Vayu was the Vedic wind god.
He fought alongside Indra and the Maruts (gods of storm) in defeating Vritra, the storm demon who held back the celestial waters. He was a charioteer of enormous power. Vayu would be connected in the Upanishads with breath of life (prana). By the time of the Puranas, however, Vayu was reduced to one of the eight Dikpalakas (guardians of the directions) of the universe.