In ancient Greek religion and myth, the Anemoi were wind gods who were each ascribed a cardinal direction from which their respective winds came.
Notus was the south wind; Zephyrus, the west wind; Eurus, the east wind; Boreas, the north wind.
Boreas, 450 BC
Boreas - oil painting by John William Waterhouse
Study of Boreas - chalk on paper by John William Waterhouse
Boreas, the North Wind - recreated by Inglis
Boreas is depicted as being very strong, with a violent temper to match. He was frequently shown as a winged old man with shaggy hair and beard, holding a conch shell and wearing a billowing cloak.
Boreas and his brother winds were often imagined as horse-shaped gods.
Boreas - oil painting by John William Waterhouse
The north wind god, in this remarkable painting (1902) by John William Waterhouse, is a woman, buffeted by the wind.
Study of Boreas - chalk on paper by John William Waterhouse
Boreas, the North Wind - recreated by Inglis
I've found this digital reproduction by Inglis here: Robzentaur1′s blog, art, ego, acceptance and society
Here is the full painting with the background slightly altered, but retaining Waterhouse’s impressionist brushwork. The face is re-createded to make it stronger and more sensuous. Waterhouse’s original face is washed out and fragile looking. The oil paint is badly cracked. I reworked the upper areas of the shawl to create more of a feeling of flow and movement.
- Inglis
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Mt Boreas, in the western Olympus Range, Antartica, was named after the north wind god.