For most of history the blacksmith was the most important craftsman in any village. Working beside a coal forge, he heated iron until it glowed orange or yellow, then shaped it on the anvil with hammer and tongs before the metal cooled and stiffened. Horseshoes, plows, hinges, nails, chains, and blades all took form in that heat, and much of what a farm needed passed through his hands at some point.
Click to start typing