In Ancient Greece, logic and divination coexisted in such a manner that they were more complementary than polar opposite, as they are viewed by many in the modern world. Prophecies were considered to be messages of divine origin, but would need to be logically interpreted and not simply heeded without critical thinking. The earthly forces of nature were also believed to be strongly influenced by divine entities, making almost no clear distinction between human and godly affairs in everyday life. According to the Greeks, there was an underlying order or pattern to the universe known as the logos, and both humans with their free will and gods with their enormously powerful influence had limited agency within that order. In war, casualties claimed by natural elements were seen as divine favor or divine wrath. In the sea, there were many natural elements that coexisted— ones that the Persians were not completely aware of, but would never forget.

Before any of the fighting in the Strait of Artemisium began, the Persian fleet traveled down the Aegean Sea along the coast of Magnesia in eastern Greece. Conditions made it clear that it was time for all ships to drop anchor. Nightfall was approaching, as was a large storm, which would make any travel attempts exponentially more dangerous. Because of the limited navigational capabilities of the ancient world, having sight of the coastline was a critical element for sea travel, so traveling further out into the sea was not a practical option for the Persians to avoid the impending hardship. Rows of Persian ships held position in the waters near Mt. Pelion, the mythological homeland of the centaur, to brace for the incoming storm. Those able to do so beached their vessels in an effort to avoid catastrophe, but safe harbor was limited.

Violent winds and large crashing waves moved ships, dragging anchors across the sea floor, snapping lines, and sending ships crashing into coastal rock formations, as well as into each other. Wooden hulls were no match for jagged walls of the metamorphic rock, nor their wooden counterparts.

The storm was pure chaos from the perspective of the Persians. In addition to the aforementioned conditions, survivors remained wary of floating debris caused by wrecked Persian ships, which also carried nearly equal destructive potential. The Persian fleet was estimated to have suffered the loss of hundreds of ships along with thousands of crew members in total due to nature’s intervention that night. Word made it back to the Greek fleet stationed at the Strait of Artemisium.

Many Greeks, especially the Athenians, attributed the storm to protection from Boreas, the god of the north wind, who in myth, was also said to have married Oreithyia, daughter of Athenian king Erechtheus. With the majority of the Greek fleet being composed of Athenian vessels, it was widely believed that their mythological relationship with Boreas is what caused him to act on behalf of the Greek allied forces. Later on, the Athenians built a shrine dedicated to Boreas along the Ilissos River near Athens, thus fulfilling the Delphic instruction to “pray to the winds.”

It was another prophecy that led to the bolstering of the Athenian naval forces, which became the main reason why the Greeks had any chance of opposing Persia at sea. “Though all else shall be taken, Zeus grants to Athena that the wooden wall alone shall remain unconquered.”