Classical compass winds ("ζέφυρος") from the west – were added soon enough. The etymology of the names of the four archaic Greek winds is uncertain. Among tentative propositions is that "Boreas" might come from "boros", an old variant of "oros" (Greek for "mountains", which were to the north geographically). An alternative hypothesis is that it may come from "boros" meaning "voracious". Another is that it comes from the phrase "ἀπὸ τῆς βοῆς" ("from the roar"), a reference to its violent and loud noise. "Notos" probably comes from "notios" ("moist", a reference to the warm rains and storms brought from the south). "Eurus" and
Modern understanding of Greek mythology the Physical theory the elements of air, fire, and water were originally the objects of religious adoration, and the principal deities were personifications of the powers of nature. The sciences of archaeology and linguistics have been applied to the origins of Greek mythology with some interesting results. Historical linguistics indicates that particular aspects of the Greek pantheon were inherited from Indo-European society (or perhaps both cultures borrowed from another earlier source), as were the roots of the Greek language. Prominent Sanskritist Max Müller attempted to understand an Indo-European religious form by tracing it back to its Aryan, Vedic, "original" manifestation.