Who knew there could be so much to learn about the cartography of wind? This is one particular area of mapping that must have made those old‑time cartographers jump out of their seats with joy. I can just picture them saying, “I love putting wind currents on maps because in doing so it gives me good excuse to draw a picture of a wind god in some of the white space.” And just what wind god might they have picked? Perhaps Aeolus, from the tempestuous story of “How Odysseus and His Crew Were Idiots” (or something like that): Consider poor Odysseus who, upon having been rescued by the King of the Winds — Aeolus — and given a whole month to rest up on Aeolus’s home land of Aeoli, is subsequently given some bags of the wind as a gift by the Wind King himself. After the wind gift is bestowed, Odysseus is sent nicely on his way home with a strong breeze from Aeolus, headed in the right direction. Just when Odysseus and his crew are almost home‑sweet‑home, the sneaky crew can’t help but open those gift bags of wind that Aeolus had given them, expressly against Aeolus’s instructions and Odysseus’s command. And blast it, they open up winds that send them straight back to Aeolus, who wisely decides that he will not help the unfortunate crew anymore (Figure 6.55).