Oreithyia
Athenian princess abducted by the North Wind Boreas, mother of the winged Argonauts Zetes and Calais.
The Legend of Oreithyia
The North Wind fell in love and simply blew her away — literally sweeping her off the banks of the Ilissus river. Oreithyia was a daughter of the Athenian king Erechtheus. Boreas courted her politely and was rejected. Losing patience, the wind god swept down on her while she was dancing by the river Ilissus, wrapped her in a cloud, and carried her to Thrace. She bore him the winged sons Zetes and Calais, who joined the Argonauts, and a daughter Cleopatra who married Phineus. The Athenians prayed to Boreas as a son-in-law during the Persian Wars — and credited him with destroying part of the Persian fleet. Plato has Socrates discuss the myth's literal truth while walking along the Ilissus.
Parents
Erechtheus
Symbols
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