Euroclydon
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Euroclydon (or in Latin: Euroaquilo) is a cyclonic tempestuous northeast wind which blows in the Mediterranean, mostly in autumn and winter. It is the modern Gregalia (Gregale) or Levanter. The name "Euroclydon" comes from two classical roots:
- the Ancient Greek word: εὐροκλύδων, romanized: eurokludōn, from Euros (Eurus, meaning 'east wind')
- either:
- an Ancient Greek word: akulōn or akylōn, meaning 'north wind'); or kludon, referring to a surging wave (from the verb kluzo meaning 'to billow')
- or the Latin word: aquilō (aquilon)
Although the Greek word is translated "northeaster" in many English Bibles,[1] Euroclydon is not to be confused with the term "nor'easter", a type of extratropical cyclone affecting Atlantic coastal regions of the United States and Canada.
Notable references
[edit]- In chapter 27 in the Book of Acts 27:14 it may specifically refer to the name of the Gregale wind from the Adriatic Gulf, which wrecked the apostle Paul's ship on the coast of Malta on his way to Rome.[2]
- It is referenced in the second chapter of Moby-Dick.
- Euroclydon is also the name of an anthem by William Billings
- Referenced in "The Roman Centurion's Song" by Rudyard Kipling: "Here where our stiff-necked British oaks confront Euroclydon!"
- Referenced in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Midnight Mass for the Dying Year".[3]
- Referenced in Dorothy L. Sayers' novel The Nine Tailors [4] where after a rainstorm, the Rector uses the phrase from Acts 27:14
References
[edit]- ^ "Acts 27:14 - The Storm at Sea". Bible Hub. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
- ^ "But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon."Acts 27:14 (King James Version) However, later versions, such as the Revised Version, render the Greek word as Euraquilo.
- ^ "Midnight Mass for the Dying Year by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Poems | Academy of American Poets".
- ^ Sayers, Dorothy L (1934). The Nine Tailors (1948 ed.). London: Victor Gollancz. p. 226.
Sources
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