The name derives from Aeolus, the mythical ancestor of the Aeolians and son of Hellen, In Greek mythology, Aeolus, was the ruler of the winds encountered by Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey. To ensure safe passage home for Odysseus and his men, Aeolus gave Odysseus a bag containing all the winds, except the gentle west wind. And we know what happened ... The Aeolian Company was a musical-instrument making firm whose products included player organs, pianos, sheet music, records and phonographs. Founded in 1887, it was at one point the world's largest such firm.