capful of wind
Preserved but no longer current.
Olaus Magnus tells us that Eric, King of Sweden, was so familiar with evil spirits that what way soever he turned his cap the wind would blow, and for this he was called Windy Cap. The Laplanders drove a profitable trade in selling winds, as have many ancient and primitive peoples ; and even so late as 1814, Bessie Millie, of Pomona (Orkney), used to sell favourable winds to mariners for the small sum of sixpence.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “capful of wind” mean?
Olaus Magnus tells us that Eric, King of Sweden, was so familiar with evil spirits that what way soever he turned his cap the wind would blow, and for this he was called Windy Cap. The Laplanders drove a profitable trade in selling winds, as have many ancient and primitive peoples ; and even so late as 1814, Bessie Millie, of Pomona (Orkney), used to sell favourable winds to mariners for the small sum of sixpence.
Is “capful of wind” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.