The oldest known weather vane was built by the astronomer Andronicus in 48 B.C. to top the Tower of Winds in Athens. It depicted the Greek god Triton and was a bronze figure with a man's head and torso and the tail of a fish. Estimates are that it was about eight feet long. In fact, wind vanes are often much larger than they appear to us standing on the ground, since to be effective they should be placed on the highest point in the area, and still be easily visible at ground level.
Archaeologists have uncovered Viking wind vanes with an unusual quadrant shape, topped by either an animal or a figure from Norse fables. These ninth century A.D. weather vanes were used on Viking ships and later topped Scandinavian churches.
Around the same time, the Pope decreed that the churches of Europe should show a cockerel on every dome or steeple, as a reminder of the prophecy that the rooster would not crow on the morning after the last supper, until Peter had denounced Jesus three times. Many churches in Europe and America still have a rooster wind vane atop the steeple.
In Medieval times, special banners, called fanes in Anglo-Saxon, flew from the towers of castles, on poles specially balanced to turn with the wind. The cloth banners had to be renewed frequently and were eventually replaced with metal 'fanes' decorated with the lord of the castle's coat of arms.
The long tradition of American wind vanes started with Deacon Shem Drowne who created the famous grasshopper vane atop Boston's Faneuil Hall, among others. Thomas Jefferson had a unique wind vane at Monticello, it was attached to a pointer INSIDE the room directly below so that he could read the weather from the comfort of his study.
Liberty personified, the American Eagle and running horses were the enduring American favorites up until Victorian times. Then, the love of ornament and desire for the unusual led to a wide variety of wind vane figures, including some with elaborate sporting scenes.
Contemporary wind vanes depict wildlife, sailing ships, lighthouses, sports, hobbies, mythical creatures, and motorcycles, as well as recreations of traditional themes.