Wind Rose Chart (1652) Map

Taken from Atlas Novus, sive Theatrum Orbis Terrarum [New Atlas, or the Theatre of the World], this "amenographic table or nautical compass" divides the wind rose into 32 sectors, with the names of the winds given in six languages. Each sector is topped with a chubby face that personifies the wind according to its principal direction and strength. Represented are the North wind or tramontane, the Levant, Notus, Zephyr, Greco, Sirocco, Garbin, and Northwest. On early nautical charts, wind roses traditionally indicated winds with lines-called rhumb lines, quarter winds, or quarter angles. By showing the direction of the winds, they allowed ship pilots to determine and adjust their course.