AIOLOS
(Aeolus) was the divine
keeper of the winds and king of the mythical, floating island
of Aiolia (Aeolia).
He kept the
violent Storm-Winds
locked safely
away inside the cavernous interior of his isle, releasing them only at the
command of greatest gods to wreak devastation upon the world.
The hero Odysseus
once visited Aiolos' isle and was entrusted with a bag containing all of the
Storm-Winds to ensure a safe voyage home. However, during the trip, the hero's
greedy companions opened the bag in a search for gold and the escaping winds
carried their ship all the way back to Aiolos'shore. The Winds were often
conceived of as horse-shaped
gods or
spirits, and as such Aiolos was titled Hippotades, "the
reiner of horses," from the Greek words hippos ("horse") and tadên
("reined in tightly").
*Source:
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
