Aeolus

 In one of Odysseus' adventures, the Greek hero had to stop by the island of Aeolia, where Aeolus presides. Aeolus, being a good-natured king, allowed Odysseus and his men to rest on his island home. After a month or so, preparations were complete, and Odysseus, along with his men, had enough rest. As a parting gift, the wind king presented to Odysseus a sack made of ox-hide containing all the winds but the west wind, which would swiftly take them back to Ithaca, the home of Odysseus. The sack must not be opened until the hero's goal has been reached though.

 On the way back to Ithaca, Odysseus fell asleep. His crew, seeing that the hero had fallen into a deep slumber, became curious as to what was inside the sack. They thought Odysseus was hiding riches from them, so they proceeded to open the sack. Once they did, the winds that came out violently shook the ship and blew them far, far away.



//** Sources **//  http://www.gods-heros-myth.com/godpages/aeolus.html  http://www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/mythology/names/aeolus.htm  http://www.theoi.com/Titan/Aiolos.html  http://www.watson.org/~leigh/myth.html  http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/carolrb/greek/odyssey2.html