There is no wind. It is the movement of air. But for humans, wind has always been alive. It blows, howls, whistles, whispers. It brings rain or drought, destroys houses or fills sails. In culture, art, and language, wind is a symbol of change, freedom, and elusiveness. It is invisible, but its presence is felt. We tell you how wind has inspired people for millennia.

Wind in mythology and religion

In ancient Greece, the gods of the winds were ruled by Aeolus. He held them in a sack, as in "The Odyssey": Odysseus's companions opened the sack, released the storms, and the ships were scattered. The four main winds: Boreas (north), Notus (south), Zephyrus (west, warm), Eurus (east). They were depicted as winged men with puffed cheeks.

In Scandinavian mythology, the wind was created by an eagle sitting on the top of the world tree Yggdrasil. In Hinduism, the god Vayu (wind, breath of life). In Christianity, wind is the symbol of the Holy Spirit ("breath"). In Islam, winds are signs of Allah.

Among the Slavs, Stribog ruled the winds. Mariners and farmers prayed to him (so that the wind would not break the crops). In Russian fairy tales, the wind helps the heroes: "Go there, I don't know where, bring me what I don't know" — there the wind carries the hero.

Wind has always been a symbol of power that cannot be controlled. It was worshipped and feared.

Wind in painting

It is difficult to depict wind on a canvas. Artists show its consequences: bending trees, flying hair, sails, and surging water. A classic example is Ivan Aivazovsky's "The Ninth Wave" (1850). Wind and waves, a ship on the brink of destruction. Here, wind is an enemy.

Vincent van Gogh, "Starry Night" (1889). The sky whirls like a whirlwind. This is wind — invisible, but creating movement. "Wheat Field with Cypress Trees" — wind bends the grass.

William Turner, "Snow Storm" (1842). Wind and snow mix in chaos. Turner said that he was tied to the mast of a ship to feel the storm.

Russian artists: Ivan Levitan, "Windy Day" (1890) — birches bend, the river is rough. Konstantin Kuindzhi, "Night on the Dnieper" — the wind is almost imperceptible, but the moon hides behind the clouds — a hint.

Contemporary artists: Jan Fabre (Belgium) paints "Wind Paintings" — canvas on which the wind itself applies the paint.

Wind in literature

Wind is a favorite image of poets. Pushkin: "Wind, wind! You are mighty, you drive flocks of clouds..." ("The Tale of the Dead Tsarina"). Lermontov: "A solitary sail" — wind as a symbol of freedom and loneliness.

Blok: "Wind brought it from afar" — wind as a herald. Yesenin: "I don't regret, I don't call, I don't cry" — there the wind is "golden leaves". Mandelstam: "Wind blows from the sea and over the sea."

Prose: "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell — wind as a symbol of the destruction of the old order. "The Lord of the Rings" by Tolkien — wind drives away the clouds before the battle. "The Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov — wind accompanies Woland.

Eastern poetry: Omar Khayyam's wind is a symbol of the fleetingness of life. Rumi's wind is love that penetrates the heart.

Wind in literature is always a mood, a transition, a sign.

Wind in music

Composers imitated the wind. Vivaldi, "The Four Seasons" ("Summer") — presto: wind, storm. Beethoven, "Pastoral Symphony" — 4th movement ("Storm"). Wagner, "Flight of the Valkyries" — music of wind and wild gallop.

Chopin, "Etude No. 1" in D major — "Winter Wind" (not an author's title, but accurate). With Rachmaninoff, "Etudes-Tableaux" — wind as a force of nature.

20th-century songs: "Wind of Change" (Dmitry Malykov), "Wind from the Sea" (Natali), "Wind Knows" (Bi-2). Rock: "Wind of Change" (Scorpions) — an anthem of change. "Blowin' in the Wind" (Bob Dylan) — a philosophical song where wind is the answer to questions.

In music, wind is often depicted by flutes (whistling), strings (tremolo), and percussion (building up).

Wind in language: proverbs and idioms

"Hold your nose to the wind" — adapt. "Wind in the head" — a trivial person. "Throw words in the wind" — talking without result. "What wind brought you here?" — a question about an unexpected appearance. "Wind of change" — changes. "The wind whistles in the pockets" — no money.

Proverbs: "Wind destroys mountains, but words — friendship." "It's not the sea that sinks ships, but the winds." "Where there is wind, there is rain." "Words are wind, and inscriptions — eternity." "You can't blow the sails of dreams" (in English).

In English: "It's an ill wind that blows nobody good." "Wind up" (wind up, irritate). In German: "Wind bekommen" (become famous, visit).

Wind in cinema

In cinema, wind is an important element of atmosphere. In the film "Gone with the Wind," there is a scene where Scarlett walks in the wind, her dress flapping. In "Blade Runner 2049" — wind with garbage, desolation. In "The Matrix" — wind on the roof, a prelude to the battle.

Animation film "The Wind in the Willows" (based on the book by Graham). Anime "Ghost in the Shell" — there the wind carries spirits. "How to Train Your Dragon" — wind helps fly.

Director Tarkovsky used wind as a symbol of the soul: in "Mirror" the grass sways in the wind; in "Andrei Rublev" — wind heralds change. Modern film "The Phenomenon of Wind" (2025) — a documentary about the windiest places on Earth. Visual effects are stunning.

Wind in architecture and urban environment

Architects always take wind into account. In ancient China, "feng shui" (wind and water) — the science of harmony. In medieval Europe, cities were built with narrow streets so that the wind would not blow. In modern skyscrapers, wind creates discomfort, so windbreak screens are made.

In 2026, architects create "windy buildings" — with curved facades so that wind flows around them without creating vortices. The "Twist" towers in Dubai are curved so that wind cools the area below.

Wind turbines (power stations) are also architecture. They become art: in the Netherlands, "windmill park" — a tourist attraction.

Wind chimes (weather vanes) are on every roof in Europe. They show the direction of the wind, but also decorate. In Russia, a weather vane in the form of a rooster or dragon.

Wind as a metaphor in psychology and philosophy

Wind is a symbol of psychic energy. Carl Jung spoke of "the breath of the spirit" (pneuma). Wind is intuition, inspiration. It comes suddenly, leaves unnoticed.

Existentialists: wind is absurd, an ungraspable force. Man as wind: can be light or destructive.

In coaching and self-development: "Go against the wind" means fight against difficulties. "Sail with the wind" — adapt.

In popular psychology: "Are thoughts material like wind?" No, but wind is an example that the invisible can have enormous power.

Wind will never disappear. It will blow when there are no more people, books, or paintings. But as long as we are here, we will catch the wind in our sails, write poems about it, depict it on canvases. Because wind is us. Free, changeable, alive.

Permanent link to this publication: