The Meltemi is the typical dry and warm Greek wind that is felt especially in the summer period between June and September. It is generated by the meeting of the high pressure of the Western Mediterranean with the low pressure of the Eastern Mediterranean. Its intensity is usually low, but sometimes it can reach strength 8 or 9, creating real dangerous storms.
Depending on the archipelagos, it blows from different directions, for example in the Dodecanese from the north west, in the Central Aegean from the north or north east as in the Sporades, in the Cyclades those usually most affected come from the north west and the islands know something about its power of Andros Tinos and Serifos where sometimes it puts even the largest ships such as ferries that go from one island to another in great difficulty. The increase in its strength is given by the channeling between the emerged lands and also by meteorological conditions such as rainfall in the Balkans or Central Europe. The Ionian Islands, on the other hand, are hardly touched by the Meltemi and in any case with a limited force, the seasonal wind that dominates them is the Mistral, a little sweeter and more discreet.
Its name comes from the Latin etesiae aarum in Italian etesio, but its Greek name which means twenty annuals is always recognised. In Turkey, for example, the same term is used and meltem translates to land breeze.
It is certainly not very pleasant to stay on the beach when the Meltemi blows, you could be slapped by the sand for free in the best case scenario, on the contrary when it lashes on the islands it is ideal for lovers of sports where Aeolus is the protagonist. There are many kite, surf and windsurf enthusiasts who chase the wind and can have fun until they drop.
The mythical origins of Meltemi have as protagonist Aristaeus, son of the God Apollo and the Nymph Cyrene but there is a precedent that links him to Icarius, a mortal from Athens who hosted the God Dionysus when he came down to earth from Olympus to give men the vineand its nectar.Icarius had a daughter Erigone with whom Dionysus fell in love and who bore him a son Staphilus. For the joy of the birth, the God gave Icarius a skin of wine which he shared with his fellow shepherds who, however, having never tasted the drink, confused the state of drunkenness as poisoning, thus killing poor Icarius with sticks. as punishment, leaving his limbs at the mercy of the elements. Mera, Icarius’ faithful dog, ran to Erigone and led her to where the corpse of her father was and, out of her pain, he killed himself by hanging himself. The god Dionysus, mad with resentment, took revenge on all the Athenians by driving all the young girls crazy to the point of killing themselves by hanging.At this point the Athens inhabitants went to the Oracle of Delphi to find out about the real murderers and punish them. And here Aristaeus takes over, one of those who wanted the Icarius’ murderers death to appease Dionysus. The Oracle advised him to go to the Kea island where the criminals were hiding and where he would receive great honors. Before his arrival, however, a terrible epidemic broke out on the island which decimated the population and together with the survivors he built an altar to offer sacrifices to Zeus and ingratiated himself with the Bear stars by executing the murderers. Zeus, honored by such devotion, made the extensive winds blow which had the purpose of refreshing the air for forty days after the rising of the Canicola constellation where Sirius is located, the brightest star in the whole sky and thus the Meltemi was born.
Here is how in almost all things, even for the wind there is an exciting story, but by now we are used to it, the Greeks have the power and the fortune of having such a vast culture that it does not surprise us at all that everything is linked tosomething divine.
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