Zephyrus

In Greek mythology and religion, Zephyrus also spelled in English as Zephyr is the god and personification of the West wind, one of the several wind gods, the Anemoi. The son of Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and Astraeus, Zephyrus is the most gentle and favourable of the winds, and is also associated with flowers, springtime and even procreation. In myths, he is presented as the tender breeze, and he is known for his unrequited love for the Spartan prince Hyacinthus. Although he along with Boreas are the two most prominent wind gods, their role in mythology is relatively limited. Zephyrus, similarly to his brothers, also received a minor cult during ancient times, although his worship was fairly minor compared to others and he was overshadowed by the more important gods such as the Twelve Olympians. Nevertheless, traces of it are found in Classical Athens and surrounding regions and city-states, where it was usually joint with the cults of the other wind gods. His equivalent in Roman mythology and religion is the god Favonius. Etymology The ancient Greek noun is the word for the wind that blows from the west. His name is attested in Mycenaean Greek as ze-pu2-ro (Linear B: ), which points to a possible Proto-Hellenic form *Dzépʰuros. Further attestation of the god and his worship as part of the Anemoi is found in the word-forms , , , , that is, "priestess of the winds", found on the KN Fp 1 and KN Fp 13 tablets.