The name of the northern winds in the mythology and culture of different peoples

We, the inhabitants of city apartments, do not know how important role played in the life of our distant ancestors of the wind. From the direction from which they blew, what kind of weather they brought with them, the life of sea and land travelers often depended. In ancient and ancient times, people still did not know the natural reasons for which suddenly there are sandstorms and destroying everything in its path hurricanes. Therefore, the name of the winds among the Greeks and Romans was anthropomorphic. They were portrayed as winged mighty deities. The element does not know pity and mercy, so the wind brothers, born, according to the beliefs of the Greeks, from the ruler of the starry sky Astrea and the goddess of the dawn of Eos, were cruel and arbitrary.

Especially afraid of the Greek navigators impetuous squalls from Thrace. Boreas - this was the name for this north wind. The name of the long-haired and bearded fierce deity appears already in the works of Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" (VIII century BC). Nora Boreya was not at all the same as his brothers Nota and Zephyr. He kidnapped the daughter of the Athenian king Orifii, who bore him "Boreadov" - Kalaida and Zeta. And the ancient Romans tried to appease the sacrifices of the god of the cold wind of Aquilon, blowing from the snow-capped Alps.

The name of the northern winds also appears in other peoples. A little north of Greece and Rome, the Borey goddess gradually transformed into bora. Now we can give an explanation to the sudden and blowing from a few days to a week this ice vortex. In the autumn, when the sea still keeps the summer heat, and the mountain peaks have already frozen, there is a big difference in atmospheric pressure. Cold masses of air roll down to the sea, carrying squalls, hurricanes and such a cold snap that the ships on the windward side are overgrown with a three-meter crust of ice. Bora is blowing on the Adriatic and the Black Sea. Especially it is fierce in Novorossiysk.

But not only seafarers know the name of the northern winds. Shepherds in the alpine valleys of Switzerland and France steal their flocks into shelters before approaching the bis. It's a cold and dry wind blowing from snow-covered peaks down. The nature of its origin is the same as that of bora. It is similar to a bise and a mistral, which is sung in a romantic song. However, when this wind blows out, people are not at all ready to start "into the distant distance". It is cold, impetuous, brings dry and frosty weather. Residents of the Azure Coast much more like its opposite: a warm and also dry breeze from Arabia - sirocco. Sers brings to Oxitanya cold and rains from the Bay of Biscay, and the Tramontana brings down the winter storms to the Mediterranean.

And what is the name of the northern winds of the Russians? Yes, there are five of them on the Baikal alone. Also mentioned in the song barguzin, who is called to "turn the shaft" - is a mighty and smooth northwestern whirlwind. It is favorable for navigation. But the Sarma - this is a real hurricane, which at a speed of 80 m / s brings straight from Yakutia ice arctic air masses. There is still a head, a night owl, a bastard and a hvius. However, it should not be forgotten that the name of the northern winds does not mean all the peoples mean the arrival of frost. For example, the Harmatan, who is blowing directly from the Sahara, brings dry heat and clouds of red dust to the Guinea coast.