In
Islam, the east wind
Saba holds religious significance as it is said to have assisted Prophet
Muhammad in the
Battle of the Trench, and makes frequent appearances in the
Quran. In
Chinese culture, east wind (; Dōngfēng) is often used as a metaphor for the driving force or momentum of revolution and progress. The
People's Liberation Army thus uses "east wind" (
Dongfeng) as the name of its tactical missile series. In
Greek mythology,
Eurus, the east wind, was the only wind not associated with one of the three
Greek seasons. Eurus is also the only one of these four
Anemoi not mentioned in Hesiod's
Theogony or in the
Orphic Hymns. In
Egyptian mythology,
Henkhisesui is the god of the east wind. He was depicted as a man with the head of a Ram. In
Roman mythology the east wind was represented by
Vulturnus. In Native American
Iroquois culture, the east wind is said to be brought by O-yan-do-ne, the Moose spirit, whose breath blows grey mist and sends down cold rains upon the earth. The
Authorized King James Version of the English
Old Testament makes some seventeen references to the east wind. In Chapter 41 of Genesis, the
Pharaoh's dream, which is interpreted by
Joseph, describes seven years of grain blasted by the east wind. In Chapters 10 and 14 of Exodus,
Moses summons the east wind to bring the locusts that plague
Egypt and to part the
Red Sea so that the Children of Israel can escape Pharaoh's armies. Several other references exist, most associating the east wind with destruction. Often, this is destruction of the wicked by God. ==See also==