It’s fun to concentrate on
looking up for a while, just trying to spot something different...and today’s
subject is wind vanes!
Wind vanes (or weather
vanes, or weathercocks) have a long history. Apparently, the earliest recorded
wind vane was built by an astronomer, Andronicus, and placed on the Tower of
Winds in Athens around 50 B.C.
Have you ever wondered
why the image of a cockerel (weather ‘cock’) is often placed at the top, to show the
wind direction?
Here’s a clue: ‘The
Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered
the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.”’ (Luke: 22:61, NRSV)
The story is
that in the ninth century a Pope decreed that every church should show a cock
on its steeple to remind people of Jesus’ prophesy that the cock would not crow
until Peter had denied Him three times. Over
time, the cock was integrated into the wind vane. Even the 11th century Bayeux
Tapestry shows a scene of a man attaching a rooster vane to the spire of Westminster
Abbey.
These wind vanes are from private buildings
in Hove. It’s great to see them instead of the ubiquitous TV aerials
or Sky dishes!
No comments:
Post a Comment