InGreek and Roman mythology, Iapyx (from Greek Ἰάπυξ, gen.: Ἰάπυγος), IapuxorIapis was a favorite of Apollo. The god wanted to confer upon him the gift of prophecy, the lyre, etc.; but Iapyx, wishing to prolong the life of his father, preferred the more tranquil art of healing to all the others.
Virgil's Aeneid (XII: 391–402) relates that Iapyx was Aeneas's healer during the Trojan War and then escaped to Italy after the war, founding Apulia.
His descent is unclear. He was either:
Iapyx is also the name of a minor Greek wind god, the north-west or west-north-west wind. Virgil relates this Iapyx to the wind that carried the fleeing Cleopatra home to Egypt after her loss at the battle of Actium.[5] Horace[6] prays that Iapyx may safely carry his friend Virgil's ship to Greece.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Schmitz, Leonhard (1870). "Iapis". In Smith, William (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 2. p. 550.
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