THE WAYLAND

 

Deep within the earth, Wayland practices his craft.


The Saxon smith Wayland is the Norse smith Volundr who became incorporated into the mythology of Britain. Wayland was teh master craftsman to the gods, whose weapons were so fine that they sang in air. Excalibur is sometimes said to have been forged by Wayland. The coveted work of this god of smiths led King Nidud to abduct him. Nidud hamstrung the smith to prevent his escape and then forced his lame prisoner to work. The art of the smith and magician were thought to be closely related, and it was by magic that the smith eventually escaped the clutches of Nidud after which he sought a terrible revenge upon the king's family.



Over time, Wayland has come to be associated with many of Britain's ancient sites and appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's The Life of Merlin. The spirit of Wayland is said to haunt a neolithic burial chamber known as Wayland's Smithy in Oxfordshire. Tradition maintains that if one were to leave a horse and coin at the chamber overnight on returning in the morning one would find the coin gone and the horse shod.





Ferguson, Anna-Marie. "Keeper of Words." 1995 Llewellyn Publications. St. Paul, Minnesota. (261)





 

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