A weather vane - a simple roof decoration or valuable
weather forecasting tool?
What is a weather vane? The answer is blowing in the
wind!
Weather Vane Rooster Gets The Wind Up by:
Mick Burrows
Unless you actually possess one, a weather vane is something that many
of us see most days but don’t necessarily take much notice of. We all go
about our business and probably take for granted the weather vanes that
are situated all around us; perhaps at work or in our own neighbourhood
- possibly even next door.
The weather vane comes in all shapes and sizes
and can be found in any manner of places, most commonly upon rooftops.
They usually are made of either copper or aluminium and can represent
anything from mythical creatures to household animals - for example:
gargoyles; angels; dragons, geese, eagles, herons, humming birds, dogs,
cows, bears, prancing horses and possibly the most familiar of all - the
rooster! The rooster became an immortalised sculpture upon the tops of
domes in all the world of Christendom, when the pope proclaimed that in
honour of the apostle Peter, each church should have a rooster on the
rooftops as weathervanes, to act as a constant reminder to followers of
peace and harmony, like that of times gone by.
Rooftop mounted wrought
iron weather vanes bring about the feeling of old world charm that can be
imparted onto a house, garage or barn. By definition weather vanes, or
weathercocks as they are also called, are figures that turns freely on a
vertical rod and by virtue of their design, always points into the wind.
Stated another way, the wind always comes from the direction in which
the weathervane points. For centuries mankind has realised that wind
direction was is the near certain indicator of weather patterns and
farmers relied heavily on the object stuck up on their outhouse roof.
Their livelihoods were often driven by the information ascertained from
the weathervane.
As years have passed, the creative art form has become
as important as the functionality. For this reason weathervane
sculptures are now highly sought after, with many fetching great sums of
money; often as much as five figures!
About The Author
Mick Burrows writes for
www.weathervane-or-shine.com come home
to roost at this site and find out more about weathervanes!
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