Corpse-swallower sits at the end of heaven,
      A Joetun in eagle form;
    From his wings, they say, comes the wind which fares
      Over all the dwellers of earth.[99]

The northern story of Thor’s fishing, when he hooked and wounded the Midgard serpent, is recalled by the Babylonian legend of Adapa, son of the god Ea.  This hero was engaged catching fish, when Shutu, the south wind, upset his boat.  In his wrath Adapa immediately attacked the storm demon and shattered her pinions.  Anu, the sky god, was moved to anger against Ea’s son and summoned him to the Celestial Court.  Adapa, however, appeared in garments of mourning and was forgiven.  Anu offered him the water of life and the bread of life which would have made him immortal, but Ea’s son refused to eat or drink, believing, as his father had warned him, that the sky god desired him to partake of the bread of death and to drink of the water of death.

Another terrible atmospheric demon was the south-west wind, which caused destructive storms and floods, and claimed many human victims like the Icelandic “corpse swallower”.  She was depicted with lidless staring eyes, broad flat nose, mouth gaping horribly, and showing tusk-like teeth, and with high cheek bones, heavy eyebrows, and low bulging forehead.

In Scotland the hag of the south-west wind is similarly a bloodthirsty and fearsome demon.  She is most virulent in the springtime.  At Cromarty she is quaintly called “Gentle Annie” by the fisher folks, who repeat the saying:  “When Gentle Annie is skyawlan (yelling) roond the heel of Ness (a promontory) wi’ a white feather on her hat (the foam of big billows) they (the spirits) will be harrying (robbing) the crook”—­that is, the pot which hangs from the crook is empty during the spring storms, which prevent fishermen going to sea.  In England the wind hag is Black Annis, who dwells in a Leicestershire hill cave.  She may be identical with the Irish hag Anu, associated with the “Paps of Anu”.  According to Gaelic lore, this wind demon of spring is the “Cailleach” (old wife).  She gives her name in the Highland calendar to the stormy period of late spring; she raises gale after gale to prevent the coming of summer.  Angerboda, the Icelandic hag, is also a storm demon, but represents the east wind.  A Tyrolese folk tale tells of three magic maidens who dwelt on Jochgrimm mountain, where they “brewed the winds”.  Their demon lovers were Ecke, “he who causes fear”; Vasolt, “he who causes dismay”; and the scornful Dietrich in his mythical character of Donar or Thunor (Thor), the thunderer.