View source for Weather vane

{{Short description|Meteorological instrumentation used for showing the direction of the wind}}
{{Redirect|Weathercock|what is commonly referred to as a "weathercock" in the U.S. and Canada|Windpump}}
{{for|similar terms|Weathervanes (disambiguation){{!}}Weathervanes}}
{{wikt | weather vane}}

A '''wind vane''', '''weather vane''', or '''weathercock''' is an [[list of weather instruments|instrument]] used for showing the [[wind direction|direction]] of the [[wind]]. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the [[Old English]] word {{lang|ang|fana}}, meaning "flag".
[[File:Wind vane 05643.jpg|thumb|A cockerel is a traditional figure used as a vane  placed on top of the cardinal directions.]]
Although partly functional, wind vanes are generally decorative, often featuring the traditional [[chicken|cockerel]] design with letters indicating the [[points of the compass]]. Other common motifs include ships, arrows, and horses. Not all wind vanes have pointers. In a sufficiently strong wind, the head of the arrow or cockerel (or equivalent) will indicate the direction from which the wind is blowing.

Wind vanes are also found on small [[wind turbines]] to keep the wind turbine pointing into the wind.

==History==
[[File:Romney Ryan RALLY Iin Michigan (7854972358).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Wind vanes feature on small horizontal-axis wind turbines]]

The oldest known textual references to weather vanes date from 1800-1600 BCE Babylon, where a [[fable]] called ''The Fable of the Willow'' describes people looking at a weather vane "for the direction of the wind."<ref>Neumann J. and Parpola, S. (1989), "Wind Vanes in Ancient Mesopotamia, About 2000-1500BC," ''Bulleting of the American Meteorological Society'', vol. 64, No. 10</ref> In China, the ''[[Huainanzi]]'', dating from around 139 BC, mentions a thread or streamer that another commentator interprets as "wind-observing fan" ({{transliteration|zh|hou feng shin}}, {{lang|zh-Hant-TW|侯風扇}}).<ref name="Needham"/>

The [[Tower of the Winds]] in the ''[[agora]]'' in Hellenistic [[Athens]] once bore on its roof a weather vane in the form of a bronze [[Triton (mythology) |Triton]] holding a rod in his outstretched hand, rotating as the wind changed direction. Below this a [[frieze]] depicted the eight Greek [[wind gods | wind deities]]. The eight-metre-high structure also featured [[sundial]]s, and a [[water clock]] inside. It dated from around 50 BC.<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Noble |first1= Joseph V. |last2= Price  |first2= Derek J. de Solla |author-link2= Derek J. de Solla Price |date= October 1968 |title= The Water Clock in the Tower of the Winds |journal= American Journal of Archaeology |volume= 72 |issue= 4 |pages= 345–355 (353) |doi= 10.2307/503828 |jstor= 503828|s2cid= 193112893 }}</ref>

Military documents from the [[Three Kingdoms]] period of China (220–280 AD) refer to the weather vane as "five ounces" ({{transliteration|zh|wu liang}}, {{lang|zh-Hant-TW|五兩}}), named after the weight of its materials.<ref name="Needham">{{Citation |last1= Needham |first1= Joseph|last2= Ling|first2= Wang|volume= 3|title= Science and Civilisation in China: Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page= 478|year= 1959}}</ref> By the third century, Chinese weather vanes were shaped like birds and took the name of "wind-indicating bird" ({{transliteration|zh|[[Xiangfeng wu|xiang feng wu]]}}, {{lang|zh-Hant-TW|相風烏}}). The {{transliteration|zh|Sanfu huangtu}} ({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|三輔黃圖}}), a third-century book written by Miao Changyan about the palaces at [[Chang'an]], describes a bird-shaped weather vane situated on a tower roof.<ref name="Needham"/>

The oldest surviving weather vane with the shape of a rooster is the ''Gallo di Ramperto'', made in 820 and now preserved in the [[Museo di Santa Giulia]] in [[Brescia]], [[Lombardy]].<ref>Rossana Prestini, ''Vicende faustiniane'', in AA.VV.,''La chiesa e il monastero benedettino di San Faustino Maggiore in Brescia'', Gruppo Banca Lombarda, La Scuola, Brescia 1999, p. 243</ref><ref>Fedele Savio, ''Gli antichi vescovi d'Italia. La Lombardia'', Bergamo 1929, p.  hi 188</ref>
[[File:Cowls and windVanes of Glottenham Oast - geograph.org.uk - 3487216.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Oast house|Oast houses]] have wind-steered vanes to ensure a controlled draught of air flows through the building.]]

[[Pope Leo IV]] (in office 847 to 855) had a weathercock placed on the [[Old St. Peter's Basilica]] or old [[Constantine I|Constantinian]] basilica.<ref>ST PETER'S BASILICA.ORG - Providing information on St. Peter's Basilica
and Square in the Vatican City - The Treasury Museum [http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Interior/Sacristy-Treasury/Items/Museum-8.htm]</ref>

[[Pope Gregory I]] (in office 590 to 604) regarded the cockerel as "the most suitable emblem of Christianity", being the emblem of [[Saint Peter]] (a reference to [[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#22:34|Luke 22:34]] in which [[Jesus]] predicts that Peter will deny him three times before the rooster crows).<ref name=Forlong>[http://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=Forlong+%22emblem+of+St+Peter%22 John G. R. Forlong, ''Encyclopedia of Religions'': A-d - Page 471]</ref><ref name="Antiquary">{{cite book|author1= Edward Walford|author2= George Latimer Apperson|title=The Antiquary: A Magazine Devoted to the Study of the Past|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=jeAmWNkmpHUC&pg=PA202|volume= 17|year= 1888|publisher= E. Stock|page= 202}}</ref>

As a result of this,<ref name=Forlong/> rooster representations gradually came into use as a weather vanes on church steeples, and in the ninth century [[Pope Nicholas I]]<ref name="smithsonianmag.com">{{cite magazine |author= Jerry Adler |author2= Andrew Lawler |date= June 2012 |title= How the Chicken Conquered the World |url= http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-chicken-conquered-the-world-87583657/?no-ist= |magazine= Smithsonian}}</ref> (in office 858 to 867) ordered the figure to be placed on every church steeple.<ref>{{cite book|title= Bulletin of the Pennsylvania Museum|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=0HIEAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA14 |volume= 1–5|year= 1906|publisher= Pennsylvania Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art|page=14}}</ref>

The [[Bayeux Tapestry]] of the 1070s depicts a man installing a [[rooster|weathercock]] on [[Westminster Abbey]].

One alternative theory about the origin of weathercocks on church steeples sees them as emblems of the vigilance of the clergy calling the people to prayer.<ref>[http://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=Forster+Circle+%22devised+as+an+emblem%22 Thomas Ignatius M. Forster, ''Circle of the Seasons'', p. 18]</ref>
[[File:Windrichtungsgeber.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A modern scientific weathervane gives the direction of the wind as an electrical signal.]]
Another theory says that the weathercock was not a Christian symbol<ref>[http://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=William+White+%22steeples+may+possibly%22 William White, ''Notes and Queries'']</ref> but an emblem of the sun<ref>[http://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=Jennings+%22innumerable+weathercocks%22 Hargrave Jennings, ''Phallicism'', p. 72]</ref> derived from the Goths.<ref>[http://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=Shepard+Walsh+%22derived+from+the+Goths%22 William Shepard Walsh, ''A Handy Book of Curious Information'']</ref>

A few churches used weather vanes in the shape of the [[Saint symbolism | emblems]] of their patron saints. The [[City of London]] has two surviving examples. The weather vane of [[St Peter upon Cornhill]] is not in the shape of a rooster, but of a [[Keys of Saint Peter | key]];<ref>{{cite web|url= https://historylondon.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/vanity-and-wind/|title= History of London: Vanity and Wind|publisher= Wordpress|access-date= 1 June 2016|archive-date= 13 October 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161013031020/https://historylondon.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/vanity-and-wind/|url-status=dead}}</ref> while [[St Lawrence Jewry]]'s weather vane has the form of a [[Gridiron (cooking) | gridiron]] (symbolising [[Saint Lawrence]]).<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.stlawrencejewry.org.uk/photos.php?pgid=2&photoid=1278087163|title= Our Weather Vane|publisher= St Lawrence Jewry|access-date= 1 June 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Dragon weather vane by Dorothy Hay Jensen 1943.8.8070.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Dragon weather vane from the Index to American Design, National Gallery of Art.]]
Early weather-vanes had very ornamental pointers, but modern weather-vanes usually feature simple arrows that dispense with the directionals because the instrument is connected to a remote reading station. An early example of this was installed in the Royal Navy's [[Admiralty buildings | Admiralty]] building in London – the vane on the roof was mechanically linked to a large dial in the boardroom so senior officers were always aware of the wind direction when they met.

Modern ''[[aerovane]]s'' combine the directional vane with an [[anemometer]] (a device for measuring the speed of the wind). Co-locating both instruments allows them to use the same axis (a vertical rod) and provides a coordinated readout.

==World's largest weather vane==
According to the [[Guinness World Records]], the [[world's largest weather vane]] is a [[Tío Pepe]] [[sherry]] advertisement located in [[Jerez de la Frontera|Jerez]], Spain. The city of [[Montague, Michigan]] also claims to have the largest standard-design weather vane, being a ship and arrow which measures {{convert|48|ft|m}} tall, with an arrow {{convert|26|ft|m}} long.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.michigan.org/Property/Detail.aspx?p=G4884|title=The World's Largest Weather Vane - Ella Ellenwood|access-date=2010-06-01|archive-date=2012-02-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229194424/http://www.michigan.org/Property/Detail.aspx?p=G4884|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A challenger for the title of the world's largest weather vane is located in [[Whitehorse, Yukon]] in Canada. The weather vane is a retired [[Douglas DC-3]] CF-CPY atop a swiveling support. Located at the Yukon Transportation Museum<ref>[http://www.goytm.ca goytm.ca]</ref> beside [[Whitehorse International Airport]], the weather vane is used by pilots to determine wind direction, used as a landmark by tourists and enjoyed by locals. The weather vane only requires a 5 knot wind to rotate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.explorenorth.com/library/aviation/cf-cpy.html |title=DC-3 CF-CPY: The World's Largest Weather Vane - ExploreNorth |publisher=ExploreNorth |access-date=2010-02-13}}</ref>

A challenger for the world's tallest weather vane{{cn|date=March 2023}} is located in [[Westlock]], [[Alberta]].  The classic weather vane that reaches to {{convert|50|ft|m}} is topped by a 1942 Case Model D Tractor.  This landmark is located at the Canadian Tractor Museum.

==Slang term==
The term "weather vane" is also a [[slang word]] for a politician who has frequent changes of opinion. The [[National Assembly of Quebec]] has banned the use of this slang term as an insult after its use by members of the legislature.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=71265&in_page_id=2 |title=Quebec bans 'weathervane' insult |date=2007-10-17 |work=Metro |access-date=2019-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023173914/https://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=71265&in_page_id=2 |archive-date=2007-10-23}}</ref>

==Literary references==
* A copper-plated antique weathervane is the subject of the mystery in the children's book/Young Adult book entitled "The Mystery of the Phantom Grasshopper" (Trixie Belden series #18) by Kathryn Kenny, 1977. ISBN 0-307-21589-X. Paperback.

==Gallery==

{{Gallery
|title=Weather vanes
|width=160 | height=170
|align=center
|Museo di Santa Giulia gallo segnavento Brescia.jpg
|The [[Gallo di Ramperto]], [[Museo di Santa Giulia]] in [[Brescia]] (Italy), the oldest surviving weather vane in the shape of a rooster in the world
|Cloche cathedrale bourges.JPG
|Weather vane in the shape of a [[pelican]] and bell on the roof of the Cathedral Saint-Étienne of [[Bourges]] (France)
|Girouette-Gibet-Creue-Meuse-2.png
|Creuë gibbet weather vane dating from the 17th century (France)
|VanaToomas.jpg
|Weather vanes on the [[Tallinn Town Hall]], the taller one is the iconic [[Old Thomas]]
|WeatherVane.jpg
|Weather vane with dial, [[New Register House]], Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
|Microcosm of London Plate 003 - Board Room of Admiralty Microcosm edited.jpg
|Admiralty boardroom, 1808; a wind indicator can be seen on the end wall.
|veletaMasGrandeMundoQueFunciona.jpg
|Tío Pepe weather vane in [[Jerez de la Frontera|Jerez]], [[Guinness world record]] of the largest weather vane that works
|Douglas DC3.jpg
|The Douglas DC-3 that now serves as a weather vane at [[Yukon Transportation Museum]] located beside the Whitehorse International Airport.
|Weather-vane-install-boat.jpg
|A "[[jin-pole]]" being used to install a weather vane atop the {{cvt|200|ft|m|order=flip}} steeple of a church in Kingston, New York.
|Chickenvane.jpg
|Weathercock with verdigris patina
|Лаздинай4.jpg
|Huge weather vane in [[Vilnius]] is among the largest in Europe
|Weather vane.ogv
|Weather vane (video)
|22-11-072-weathervane.jpg|[[Whirligig]] weather vane at the [[Minnesota History Center]]
|Weathercock of Former Tohmas House 20110313.jpg
|Weathercock on the {{ill|former Thomas house|ja|神戸市風見鶏の館}}, Kobe, Japan
}}

==See also==
* [[Anemoscope]]
* [[Apparent wind indicator]], in sailing
* [[List of weather instruments]]
* [[Weather station]]
* [[Windsock]], in aviation

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{citation |last1=Bishop |first1=Robert |last2=Coblentz |first2=Patricia |title=A Gallery of American Weather Vanes and Whirligigs |place=New York |publisher=Dutton |year=1981 |isbn=9780525931515 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last=Burnell |first=Marcia |title=Heritage Above: a tribute to Maine's tradition of weather vanes |place=Camden, ME |publisher=Down East Books |year=1991 |isbn=9780892722785 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last1=Crépeau |first1=Pierre |last2=Portelance |first2=Pauline |title=Pointing at the Wind: the weather-vane collection of the Canadian Museum of Civilization |year=1990 |place=Hull, Quebec |publisher=Canadian Museum of Civilization |isbn=9780660129044 |ref=none }}
* {{cite book |last=Fitzgerald |first=Ken |title=Weathervanes & Whirligigs |url=https://archive.org/details/weathervaneswhir00fitz |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=C. N. Potter |year=1967 }}
* {{citation |last=Kaye |first=Myrna |title=Yankee Weathervanes |place=New York |publisher=Dutton |year=1975 |isbn=9780525238591 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last=Klamkin |first=Charles |title=Weather Vanes: The history, design and manufacture of an American folk art |place=New York |publisher=Hawthorn Books |year=1973 |oclc=756017 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |author=Lane Arts Council (Or.) |title=Whirligigs & Weathervanes |publisher=Visual Arts Resources |place=Eugene, OR |year=1994 |oclc=33052846 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last1=Lynch |first1=Kenneth |last2=Crowell |first2=Andrew Durkee |title=Weathervanes |place=Canterbury, CN |publisher=Canterbury Publishing Company |year=1971 |oclc=1945107 |series=Architectural Handbook series |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last=Messent |first=Claude John Wilson |title= The Weather Vanes of Norfolk & Norwich |place=Norwich |publisher=Fletcher & Son Limited |year=1937 |oclc=5318669 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last=Miller |first=Steve |title=The Art of the Weathervane |place=Exton, PA |publisher=Schiffer Pub. |year=1984 |isbn=9780887400056 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last1=Mockridge |first1=Patricia |last2=Mockridge |first2=Philip |title=Weather Vanes of Great Britain |place=London |isbn=9780709037224 |publisher=Hale |year=1990 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last=Needham |first=Albert |title=English Weather Vanes, their stories and legends from medieval to modern times |place=Haywards Heath, Sussex |publisher=C. Clarke |year=1953 |oclc=1472757 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last1=Nesbitt |first1=Ilse Buchert |last2=Nesbitt |first2=Alexander |title=Weathercocks and Weathercreatures; some examples of early American folk art from the collection of the Shelburne Museum, Vermont |year=1970 |place=Newport, RI |publisher=Third & Elm Press |oclc=155708 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last1=Neumann |first1=J. |last2 = Paropla |first2 = S. |title=Wind Vanes in Ancient Mesopotamia, About 2000-1500 B.C. |publisher=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |year=1989 |url=https://www.academia.edu/79699060}}
* {{cite book |last=Pagdin |first=W. E. |title=The Story of the Weather Cock |location=Stockton-on-Tees |publisher=E. Appleby |year=1949 }}
* {{citation |last1=Reaveley |first1=Mabel E. |last2=Kunhardt |first2=Priscilla |title=Weathervane Secrets |place=Dublin, NH |publisher=W. L. Bauhan |year=1984 |isbn=9780872330757 |ref=none }}
* {{citation |last1=Westervelt |first1=A. B. |last2=Westervelt |first2=W. T. |title=American Antique Weather Vanes: The Complete Illustrated Westervelt Catalog of 1883 |year=1982 |place=New York |publisher=Dover |isbn=9780486243962 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3CXyEllQ8VEC |ref=none }}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Weather vanes}}

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[[Category:Ancient inventions]]
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