Fantasy tropes: fear of cold iron. A prejudice from Africa?

[fearn]

Hi All,

There is some real ethnographic weapons stuff buried here, and I got curious about unearthing it.

What I'm thinking about are the common fantasy tropes about cold iron being magical, and about fantasy creatures such as fairies being unable to bear the touch of iron, especially cold iron.

The first one is pretty straightforward: the more times a piece of steel is worked by a blacksmith over a smoky fire, the more carbon it picks up. Eventually, it will go from high-carbon steel to brittle cast iron. I'm pretty sure that the magic of cold iron is simply that it has been worked cold, or at least, it hasn't been reworked from another piece. That steel is harder, and in the days before scientific metallurgy, this seemed magical.

The idea that fairies and others don't like iron is a standard theme in fantasies these days, and it seems to have pretty deep roots in Europe. What I find interesting is that the same prejudice seems to show up in various African cultures, such as the Tuareg (see recent discussion here).

Here's the question: I'm not an expert on African weapons by a long shot, and I was wondering whether I'm right that some African cultures would rather not touch iron more than necessary? Is this a common prejudice across the Sahara and south into the Congo, or is it more localized?

This all makes me wonder if the idea about magical creatures not liking iron came into Europe from Africa, via trade or perhaps through the Crusades or the Reconquesta. Tuareg or berber elves are an amusing thought, but that might be the origin of their aversion to iron.

What do you think?

Best,

F

[kisak]

Wouldn't any hardening of cold worked iron/steel be far more likely to be due to work hardening than accidental adding of carbon?

[Lew]

I think that in certain tribes women are not allowed near the forged or are allowed to touch iron weapons. Something to do with child bearing I think?

[David]

I believe that a similar mythology about the magical properties of iron extents pretty much around the globe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_in_folklore

[fearn]

Originally Posted by kisak

Wouldn't any hardening of cold worked iron/steel be far more likely to be due to work hardening than accidental adding of carbon?

(Sigh) I knew I should have dug out that reference from the metallurgist. I'll post it tomorrow.

As far as I know, you're right and wrong. If you turn a sword into a plowshare and back into a sword, the metal is going to be heating over a high-carbon fire quite a lot. Each time (as I understand it) it absorbs carbon. I'm not sure whether it's absorbing carbon from carbon dioxide in the air, from soot, or from the coals. In any case, steel is an intermediate between pure iron and cast iron, and too much carbon is as bad as too little, if you want a hard, tough edge.

Reforge something often enough, and the metal (supposedly) is relatively useless for a sword or knife.

Work hardening does happen, but it's a different phenomenon.

Best,

F

[G. McCormack]

If anything steels will lose carbon from being worked in the forge.

To get iron to pick up carbon (carburise) you generally need the iron surrounded by carbon in a pretty airtight spot, under heat for time.


In many African cultures the blacksmith was seen as separate from the community- he who could smelt dirt into a tool or weapon- this magic- best to not get too close to.

[Emanuel]

Here's a tidbit from "Aspects of the Use of Copper in Pre-Colonial West Africa"
Eugenia W. Herbert, The Journal of African History, Vol. 14, No. 2. (1973), pp. 179-194

"...the Tuareg and Moors consider iron an impure metal, and neutralize it by encrusting copper and brass on [tools]."

Among the Touareg, blacksmiths form a separate cast with their own language. We've discussed some of this here. Still no concrete understanding why iron is perceived this way, but likely it is due to its transmutation from ore to metal and its propensity to rust. The smelting process itself is also quite dirty.
Also interesting is the use of copper as a magical ward, also discussed in the above thread.

With the Maasai it's somewhat different. IIRC, there is a religious component associated with iron working and a specific deity. Blacksmith huts are seen as hallow ground and are to be kept neutral and as sanctuaries during conflict.

Emanuel

[fearn]

Originally Posted by G. McCormack

If anything steels will lose carbon from being worked in the forge.

To get iron to pick up carbon (carburise) you generally need the iron surrounded by carbon in a pretty airtight spot, under heat for time.

Mmm. Crow. Yummy.

You're right, of course. But the original idea about cold steel still, I think, stands: the more it's reworked, the worse it is as a weapon.

As for why iron might be impure, I'd suggest looking at it historically. The first form of iron humans used was ocher, which is various forms of iron oxide, aka rust in mineral form

That's been used as a pigment and sacred substance for well over 50,000 years. The red mineral=symbolic blood thing didn't escape anyone, and since red blood does effectively contain oxidized iron, it's not entirely symbolic.

Worked, metallic iron is reduced (lost it's oxygen), and it's gray, the color of ashes and death. Reduced gray iron also cuts much better than red iron, so not only is it symbolic of death and ashes, it's also much more dangerous when sharp.

That's my diagnosis of iron symbolism, off the top of my head. The true irony is, of course, that iron is much more necessary for life than copper is, so having copper-based alloys as symbols of life is a case where composition and symbolism are at odds.

Best,

F