Zephyr was one of the wind gods in Greek mythology. Representing the west wind, Zephyr was considered the gentlest of the Anemoi and the beneficial bringer of spring.
1. The Anemoi Zephyr
Zephyr was one of the four Anemoi, the wind gods representing the cardinal points of the compass; thus, Zephyr was the son of Astraeus and Eos.
2. Cephisus, god of spring
However, Zephyr was more than just a god of wind, as the ancient Greeks also saw Zephyr as the god of spring, since the gentle west winds that prevailed most in spring signaled the end of winter and the time when plants and flowers began to grow.
The Roman equivalent of Zephyr was Favonius, which means “favorable,” and therefore Zephyr was considered a beneficial god.
3. Tales of Zephyr
The beneficial nature of Zephyr may not have been present during the Deluge of Deucalion, as some say that Zeus employed all the Anemoi to bring the storms that led to the rains of the Great Flood. Although others tell how all the Notus bars were closed during this period to prevent them from dispersing the rain clouds.
Certainly, in Homer’s works, Zephyr was considered a benevolent god, for when Patroclus’ funeral pyre would not burn, Achilles prayed to Zephyr and Boreas, and Iris asked the two wind gods to come to the Troad to help them. Upon the arrival of the two Anemoi, the funeral pyre was lit, and the two gods ensured that it burned all night long.
It was also said by Homer that Aeolus, when he gave the bag of winds to Odysseus, ordered Zephyr to quickly send the king of Ithaca home, although Odysseus’ men prevented this rapid return home. At the same time, however, Homer also said that Zephyr, together with his brothers, had been the cause of the storms that had previously endangered the journey home.
4. Zephyr and Hyacinth
Zephyr was usually depicted as a handsome young man, although like the other Anemoi, Zephyr is also shown as a horse race against the winds that followed.
However, as a handsome young man, Zephyr was said to have competed for the attention of the young Spartan Hyacinth. Hyacinth’s beauty also caught the interest of the god Apollo, and indeed, Hyacinth chose Apollo’s love over Zephyr’s.
A jealous Zephyr would cause Hyacinth’s death, for when Apollo and Hyacinth threw a discus, Zephyr caused a gust of wind to redirect the discus thrown by Apollo, so that it struck Hyacinth’s head and killed him.
5. Zephyr and Chloris
Zephyr was married to Chloris, probably an Oceanid nymph. Zephyr made Chloris his wife, in the same way that Boreas married Orithyia, as Zephyr kidnapped Chloris. Chloris would be known as the goddess of flowers, as she was the Greek equivalent of Flora, and living with her husband, she enjoyed perpetual spring.
The marriage of Zephyr and Chloris produced a son, Carpus, the Greek god of fruit. Some also say that Zephyr is married to Iris, the goddess of the rainbow and messenger of Hera, although this association is not universally accepted. Those who say that Zephyr and Iris were married also say that Eros and Pothos are their children, but again these two gods were more closely related to Aphrodite.
6. Zephyr and the horses
Zephyr was closely associated with horses, and Anemoi was also named the father of two famous ones, Balius and Zanthus, the immortal talking horses that passed from Peleus to Achilles and Neoptolemus. The mother of these horses was said to be Podarge, one of the Harpies.
Some also say that the immortal horse Arion is a son of Zephyr, a horse owned by Heracles and Adrastus, although Arion was more commonly described as a descendant of Poseidon and Demeter. In addition, some also call tigers the children of Zephyr.
