The human and the wind
The wind was there long before we arrived and, together with water and other forces of nature, shaped the landscape where you now find yourself in. Our ancestors first settled in the area we later came to call Doggerland 6, guided by the wind. Here, Neanderthals lived in a low-lying landscape of forests, wetlands and lakes. Back then, some 300,000 years ago, the North Sea was still largely dry. The wind had free rein here and blew sand further inland, slowly laying the foundation for our current sandy plains and beaches.9 After the last ice age, the water level rose due to a global warming, and the North Sea was formed. It was during this period that the wind we know today began to shape our landscape. During the Holocene (beginning around 9000 BCE), wind and water began to shape the landscape together, resulting in the formation of the well-known sandy coasts.9 The people who lived in this landscape had a mythical relationship with the forces of nature.8 Prayers, offerings, and rituals were used to keep the nature gods in good favor. At that time, forms of what we now call animism were practiced. This belief system held that the forces of nature were conscious and possessed their own will. The uncontrollability and unpredictability of these elements were deeply rooted in their philosophy. At that time, the wind was not explained as an objective natural phenomenon but was interpreted in the form of spirits and gods with their own habits. This allowed meaningful connections to develop between humans and their environment. With the rise of agriculture, beginning around 5000 BCE, humans began to alter the landscape more and more. Forests gave way to fields and pastures.9 At the same time, this allowed the wind to regain free rein. As the hunter-gatherer way of life gave way to an agricultural society, we became more dependent on local weather conditions for good harvests. It is likely that nature gods symbolizing fertility, characterized by good weather, were also worshipped during this period. It is likely that during this period we also began using the wind as a power source for transportation.29 This developed across multiple cultures to such an degree that, by around 3000 BCE, larger sailing ships with paddle rigs existed along the entire Atlantic coast. From Norway and Sweden, Norse and Germanic culture was rapidly spread by the Vikings. The wind helped to accelerate the spread of stories, myths, and beliefs. Influences included, for example, the Norse and Germanic myths about Njord 10, the god of wind, sea, and seafaring. A god who was unaware of evil. Njord was a wealthy man who could grant favors or land and come to the aid of seafarers or fishermen. The Romans also brought with them the cardinal wind directions, which originated in Greek culture. These four or eight wind directions can be found independently in all sorts of different cultures. The Romans introduced the Venti, which were derived from the Greek Anemoi. These were four brothers: Boreas, Notus, Euros, and Zephyrus, who were guarded by the god Aeolus. Boreas, the personification of the north wind, was said to bring favorable winds to sailors, though he could also bring winter. Boreas is often paired with Zephyrus, or “Zefier” in Dutch. "Zefier" is associated with a favorable westerly wind. This wind is ideal for Dutch water transport because it fills the sails of smaller ships well when blowing from the west, which could bring prosperity. The four or eight cardinal wind directions are found in (indigenous) cultures almost everywhere in the world. The characteristics of the personifications of these wind directions vary from one culture to another because the conditions that create them depend on the location. These personifications served as a tool for understanding the wind and the weather it brought. This tradition persisted longer in Christian culture in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages, where they were depicted as angels steering the wind with horns. The four archangels Uriel (north wind), Michael (south wind), Raphael (east wind), and Gabriel (west wind) are a good example of this.