Aeolus, God of the Winds

Handmade sculpture in terracotta depicting Aeolus, god of the winds. Aeolus was a man, the king of the homonymous Sicilian Islands, the Eolie. The islands were oppressed by such terrible and changeable winds that Zeus, worried, trapped the winds at Lipari. The duty of keeping them at bay was given to Aeolus, who let them out one at a time when necessary. Aeolus proved so good at his task that Zeus exonerated him from death and welcomed him on Mount Olympus; and since then, from the Cave of Winds, Aeolus continued to hold back or release the winds as the gods asked.