Did you ever to stop and think about where weather vanes got their origins? Can you believe that historians can actually trace them back to the Vikings? Or the Ancient Greeks? Even George Washington? They all helped the weather vane develop into the decorative and functional items they are today. The actual name comes from the Old English ‘fane’ which means flag. They can be found in the writings of the Mesopotamians who lived on the Mediterranean 3,500 years ago. The Chinese mention simplistic weather vanes that were made with strings tied to poles in order to tell what direction the wind was blowing in.
In their own way, weather vanes contributed to the development of modern day meteorology equipment. They were very heavily relied on in ancient time and their use continued up until more modern equipment took over. Truth be known, modern day farmers still rely on their weather vanes to tell them what the weather is going to do. The need to be precisely balanced in order to work properly and one half of the weather vane must have more area then the other so that the wind can work against it to spin it in the right direction.
The bronze image of the Greek God Triton that stood on top of the Tower of Winds in Athens around 48 BC had long been considered the first real weather vane. Archaeological digs have discovered evidence that weather vanes adorned quite a few homes and buildings in Ancient Greece and Rome. A rider on a copper horse weather vane was actually discovered in Constantinople. Even the Vikings of the 9th Century AD used weather vanes, replacing the flags on their ships with quadrant-shaped pieces of metal shaped like a figure from Norse mythology.
The typical depiction of the rooster weather vane came from an edict handed down by Rome stating that all church buildings would sport one in remembrance of Christ’s betrayal by Peter. When added to the directional markers to let everyone know which way the wind was blowing, the modern day weather vane was born.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, the weather vanes become more unique as wrought iron one was created in shapes that included mythical creatures and other animals. This is a clear Victorian tradition that came over to the United States with the people who immigrated here. Many of the weather vanes that can be seen on old building in America today probably date back to the 1700’s settlers. Both President’s George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had weather vanes on the buildings of their homes.
Hand shaped weather vanes can still be purchased today at many different stores and even online through a variety of websites. Although they are not relied on as heavily to predict the weather as they once were, they are still a beautiful addition to any farm or community building and can add an interesting conversational piece for anyone who happens to walk by it.