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Weather has always held a fascination throughout human history. People need to know the weather to plan out their day, but rarely are able to thoroughly understand the different weather conditions. In the time before civilization, people were dependent on the colors of the day sky and the stars and moon of the night sky to judge coming weather events. Today, unless in an open area, the lights of the city thwart our vision of the stars, the brightness of the moon and the color of the dawn.
To our ancestors, the world and the weather was full of magic and mysticism. The phenomena of nNature held a fascination that could rarely be rivaled. The coming of rain and snow determined the growth of crops and feed for farmers. Hail storms could wipe out entire crops and heavy rains could flood farmland for miles. The weather was mysterious and all powerful.
In addition to the precipitation, there are the winds. They can come from the four directions of North, South, East and West. For most of us, we just notice if a day is windy or not, never realizing the direction the wind is blowing if only to avoid a hat from blowing off or our hair from flying into our faces. To our ancestors, wind was sometimes a demon, rising suddenly and fiercely, carrying off homes, destroying lives and leaving destruction in its path. Winds could occur with water spouts which would leave frogs or fish afterwards. Not only were these events beyond the control of primitive man, but also beyond his understanding.
Ancient humans saw frogs and fish from a water spout as warnings from the Gods. Dust storms were home to dangerous spirits and hot burning sand. Wind was not only powerful, but unpredictable, changing directions and speed randomly, reflecting anger or the displeasure of the early Gods.
Lightning was also unpredictable and very powerful. To some, lightening was a thunderbolt being cast down by the Gods, a symbol of destruction. However, there were some who saw lightning bolts as a way a soul could be set free and reborn. Many ancients relied on weather watchers to warn them of upcoming events and catastrophes, based on their beliefs of the Gods and what was known of the unpredictability of the weather.
The greatest of these divine weather watchers of ancient times were the Etruscans from Northern Italy. They were diviners who, from the state of the sky and weather conditions, could cast prophecies. The sooth sayers would sit upon a high mountain, near a magical oak tree, with a clear view of the sky and cast predictions based on the temperature, wind, bird flight patterns and the color of the horizon. They were called upon by early governments and the upper class to help in many important and financial decisions. The slight change of the wind direction, or a back to back clap of thunder with lightning could all predict disaster, or good fortune, depending on the way the diviners saw things.
Many people can look at the sky and ‘predict’ weather for the next day. But not everyone can look at many nights of skies and predict the crops or population of the coming year. Shaman were one such group of sky watchers who could make accurate predictions of weather, helping their tribes to survive.
Magicians of Northern Europe claimed magical power over the winds. They would ‘capture’ the winds in bags and tie them with ropes. They could control the winds depending on the tightness of the ropes, the number of knots and the way in which the bag was tied. This power might be used for evil or for good, since the power was said to be that of inducing the wind to do as the magician bid. Thus he could bring forth great destruction or take the winds away.
Early and primitive meteorologists used the position of stars and planets to determine the season and aid in predicting weather patterns. Individual Gods were associated with specific weather patterns, events and conditions. Offerings were given to the Gods in the hopes of appeasing them and having favorable weather which could directly affect the economy and class of living for an entire village.
In modern times, there are sophisticated computers to aid in the prediction of weather. We are able to know the weather for the next week, predict the type of winter and summer and know when a drought or flood could occur, yet we cannot control the Mother Nature. The weather magicians of the past have shown us what to look for without the radar.
Though the art of weather magic is practiced in remote areas, the concept is still prevalent into our modern times and cities. Watching the skies for the clouds, looking at the color of the setting sun and feeling the wind and moisture in the air are things we do almost subconsciously. We may not be weather magicians or Shaman, but we are the modern version of that primitive meteorologist.
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