West wind

The winds of the Mediterranean
Tramontane Gregale Levante Sirocco Ostro Libeccio Ponente Mistral

A west wind is a wind that originates in the west and blows in an eastward direction.

Mythology and literature

In European tradition, it has usually been considered the mildest and most favorable of the directional winds.

In Greek mythology, Zephyrus was the personification of the west wind and the bringer of light spring and early summer breezes; his Roman equivalent was Favonius (hence the adjective favonian, pertaining to the west wind).

In Egyptian mythology, Ḥutchai is the god of the west wind. He was depicted as a man with the head of a serpent.

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote of the "swete breth" of Zephyrus, and a soft, gentle breeze may be referred to as a zephyr, as in William Shakespeare's Cymbeline (IV, ii): "They are as gentle / As zephyrs blowing below the violet, / Not wagging his sweet head."

In Iroquois tradition, the "west wind" is brought by the Panther, ugly and fierce.

In Italian history, Ponente is the west wind and the personification of spring and early summer; his winds are usually calm and lukewarm and very gentle. His ancient Roman equivalent is Favonius.^{[citation needed]}

See also

Look up favonian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• East wind
• Fremantle Doctor
• North wind
• South wind
• Westerlies
• Eros and Psyche

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This page was last edited on 7 September 2023, at 09:42