[TheForge] historcial blacksmith status in the community

[Ries Niemi]

I would tend to agree with Dan.
Historically, a blacksmith would be ranked above a peasant or farmer, but probably below a merchant, and certainly far below a nobleman.
Blacksmiths in europe were slightly better treated than some places- in India, for example, blacksmiths are one of the lowest, dirtiest castes, and are pretty much never discussed.
You can find great coffee table books about Indian crafts, and they will include silversmiths, jewelers, copper vessel makers, and other metal workers- but they will intentionally never mention blacksmiths.
Similar thing in most of south america- a blacksmith is a pretty low level trade, almost never educated, and the pay is low.
Blacksmiths are, after all, dirty.

About the only area of the world I know of where they have historically had more cachet was in Africa. Ogun, one of the Yoruba gods, is the god of Iron. He is basically a blacksmith.

Oh, and in Finland- the Finnish creation myth, which predates Christianity by quite a bit, tells the story of how a blacksmith created an amazing object called the Sampo. 

but generally, blacksmiths, historically, were appreciated for what they made, but not who they were- the standard stereotype, up thru 50's cowboy movies, is big, dumb, strong guy.

ries



On Oct 12, 2012, at 4:16 PM, Dan Scheid wrote:

> 1) thinking that a Blacksmith could read and write is a big stretch I would
> bet like most craftsman he would be illiterate  
> 2) his station would be as a craftsman.  Just like a potter or a weaver. 
> Dan Scheid
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of terry l. ridder
> Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2012 9:06 PM
> To: theforge e-mail list
> Subject: [TheForge] historcial blacksmith status in the community
> 
> hello;
> 
> given what i have been reading and from the numerous examples of highly
> detailed iron work throughout the UK and Europe, what was the status of the
> blacksmith in the community.
> 
> we may infer that the blacksmith had to be able to read and write which set
> him apart from most of the local community. the serfs and feudal tenants on
> the nobels lands were probably not able to read nor write.
> 
> we may also info that the blacksmith had to be knowledgable in math and
> geometry. we may be pushing it a bit to infer that the blacksmith had a
> working knowledge of trigonometry.
> 
> given this knowledge what was the social status of the blacksmith in the
> local community? the nobels may have had a love/hate relationship with the
> blacksmith. they needed the blacksmith to make new weapons, armor and to
> maintain the old weapons and armor. they did not like the fact that he could
> read and write. that would appear to be a threat to the nobels.
> 
> given the blacksmith's relationship with the nobels, the peasants probably
> did not like the blacksmith very much.
> 
> so where did the blacksmith fit in the social status of the local community?
> 
> what do we know of the historical blacksmith's social status?
> 
> --
> terry l. ridder ><>
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