| The weathervane is most often thought of as a | | | | made by hand. The hands of a metalworker are |
| metal rooster on the top of a barn that | | | | usually course and calloused, from the fires |
| points in the direction of the blowing wind. | | | | and hot coals of the blowing forge. Billows |
| That is a weathervane point in the direction | | | | would be used to heat the raw material |
| of the origin of the wind. A compass rose is | | | | (bronze, copper, iron, steal, silver, gold) |
| fixed below the rooster and points in the | | | | or any combination of raw materials until |
| direction of the eight cardinal points of the | | | | such time as the forge was no longer |
| earth. North, South, East, West and the four | | | | necessary. But till this very day, the forge |
| in betweens. Once long ago, it was believed | | | | and anvil are used by blacksmiths to mold and |
| that the winds were gods and in that ancient | | | | carve the general shape and desired balance |
| time, flags were used to tell archers the | | | | of a weathervane. |
| direction of the going wind. Aiming against | | | | |
| the wind in archery and in favor of the wind | | | | Sculpting a weathervane however once shaped, |
| in sailing are important things for | | | | can be one of the most detailed and subtly |
| civilizations at their birth. | | | | elegant aspects of the art. It takes a lot of |
| | | | time and energy to sculpt a piece of solid |
| A genius astronomer and architect from Greece | | | | metal into a detailed figure, and unless a |
| built the oldest weathervane from those myths | | | | smith has these skills, she or he will spend |
| and legends, to immortalize them in stone and | | | | great portions of their time on it. Metal |
| bronze. That was more than 2000 years ago, | | | | sculpting in fine detailed chiseling work is |
| but just a little over a thousand years ago, | | | | restricted to only a precious few, and those |
| the rooster became an immortalized sculpture | | | | in America that do so are slowly |
| upon the tops of domes and cupolas in all the | | | | disappearing. One of the greatest |
| world of Christendom, when the pope | | | | metalworking artesian of the 20th century |
| proclaimed that in honor of the apostle | | | | said on many occasions before departing from |
| Peter, each church should have a rooster | | | | this world; Mine is the art of the dinosaur, |
| weathervane to remind followers. In Luke | | | | I will not have my son learn it. Grizzly Lee |
| 22:34 at the last supper, Christ prophecies | | | | Burton in Portland, Oregon Highland Games, |
| that Peter will deny he is a follower or even | | | | while forging a Scottish sword. |
| knows who Jesus is exactly three times before | | | | |
| the rooster will crow, and as he denies for | | | | The weathervane for this reason is a prize |
| the third time that night, the rooster crows. | | | | possession. The weathervane is a possession |
| The Holy Roman Empire of the church passed | | | | crafted by the human hand with emotion. |
| this legacy onward and influenced culture the | | | | Weathervanes are symbolic of a time when |
| world over. Even the metal working Vikings | | | | things were simpler and far less stressful |
| would craft weathervanes of roosters, both | | | | than they have become in the 21st century. |
| for spiritual as well as artistic reasons. | | | | The peaceful life on a farm seems to make |
| | | | life slow down somewhat. Even though time |
| Ever since the very first Merman Warrior | | | | still passes, the sun rises and sets, the |
| weathervane known as a Triton. The careful | | | | rooster is immortalized upon the roof tops of |
| melting down or softening of different metals | | | | churches, barns and homes as a reminder of |
| kept at constant temperatures while mixed | | | | peace and harmony, like that of times gone |
| with other elements, pounded, sculpted into | | | | by. |
| weapons and crafted. Weathervanes have been | | | | |