In ancient Greek religion and myth, the Anemoi (Greek: , "Winds")[n 1] were Greek 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 seasons andweather conditions. They were sometimes represented as mere gusts of wind,
at other times were personified as winged men, and at still other times were depicted as horses kept
in the stables of the storm god Aeolus, who provided Odysseus with the Anemoi in the Odyssey.
The Spartans were reported to sacrifice a horse to the winds on Mount Taygetus.[2] Astraeus, the
astrological deity sometimes associated with Aeolus, and Eos, the goddess of the dawn, were the
parents of the Anemoi, according to the Greek poet Hesiod.
Of the four chief Anemoi, Boreas (Aquilo in Latin) was the north wind and bringer of cold winter
air, Notus was the south wind and bringer of the storms of late summer and autumn,
and Zephyrus was the west wind and bringer of light spring and early summer breezes; Eurus, the
east wind, was not associated with any of the three Greek seasons, and is the only one of these four
Anemoi not mentioned in Hesiod'sTheogony or in the Orphic Hymns. Additionally, four lesser Anemoi
were sometimes referenced, representing the northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest winds.
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.

Boreas (, Boras) was the Greek god of the cold north wind and the bringer of winter. His
name meant "North Wind" or "Devouring One". Boreas is depicted as being very strong, with a
violent temper to match. He was frequently shown as a winged old man with shaggy hair and beard,
holding a conch shell and wearing a billowing cloak.[1] Pausanias wrote that Boreas
had snakes instead of feet, though in art he was usually depicted with winged human feet.
Boreas was closely associated with horses. He was said to have fathered twelve colts after taking
the form of a stallion, to the mares of Erichthonius, king of Dardania. These were said to be able to
run across a field of grain without trampling the plants. Pliny (Natural History iv.35 and viii.67)
thought that mares might stand with their hindquarters to the North Wind, and bear foals without a
stallion. The Greeks believed that his home was in Thrace, and Herodotus and Pliny both describe a
northern land known as Hyperborea ("Beyond the North Wind"), where people lived in complete
happiness and had extraordinarily long lifespans. He is said to have fathered three giant
Hyperborean priests of Apollo byChione.

Boreas was also said to have kidnapped Oreithyia, an Athenian princess, from the river Ilissus.
Boreas had taken a fancy to Oreithyia, and had initially pleaded for her favours, hoping to persuade
her. When this failed, he reverted to his usual temper and abducted her as she danced on the banks
of the Ilissus. Boreas wrapped Oreithyia up in a cloud, raped her, and with her, Boreas fathered two
sonsthe Boreads, Zethes and Calaisand two daughters Khione, goddess of snow, and
Cleopatra.

Greco-Buddhist fragment of the wind god Boreas, Hadda,Afghanistan

Tower of the Winds in ancientAthens, part of the frieze depicting the Greek wind gods Boreas (north wind, on the left)
and Skiron (northwesterly wind, on the right)

From then on, the Athenians saw Boreas as a relative by marriage. When Athens was threatened
by Xerxes, the people prayed to Boreas, who was said to have then caused winds to sink 400
Persian ships. A similar event had occurred twelve years earlier, and Herodotus writes:
Now I cannot say if this was really why the Persians were caught at anchor by the stormwind, but the
Athenians are quite positive that, just as Boreas helped them before, so Boreas was responsible for
what happened on this occasion also. And when they went home they built the god a shrine by the
River Illisus.

The abduction of Oreithyia was popular in Athens before and after the Persian War, and was
frequently depicted on vase paintings. In these paintings, Boreas was portrayed as a bearded man
in a tunic, with shaggy hair that is sometimes frosted and spiked. The abduction was also
dramatized in Aeschylus's lost play Oreithyia.
In other accounts, Boreas was the father of Butes (by another woman) and the lover of the
nymph Pitys.

Aquilo[edit]
The Roman equivalent of Boreas was Aquilo, or Aquilon. An alternate, rarer name used for the
northern wind was Septentrio, a word derived from septem triones ("seven oxen") referring to the
seven prominent stars in the northern constellation Ursa Major.

Notus[edit]
Notus (, Ntos) was the Greek god of the south wind. He was associated with the desiccating
hot wind of the rise of Sirius aftermidsummer, was thought to bring the storms of late summer and
autumn, and was feared as a destroyer of crops.[3]

Auster[edit]
Notus' equivalent in Roman mythology was Auster, the embodiment of the sirocco wind, who
brought heavy cloud cover and fog or humidity. The Auster winds are mentioned in
Vergil's Aeneid Book II, lines 304-307: "in segetem veluti cum flamma furentibus Austris incidit, aut
rapidus montano flumine torrens sternit agros, sternit sata laeta boumque labores, praecipitesque
trahit silvas"

Eurus[edit]
Eurus (, Euros) was the Greek deity representing the unlucky east wind. He was thought to
bring warmth and rain, and his symbol was an inverted vase, spilling water. His Roman counterpart
was Vulturnus (not to be confused with Volturnus, a tribal river-god who later became a Roman
deity of the River Tiber).

Zephyrus[edit]

Zephyrus, the Greek god of thewest wind and the goddess Chloris, from an 1875 oil painting by William-Adolphe
Bouguereau

Zephyrus and Hyacinth;Attic red-figure cup fromTarquinia, ca 480 BC, Boston Museum of Fine Arts

Zephyrus, or just Zephyr (, Zphyros, "the west wind"), in Latin Favonius, is the Greek god
of the west wind. The gentlest of the winds, Zephyrus is known as the fructifying wind, the
messenger of spring. It was thought that Zephyrus lived in a cave in Thrace.
Zephyrus was reported as having several wives in different stories. He was said to be the husband
of Iris, the goddess of the rainbow. He abducted the goddess Chloris, and gave her the domain of
flowers. With Chloris, he fathered Carpus ("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.
One of the surviving myths in which Zephyrus features most prominently is that of Hyacinth.
Hyacinth was a very handsome and athleticSpartan prince. Zephyrus fell in love with him and
courted him, and so did Apollo. The two competed for the boy's love, but he chose Apollo, driving

Zephyrus mad with jealousy. Later, catching Apollo and Hyacinth throwing a discus, Zephyrus blew a
gust of wind at them, striking the boy in the head with the falling discus. When Hyacinth died, Apollo
created the hyacinth flower from his blood.[2] Apollo was furious, but Eros protected Zephyrus, as the
act was committed in the name of love, on the condition that the wind god served Eros forever.
In the story of Cupid and Psyche, Zephyrus served Eros (or Cupid) by transporting Psyche to his
abode.

Favonius[edit]
Zephyrus' Roman equivalent was Favonius, who held dominion over plants and flowers. The
name Favonius, which meant "favourable", was also a common Roman name.

Minor winds[edit]
Four lesser wind deities appear in a few ancient sources, such as at the Tower of the Winds in
Athens. Originally, as attested in Hesiod and Homer, these four minor Anemoi were the Anemoi
Thyellai ( , "Tempest-Winds"),[citation needed] wicked and violent daemons (spirits) created
by the monster Typhon, and male counterparts to the harpies, who were also called thuellai. These
were the winds held in Aeolus's stables; the other four, "heavenly" Anemoi were not kept locked up.
However, later writers confused and conflated the two groups of Anemoi, and the distinction was
largely forgotten.
Kaikias was the Greek deity of the northeast wind. He is shown as a bearded man with a shield full
of hail-stones, and his name is cognate to the Latin word caecus "blind", that is, he was seen as a
"dark" wind. The Roman spelling of Kaikias was Caecius.
Apeliotes, sometimes known to the Romans as Apeliotus, was the Greek deity of
the southeast wind. As this wind was thought to cause a refreshing rain particularly beneficial to
farmers, he is often depicted wearing gumboots and carrying fruit, draped in a light cloth concealing
some flowers or grain. He is cleanshaven, with curly hair and a friendly expression. Because
Apeliotes was a minor god, he was often synthesized with Eurus, the east wind. Subsolanus,
Apeliotes' Roman counterpart, was also sometimes considered the east wind, in Vulturnus' place.
Skiron, or Skeiron, was the Greek god of the northwest wind. His name is related to Skirophorion,
the last of the three months of spring in the Attic festival calendar. He is depicted as a bearded man
tilting a cauldron, representing the onset of winter. His Roman counterpart is Caurus, or Corus.
Corus was also one of the oldest Roman wind-deities, and numbered among the di
indigetes ("indigenous gods"), a group of abstract and largely minor numinous entities.
Lips was the Greek deity of the southwest wind, often depicted holding the stern of a ship. His
Roman equivalent was Afer ventus ("African wind"), or Africus, due to Africa being to the
southwest of Italy. This name is thought to be derived from the name of a North African tribe, the Afri.

Other minor wind deities included:

Argestes "clearing", a wind blowing from about the same direction as Skiron (Caurus), and
probably another name for it

Aparctias, sometimes called the north wind instead of Boreas (Septentrionarius)

Circius or Thrascius, the north-north-west wind

Euronotus, the wind blowing from the direction, as its very name suggests, between Euros
and Notos, that is, a south-south-east wind (Euroauster to the Romans)

Iapyx, the north-west wind about the same as Caurus

Libonotus, the south-south-west wind, known as Austro-Africus to the Romans

Meses, another name for the north-west wind

Olympias, apparently identified with Skiron/Argestes

Phoenicias, another name for the south-east wind ("the one blowing from Phoenicia", due to
this land lying to the south-east of Greece)

Skoll and Hati

(Norse)
copyright 2001 Kevin Strauss

Long, long ago, at the beginning of time. The god Odin, the all-father put the sun and moon into
magical chariots to fly across the sky. The god told sun and moon to take their chariots and travel
across the sky once a day, but that wasn't how it worked out.
Sun liked watching waves crash on the shore, so she would hold the sun for hours close to the earth.
All of that heat turned the land into a desert, and left the rest of the world dark and cold. Moon liked
the sight of the deep forests, where he would tie his horses for hours on end. What's more, the
animals and people, even the gods didn't know when to wake and when to sleep.
The gods in Asgard sent messengers to Sun and Moon, they offered them gifts of gold and jewels, but
the children just laughed.
"We shine more brightly than gold or jewels," said Sun.

Odin even threatened them with his magic spear, but Sun and Moon knew that the gods needed them
to travel across the sky. Now that they had the job, they were going to do it just the way that they
wanted. Besides, if the gods attacked their chariots, they may destroy the sun and moon forever.
Loki, the god of mischief smiled as he watched Odin and the other gods rage over the work of Sun and
Moon. But his smile turned to a frown when he realized where the Sun had stopped his chariot. It was
right above the volcano home of Surt, the fire giant. Loki had long been plotting to sneak into Surt's
mountain and steal the fire diamond, a huge and beautiful gem made of living fire. Now, with the sun
always shining, the giants that guarded the mountain were always awake, and Loki couldn't sneak
past them.
Loki was thinking about his problems as he walked through a forest. He was far from the Sun and the
trees stretched long shadows across the ground. Loki heard a growling sound. He quickly climbed into
a tree and saw a pair of wolves chasing an exhausted deer through the forest. That gave Loki an idea.
Loki knew that no ordinary wolves would do for his plan, so he traveled to the Ironwood, a land of
giants and trees as strong as steel. There he found two giant wolves, Skoll and Hati.
Loki went to the forest and shot a deer with his bow. He roasted its meat with garlic and onions, and
brought it to the wolves' cave.
"I have a gift for you," said Loki, giving them the meat.
The creatures gobbled the meat down in a single bite. They had never tasted cooked meat and spices
before.
"More! We want more! Get us more," they growled.
"I can't help you with that, but I can tell you where to find some more meat like this," said Loki.
Loki took the wolves outside and pointed to the Sun and the Moon, sitting motionless in the sky.
"That is where you will find more meat like that," said Loki.
"Grrr what good does that do us? We can't fly," said Skoll.
"Now I can help you there," said Loki, and saying that, he took out the pouch of flying powder that he
had stolen from Odin and sprinkled it on each of the wolves.
The giant wolves leapt into the sky.
"Grrr, I want the Sun," growled Skoll.
"Fine, but I get the Moon," said Hati.
And the wolves were off.
When sun and moon saw the wolves, they drove their chariots high into the sky.
From that day on, the sun crosses the sky to make day, and the moon crosses the sky to make night,
and all parts of the world get at least some light and some darkness, so animals, people and gods all
know when to sleep.

But you may have noticed that at some times of the year, the Sun moves more quickly over the sky
and at other times, it moves more slowly. That is because during the summer time, when the south
wind blows, Skoll gets tired, and his fur feels warm, so he slows down. But When the north wind
blows, and cold winds waft over the world and sky, Skoll feels stronger and chases the sun even faster
than before, making out winter days much shorter than our summer days.
Did Loki ever get the fire diamond from Surt? Well, that is a story for another time

Gleipnir
In Norse mythology, Gleipnir (Old Norse "open one"[1]) is the binding that holds
the mighty wolf Fenrir (as attested in chapter 34 of the Prose
Edda book Gylfaginning). The Gods had attempted to bind Fenrir twice before
with huge chains of metal, but Fenrir was able to break free both times.
Therefore, they commissioned the dwarves to forge a chain that was
impossible to break. To create a chain to achieve the impossible, the dwarves
fashioned the chain out of six supposedly impossible things
Gylfaginning chapters 13 and 25[edit]
In chapter 13 of the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning, Fenrir is first mentioned in a stanza quoted
from Vlusp.[8] Fenrir is first mentioned in prose in chapter 25, where the enthroned figure
of High tells Gangleri (described as King Gylfi in disguise) about the god Tr. High says that one
example of Tr's bravery is that when the sir were luring Fenrir (referred to here as Fenrislfr) to
place the fetter Gleipnir on the wolf, Tr placed his hand within the wolf's mouth as a pledge. This
was done at Fenrir's own request because he did not trust that the sir would let him go. As a
result, when the sir refused to release him, he bit off Tr's hand at a location "now called the wolfjoint" (the wrist), causing Tr to be one-handed and "not considered to be a promoter of settlements
between people."[9]
Gylfaginning chapter 34[edit]
In chapter 34, High describes Loki, and says that Loki had three children with a
female jtunn named Angrboa located in the land ofJtunheimr; Fenrislfr, the
serpent Jrmungandr, and the female being Hel. High continues that, once the gods found that
these three children were being brought up in the land of Jtunheimr, and when the gods "traced
prophecies that from these siblings great mischief and disaster would arise for them" the gods
expected a lot of trouble from the three children, partially due to the nature of the mother of the
children, yet worse so due to the nature of their father.[10]

High says that Odin sent the gods to gather the children and bring them to him. Upon their arrival,
Odin threw Jrmungandr into "that deep sea that lies round all lands", and then threw Hel
into Niflheim, and bestowed upon her authority over nine worlds. However, the sir brought up the
wolf "at home", and only Tr had the courage to approach Fenrir, and give Fenrir food. The gods
noticed that Fenrir was growing rapidly every day, and since all prophecies foretold that Fenrir was
destined to cause them harm, the gods formed a plan. The gods prepared three fetters: The first,
greatly strong, was called Leyding. They brought Leyding to Fenrir and suggested that the wolf try
his strength with it. Fenrir judged that it was not beyond his strength, and so let the gods do what
they wanted with it. At Fenrir's first kick the bind snapped, and Fenrir loosened himself from Leyding.
The gods made a second fetter, twice as strong, and named it Dromi. The gods asked Fenrir to try
the new fetter, and that should he break this feat of engineering, Fenrir would achieve great fame for
his strength. Fenrir considered that the fetter was very strong, yet also that his strength had grown
since he broke Leyding, yet that he would have to take some risks if he were to become famous.
Fenrir allowed them to place the fetter.[11]
When the sir exclaimed that they were ready, Fenrir shook himself, knocked the fetter to the
ground, strained hard, and kicking with his feet, snapped the fetter breaking it into pieces that flew
far into the distance. High says that, as a result, to "loose from Leyding" or to "strike out of Dromi"
have become sayings for when something is achieved with great effort. The sir started to fear that
they would not be able to bind Fenrir, and so Odin sent Freyr's messenger Skrnir down into the land
of Svartlfaheimr to "some dwarfs" and had them make a fetter called Gleipnir. The dwarves
constructed Gleipnir from six mythical ingredients. After an exchange between Gangleri and High,
High continues that the fetter was smooth and soft as a silken ribbon, yet strong and firm. The
messenger brought the ribbon to the sir, and they thanked him heartily for completing the task. [12]
The sir went out on to the lake Amsvartnir sent for Fenrir to accompany them, and continued to
the island Lyngvi (Old Norse "a place overgrown with heather").[13] The gods showed Fenrir the silken
fetter Gleipnir, told him to tear it, stated that it was much stronger than it appeared, passed it among
themselves, used their hands to pull it, and yet it did not tear. However, they said that Fenrir would
be able to tear it, to which Fenrir replied:
"It looks to me that with this ribbon as though I will gain no fame from it if I do tear apart such a
slender band, but if it is made with art and trickery, then even if it does look thin, this band is not
going on my legs."[12]
The sir said Fenrir would quickly tear apart a thin silken strip, noting that Fenrir earlier broke great
iron binds, and added that if Fenrir wasn't able to break slender Gleipnir then Fenrir is nothing for the
gods to fear, and as a result would be freed. Fenrir responded:

"If you bind me so that I am unable to release myself, then you will be standing by in such a way that
I should have to wait a long time before I got any help from you. I am reluctant to have this band put
on me. But rather than that you question my courage, let someone put his hand in my mouth as a
pledge that this is done in good faith."[14]
With this statement, all of the sir look to one another, finding themselves in a dilemma. Everyone
refused to place their hand in Fenrir's mouth until Tr put out his right hand and placed it into the
wolf's jaws. When Fenrir kicked, Gleipnir caught tightly, and the more Fenrir struggled, the stronger
the band grew. At this, everyone laughed, except Tr, who there lost his right hand. When the gods
knew that Fenrir was fully bound, they took a cord called Gelgja (Old Norse "fetter") [15] hanging from
Gleipnir, inserted the cord through a large stone slab called Gjll (Old Norse "scream"),[16] and the
gods fastened the stone slab deep into the ground. After, the gods took a great rock called Thviti
(Old Norse "hitter, batterer"),[17] and thrust it even further into the ground as an anchoring peg. Fenrir
reacted violently; he opened his jaws very widely, and tried to bite the gods. The gods thrust "a
certain sword" into Fenrir's mouth, the hilt of the sword on Fenrir's lower gums and the point his
upper gums. Fenrir "howled horribly," saliva ran from his mouth, and this saliva formed the river Vn
(Old Norse "hope").[18] There Fenrir will lie until Ragnark. Gangleri comments that Loki created a
"pretty terrible family" though important, and asks why the sir did not just kill Fenrir there since
they expected great malice from him. High replies that "so greatly did the gods respect their holy
places and places of sanctuary that they did not want to defile them with the wolf's blood even
though the prophecies say that he will be the death of Odin."[19]

Gylfaginning chapters 38 and 51[edit]

In chapter 38, High says that there are many men in Valhalla, and many more who will arrive, yet
they will "seem too few when the wolf comes."[20] In chapter 51, High foretells that as part of the
events of Ragnark, after Fenrir's son Skll has swallowed the sun and his other son Hati
Hrvitnisson has swallowed the moon, the stars will disappear from the sky. The earth will shake
violently, trees will be uprooted, mountains will fall, and all binds will snap Fenrislfr will be free.
Fenrislfr will go forth with his mouth opened wide, his upper jaw touching the sky and his lower jaw
the earth, and flames will burn from his eyes and nostrils.[21] Later, Fenrislfr will arrive at the
field Vgrr with his brother Jrmungandr. With the forces assembled there, an immense battle will
take place. During this, Odin will ride to fight Fenrislfr. During the battle, Fenrislfr will eventually
swallow Odin, killing him, and Odin's son Varr will move forward and kick one foot into the lower
jaw of the wolf. This foot will bear a legendary shoe "for which the material has been collected
throughout all time." With one hand, Varr will take hold of the wolf's upper jaw and tear apart his
mouth, killing Fenrislfr.[22] High follows this prose description by citing various quotes
from Vlusp in support, some of which mention Fenrir.[23]

Skldskaparml and Httatal[edit]

In the Epilogue section of the Prose Edda book Skldskaparml, a euhemerized monologue equates
Fenrislfr to Pyrrhus, attempting to rationalize that "it killed Odin, and Pyrrhus could be said to be a
wolf according to their religion, for he paid no respect to places of sanctuary when he killed the king
in the temple in front of Thor's altar."[24] In chapter 2, "wolf's enemy" is cited as a kenning for Odin as
used by the 10th century skald Egill Skallagrmsson.[25] In chapter 9, "feeder of the wolf" is given as a
kenning for Tr and, in chapter 11, "slayer of Fenrislfr" is presented as a kenning for Varr.[26] In
chapter 50, a section of Ragnarsdrpa by the 9th century skald Bragi Boddason is quoted that refers
to Hel, the being, as "the monstrous wolf's sister."[27] In chapter 75, names for wargs and wolves are
listed, including both "Hrvitnir" and "Fenrir."[28] "Fenrir" appears twice in verse as a common
noun for a "wolf" or "warg" in chapter 58 ofSkldskaparml, and in chapter 56 of the book Httatal.
[29]

Additionally, the name "Fenrir" can be found among a list of jtnar in chapter 75

of Skldskaparml.[30]

Heimskringla

A 17th-century manuscript illustration of the bound Fenrir, the river Vn flowing from his jaws

At the end of the Heimskringla saga Hkonar saga ga, the poem Hkonarml by the 10th
century skald Eyvindr skldaspillir is presented. The poem is about the fall of King Haakon I of
Norway; although he is Christian, he is taken by two valkyries to Valhalla, and is there received as
one of the Einherjar. Towards the end of the poem, a stanza relates sooner will the bonds of Fenrir
snap than as good a king as Haakon shall stand in his place:
Unfettered will fare the Fenris Wolf
and ravaged the realm of men,
ere that cometh a kingly prince
as good, to stand in his stead