Eurus

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Eurus is the Greek god and personification of the east wind (sometimes the southeast wind). He is one of the four main winds, the Anemoi, along with Boreas (north), Zephyrus (west), and Notus (south). Eurus is rarely the focus of myths and usually appears only with his brothers; in many sources he is even left out altogether. Hesiod does not mention Eurus, instead naming a fourth wind as Argestes (often linked to Apeliotes). Eurus has little to no individual mythology, and in some versions he is considered a son of Typhon, while in others he is a child of Eos (the dawn) and Astraeus (as in Nonnus).

Etymology: the Greek euros means the east wind. The word’s origins are unclear, with possible ties to dawn or to air.

Worship and imagery: early signs of wind worship come from Mycenaean tablets mentioning a “priestess of the winds.” In later Greece there were wind sanctuaries and reverence in places like Titane in Corinthia, Sparta (where Eurus is called the savior of Sparta), Coronea, and Attica. The Romans identified Eurus with Vulturnus, the dry, warm east wind (sometimes also called Africanus).

In art, Eurus and the other winds are shown in various forms, such as horses pulling chariots of the gods on the Pergamon Altar and in other ancient poems.

Odyssey connection: on Aeolia, Aeolus keeps the winds and gives Odysseus a bag containing all winds except Zephyrus. When the bag is opened, Eurus and the other winds are released and blow the ships back to Aeolia. Later, Poseidon stirs up storms with all four winds against Odysseus.

Dionysiaca: Eurus is named among the wind gods who live with their father Astraeus and serve nectar when Demeter visits.

Summary: Eurus is the east wind god, part of the four winds, with little independent myth of his own and varying roles (sometimes dry, sometimes rain-bringing). In Roman tradition he becomes Vulturnus.