A weathervane is a historic outdoor home accessory which embellishes rooftops all over the world. There are many different kinds of weathervanes which were created many, many years ago. These weathervanes can display many different kinds of ornaments as well.

ARROW AND SCROLL WEATHERVANE ORNAMENTS- These ornaments are a basic arrow ornament, a point and fletching attached to a horizontal tube. Sometimes the term "arrow" and the term "scroll" are interchangeable. This depends on the type of fletching, whether there is a point on it and what type of point it is, how intricate the details are, and whether the design contains any actual wrought scrolls.

BANNER AND BANNERET WEATHERVANE ORNAMENTS- These ornaments are derived from medieval pennants and flags, the basic parts of this particular ornament are the points in front and a flat area in the back. Though the terms "banner" and "banneret" also seem to be interchangeable, a banner usually has an area large enough for a date or monogram to be pierced (cut out) or applied to the ornament, while a banneret has an area which might be large but is mainly decorative.

SILHOUETTE WEATHERVANE ORNAMENTS- This style ornament has also been in use for many, many years. In Europe, businesses and guilds would display their specialty using this type of vane ornament. In the old and new worlds, many farmers would carve a simple figure into a piece of wood and use this as a wind indicator on their barns. After 1900, the silhouette weathervane became very popular again, and often displayed fables, sporting events or themes.

SWELL-BODIED WEATHERVANE ORNAMENTS- This is the weathervane ornament which is most closely associated with the American weather vane makers. Molds are created from hammered copper for these ornaments. The molds are then trimmed and soldered together into a hollow form which is a few inches thick. This type of vane can also be formed freehand.

FULL-BODIED WEATHERVANE ORNAMENTS- These ornaments are a 3-dimensional representation of a particular subject.