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In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, the Anemoi () were wind gods who were each ascribed a cardinal direction from which their respective winds came (see Classical compass winds), and were each associated with various nature, and weather conditions. They were the progeny of the Dawn deities Eos and her husband, the god of the dusk, Astraeus.Roman, L., & Roman, M. (2010).
Of the four chief Anemoi, Boreas (Aquilo in Roman mythology) is the north wind and bringer of cold winter air, Zephyrus (Favonius in Latin)Aulus Gellius 2.22.12. is the west wind and bringer of light spring and early-summer breezes, and Notus (Auster in Latin) is the south wind and bringer of the storms of late summer and autumn; Eurus, the southeastLiddell, Scott, & Jones Greek Lexicon. (or according to some,Lewis and Short, Latin Dictionary. the east) wind, was not associated with any of the three Attic calendar, and is the only one of these four Anemoi not mentioned in Hesiod's Theogony or in the Orphic Hymns.
The deities equivalent to the Anemoi in Roman mythology were the Venti (Latin, "winds"). These gods had different names, but were otherwise very similar to their Greek counterparts, borrowing their attributes and being frequently conflated with them. Ptolemy's world map listed 12 winds: Septentrio (N), Aquilo (NNE), Vulturnus (NE), Subsolanus (E), Eurus (SE), Euroauster (SSE), Austeronotus (S), Euronotus (SSW), Africus (SW), Zephirus (W), Eurus (NW), Circius (NNW).
Zephyrus was reported as having several wives in different stories. He was said to be the husband of Iris, goddess of the rainbow. He abducted the goddess Chloris, and gave her the domain of flowers. With Chloris, he fathered Karpos ('fruit'). He is said to have vied for Chloris's love with his brother Boreas, eventually winning her devotion. Additionally, with yet another sister and lover, the harpy Podarge (also known as Celaeno), Zephyrus was said to be the father of Balius and Xanthus, Achilles' horses.
In the story of Eros and Psyche, Zephyrus served Eros (or Cupid) by transporting Psyche to his abode.
Zephyrus was also claimed to have killed one of Apollo's many male lovers Hyacinth out of jealousy. Hyacinth was killed by a discus thrown by Apollo. Though according to some sources, his death was said to be an accident, others said that Zephyrus was the true culprit, having blown the discus off course.
Another Roman poet, Tibullus 1.1, lines 47–48, speaks of the pleasure of lying in bed on rainy winter days:
The name Australia (the "southern land") is derived from Auster. Online etymological dictionary.
Eurus' Roman counterpart is Vulturnus, according to Pliny the Elder;Pliny the Elder 2.46; cf. Columella 15 but for Aulus Gellius Volturnus was the equivalent of the southeast wind Euronotus.Aulus Gellius, 2.22.1. In the Latin poems, the name Eurus is generally used for the east or southeast wind, as in Greek.e.g. Virgil, Aen. 12.730, Horace, Odes 2.16, Ovid, Met. 15.552.
Eurus is a wind of storm, described as a turbulent wind during storms and tossing ships on the sea.Valerius Flaccus. The Argonautica. Translation by Mozley, J. H. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Book 1, ff 346, 574, 640. Book 2, ff 356. He is referred to as the "savior of Sparta" in a Homeric paean, or poem.Greek Lyric V New School of Poetry and Anonymous Songs. Translation by Campbell, D. A. Loeb Classical Library Vol 144. Frag. 858 (from Strasbourg papyrus) . Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Eurus is also called the "hot wind" by Nonnus in Dionysiaca. Eurus is closely related to Helios in passages of the Dionysiaca, being called from his place near Helios' palace, Phaethon, where the sun rose in the east.Nonnus, Dionysiaca. Translated by Rouse, W H D. Book 3(ff 55) and 37 (ff. 55, ff 86). Loeb Classical Library Volumes 344, 354, 356. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1940.
Kaikias (or Caecius) is the Greek deity of the northeast wind. He is shown on the monument as a bearded man with a shield full of hailstones.
Apeliotes (or Apheliotes; the name means 'from the (rising) sun') is the Greek deity of the southeast wind.Liddell, Scott & Jones, Greek Lexicon. As this wind was thought to cause a refreshing rain particularly beneficial to farmers, he is often depicted wearing high boots and carrying fruit, draped in a light cloth concealing some flowers or grain. He is clean-shaven, with curly hair and a friendly expression. Because Apeliotes is a minor god, he was often syncretized with Eurus, the east wind. The Roman counterpart of Apeliotes is Subsolanus.Aulus Gellius 2.22.1; Pliny the Elder 2.46.
Skiron was the name used in Athens for the wind which blew from the Scironian rocks (a geographical feature near Kineta to the west of Athens).Liddell, Scott, & Jones, Greek Lexicon. On the Tower of the Winds, however, he appears on the northwest side. His name is related to Skirophorion, the last of the three months of spring in the Attic calendar. He is depicted as a bearded man tilting a cauldron, representing the onset of winter. His Roman counterpart is CaurusVitruvius 1.6.13. or Corus.Lucretius 1.405. Pliny the Elder 2.48. Caurus is also one of the oldest Roman wind-deities, and numbered among the di indigetes ('indigenous gods'), a group of abstract and largely minor Numen entities. The Roman poet Virgil writes when describing steppe winter weather near the Sea of Azov:Virgil, Georgics, 3.356.
Lips is the Greek deity of the southwest wind, often depicted holding the stern of a ship. His Roman equivalent was Africus, due to the Roman province Africa being to the southwest of Italy. This name is thought to be derived from the name of a tribe, the Afri.
Other minor wind deities included:
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