When Norse legends include mentions of Vinland, the magical land where Leif Eiriksson found grapes and berries growing freely across the land and iron bubbled up from the bogs, it’s likely that they’re talking about the 11th-century Viking Settlement, L’anse Aux Meadows in Newfoundland. Lots of Northern Atlantic islands claim to be Vinland, but the northern tip of Newfoundland is the only place archaeologists have found the remains of Northern European style buildings and artifacts. If you take a trip to Newfoundland, this is a must see.
This is Ragnar Redbeard, one of the friendly Viking reenactors on site, and the settlement’s blacksmith. He performs demonstrations of his work and makes replicas of the iron artifacts that visitors can pick up and experience. He also chooses a child from the audience to act as his apprentice, running the bellows while he works.
Naturally, my husband and I were keen to participate, so after the demonstration, we asked if we could perhaps, if it wasn’t too much trouble, take a turn at the bellows and ask him a few more questions. We wanted to know more about how the settlers harvested the iron ore and processed it, and then turned it into tools. We were ready for Ragnar to answer our questions but laugh off our request to help, but amazingly, he was thrilled that we wanted to join in the fun.
Because we were on our honeymoon, Ragnar let us help make two items that fit together – a nail and a hook. It’s our favorite souvenir from the trip, and is now proudly on display in our home.
It was a lot of fun, but I have to say – running the bellows is a lot of work, and it’s not easy to do. You can’t have any pauses in the airflow, and so you need to develop a musical rhythm to keep each bellow slightly offset from the other. You can’t just switch back and forth, or else you risk a gap in the airflow. To brag a little, I was almost a little too zealous – my bellow skills were so good and so pause-less that Ragnar had to ask me to slow down. It’s a delicate balance.
In thinking about that work, and the real apprentices who would have to keep that delicate rhythm for hours and hours, waiting for a chance to learn another skill, gain a little responsibility, and get the chance to make something from start to finish, I came up with a little poem. The smith in this poem is far less friendly than Ragnar, who I’m sure would never treat his apprentice this way, and the rhythm is more like a song than a poem. I hope you enjoy it, nonetheless.
The Blacksmith’s Apprentice
by Michelle Joelle
Keep the rhythm of the bellows
Keep the fire glowing red
Never forget your place, good fellow
Never you let the coals go dead.
Watch the blacksmith stoke the fire
Watch him making nails and tools
Never shall you work the iron
Never shape it as it cools.
Hold the rhythm of the bellows
Hold your tongue and earn your keep
Never you boast among your fellows
Never sow what you cannot reap.
Make no promise past the fire
Make no deals with any one
Never shall your work the iron
Never while you’re under thumb.
Keep the rhythm of the bellows
Keep your master’s fire red
Never forget your place, good fellow
Never you’ll rise ’til your master is dead.
10 thoughts on “The Blacksmith’s Apprentice: a Poem”
Steve Morris
We visited the Jorvik viking centre in York, England this summer. There’s lots to look at, but nothing very much to do (apart from a Viking theme park ride) and my youngest son grew bored very quickly. This looks much more fun, and educational too.
Your poem captures the rhythm of the bellows and the sternness of the blacksmith.
Michelle Joelle
Thank you! You should definitely go. Our trip was amazing – after our awesome tour and playing around the site for a while, they had an evening story hour in the main building where we drank partridge berry cider and heard sagas. They also have boat tours of the bay, and other exciting stuff. If you go in early summer, you can even take an iceberg tour!
I also got to play with a pretty legit viking sword replica. It was neat.
robstroud
Thank you for the visit to L’anse Aux Meadows. It is on my real world visit list and I definitely long to get there in the next few years.
Ragnar appears to need a bit taller work “bench” or he’s setting himself up for some serious back problems in the future.
Michelle Joelle
It’s all replicas of what scholars and archaeologists have found in the dig and others like it – they didn’t have much license to fiddle with the specs, I don’t think!
robstroud
Oh, and I must also compliment you on your poem. Well written. It certainly conveys the steady rhythms of the task.
Michelle Joelle
Thank you! If you need any recommendations for a trip to Newfoundland, I’d be happy to help 🙂
stephencwinter
I love the energy of your poetry. You maintain the pace in the same way in which you maintained the pace of your work on the bellows. And so delighted that it was inspired on your honeymoon. We spent the first week of ours in York and visited Jorvik. My wife wrote & illustrated a children’s book that week which we sent to our nephew after. He recently qualified as a doctor. I wonder if he still has it!
Michelle Joelle
Thank you so much. And how lovely! I hope he still has it – I think there’s something about a culture with a saga tradition that’s so inspiring.
rung2diotimasladder
What a lovely souvenir! That sounds like a lot of fun.
AAAPirate Blacksmith
Reblogged this on The Pirate Blacksmith of NC and commented:
Quaint.