“Aeolus, the Greek god of winds, was often petitioned by sailors, who asked for his help in guiding their ships. He could release helpful trade winds, or he could release harmful storm winds that caused shipwrecks and steered sailors off course. Aeolus lived on Aeolia, called Lipara or the Island of Winds, off the coast of Sicily, and he kept his winds in leather bags, tied with silver strings and locked in a cave. When in his travels Odysseus landed on Aeolia, Aeolus gave him a goatskin bag containing all the winds that would impede his voyage; he warned Odysseus to keep them in the bag so he could return safely to Ithaca. While Odysseus was asleep, his traveling companions saw the bag and opened it. The winds escaped and caused a storm that
