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{{short description|South wind god in Greek mythology}}
{{short description|South wind god in Greek mythology}}
{{other}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox deity
{{Infobox deity
| type = Greek
| type = Greek
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| caption = Notus on the relief of the [[Tower of the Winds]], [[Athens]], [[Greece]].
| caption = Notus on the relief of the [[Tower of the Winds]], [[Athens]], [[Greece]].
| god_of = God of the South Wind
| god_of = God of the South Wind
| Roman_equivalent = Auster
| name = Notus
| name = Notus
| abode = [[Sky]]
| abode = [[Sky]]
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| script = {{lang|grc|Νότος}}
| script = {{lang|grc|Νότος}}
| parents = [[Eos]] and [[Astraeus]]
| parents = [[Eos]] and [[Astraeus]]
| siblings = [[Anemoi|Winds]] ([[Boreas (god)|Boreas]], [[Eurus]], and [[Zephyrus]]), [[Eosphorus]], the Stars, [[Memnon (mythology)|Memnon]], [[Emathion]], [[Astraea (mythology)|Astraea]]
| siblings = [[Anemoi|Winds]] ([[Boreas (god)|Boreas]], [[Eurus]], and [[Zephyrus]]), [[Eosphorus]], the Stars, [[Memnon (mythology)|Memnon]], [[Emathion]], [[Astraea]]
}}
}}


In [[Greek mythology]] and [[Ancient Greek religion|religion]], '''Notus''' ({{langx|grc|Νότος|Nótos|south}}) is the god of the south wind and one of the [[Anemoi]] (wind-gods), sons of the dawn goddess [[Eos]] and the star-god [[Astraeus]]. A desiccating wind of heat, Notus was associated with the storms of late summer and early autumn, wetness, mist, and was seen as a rain-bringer. Unlike his two more notable brothers, [[Boreas (god)|Boreas]] (the god of the north wind) and [[Zephyrus]] (the god of the west wind), Notus has little to no unique mythology of his own.
In [[Greek mythology]] and [[Ancient Greek religion|religion]], '''Notus''' ({{langx|grc|Νότος|Nótos|south}}) is the god of the south wind and one of the [[Anemoi]] (wind-gods), sons of the dawn goddess [[Eos]] and the star-god [[Astraeus]]. A desiccating wind of heat, Notus was associated with the storms of late summer and early autumn, wetness, mist, and was seen as a rain-bringer. Unlike his two more notable brothers, [[Boreas (god)|Boreas]] (the god of the north wind) and [[Zephyrus]] (the god of the west wind), Notus has little to no unique mythology of his own.
His Roman equivalent is the god '''Auster'''.


== Etymology ==
== Etymology ==
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== Family ==
== Family ==
Notus, like most of the wind gods, the [[Anemoi]] was said to be the son of [[Eos]], the goddess of the dawn, by her husband [[Astraeus]], a minor god related to the stars.<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard%3D371 378], [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]] [https://topostext.org/work/206#0.2 Preface]; [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]] [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+1.2.4&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022 1.2.3]; [[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' [https://archive.org/details/dionysiaca01nonnuoft/page/216/mode/2up?view=theater 6.28]</ref> Thus, he is brother to the five star-gods and the justice goddess [[Astraea]], and half-brother to the mortals [[Memnon]] and [[Emathion]], sons of his mother Eos by the Trojan prince [[Tithonus]]. Notus has no known consorts, lovers or offspring.
In [[Hesiod]]'s ''[[Theogony]]'', Notus is the son of [[Eos]], the goddess of the dawn, and [[Astraeus]], her husband. He is the sibling of the other winds, who Hesiod lists as [[Zephyrus]] and [[Boreas]].<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard%3D371 378]. Similarly, see also: [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]] [https://topostext.org/work/206#0.2 Preface]; [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]] [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Apollod.+1.2.4&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0022 1.2.3]; [[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' [https://archive.org/details/dionysiaca01nonnuoft/page/216/mode/2up?view=theater 6.28]</ref> Thus, he is brother to the stars and the justice goddess [[Astraea]], and half-brother to the mortals [[Memnon]] and [[Emathion]], sons of his mother Eos by the Trojan prince [[Tithonus]]. Notus has no known consorts, lovers or offspring.


The ancient Greeks distinguished the three types of wind blowing from the south; the first was notos (the one Notus mostly represents) which blew from various directions in winter and was seen as the rain-bringer that obscured visibility, the second was leukonotos ("white notus") which was milder and cleared up the sky, and the third was the hot bringer of dust, identified with [[sirocco]].<ref>{{cite journal | website = referenceworks-brillonline-com/subjects | url = https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/notus-e825330?s | doi = 10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e825330 | date = 2006 | access-date = April 17, 2023 | last1 = Hünemörder | first1 = Christian | location = Hamburg, Kiel | last2 = Käppel | first2 = Lutz | title = Notus | editor-first1 = Hubert | editor-last1 = Cancik | editor-first2 = Helmuth | editor-last2 = Schneider | translator = Christine F. Salazar| url-access = subscription }}</ref>
The ancient Greeks distinguished the three types of wind blowing from the south; the first was notos (the one Notus mostly represents) which blew from various directions in winter and was seen as the rain-bringer that obscured visibility, the second was leukonotos ("white notus") which was milder and cleared up the sky, and the third was the hot bringer of dust, identified with [[sirocco]].<ref>{{cite journal | website = referenceworks-brillonline-com/subjects | url = https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/notus-e825330?s | doi = 10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e825330 | date = 2006 | access-date = April 17, 2023 | last1 = Hünemörder | first1 = Christian | location = Hamburg, Kiel | last2 = Käppel | first2 = Lutz | title = Notus | editor-first1 = Hubert | editor-last1 = Cancik | editor-first2 = Helmuth | editor-last2 = Schneider | translator = Christine F. Salazar| url-access = subscription }}</ref>
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[[File:NotosGodOfTheSouthWind-Byzantine-ROM-Dec29-07.png|thumb|left|Byzantine fresco depicting Notus.]]
[[File:NotosGodOfTheSouthWind-Byzantine-ROM-Dec29-07.png|thumb|left|Byzantine fresco depicting Notus.]]


Notus is one of the three wind-gods mentioned by [[Hesiod]], alongside his brothers [[Boreas (god)|Boreas]] and [[Zephyrus]],{{sfn|Kerenyi|1951|page=[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.7346/page/n231/mode/2up?view=theater 205]}} the three wind gods seen as beneficial by the ancient Greeks.<ref>{{cite journal | url = https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/zephyrus-e12216400 | doi = 10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e12216400 | website = referenceworks-brillonline-com/subjects | last = Rausch | first = Sven | location = Hamburg | title = Zephyrus | date = 2006 | editor-first1 = Hubert | editor-last1 = Cancik | editor-first2 = Helmuth | editor-last2 = Schneider | translator = Christine F. Salazar | access-date = April 13, 2023| url-access = subscription }}</ref> Unlike his two more prominent brothers however, Notus has very little mythology, and mostly appears in conjugation with his brothers, with too few unique appearances to differate him from the rest.{{sfn|Grimal|1987|page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofclas00grim/page/311/mode/2up?view=theater 312]}}
Notus is one of the three wind-gods mentioned by [[Hesiod]], alongside his brothers [[Boreas (god)|Boreas]] and [[Zephyrus]],{{sfn|Kerenyi|1951|page=[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.7346/page/n231/mode/2up?view=theater 205]}} the three wind gods seen as beneficial by the ancient Greeks.<ref>{{cite journal | url = https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/zephyrus-e12216400 | doi = 10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e12216400 | website = referenceworks-brillonline-com/subjects | last = Rausch | first = Sven | location = Hamburg | title = Zephyrus | date = 2006 | editor-first1 = Hubert | editor-last1 = Cancik | editor-first2 = Helmuth | editor-last2 = Schneider | translator = Christine F. Salazar | access-date = April 13, 2023| url-access = subscription }}</ref> Unlike his two more prominent brothers however, Notus has very little mythology, and mostly appears in conjugation with his brothers, with too few unique appearances to differentiate him from the rest.{{sfn|Grimal|1987|page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofclas00grim/page/311/mode/2up?view=theater 312]}} In his few appearances in mythology, Notus is usually paired with his full brother [[Eurus]], the god and personification of the east wind.


In his preparation for the Great Deluge, [[Zeus]] locked up Boreas and the other cloud-blowing gales, and let Notus free, to rain upon the earth, who let it pour all over the globe, drowning almost everyone.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0074%3Abook%3D1%3Acard%3D253 1.262]</ref>
In his preparation for the Great Deluge, [[Zeus]] locked up Boreas and the other cloud-blowing gales, and let Notus free, to rain upon the earth, who let it pour all over the globe, drowning almost everyone.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0074%3Abook%3D1%3Acard%3D253 1.262]</ref>
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[[File:VarsaviaPalazzo4VentiVento1_(cropped_and_mirrored).jpg|thumb|Statue of Notus.]]
[[File:VarsaviaPalazzo4VentiVento1_(cropped_and_mirrored).jpg|thumb|Statue of Notus.]]


In the ''[[Odyssey]]'' the winds seem to dwell on the island of [[Aeolia (mythical island)|Aeolia]], as [[Zeus]] has made [[Aeolus (son of Hippotes)|Aeolus]] keeper of the winds.{{sfn|Myrsiades|2019|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2bcDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT104 104]}} Aeolus receives [[Odysseus]] and his crew, and keeps them as guests for a month.<ref>[[Homer]], ''[[Odyssey]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0136%3Abook%3D10%3Acard%3D1 1-45]</ref> As they part, Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag containing all the winds, except for Zephyrus; although warned not to open the bag, Odysseus's crewmates however foolishly open the bag, thinking it to contain some treasure, and set free Notus along with all the other winds as well, who then blow the ships back to Aeolia.{{sfn|Myrsiades|2019|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2bcDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT104 104]}}
In the ''[[Odyssey]]'' the winds seem to dwell on the island of [[Aeolia (mythical island)|Aeolia]], as [[Zeus]] has made [[Aeolus (son of Hippotes)|Aeolus]] keeper of the winds.{{sfn|Myrsiades|2019|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2bcDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT104 104]}} Aeolus receives [[Odysseus]] and his crew, and keeps them as guests for a month.<ref>[[Homer]], ''[[Odyssey]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0136%3Abook%3D10%3Acard%3D1 1-45]</ref> As they part, Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag containing all the winds, except for Zephyrus; although warned not to open the bag, Odysseus's crewmates however foolishly open the bag, thinking it to contain some treasure, and set free Notus along with all the other winds as well, who then blow the ships back to Aeolia.{{sfn|Myrsiades|2019|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2bcDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT104 104]}} Much later, he and [[Eurus]] strand Odysseus on [[Thrinacia]], the island of the sun-god [[Helios]], for an entire month.{{sfn|Gantz|1996|page=[https://archive.org/details/early-greek-myth-a-guide-timothy-gantz/page/704/mode/2up?view=theater 705]}}


In the ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' meanwhile, he and his brothers live with their father Astraeus; Notus serves water from a jug when [[Demeter]] pays a visit.<ref>[[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' [https://archive.org/details/dionysiaca01nonnuoft/page/216/mode/2up?view=theater 6.28]</ref> In the ''[[Iliad]]'', Notus dined together with his brothers in a far away land as [[Iris (mythology)|Iris]] visited to summon Boreas and Zephyrus.<ref>[[Homer]], the ''[[Iliad]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134%3Abook%3D23%3Acard%3D192 23.192-225]</ref>{{sfn|Hard|2004|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA48 48]}} Much later, he and [[Eurus]] strand Odysseus on [[Thrinacia]], the island of the sun-god [[Helios]], for an entire month.{{sfn|Gantz|1996|page=[https://archive.org/details/early-greek-myth-a-guide-timothy-gantz/page/704/mode/2up?view=theater 705]}}
In the ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' meanwhile, he and his brothers live with their father Astraeus; Notus serves water from a jug when [[Demeter]] pays a visit.<ref>[[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' [https://archive.org/details/dionysiaca01nonnuoft/page/216/mode/2up?view=theater 6.28]</ref> In the ''[[Iliad]]'', Notus dined together with his brothers in a far away land as [[Iris (mythology)|Iris]] visited to summon Boreas and Zephyrus.<ref>[[Homer]], the ''[[Iliad]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0134%3Abook%3D23%3Acard%3D192 23.192-225]</ref>{{sfn|Hard|2004|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=r1Y3xZWVlnIC&pg=PA48 48]}}


In the [[Pergamon Altar]] which depicts the battle of the gods against the [[Giants (Greek mythology)|Giants]], Notus and the other three wind gods are shown as horse-shaped deities who pull Hera's chariot;<ref>''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|LIMC]]'' [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-73ac4ebff2462-9 617 (Venti)]</ref><ref>{{cite book | first = Max | last = Kunze | title = Der grosse Marmoraltar von Pergamon | trans-title = The Large Marble Altar of Pergamon | publisher = Staatliche Museem zu Berlin | language = German | location = Berlin | date = 1988 | pages = 23–24}}</ref> their equine form is also found in [[Quintus Smyrnaeus]]'s works, where they pull Zeus instead.<ref>[[Quintus Smyrnaeus]], ''[[Posthomerica|Fall of Troy]]'' [https://archive.org/details/falloftroy00quin/page/500/mode/2up?view=theater 12.189]</ref> In the [[Tower of the Winds]], a Roman-era octagonal clock tower in [[Athens]], Notus is depicted in middle relief as a beardless young man emptying a water-filled pointed amphora, symbolizing rain.<ref>''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|LIMC]]'' [https://weblimc.org/page/monument/2071045 363]</ref>
In one of his few defining appearances, Notus features in two of the ''Dialogues of the Sea Gods'', a satirical work by [[Lucian]] of [[Samsat|Samosata]]. In the first, he and Zephyrus discuss the woes of the Argive princess [[Io (mythology)|Io]] at the hands of [[Zeus]] and [[Hera]],<ref>[[Lucian]], ''Dialogues of the Sea Gods'' [http://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=home:texts_and_library:dialogues:dialogues-of-the-sea-gods#vii 7: South Wind and West Wind I]</ref> while in the second Zephyrus enthusiastically describes the marvellous scene of the abduction of [[Europa (consort of Zeus)|Europa]] by the bull, while Notus admits in disappointment having seen nothing of note.<ref>[[Lucian]], ''Dialogues of the Sea Gods'' [http://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=home:texts_and_library:dialogues:dialogues-of-the-sea-gods#xv 15: South Wind and West Wind II]</ref>


In one of his few defining appearances, Notus features in two of the ''Dialogues of the Sea Gods'', a satirical work by [[Lucian]] of [[Samsat|Samosata]]. In the first, he and Zephyrus discuss the woes of the Argive princess [[Io (mythology)|Io]] at the hands of [[Zeus]] and [[Hera]],<ref>[[Lucian]], ''Dialogues of the Sea Gods'' [http://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=home:texts_and_library:dialogues:dialogues-of-the-sea-gods#vii 7: South Wind and West Wind I]</ref> while in the second Zephyrus enthusiastically describes the marvellous scene of the abduction of [[Europa (mythology)|Europa]] by the bull, while Notus admits in disappointment having seen nothing of note.<ref>[[Lucian]], ''Dialogues of the Sea Gods'' [http://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=home:texts_and_library:dialogues:dialogues-of-the-sea-gods#xv 15: South Wind and West Wind II]</ref>
== Iconography ==
Notus appears rarely in ancient Greek or Roman art. In the [[Pergamon Altar]], which depicts the battle of the gods against the [[Giants (Greek mythology)|Giants]], Notus and the other three wind gods are shown as horse-shaped deities who pull Hera's chariot;<ref>''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|LIMC]]'' [http://ark.dasch.swiss/ark:/72163/080e-73ac4ebff2462-9 617 (Venti)]</ref><ref>{{cite book | first = Max | last = Kunze | title = Der grosse Marmoraltar von Pergamon | trans-title = The Large Marble Altar of Pergamon | publisher = Staatliche Museem zu Berlin | language = German | location = Berlin | date = 1988 | pages = 23–24}}</ref> their equine form is also found in [[Quintus Smyrnaeus]]'s works, where they pull Zeus instead.<ref>[[Quintus Smyrnaeus]], ''[[Posthomerica|Fall of Troy]]'' [https://archive.org/details/falloftroy00quin/page/500/mode/2up?view=theater 12.189]</ref> In the [[Tower of the Winds]], a Roman-era octagonal clock tower in [[Athens]], Notus is depicted in middle relief as a beardless young man emptying a water-filled pointed amphora, symbolizing rain.<ref>''[[Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae|LIMC]]'' [https://weblimc.org/page/monument/2071045 363]</ref>


== Auster ==
== Auster ==
For the Romans, Notus was identified with the god Auster ("south"), closely associated with the sirocco wind. Like Notus himself, Auster has no big role in mythology. The name, Auster, means south and is the root of words such as [[Australia]], literally "south land."
For the Romans, Notus was identified with the god Auster ("south"),{{cn|date=August 2025}} closely associated with the sirocco wind. Like Notus himself, Auster has no big role in mythology. The name, Auster, means south and is the root of words such as [[Australia]], literally "south land."{{cn|date=August 2025}}


== Genealogy ==
== Genealogy ==
{{chart top|Notus's family tree<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+132 132&ndash;138], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+337 337&ndash;411], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+453 453&ndash;520], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+901 901&ndash;906, 915&ndash;920]; Caldwell, pp. 8&ndash;11, tables 11&ndash;14.</ref>|collapsed=no}}
{{chart top|Notus's family tree<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+132 132&ndash;138], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+337 337&ndash;411], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+453 453&ndash;520], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+901 901&ndash;906, 915&ndash;920]; Caldwell, pp. 8&ndash;11, tables 11&ndash;14.</ref>|collapsed=no}}
{{chart/start}}
{{tree chart/start}}
{{chart|}}
{{tree chart|}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | | | | |URA |y|GAI |~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|y|PON|URA=[[Uranus (mythology)|Uranus]]|GAI=[[Gaia]]|PON=[[Pontus (mythology)|Pontus]]}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | | | | | | |URA |y|GAI |~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|y|PON|URA=[[Uranus (mythology)|Uranus]]|GAI=[[Gaia]]|PON=[[Pontus (mythology)|Pontus]]}}
{{chart|,|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|-|-|v|-|^|-|v|-|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | |!}}
{{tree chart|,|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|-|-|v|-|^|-|v|-|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | |!}}
{{chart|!|OCE |y|TET | | | |HYP |y|THE | | | | |CRI |y|EUR|OCE=[[Oceanus]]|TET=[[Tethys (mythology)|Tethys]]|HYP=[[Hyperion (Titan)|Hyperion]]|THE=[[Theia]]|CRI=[[Crius]]|EUR=[[Eurybia (mythology)|Eurybia]]}}
{{tree chart|!|OCE |y|TET | | | |HYP |y|THE | | | | |CRI |y|EUR|OCE=[[Oceanus]]|TET=[[Tethys (mythology)|Tethys]]|HYP=[[Hyperion (Titan)|Hyperion]]|THE=[[Theia]]|CRI=[[Crius]]|EUR=[[Eurybia (mythology)|Eurybia]]}}
{{chart|!| |,|-|^|-|.| | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.| | | |,|-|-|^|v|-|-|-|.}}
{{tree chart|!| |,|-|^|-|.| | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.| | | |,|-|-|^|v|-|-|-|.}}
{{chart|!|RIV | |OCE | |HEL | |SEL | |EOS |y |AST | |PAL | |PER |RIV=<small>The&nbsp;[[Potamoi|Rivers]]</small>|OCE=<small>The&nbsp;[[Oceanids]]</small>|HEL=[[Helios]]|SEL=[[Selene]]<ref>Although usually the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, as in [[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+371 371&ndash;374], in the ''[[Homeric Hymns|Homeric Hymn]] to Hermes'' (4), [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=HH+4+99&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0138 99&ndash;100], Selene is instead made the daughter of Pallas the son of Megamedes.</ref>|EOS=[[Eos]]|AST=[[Astraeus]]|PAL=[[Pallas (Titan)|Pallas]]|PER=[[Perses (Titan)|Perses]]}}
{{tree chart|!|RIV | |OCE | |HEL | |SEL | |EOS |y |AST | |PAL | |PER |RIV=<small>The&nbsp;[[Potamoi|Rivers]]</small>|OCE=<small>The&nbsp;[[Oceanids]]</small>|HEL=[[Helios]]|SEL=[[Selene]]<ref>Although usually the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, as in [[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+371 371&ndash;374], in the ''[[Homeric Hymns|Homeric Hymn]] to Hermes'' (4), [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=HH+4+99&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0138 99&ndash;100], Selene is instead made the daughter of Pallas the son of Megamedes.</ref>|EOS=[[Eos]]|AST=[[Astraeus]]|PAL=[[Pallas (Titan)|Pallas]]|PER=[[Perses (Titan)|Perses]]}}
{{chart|!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.}}
{{tree chart|!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.}}
{{chart|!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |NOT | |ASR | |PLA |NOT='''NOTUS''' <br><small>Anemoi</small>|ASR=[[Astraea]]<ref>Astraea is not mentioned by Hesiod, instead she is given as a daughter of Eos and Astraeus in [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]] ''Astronomica'' [https://topostext.org/work/207#2.25.1 2.25.1].</ref>|PLA=Stars}}
{{tree chart|!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |NOT | |ASR | |PLA |NOT='''NOTUS''' <br><small>Anemoi</small>|ASR=[[Astraea]]<ref>Astraea is not mentioned by Hesiod, instead she is given as a daughter of Eos and Astraeus in [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]] ''Astronomica'' [https://topostext.org/work/207#2.25.1 2.25.1].</ref>|PLA=Stars}}
{{chart|!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}
{{tree chart|!| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |}}
{{chart|)|-|-|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | |}}
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{{tree chart|!|HES |!|HER | |HAD |!|ZEU | | | |LET | |AST | |HES=[[Hestia]]|HER=[[Hera]]|HAD=[[Hades]]|ZEU=[[Zeus]]|LET=[[Leto]]|AST=[[Asteria]]}}
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{{chart|ATL | |MEN | |PRO | |EPI | | | | |MUS | | | |HOR |ATL=[[Atlas (mythology)|Atlas]]<ref>According to [[Plato]], ''[[Critias (dialogue)|Critias]]'', [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0059.tlg032.perseus-eng1:113d 113d&ndash;114a], Atlas was the son of [[Poseidon]] and the mortal [[Cleito]].</ref>|MEN=[[Menoetius (Greek mythology)|Menoetius]]|PRO=[[Prometheus]]<ref>In [[Aeschylus]], ''[[Prometheus Bound]]'' 18, 211, 873 (Sommerstein, pp. [http://www.loebclassics.com/view/aeschylus-prometheus_bound/2009/pb_LCL145.445.xml 444&ndash;445 n. 2], [http://www.loebclassics.com/view/aeschylus-prometheus_bound/2009/pb_LCL145.467.xml 446&ndash;447 n. 24], [http://www.loebclassics.com/view/aeschylus-prometheus_bound/2009/pb_LCL145.539.xml 538&ndash;539 n. 113]) Prometheus is made to be the son of [[Themis]].</ref>|EPI=[[Epimetheus (mythology)|Epimetheus]]|MUS=<small>The&nbsp;[[Muses]]</small>|HOR=<small>The&nbsp;[[Horae]]</small>}}
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[[Category:Greek gods]]
[[Category:Anemoi]]
[[Category:Anemoi]]
[[Category:Sky and weather gods]]
[[Category:Children of Eos]]
[[Category:Avian humanoids]]
[[Category:Deities in the Iliad]]
[[Category:Characters in the Odyssey]]
[[Category:Metamorphoses characters]]
[[Category:Thunder gods]]
[[Category:Thunder gods]]
[[Category:Horse deities]]
[[Category:Personifications in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Summer deities]]
[[Category:Summer deities]]
[[Category:Wind gods]]
[[Category:Rain deities]]

Latest revision as of 09:53, 21 October 2025

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In Greek mythology and religion, Notus (Template:Langx) is the god of the south wind and one of the Anemoi (wind-gods), sons of the dawn goddess Eos and the star-god Astraeus. A desiccating wind of heat, Notus was associated with the storms of late summer and early autumn, wetness, mist, and was seen as a rain-bringer. Unlike his two more notable brothers, Boreas (the god of the north wind) and Zephyrus (the god of the west wind), Notus has little to no unique mythology of his own.

Etymology

The Greek noun Script error: No such module "Lang". refers both to the south cardinal direction and the south wind that blows from it.Template:Sfn Its ultimate etymology remains unknown, although a pre-Greek origin seems to be the most likely origin.Template:Sfn

Family

In Hesiod's Theogony, Notus is the son of Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and Astraeus, her husband. He is the sibling of the other winds, who Hesiod lists as Zephyrus and Boreas.[1] Thus, he is brother to the stars and the justice goddess Astraea, and half-brother to the mortals Memnon and Emathion, sons of his mother Eos by the Trojan prince Tithonus. Notus has no known consorts, lovers or offspring.

The ancient Greeks distinguished the three types of wind blowing from the south; the first was notos (the one Notus mostly represents) which blew from various directions in winter and was seen as the rain-bringer that obscured visibility, the second was leukonotos ("white notus") which was milder and cleared up the sky, and the third was the hot bringer of dust, identified with sirocco.[2]

Mythology

File:NotosGodOfTheSouthWind-Byzantine-ROM-Dec29-07.png
Byzantine fresco depicting Notus.

Notus is one of the three wind-gods mentioned by Hesiod, alongside his brothers Boreas and Zephyrus,Template:Sfn the three wind gods seen as beneficial by the ancient Greeks.[3] Unlike his two more prominent brothers however, Notus has very little mythology, and mostly appears in conjugation with his brothers, with too few unique appearances to differentiate him from the rest.Template:Sfn In his few appearances in mythology, Notus is usually paired with his full brother Eurus, the god and personification of the east wind.

In his preparation for the Great Deluge, Zeus locked up Boreas and the other cloud-blowing gales, and let Notus free, to rain upon the earth, who let it pour all over the globe, drowning almost everyone.[4]

File:VarsaviaPalazzo4VentiVento1 (cropped and mirrored).jpg
Statue of Notus.

In the Odyssey the winds seem to dwell on the island of Aeolia, as Zeus has made Aeolus keeper of the winds.Template:Sfn Aeolus receives Odysseus and his crew, and keeps them as guests for a month.[5] As they part, Aeolus gives Odysseus a bag containing all the winds, except for Zephyrus; although warned not to open the bag, Odysseus's crewmates however foolishly open the bag, thinking it to contain some treasure, and set free Notus along with all the other winds as well, who then blow the ships back to Aeolia.Template:Sfn Much later, he and Eurus strand Odysseus on Thrinacia, the island of the sun-god Helios, for an entire month.Template:Sfn

In the Dionysiaca meanwhile, he and his brothers live with their father Astraeus; Notus serves water from a jug when Demeter pays a visit.[6] In the Iliad, Notus dined together with his brothers in a far away land as Iris visited to summon Boreas and Zephyrus.[7]Template:Sfn

In one of his few defining appearances, Notus features in two of the Dialogues of the Sea Gods, a satirical work by Lucian of Samosata. In the first, he and Zephyrus discuss the woes of the Argive princess Io at the hands of Zeus and Hera,[8] while in the second Zephyrus enthusiastically describes the marvellous scene of the abduction of Europa by the bull, while Notus admits in disappointment having seen nothing of note.[9]

Iconography

Notus appears rarely in ancient Greek or Roman art. In the Pergamon Altar, which depicts the battle of the gods against the Giants, Notus and the other three wind gods are shown as horse-shaped deities who pull Hera's chariot;[10][11] their equine form is also found in Quintus Smyrnaeus's works, where they pull Zeus instead.[12] In the Tower of the Winds, a Roman-era octagonal clock tower in Athens, Notus is depicted in middle relief as a beardless young man emptying a water-filled pointed amphora, symbolizing rain.[13]

Auster

For the Romans, Notus was identified with the god Auster ("south"),Script error: No such module "Unsubst". closely associated with the sirocco wind. Like Notus himself, Auster has no big role in mythology. The name, Auster, means south and is the root of words such as Australia, literally "south land."Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Genealogy

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See also

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References

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Bibliography

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External links

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Template:Greek religion Template:Greek mythology (deities) Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Hesiod, Theogony 378. Similarly, see also: Hyginus Preface; Apollodorus 1.2.3; Nonnus, Dionysiaca 6.28
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.262
  5. ↑ Homer, Odyssey 1-45
  6. ↑ Nonnus, Dionysiaca 6.28
  7. ↑ Homer, the Iliad 23.192-225
  8. ↑ Lucian, Dialogues of the Sea Gods 7: South Wind and West Wind I
  9. ↑ Lucian, Dialogues of the Sea Gods 15: South Wind and West Wind II
  10. ↑ LIMC 617 (Venti)
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 12.189
  13. ↑ LIMC 363
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