Blow, North Wind

The coldest wind of all

Saturdays are perfect days for gusty surprises. Surprise—we’re talking about the name of the north wind today!

Winter in the Northern Hemisphere tends towards cold and blustery, especially as you move closer to the Arctic region. From whence blows these blusterous winds? From the North, of course

Bitter winter winds are the domain of Boreas, Greek god of storms, winter, and the cold north wind. This purple-winged deity, known in Rome as Aquilo or Septentrio, was one of the Anemoi, the four seasonal gods of the wind. While most of us no longer anthropomorphize the North Wind, we still speak his name in certain words:

aurora borealis (noun) - the Northern Lights; a naturally occurring electromagnetic phenomenon that manifests as curtains, ribbons, and clouds of white or colored light, especially near the northern magnetic pole.

boreal (adj) - of the north; of or pertaining to the northern biotic area characterized by a subarctic climate and dominance of coniferous forests

hyperborean (adj) - of or pertaining to the extreme north of the Earth

“Without fiction, either life would be insufficient or the winds from the north would blow too cold.” —Elizabeth Bowen