A wind chime seems to be a necessary adornment of numerous a cabins in the woods. In the city one imagines that these objects are hung by the door and merely used to announce visitors or customers, but in the countryside, where the nearest neighbor can be a mile away and you could hear him coming from about the same distance, why the prevalence of such merry noise-makers?
If you are ever lucky enough to experience it, you may even stumble upon some hermit’s cozy hut of a cabin with a large collection of wind chimes displayed along his porch or main window. And then it’s no wonder whether the decorations keep him – or her – company rather than simply announcing it.
Wind chimes focus the voice of the wind. These objects are instruments by which the wind finds its voice. They speak for the wind. They are the wind speaking to us in a language we understand, the language of music, of sounds and the silent pauses between them.
This other-worldly association with wind chimes goes back to their very origins as devices to ward off evil spirits, as if human inventions stand in opposition to the natural and supernatural. In Asia they are associated with good luck, and Japanese glass wind bells and chimes have a long and highly developed tradition.
In our own modern age, clever folks have now taken to harnessing the power of the sun instead of the wind to produce the soft melodious tones so beloved of mankind. Windless wind chimes – yes, that’s their name – offer continual protection against evil spirits even when winds are calm!
Country cottages and their wind chimes. Who would have ever thought that such seemingly simple objects of wood, metal, glass, or stone could have such a legacy?
