God of the Forge

Ohoe Tomb #4, 6th - 7th century
Ji'an, China

This is a closeup from an earlier page. Since metallurgy was a keystone technology of ancient civilizations, it came to acquire religious connotations and esoteric significance in addition to its practical function. Gods of the forge, like the Greek god Hephaestus and the Vedic god Tvastar, were celebrated in mythology and invoked to assure the success of the work, while human blacksmiths, like the swordsmiths of Japan and Indonesia (example), sometimes acquired a semi-priestly status.