WAYLAND SMITH
Another figure that occurs across Europe, known in Germany as Wieland, a name which survives today. He is the smith of the gods and fairies, making their weaponry and armour. There is debate as to whether he himself was one of the fairy folk or not, as many of the legends contradict each other. Smiths were commonly worshipped in ancient times, the Greek Haephestus, Sucellus in Belgium etc.
In this picture he is representative of the working man, and in modern iconography the hammer and horseshoe transmutes into the hammer and sickle of the proletariat.
All images and text Copyright © 2003 Caroline Blackburn.