Aeolus, Keeper of the Winds

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Polyphemus prayed to his father Poseidon to bring grief and trouble to Odysseus. Odysseus had comitted hubris after reaching the safety of his ship. He triumphantly shouted out his true name. His pride led him to be cursed by the god of the seas – not a good thing for a sailor.

The fleet sailed on and visited Aeolus, the keeper of the winds. He gave Odysseus a bag containing the east wind and sent up a westerly breeze that blew the Greeks all the way home. The ships were so close to Ithaca that smoke could be seen rising from the palace and temple chimneys. Odysseus, exhausted, fell asleep. In that fatal moment some of the Greek sailors, thinking that the bag must contain gold, untied it. A great tempest was unleashed that blew them far out to sea again.