Blacksmiths of Myth and Legend Quiz

Answer: The two-headed axe (labrys) wielded by the Minotaur

Hephaestus, or Hephaistos, was a son of Hera. Early sources name Zeus as his father, but some sources claim that Hera mothered him without need of a father.

In some sources, Hephaestus interfered in an argument between Zeus and Hera, and in anger, Zeus threw him from Mount Olympus. However, other sources indicate that he was thrown by Hera, his mother, shortly after his birth, when she saw how ugly he was. Either way, he landed at Lemnos days later, and the fall shattered his legs. He learned the art of blacksmithing there, and made his forge deep in volcanic Mt. Lemnos.

In versions of the myth which have Hera's vanity at the root of his fall, Hephaestus gained revenge on his mother - and the most desirable wife in the Greek pantheon - when he created a throne for Hera from which she could not rise once she had seated herself upon it. He only agreed to release her once he was promised Aphrodite as his bride.

As a result of his fall, Hephaestus is iconically lame. It is said that in the bronze age, smiths used arsenic to harden bronze, and that his lameness suggests arsenicosis, a condition caused by chronic exposure to arsenic. Certainly a high proportion of legendary smiths share this characteristic.

Hephaestus is said to have crafted most of the magical and wonderful artifacts possessed by or associated with the Olympian gods, including Hades' helmet of invisibility, the Aegis breastplate, and both Pandora and her infamous Box, as well as Zeus' thunderbolts, Hermes' winged helmet and sandals, Aphrodite's girdle, Achilles' armor, Heracles' bronze clappers, Helios' chariot, the shoulder of Pelops, and Eros' bow and arrows and even automata of metal that acted as his guards and assistants.

[Right answer: the labrys, or double-headed axe at the center of the labyrinth that housed the Minotaur, is not attributed to Hephaestus. The mortal Daedelos was the architect of the labyrinth, but it would be pure speculation to suggest that he might have forged the labrys. As a cultic object, it likely pre-existed Daedelos' tenure in Minos' kingdom.]

Answer: Weyland

Weyland (Wayland, Weland, Watlende, Volund) is the prototypic Germanic smith god. He and his brothers married swam maidens, sometimes described as valkyries; the marriages lasted seven years. After seven years the magical women returned to their own realms (perhaps to act as Odin's choosers of the slain). Weyalnd's brothers Slagfid and Egil journeyed to regain their wives, but Weyland stayed home.

The Swedish king Nidud captured Weyland, hamstrung him - so that like Hephaestus and many another legendary smith, Weyland was lame - and stole his sword and his wife's ring. Nidud set Weyland to work forging for him, but Weyland had his revenge by killing Nidud's two sons when they visited him and forging treasures for Nidud out of their skulls and teeth. Then - like Greek master craftsman Daedelos - he escaped the king by flying away with swan wings of his own devise.

Weyland forged Gram at Odin's request; later Odin stuck it in a tree, from which only Sigmund was able to draw it out.

[Wrong answers: Odin of the Aesir is not known as a smith; nor was his son the half-giant Loki; nor was the giant Hrimnir.]

Answer: Manannan

Goibniu (Gobhnoimh Govnu, Goibniu, Gofannon, Govannon, etc.) was the smith god of the Tuatha Dé Danann. His brother Luchtaine was the carpenter god, and their brother Creidhne (Credne) a fine metalworker. They were sons of Tuireann and Brigid (herself a patroness of smiths) and together made up the Trí Dée Dána.

Before the Tuatha Dé Danann went into battle with the Fomorians, Goibniu swore that he would "replace every broken lance and sword with a new one, even though the war last seven years. And I will make the lances so well that they shall never miss their mark, or fail to kill... the fate of the fighting will be decided by my lances."

The Fomorians were troubled by these deadly and inexhaustible weapons, and sent Ruadan to learn their secret. He saw the three brothers making lances: Goibniu could forge a lance-head with three hammer blows, Luchtaine could cut a lance shaft with three axe blows, and Creidhne could fix a head to a shaft with three fist blows. Ruadan tried to kill Goibniu with one of his own lethal lances, but after Goibniu was run through, he removed the lance from his own midsection and slew Ruadan with it. Goibniu was subsequently dipped into the Spring of Healing and rendered hale once again; after this experience he was able to brew a beer with healing properties.

[Right answer: Manannan mac Lir was a seagod, and also the possessor and perhaps craftsman of numerous magical items.]

Answer: Azazel

The "Book of Enoch" forms an important part of the apocrypha, being a text once considered holy but ultimately excluded from the standard Christian bible. Long considered "lost," in the eighteenth century Scotsman James Bruce traveled to Ethiopia in pursuit of rumors of a surviving copy; he ultimately returned with three intact copies of the text. Later, the "Book of Enoch" was found among the texts of the so-called Dead Sea Scrolls unearthed at Qumran in the 1940s and 1950s. Many of the sayings attributed to Jesus of Nazareth can be traced directly to the teachings of the "Book of Enoch".

The "Book of Enoch" is largely concerned with the history of certain fallen angels, generally described as "watchers" in the text. Among these was Azazel (Azazil, Azazyel), credited with teaching mankind the arts of weaponsmithing and cosmetics. In "Paradise Lost", Milton describes Azazel as a standard bearer of the rebel angels.

The "Book of Enoch" (like the "Zohar") names Azazel as a fallen angel who came to the world to mate with mortal women. Once here, "Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals (of the earth) and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all coloring tinctures" (Book of Enoch 8:1). In punishment, God had Azazel bound in a place called Dudael, there to remain until the final judgment.

According to the "Koran", Azazel was cast from heaven when he refused to kneel to Adam, saying, "Why should the son of fire fall down before a son of clay?"

[Wrong answers: According to the "Book of Enoch", the Watcher Semjaza taught mankind sorcery and the Watcher Tamiel astrology.

Michael is an arch-angel, not fallen. Opinions vary as to his specific rank in the various hierarchies of heaven: Basil places him over all other angels; Bonaventura places him as the prince of the seraphim, the highest of the nine orders of angels; Aquinas makes him the prince of the lowest order, simply called the angels. He is usually depicted with a fiery sword, and at the eschaton he will battle a dragon.]

Answer: Slew evil King Zohak with the hammer from his smithy

The legend states that Zohak was an evil king who enslaved the Kurds and brought great suffering to them. Kavah the Blacksmith led the people in revolt against Zohak and surrounded his place. Kavah ran past Zohak's guards, grabbed Zohak's neck in his hands, and struck Zohak's head with his hammer, killing him. Fire was set on the tops of the mountains to send a message to tell the people throughout the land that Zohak was dead. The event has been celebrated by the Kurds ever after - for more than 2600 years - as Newroz, the new day. Today Newroz is celebrated on March 21.

Answer: Siegfried

The question refers to the Germanic version of the "Volsungasaga", the "Lay of the Volsungs". Balmung (Gram) was given to Siegmund (Sigmund) by Wodan (Odin) and permitted by the god to shatter when Siegmund would not obey his will. In both stories, the sword was ultimately reforged by Siegmund's (Sigmund's) posthumous son Siegfried (Sigurd).

Siegfried is raised by the skilled dwarven smith Mime, brother of Alberich. Mime was unable to reforge the sword, despite his great skill. Instead, Mime tried three times to forge new swords for Siegfried, only to watch the young hero shatter them like toys. Ultimately, Siegfried himself reforged his father's blade, and with it slew the dragon Fafnir, winning the ring that bore Alberich's curse, the fabulous Tarnhelm, and, by tasting the dragon's blood, the ability to understand the speech of birds.

[Wrong answer not addressed above: Loge (Loki), son of Wodan (Odin), has no part in the forging of Balmung.]

Answer: Ganelon

Over the course of nine years, Ansias forged Baptism, Florence, and Graban, all for aptly-named Strong-i'-the-Arm. Over the same period, Galas forged Flamberge and Joyeuse for Charlemagne and Hauteclaire for Closamont. Munifican spent nine years forging Durandal for Roland and Sauvaigne and Courtain for Ogier the Dane. Glorious, wielded by Oliver, cut through all nine swords "a foot from the pommel."

[Right answer: Ganelon is the knight who betrays his liege Charlemagne and ambushes Roland at Roncevalles; he is one of literature's greatest traitors.]

Answer: Visvakarma

Lord Visvakarma is the architect of the Hindu gods, as well as being their master craftsman. He is normally depicted with four hands, carrying a water-pot, a book, a noose and craftsman's tools. He forged all of the weapons borne by Hindu deities, including Lord Indra's thunderbolts, Lord Shiva's trident, Lord Rudra's chariot, etc.

[Wrong answers: Lord Indra is the king of the demigods, in charge of rain and thunder. Lord Shiva is the embodiment of destruction. Lord Yama is the god of death.]

Answer: Brokk and Eiti

Loki once cut off all of Sif's hair as a joke. When her husband Thor found out, he intended to kill Loki, until Loki agreed to provide Sif with new hair of living gold. Loki contracted with the dwarven sons of Ivaldi, who were master smiths. While they were at it, they forged two other wonderful gifts for the gods: the indestructible spear Gungnir, which was given to Odin, and the collapsible boat Skidbladnir, which when folded could be kept in a pouch, which was given to Frey. After Loki obtained the golden hair, the irresistible spear, and the folding boat from the sons of Ivaldi, he encountered the master smiths Brokk and Eiti. Always alert for the opportunity to get something of value for nothing, Loki made a bet with the smiths that they could not produce superior gifts for the gods. The smiths set to work, with Eiti at the forge and Brokk working the bellows. It was crucial to Eiti's craftsmanship that Brokk not falter at the bellows. In succession, Eiti forged the battle-boar Gullinbursti, which run over air or water and cast its own light even at night, the golden ring Draupnir, which reproduced itself eight times every nine nights, and the war-hammer Mjollnir, which always struck its target and always returned to its owner's hands when thrown. In each case, Loki attempted to distract Brokk by stinging him as a biting insect, but Brokk was imperturbable. Only at the very end, as Mjollnir was being completed, did Loki succeed in causing Brokk to stop to wipe blood from his eyes; so it was that Mjollnir was flawed by a short handle. Mjollnir was ultimately recognized as the greatest of the six gifts, and therefore Loki lost his bet. Brokk and Eiti were rewarded by being permitted to sew Loki's mouth closed with wire.

[Wrong answers: Odin and his son Loki were not smith gods; Balder and his killer (but not murderer) blind Hodur were also not smith gods; the giantesses Angerboda and Skadi were not associated with smithing.]

Answer: Ogoun Feraille

Ogoun, the warrior loa, was originally the loa of blacksmiths. His iconography reflects this; his color is red (both blood for his warrior aspect and heated metal for his blacksmith aspect), his symbol is the sword (with obvious dual warrior/smith connotations), and he is represented in the hounfort by a perpetual fire with an iron bar stuck in the middle (reflecting his blacksmith roots).

The cognomen "Feraille" specifies that Ogoun acts in his ironworking blacksmith aspect.

[Wrong answers: Baron Samedi is an aspect of the Guede, the loa of death; Bosou Koblamin is the three-horned loa of violent confrontation; and Mami Wata is a loa of the sea.]

Answer: When he slew Cullann's dog, Setanta took its place until a new dog could be found

Cullann the Smith had a huge guard-dog which surprised the boy Setanta. Setanta killed it with his bare hands. To repay Cullan for the loss of his magnificent and legendary dog, Setanta swore to raise a pup from the same pack -- and until it was raised, to guard Cullann's property himself. He was thenceforth known as Cuchulainn, meaning the Hound of Cullann (Cu Cullann).

Setanta actually expressed displeasure at this new cognomen, but at the insistence of the druid Cathbad, it stuck.

Answer: Mime

The Nibelung (dwarf) Alberich orders his brother Mime to forge the Tarnhelm, a marvelous artifact that permits its wearer to change his shape or to become invisible. The powers of the Tarnhelm are absolutely critical to the great tragedy of Siegfried, when Siegfried wins Brunnhilde's love in Gunther's shape.

[Wrong answers not addressed above: Loge the trickster fire-god is not a smith; Fafnir is the giant who becomes a dragon after winning the ring and the Tarnhelm as payment for building Valhalla.]

Answer: A demon king

Garba Nagpo, "the dark-hued blacksmith," a member of Dorje Legpa's retinue, is venerated by Tibetan blacksmiths as the protector of their craft. According to legend, Garba Nagpo was the son of the king of demons and became a craftsman and weapon maker. Blacksmithing is of significance to yogins for several reasons: both transmute raw material into a finished product with little resemblance to the original (lumps of black ore into the tempered alloy of a shiny sword; mundane experience into the enlightened mind); the yogin like the blacksmith has to learn to control physical processes to achieve the desired result; working metals at the forge to transform and purify them with fire can be likened to the process of Kundalini yoga where the spiritual heat generated internally by the yogin is used to arouse higher levels of consciousness; the pumping of the bellows is a metaphor for yogic breath control.

Garba Nagpo is usually portrayed as a blacksmith holding the tools of a smithy, in one hand a tiger-skin bellows in the other a hammer. In some images of Garba Nagpo the tiger skin bellows is replaced with a bellows made with the skin of a yogin.

Answer: Gleipnir, the chain that bound Fenrir

The gods are afraid of the terrible strength of Loki's monstrous son Fenrir, and go to great lengths to bind him. Pretending to be playing a game, they bind him with a heavy chain, to "test" his strength. To their chagrin, he bursts the chain easily. They then have forged the heaviest chain ever built, but that too he bursts without difficulty.

When they present him with Gleipnir, he is suspicious, because it is slender and appears frail; what is the sport in breaking such a chain, and what the honor if he succeeds? He suspects, correctly, that there must be magic involved, and therefore treachery. He demands that one of the gods put his hand in Fenrir's mouth while he is being bound, as proof of good faith; only Tyr has the courage to sacrifice a hand. Predictably, once Fenrir realizes that he cannot break the chain Gleipnir, he bites off Tyr's hand.

The gods then attached Gleipnir to another chain, Gelgja (thin), and passed it through a great rock named Gjoll (scream) which they drove deep down into the earth. Then they took another great stone (Thviti) with which they drove it yet deeper into the earth. Fenrir thrashed about and tried to bite them, so they gagged him with a specially-designed sword, its hilt caught in his lower jaw and its point in the upper. As a result, slaver runs out of his mouth forming the river Van (hope).

At Ragnarok Fenrir will break free and join the enemies of the gods. He will kill his grandfather Odin, and be slain in turn by his uncle Vidarr.

Answer: He put Satan on his anvil and beat him with his hammer

According to legend, Satan came to Dunstan's forge to have his cloven hooves shod. Dunstan pretended to agree to make the Devil's shoes, but instead lashed Satan to his anvil and beat him with his hammer. Satan begged for mercy, but Dunstan did not relent until he promised never again to visit a door where a horseshoe hung. This may be the origin of the custom of hanging a horseshoe for luck.

There was a Dunstan who was an archbishop of Canterbury in the tenth century; this legend is sometimes attributed to that Dunstan.

Answer: Ilmarinen

Much of the Kalevala is concerned with the Sampo, never well described but apparently able to regenerate the land in some way. The Sampo is hidden by Louhi, protectress of Pohja (a rival kingdom to that of the heroes of Kalevala). The heroes must retrieve both the mysterious artifact and Louhi's daughter, whose hand had been promised to the smith Ilmarinen.

Ilmarinen forged the Sampo by gathering the milk of a sterile cow, a small grain of barley, the wool of a fertile ewe, and the point of a swan's feather. These he heated in his furnace and watched to see what would emerge. First came a golden bow, then a red ship, a heifer with golden horns, and a plough with a golden ploughshare and a silver handle. All these were broken by Ilmarinen until, finally, the Sampo appeared.

Answer: Alberich

When a very young man, the hero Dietrich (Ditrick, Thidrick) catches the dwarf Alberich, who in exchange for his life gives the hero the sword Nagelring, which the dwarf had originally forged for the giants "Grim, who hath the strength of twelve men, and also . . . Hilde, who is even more to be feared." Alberich also promises them the two giants' treasure, should he manage to kill them.

Dietrich goes to the giants' cave with his comrade Hildebrande. There he battles Grim, while Hildebrande is being strangled by Grim's wife Hilde. Grim is without his sword, since Alberich had stolen it back and given it to Dietrich, so he fights with a firelog; even so, he almost defeats Dietrich before Dietrich finally beheads him. But when Dietrich tries to help Hildebrande by repeatedly cutting Hilde in two, she keeps reattaching her severed parts until finally Dietrich interposes his own body to prevent the reattachment from taking place.

The giants' hoard contained great treasure as Alberich had promised, including the helmet Hildegrim, which gave Dietrich superhuman strength.

Answer: To kill Orlando

In Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso", the sorceress Falerina forges Balisarda in the garden of Orgagna. Balisarda was able to cut through any armor, regardless of whether the armor was enchanted or protected by spells. It was given to Rogero for the purpose of dealing Orlando his death blow:
The sword Rogero from his girdle drew
As knife cuts curd, divides their plate and chain.
Falerina in Orgagna's garden made,
To deal Orlando death, that cruel blade.

Answer: The sword would kill Ken Angrok and seven generations of his descendants

Ken Angrok's has been a popular Javanese legend for at least five centuries. Ken Angrok was an orphan and cunning thief whose reputation was such that Kertajaya of Kediri ordered the ruler of Tumapel, Tunggul Ametung, to arrest him.

Tunggul Ametung had a beautiful wife, Putri Dedes. Ken Angrok, once happened upon her, decided that he had to have her as his wife at all costs. To accomplish this, Ken Angrok went to the master swordsmith Mpu Gandring and asked him to make a sacred kriss for that specific purpose. The process of making a sacred sword involved rituals that took longer than Ken Angrok had the patience for. In his anger he took the unfinished sword from Mpu Gandring and killed him with it. With his last breath, Mpu Gandring cursed Ken Angrok and seven generations of his descendants to death by the same sword.

Ken Angrok killed Tunggul Ametung with the kriss forged by Mpu Gandring, and blamed another petty thief for the murder. He presented himself as a jagoan, a champion of the people, took Putri Dedes as his wife, and made himself ruler of Tumapel.

Still later, Ken Angrok founded the new kingdom of Singhasari, before being killed by his own son-in-law, Anusapati, using Mpu Gandring's kriss. Anusapati was killed in turn with the same kriss, by Ken Angrok's son Panji Tohjaya. And so on.

Answer: An enchanted scabbard

See information provided in connection with Question 9 above.