Breezy Ideas and Gods of Wind

Whistling was the answer to last week’s Paranormal Poll.  Whistling is widely believed to summon ill winds, is considered uncouth for a lady, and may share your bad breath with those around you.  I was told when I was a young girl, “Never whistle!”  But I do so enjoy pursed lip activities, whistling among them.

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Painting of Boreas & Oreithyia by Evelyn DeMorgan

We continue our March march here in the Paranormal Poll with the elemental facets of the wind.  Boreas is the Greek god personifying the North wind, that alpha breeze of the earth’s atmosphere.  He’s pictured here with the hapless princess Oreithyia, whom he swooped off and ravished among the cumulus clouds above Athens.  Apparently, Boreas didn’t totally blow it — or maybe that’s why — but Oreithyia became his wife and had four children and was the first to feature the windswept hairstyle.  Later, the Athenians agreed to drop the kidnapping charges if Boreas would help them defeat Xerxes of Persia.  Boreas invoked a violent storm, sank 400 ships and swept into town for a celebratory parade, blowing up skirts left and right (he would later renew this penchant with a new favorite, Marilyn Monroe).  Of course, he was given a splendid temple sanctuary on the banks of the River Illisus, which boasted wonderful cross-ventilation and gave rise to a popular architectural feature, the breezeway.

His Roman doppelganger is called Aquilo, which also means North Wind or Devouring.

Now back to whistling while I work…on DISSOLVE, my installment for SPELLS, SLOTS & SIRENS, a new anthology coming soon from Sapphire Blue Publishing, which will include stories from Heather Long and Lisa Pietsch.  DISSOLVE is about a fiery-tempered genie named Lena who blows into Vegas looking for her sister but who must first burn through the secrets that shroud her family.  She finds an intriguing ally in a big guy with a bigger secret.

Best Wishes,
Kellyann
www.kfzuzulo.com