Why Weathervanes

Throughout time man has used the wind to try and understand the world around him. The direction of the wind often foretold the coming of storms and helped to determine the best time to plant crops. Weathervanes quickly were adopted as a way to decipher the direction of the winds.

Weathervanes, in some form or another, have been in use for thousands of years. There are mentions of weathervane use in early Mesopotamia and China. The first traditional weathervane that is mentioned was placed on the top of the Tower of the Winds in Athens, Greece in 48 BC. The form on the top was of the Greek sea god Triton. He was surrounded by eight lesser wind gods. When Triton’s spear pointed at one of the other figures, it was said that god controlled the weather at that time.

Weathervanes must be placed on the highest point of a tall building, preferably the tallest building around, so that they can show the direction of the wind without the surrounding buildings affecting the wind current. As churches were often the highest building in small communities, if became common for weathervanes to be placed atop churches where they could be seen and used by the whole community. In the 9th century A.D., the pope proclaimed that a rooster should be placed at the top of every church steeple to remind all that they should not deny Christ as Peter did. The weathervanes were combined with the rooster form and thus we have the traditional rooster weathervane.

Although the lay person no longer need rely on reading the wind for weather prediction, weathervanes still remain popular for decoration. Perhaps it is a reminder of simpler lifestyle and a link to the past.