Friday, September 6, 2019

A bird for every cloud - Aeolus, by Peter Paul Rubens, early seventeenth century.



There are several characters in Greek mythology that go by the name of Aeolus. They're sometimes difficult to tell apart; even the ancient mythographers seem to be confused as to which one is which. But the figure portrayed here by Rubens was the son of Hippotes, a mortal king. (Hippotes is another name that was used for multiple mythological characters.) The various stories told about Aeolus are decidedly muddled - again, which one is which? - but he is mentioned in the Odyssey and the Aeneid as the Keeper of the Winds.




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