Wilde Jagd, Ostwind, Westwind, himmlisches Kind

Abstract Winds are fascinating forces of nature, awe-inspiring and devastating when they appear as storms, and therefore a powerful theme in religion, literature and narrative, in music and the arts. Greek-Roman Antiquity personified the winds as nature deities, bearing resemblance to the angels and often represented as embodiments of forceful and tyrannic masculinity. These classical traditions are reflected in their own ways in the visual arts since the Renaissance. In legend and literature from the Middle Ages up to our times, however, winds and storms seem to be preponderantly allied to the dark forces of evil, the devil, wizards and witches, the Wild Hunter, whereas in folktales, the unruly winds appear mostly as helper figures, creating often moments of extraordinary fun.