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.
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.
http://www.moon-books.net/books/pagan-portals-blacksmith-gods
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