In light of the above, is it or is it not a coincidence that on the east coast of Asia, the same type of huge, violent storm is probably also named after a supernatural being? To the ancient Greeks, Typhon was a monster who roared out flames and smoke (lightning and thunder). When Typhon and other destructive giants were buried under Sicily’s Mt. Etna by the gods, their struggles to escape produced earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The name of Typhon appears to have spread eastward as far as Asia, giving us the name of the fearsome Pacific typhoon. As for the two other well-known types of circular wind storm, the cyclone comes from the Greek kyklos (circle), while tornado was originally the Spanish word tronada (thunderstorm). Whether it’s a hurricane, typhoon, cyclone or tornado, better plan to stay out of it.
