Read an extract from Wind Atlas
It’s time to get swept up by the power of the wind!
Read an excerpt from Wind Atlas written by Sarah Zambello and illustrated by Susy Zanella.
Since ancient times, the wind has made its presence felt in myths and omens. Because it moved so swiftly, people compared it to an invisible messenger, and because it kept changing, they gave it many different names to match every shade of its mood.
The wind can be both constructive and destructive. It can lift a kite playfully or split a cargo ship apart, carry a seed for hundreds of kilometres or become a poetic metaphor. A breath of air that flows with life and energy.
In Greek mythology, the god Aeolus ruled the winds of the Mediterranean Sea. He kept them in a leather bag, which he gave to the hero Ulysses to help him steer his ship safely back to Ithaca. But while Ulysses was sleeping, his companions opened the bag and all the winds escaped: they blew out into the air and over the sea, taking the sailors' hopes of return with them ...
In those days long ago, there was nothing more mysterious than the wind. It couldn’t be seen, although its impact was obvious. It was difficult to measure, unpredictable and dangerous.
But in modern times, advances in meteorology (the science of the weather) began to reveal the wind’s secrets: more and more sophisticated technical instruments have helped us to measure and classify winds, so now we can understand what makes the air above our heads move in so many different ways.
Read more in the latest addition to the Weather Atlas series, Wind Atlas.
