Why are blacksmiths so stigmatized in folklore? What about the profession gave them such a bad name and caused them to be closely associated with the Devil?
¯_(ツ)_/¯
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smith_and_the_Devil “may be one of the oldest European folk tales […] possibly being first told in Indo-European 6,000 years ago”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacksmiths_of_western_Africa “feared in some societies for their skill in metalworking, considered a form of magic“
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/039219216801606202 Maybe because traditional smelting techniques involve, human sacrifice? Allegedly?? Or maybe “Molten metal that flows is associated with flowing blood because
of its color, heat and the danger that arises from it”okay now i’m Invested
https://irishfolklore.wordpress.com/2017/03/13/blacksmiths-and-the-supernatural/ “Their ability to turn raw materials such as iron ore or bog iron into usable tools and weapons made them seem like they were in possession of magic.“ … “8thcentury hymn to protect people from the ‘spells of women, smiths and druids’”
http://akkadium.com/fire-forge-glimpsing-craft-ethiopian-blacksmith/ “traditional beliefs that the earth is sacred, and fire (heat) is potentially polluting”
My third link concludes:
Those who are only slightly familiar with anthropology are aware
of the many explanations that have been proposed to account for the “blacksmith complex". He is impure because he is in contact
with iron (a loathsome and repulsive element), or with fire (from
which demons are born), or because he forges murderous weapons; or because he is endogamous, or is not independent, or because
blacksmiths are the dregs of conquered peoples, do not produce
their own food, do not go to war, and break some unknown divine
interdict. They are respected because they have dared to break
a divine interdict, because they make useful instruments, because
they are rich, because they are initiators, educators, religious chiefs,
peace-makers, sacrificers, civilising heroes, and even, according to
the embryological theory of M. Eliade, because they help the Earth
to give birth to minerals and in so doing are a substitute for Time etc. Their powers issue from their tools, from spirits hidden in
the bellows of their smithies, from fire, from the “numinous” force
of iron, from the ornaments they forge for shamans; or from the
celestial origins of their techniques, from their novelty, from the
fact that these secret techniques are hereditary, or simply because
they are in their possession; or again from the “ambivalent magic
of weapons made of stone,” which, by emitting sparks when
struck, are likened to lightning, a magic that is transmitted into
the metal; or from the fact that they forge flashes of lightning
for the gods, etc…One can see that, even when they contain elements of truth,
all these explanations are one-sided and often in need to be
explained themselves. The only valid explanation is one that can
show the inner reason for the different manifestations of the
“blacksmith complex” and their coexistence, and attain to the
structure that determines their interconnection and renders them
interdependent.An interpretation that coordinates the various elements of the
problem, on the basis of the blacksmith’s violation of taboo, should
satisfy these conditions. It would form part of a wider interpretation
of magical violations of taboo in general, based on an
analysis of the nature and function of taboos.I remember reading that, in the Middle Ages, Muslims had a restricted number of professions available to them in Christian lands, among these blacksmithing, which may have come from the association of the blacksmith with the devil or may have fed into it, or both.
I can’t find an actual source for this right now, a brief google search isn’t helping me, but it seemed worth noting.
(also @theotherwesley)
Also since this is my Tolkien blog, it’s interesting to note that technology, particularly metalworking, is viewed as a powerful corruptive force in Tolkien’s work. Metal and wheels pitted against trees and water; it’s all very much based on this trope in mythology. Aulë’s forces are the only ones amongst the Valar that are capable of being corrupted to evil; Sauron and Saruman are both maiar of Aulë, Aulë dared to create the semblance of life before Eru’s children had awoken on earth when he made the dwarves, and the dwarves in turn are suspect because they can be corrupted by their love of metals and gems; the Noldor are beloved of Aulë and it is the Noldor who first use his teachings to forge weapons and bring violence to Aman. We’re told that Aulë is the closest in temperament to Melkor, but his works are not inherently evil because he still submits to the divine authority.
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