Boreads

The Boreads (Ancient Greek: Βορεάδαι, romanized: Boreádai, lit. 'sons of the north wind') are the two "wind brothers" in Greek mythology. They consist of Zetes (also Zethes) (Ancient Greek: Ζήτης) and Calaïs (Ancient Greek: Κάλαϊς). Their place of origin was Thrace, home of their father Boreas (the North wind).^[1]

Description

Zetes and Calais were credited with very delicate and graceful hair, which was said to give them the ability to fly (though in some tales they have wings). They had great pride in who had the longest curls between the two of them and by boasting about these locks, they were uplifted.^[2] They had dusky wings which gleamed with golden scales.^[3]

Family

The Boreads were the twin sons of Boreas and Oreithyia, daughter of King Erechtheus of Athens. They were the brothers of Chione and Cleopatra, wife of Phineus; king of Thrace.

Mythology

Due to being sons of the north wind they were supernaturally gifted in different ways (depending on changes in the story from being passed down through generations and cultures) either being as fast as the wind or able to fly, having wings either on their feet or backs, depending on the myth.^[3]^{: I, 211–223} According to Ovid's Metamorphoses, their divine status showed in manhood when they sprouted wings on their backs.^[4]

They were Argonauts and played a particularly vital role in the rescue of Phineus from the harpies.^[5] They succeeded in driving the monsters away but did not kill them, at a request from the goddess of the rainbow, Iris, who promised that Phineas would not be bothered by the harpies again. As thanks, Phineas told the Argonauts how to pass the Symplegades. It is said that the Boreads were turned back by Iris at the Strophades. The islands' name, meaning "Islands of Turning", refers to this event.^[3]^{: I, 240–300}

Calais in one tradition is said to be the beloved of Orpheus;^[6]^[7] Orpheus was said to have been killed at the hands of jealous Thracian women whilst he wandered the countryside thinking of Calais.^[8]

Their death was said to be caused by Heracles in Tenos in revenge for when they convinced the Argonauts to leave him behind as he searched for Hylas in Mysia.^[3]^{: I, 1296–1314}

Other sources imply that the sons of Boreas died chasing the harpies, as it was fated that they would perish if they failed to catch those they pursued.^[9] In some versions, the harpies drop into the sea from exhaustion and so their pursuers fall as well.

Calais traditionally founded Cales in Campania.

Consorts

According to a rare variant of the myth by Tzetzes, the old man Phineus who was blind because of old age had two daughters named Eraseia and Harpyreia. These two lived in a very libertine and lazy life which was all wasted. Ultimately, the sisters abandoned themselves into poverty and fatal famine and were eventually snatched away by Zetes and Calais, disappearing from those places ever since.^[10]

In one version, Zetes was married to Aëdon, who began suspecting (perhaps correctly) that Zetes had fallen in love with a hamadryad nymph and was cheating on her. She further suspected that their son Aëtylus knew and was helping his father carry out the affair by covering up for him.^[11] In anger, Aëdon killed their son after he returned one day from hunting.^[12] In pity, Aphrodite changed the mother into a nightingale, which to this day mourns for her child.^[13] This story might be a result of mix-up with the names of Zetes and Zethus, who is traditionally Aëdon's husband as Zetes is otherwise unrelated to the story.

Notes

^ Apollodorus, 1.9.16
^ Tzetzes, Chiliades 1.7 lines 210-213^{[permanent dead link]} & 12.13 lines 442-443
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Apollonius Rhodius, [1]
^ Roman, Luke; Roman, Monica (2010). Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology. Infobase Publishing. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-4381-2639-5.
^ Apollodorus, 1.9.16
^ Katherine Crawford (2010). The Sexual Culture of the French Renaissance. Cambridge University Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-521-76989-1.
^ John Block Friedman (2000-05-01). Orpheus in the Middle Ages. Syracuse University Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-8156-2825-5.
^ Phanocles, The Death of Orpheus
^ Tzetzes, Chiliades 1.7 line 217^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Tzetzes, Chiliades 1.7 lines 218-227^{[permanent dead link]}
^ Fontenrose 1948, p. 129.
^ Wright, Rosemary M. "A Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Summary of Transformations". mythandreligion.upatras.gr. University of Patras. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
^ Photios I of Constantinople, Myriobiblon Helladius Chrestomathia

References

Apollodorus, Bibliotheke I, ix, 21; III, xv, 2.
Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
Fontenrose, Joseph Eddy (1948). "The Sorrows of Ino and Procne". Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association. 79. Johns Hopkins University Press: 125–167. doi:10.2307/283358. JSTOR 283358.
Tzetzes, John, Book of Histories, Book I translated by Ana Untila from the original Greek of T. Kiessling's edition of 1826. Online version at theio.com

[1] Apollodorus, 1.9.16

[:0-2] Tzetzes, Chiliades 1.7 lines 210-213^{[permanent dead link]} & 12.13 lines 442-443

[Appollonius-3] Apollonius Rhodius, [1]

[4] Roman, Luke; Roman, Monica (2010). Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology. Infobase Publishing. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-4381-2639-5.

[5] Apollodorus, 1.9.16

[Crawford2010-6] Katherine Crawford (2010). The Sexual Culture of the French Renaissance. Cambridge University Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-521-76989-1.

[Friedman2000-7] John Block Friedman (2000-05-01). Orpheus in the Middle Ages. Syracuse University Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-8156-2825-5.

[8] Phanocles, The Death of Orpheus

[9] Tzetzes, Chiliades 1.7 line 217^{[permanent dead link]}

[10] Tzetzes, Chiliades 1.7 lines 218-227^{[permanent dead link]}

[FOOTNOTEFontenrose1948129-11] Fontenrose 1948, p. 129.

[12] Wright, Rosemary M. "A Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Summary of Transformations". mythandreligion.upatras.gr. University of Patras. Retrieved March 15, 2023.

[13] Photios I of Constantinople, Myriobiblon Helladius Chrestomathia

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