Sparks of Life: The Concept of Fire in Iron Working

Abstract

The author discusses fire as a concept, with an emphasis on traditional iron working and its links with bodily based experiences played out as material metaphors as well as mental conceptions. In East African iron using communities, iron smelting was cloaked in secrecy, seclusion and gendered sexual connotations. An elaborate use of bodily based metaphors guided the use of magic and medicines and created moral laws during periods of smelting. The article will attempt to explain how concepts of fire were related to this. Some preliminary comparisons are made between Greek, Norse and African myths and legends about smiths and their role as 'masters of fire'. Finally, by drawing on case studies based on fieldwork among Fipa and Pangwa blacksmiths and former iron smelters, the author will explore the interconnections between concepts of fire, bodily based metaphors and metal production.

Das Tradições Arcaicas ao Homem de Ferro

“…Em outros contextos, ferroar está associado ao ato de colocar ferraduras em animais, principalmente equinos. O Ferro se tornou até mesmo um dos sinônimos grosseiros de pênis, que aparece em expressões machistas como: "Ferro na boneca", embora as conotações sexuais associadas a este metal estivessem presentes desde a sua origem (BARNDON, 2005).…”

“…Aristóteles, no livro I da obra Meteorologia, informa que o altar de Hefesto se encontra na região mais alta, onde é possível obter as maiores forças e energias necessárias às operações alquímicas(ARISTÓTELES, 1976). Durante boa parte da Idade Média, os laboratórios alquímicos sustentavam em seus altares a imagem de Hefesto junto com o deus "amálgama" egípcio-greco-romano Tot-Hermes-Mercúrio.Entre os deuses, Hefesto era o único que tinha um defeito físico, e tal imaginário foi possivelmente construído pelos efeitos da contaminação com a fumaça insalubre comuns ao ofício da metalurgia, particularmente dos minérios contendo arsênico(GARELICK et al, 2009, p. 44).Huracán entre os antigos maias -estes não desenvolveram a metalurgia, só conheciam o Ferro celeste -, ou o nórdico Loki(BARNDON, 2005; ARMSTRONG, 2005, p. 55; ELIADE, 1979, pp. 25-27).…”

“…Na região do Congo, o deus mais prestigiado chama-se Nzeanzo, e coleciona, entre seus atributos, o poder de moldar os metais. Em diversas culturas religiosas em todo o planeta, vários deuses ocupam um importante papel associado ao Ferro(BARNDON, 2005. ELIADE, 1979.…”

Social Change and Metalworking in the Early Iron Age: An Approach From North‐west Iberia

“…To some extent, this is not a novel question; the esoteric and symbolic component of metalworking has been studied from different ethnological and anthropological contexts in regions such as the British Isles (Gillies 1981) and Scandinavia (Barndon 2005). These investigations have not only addressed the link between metalworking and the magical component that assists in structuring its technical dimension, but have also explored the hypothetical position of the prestige accorded to the metalworker from prehistoric times (especially in the British Isles: Gillies 1981, 73–4; Scott 1987, 153–4; Dolan 2016, 31) and the close relationship between metallurgy and rituals (Haaland 2004, 149; Dolan 2016, 35).…”

“…The symbolic dimension of metalworking is essential in the process to legitimize prestige and relevant activities within the community: to guarantee the smooth functioning of society (initiation ceremonies, enthronement, etc. : Welbourn 1981, 37), to act as a source of power (Reid and MacLean 1995, 145), to supply royal symbols or insignia (Sassoon 1983), as an esoteric form of knowledge (Childs 1998, 112), or to be intimately linked to magic (Merwe and Avery 1987, 143; Barndon 2005, 41) and cosmological beliefs (Schmidt and Mapunda 1997, 75).…”