Grecian Vapor

The ancient greeks thought they had seen the goddess Aphrodite rise out of the sea foam (Aphros). Johannes Walther, professor of Geology & Paleontology of Halle University, Saxony, tells of having seen a visible phenomenon off the coast of Greece that might well have seemed a sea-rising Aphrodite to an unscientific eye. Writing lately in the scientific magazine Forschungen und Fortschritte, he described a day in Grecian waters when a snowstorm was gathering and the waves were high. As cold air struck the warm water, columns of white vapor rose from the sea. They were held suspended for a moment, then whirled, dissolving away. Professor Walther thought they resembled "feminine figures dancing in filmy draperies."

According to ancient Greek legend, Aphrodite is remembered as having risen naked from the sea, not in draperies. Also, she was a goddess of fair weather, "giver of prosperous voyages," would not likely have been born in a blizzard.

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