Who is Chione?

Who is Chione ?

Goddess - Chione

Introduction

OK, you've drooled over dozens of chandlery catalogues looking for that vital last bit; you've agonised over whether you can justify the "teak deck money"; but now comes the real challenge: What shall we call her?

After extensive research into the local names of trade winds from around the world we gave up hope of finding any inspiration there. So, how about something classical with associations with both the wind and the sea?
Chione, a (minor) Greek goddess seemed to fit that bill - daughter of the god of the North Wind and mother of a child by the great sea god Poseidon.

That just leaves the "T", where does it come in? Well, we were surpised to find that there was already a "Chione" on the British Ships Register. (If anyone knows anything about her we'd be very interested to hear - please use the email link at the bottom of this page.) In desperation we added an arbitary "T" just for uniqueness; let's say it's "T" for Tradewind and leave it at that.

Family Tree

Eos & Astraeus
(Grandparents)

Eos, goddess of the dawn, would ride her chariot across the morning sky to herald the arrival of her brother Helius (the sun god). She has been described as ‘a rather randy goddess’ owing to her habit of carrying off handsome young mortals as her lovers.

Astraeus, a Titan and god of the stars, was father, by Eos, to the beneficial winds and, some say, the stars also.

Boreas & Oreithyia
(Parents)

Boreas was first envisaged as a horse, but was depicted as human upon his introduction to Athens. On the ‘Tower of Winds’ he is shown as a heavily bearded man with dark wings and hair floating in the wind. He was especially honoured in Athens, where he had a temple. In 492 BC he drove away the fleet of Xerses with his powerful breath.

Oreithyia,a daughter of the King of Athens, was kidnapped by Boreas, by whom she had several children, including the winged twin brothers, Calais and Zetes, and sisters Cleopatra and Chione.

Chione's Brothers

Chione’s twin brothers,Calais and Zetes, accompanied Jason aboard the ‘Argo’ in his quest for the Golden Fleece. They successfully vanquished the Harpies (hideous winged beasts with the faces of old hags and long hooked claws) to the icelands of the far north.

Chione, Poseidon & their son

Chione, known by some as the snow goddess, was one of the offspring of Boreas, the principal wind god, being the personification of the North Wind ( the Meltemi in current parlance). She was seduced by Poseidon by whom, unbeknown to him, she bore a son Eumolpus,. To hide her shame Chione flung the infant into the deep. Poseidon however witnessed this and carried the child to safety in Ethipoia, where Eumolpus was raised by one of his daughters.

Postscript

Chione is also a genus of mollusc prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico - but that's another story!