Zephyrus
Zephyrus was the god of the gentle west wind, bringer of spring.
The Myth of Zephyrus
Zephyrus was the gentle west wind, brother of Boreas, dwelling in a palace near the garden of the Hesperides at the edge of the world. He loved the beautiful youth Hyacinthus, but lost him to Apollo. In jealous rage, Zephyrus blew Apollo's thrown discus off course, striking Hyacinthus dead — from whose blood Apollo raised the hyacinth flower at Sparta. Zephyrus later married Chloris, goddess of spring flowers, and together they brought blossoms across the Greek countryside each year. He served Zeus as the mildest of the four winds, carrying Aphrodite ashore on her birth from the sea foam near Crete. Iris sometimes rode his currents between Olympus and the mortal world.
Parents
Astraeus and Eos
Symbols
Fun Fact
A "zephyr" in English means a soft, gentle breeze — from this god.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Argestes
⚡ godWind, west-northwest
God of the west-northwest wind whose name means clearing or brightening, associated with fair weather after storms
Eurus
⚡ godwind
God of the east wind, the only one of the four Anemoi not given a specific seasonal role by Hesiod.
Boreas
⚡ godGod of the north wind
Boreas was the god of the cold north wind, bringer of winter.
Apeliotes
⚡ godWind, east
God of the east wind who brought warm rain beneficial to crops and was considered a gentle and favourable deity
Venti
🐉 creaturepersonifications
The four wind gods — Boreas, Notus, Eurus, and Zephyrus — each ruling a cardinal direction
Skiron
⚡ godWind, northwest
God of the northwest wind associated with the onset of winter and the cold dry air from the Adriatic
Notus
⚡ godwind
God of the south wind, bringer of late summer storms and the hot, damp winds feared by sailors and farmers.
Lips
⚡ godWind, southwest
God of the southwest wind associated with warm weather and favourable sailing conditions from Libya
Aeolus
⚡ godwind
Keeper of the winds, appointed by Zeus to control the Anemoi from his floating island of Aeolia.
Aparctias
⚡ godWind, north
Alternative name for the god of the true north wind, sometimes distinguished from Boreas as a calmer northern breeze
Libonotus
⚡ godWind, south-southwest
God of the south-southwest wind blowing from the direction of Libya, bringing warm air and occasional sandstorms
Euronotus
⚡ godWind, south-southeast
God of the south-southeast wind that brought warm humid air from the eastern Mediterranean and Egypt