Hildegard says: "The four cardinal winds under the sun and above the sun aid the firmament and retain it and the whole world, namely the lower part all the way up to the higher part of the firmament, and they surround it as if with a cloak. For instance, the eastern wind takes in air and sends the sweetest dew onto dry lands. And the western wind mixes itself with the billowing clouds, in order to hold back the waters, so that they do not burst. And the southern wind controls fire under its rule and checks it, so that it does not burn up everything. And the northern wind holds the frosts outside, so that they do not exceed their boundaries. Those four winds are the powerful wings of god. When they are moved at the same time, they will mix all the elements together and divide them and shake the sea and dry up all the water."
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