A weather vane, also known as an anemoscope, is a device that shows the direction of the wind near the ground. It can be in the form of a figurine indicating the activity of the building on which it is installed, or it can depict an animal. Roosters became the most popular among the "animal" subjects.
Weather vane as a meteorological instrument
A weather vane consists of three main parts: a rack on which it is attached to the roof of a house, a wind rose and a weather vane, that is, a part that rotates.
The sensitivity of the device depends on its mass and on the friction in the support. Most weather vane has plumage. It is balanced by a counterbalance arrow. The direction of the wind is determined by the direction of the weather vane. It should not be forgotten that the arrow of the weather vane points exactly in the direction from which the wind is blowing.
There is a type of weather vane called a windsock. This device does not have directional indicators, which makes it somewhat difficult to correctly determine the direction of the wind.
Weather vane is still used by modern meteorological and aeronautical services. But these applications use more sophisticated and electronically controlled models.
The most popular figurine is the rooster
It is not known for certain when the weather vane was invented. The oldest specimen known to historians was located in Athens on the Tower of the Winds. Presumably it was made in 48 BC and represented the god Triton. Since then, weathercocks have had a symbolic meaning.
Great importance was attached to the shape of the weather vane, because people believed that the weather vane was a talisman that protected the house from trouble. For example, in Europe it was believed that figurines of witches and cats ward off misfortunes, and a rooster on the roof of a house would warn the owner of an impending disaster.
Throughout history, the cockerel has become the most popular decoration for a weather vane. And not only in Europe. In particular, in English, the weather vane is called "weather cock", which literally translates as "weather cock".
Even in pagan times, he personified life force. In addition, many fairy tales say that the crowing of a rooster drives away evil spirits and marks the arrival of a new day.
In ancient Persia, the rooster was considered a magical creature. He was the symbol and embodiment of vigilance. This bird cannot be taken by surprise, he is on duty around the clock. According to legend, the rooster protects even from fire and thieves.
And in Christianity, the rooster is the emblem of St. Peter. According to the Bible, the apostle Peter denied Christ three times before the cock crowed twice. And in the middle of the 9th century, the Pope signed a decree according to which the spire of each church was crowned with a figurine of a rooster, so that Christians would not forget about this renunciation.
According to another version, this was done in order to remind once again that "the church of God is watching over the souls of believers."
