influence , the perfection of his processes signaling the rise of the industries that have shaped recorded human history . In turn , later incarnations of the Blacksmith follow the development of science and technology , two prime manifestations being the alchemist and the scientist .
An Ambiguous Character
Smithcraft by its nature excites awe and dread , for it symbolizes humankind ’ s power to alter natural forces , to fashion forms and materials that Nature cannot create or would take eons to produce ( Eliade 47 ). Yet the Blacksmith is an ambiguous character . In the Proto-Indo-European tale mentioned above , which survives in the ATU Index as “ The Smith and the Devil ,” the Blacksmith sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for the power “ to weld any materials together ” ( Graça da Silva and Tehrani 9 ); the Blacksmith regains his soul ( and keeps his power ) only because he invents the means to bind the Devil to an “ immovable object ” ( 9 ). This somewhat sinister origin points to how the Blacksmith is seen as a hero who brings tools , song , agriculture , and many of the things that ease human existence ( Eliade 87-89 ), but also as the creator of weapons that have brought untold suffering ( 28-9 , 90 ). In Yoruba legend , this ambiguity is signaled in the person of Ogún , the iron god , who lives in the “ cutting edge ” of all iron tools , both helpful and hurtful , and in the flames of the smith ’ s fire ( Thompson loc . 805 ). The amula , an apronlike pendant fashioned from iron and brass to honor Ogún , typically has representations of hoes , knives , needles , chains , bells , arrows , shovels , swords , hammers , horseshoes , and other metal tools ( loc . 835-67 ) fashioned to foster civilization or promote destruction . Further , his songs characterize him as the “ support of the newborn child ” ( loc . 811 ) but also as the killer of the “ husband ,” the “ wife on the hearth ,” and “ the little people who flee outside ” ( loc . 818 ). Joseph Campbell discusses the Blacksmith ’ s ambiguity further . In describing Daedalos , the famed architect of the Minotaur ’ s Labyrinth , he defines this character type as the “ artist-scientist ” ( Hero 24 ). This character is both “ curiously disinterested ” and “ diabolic . . . beyond the normal bounds of social judgment ” ( 24 ). Morally , the character is not tied to the customs of his society or time but to the rules of his own craft ( 24 ). Conversely , he is the hero of the “ way of thought ,” searching for the truth that shall set us free ( 24 ).
Main Storyline 1
A common image of the Blacksmith shows him working on clever inventions in his underground lair . Hephaestos , to take a well-known example , has his workshop under the volcano on the island of Lemnos , or , alternately , under Mount Etna in Sicily . Vulcan ,
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