomena (rain, snow, etc.)

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