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Pagan Portals - Blacksmith Gods: Myths, Magicians & Folklore
Blacksmith Gods is a unique compendium of fascinating facts, fantasy and mystery relating to that universal archetype, the blacksmith. Covering many countries and cultures the book explores charming folk tales and customs alongside the often cruel myths of the metal-working Gods. Discover the mysterious magic associated with them and their craft, from pre-history to the modern age.
109 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 9, 2014
I do love good books about folklore, and Blacksmith Gods by Pete Jennings is one I particularly enjoyed. It covers legends, tales and mythology about smiths from all over the world.
The book is primarily aimed at pagans – it is in Moon Books’ Pagan Portals series – but I don’t think you have to be a pagan in order to enjoy reading this.
Anyone who likes mythological stories would enjoy it. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that King Arthur drawing the sword from the stone was a way of describing a Bronze Age metalworker pouring molten bronze into a stone mould and then drawing a sword from it when it had cooled. Such a person would have been held in high esteem and their craft thought to be magical.
For me this book redresses a bit of an imbalance. There are loads and loads of pagan books about goddesses, but not so many about gods. Most pantheons do have blacksmith deities, and they are mostly male – for example the Greek Hephaestus, the Roman Vulcan and the Anglo Saxon Wayland Smith. There are a few goddesses of smithcraft – Brigid from Irish myth being one. Pete Jennings does give these goddesses a mention too, so don’t think the book is overly male-biased.
And despite being a book written by a pagan – Pete Jennings used to the president of the Pagan Federation - Blacksmith Gods also covers blacksmith figures in the Bible and Christian folk tales about human blacksmiths using their wit and cunning to defeat the Devil.
The book ends by discussed the smith archetype in modern fiction, including the character Smithers in the cartoon series The Simpsons, who has a first name Wayland.
The book is primarily aimed at pagans – it is in Moon Books’ Pagan Portals series – but I don’t think you have to be a pagan in order to enjoy reading this.
Anyone who likes mythological stories would enjoy it. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that King Arthur drawing the sword from the stone was a way of describing a Bronze Age metalworker pouring molten bronze into a stone mould and then drawing a sword from it when it had cooled. Such a person would have been held in high esteem and their craft thought to be magical.
For me this book redresses a bit of an imbalance. There are loads and loads of pagan books about goddesses, but not so many about gods. Most pantheons do have blacksmith deities, and they are mostly male – for example the Greek Hephaestus, the Roman Vulcan and the Anglo Saxon Wayland Smith. There are a few goddesses of smithcraft – Brigid from Irish myth being one. Pete Jennings does give these goddesses a mention too, so don’t think the book is overly male-biased.
And despite being a book written by a pagan – Pete Jennings used to the president of the Pagan Federation - Blacksmith Gods also covers blacksmith figures in the Bible and Christian folk tales about human blacksmiths using their wit and cunning to defeat the Devil.
The book ends by discussed the smith archetype in modern fiction, including the character Smithers in the cartoon series The Simpsons, who has a first name Wayland.
June 10, 2014
Such a fascinating book absolutely crammed full with history, myth and folklore based around the gods associated with the art of the blacksmith. Mr Jennings covers the entire globe in search of stories all of which explore these amazing deities. The ancient art of blacksmith has always struck me as being very magical and this book echoes my beliefs.
September 20, 2016
This is a survey of blacksmith gods that can be found in many myths, folk-tales and legends that can be found in many countries and cultures. The book is rather short, but well-written with a list of references for further research.
February 20, 2015
There is an endless fascination with blacksmiths. Once, they were a necessary part of a community. Now, they are amazing artisans giving us a glimpse of a past time. No matter when or where a blacksmith has been, they were viewed with a sense of awe and wonder.
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Once the life of a blacksmith was often seen as sacred. This book delves into the utmost position of the sacred blacksmith - the Blacksmith God. So often a book of this type focuses on deities in just a certain pantheon. Here is a lovely little book that takes us around the world throughout many points in the past. It's not just a dry treatise, but full of poems and stories that bring a number of these deities to life.
I found this book fascinating. I have always been drawn to different types of craftsmen gods, so I had to read this as soon as it was available. It brings up some gods in cultures I never would have thought of & some I had never heard of. That certainly was a big plus! However, while some have extensive information others have very minimal. Some only had the country/culture and name of deity. That was a bit frustrating.
This may not be a perfect book, but it is still well-worth reading. It is a short read, just over a hundred pages, but those pages are crammed full of knowledge. The book is perfect for research into deities as well as a great bit of folklore. The author clearly did a lot of work finding all of this information to bring it all together. I would absolutely recommend this for anyone with an interest in the stories or simply deeper working with deities. 4 1/2 stars
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Once the life of a blacksmith was often seen as sacred. This book delves into the utmost position of the sacred blacksmith - the Blacksmith God. So often a book of this type focuses on deities in just a certain pantheon. Here is a lovely little book that takes us around the world throughout many points in the past. It's not just a dry treatise, but full of poems and stories that bring a number of these deities to life.
I found this book fascinating. I have always been drawn to different types of craftsmen gods, so I had to read this as soon as it was available. It brings up some gods in cultures I never would have thought of & some I had never heard of. That certainly was a big plus! However, while some have extensive information others have very minimal. Some only had the country/culture and name of deity. That was a bit frustrating.
This may not be a perfect book, but it is still well-worth reading. It is a short read, just over a hundred pages, but those pages are crammed full of knowledge. The book is perfect for research into deities as well as a great bit of folklore. The author clearly did a lot of work finding all of this information to bring it all together. I would absolutely recommend this for anyone with an interest in the stories or simply deeper working with deities. 4 1/2 stars
January 16, 2015
I really should do a better job of reading page amounts. Small book, but decently packed with information on various smith type gods and demi-gods around the world. Some could be construed loosely, since they could also be fire deities, but overall the book wasn't too bad. Large sections on Haephaestes/Vulcan, Wayland, and Volunder.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews