Wayland the Smith
Anglo Saxon · scion · heroic age · Recorded classification
Legendary master-smith of Germanic heroic legend (Old Norse Vǫlundr); maker of heroes' weapons, hamstrung and avenged, depicted on the Franks Casket.
Parentage
- paternal: Wade
Children
Domains
- smithcraft metalwork
Powers
- Forge peerless swords and mail-coats
- Take revenge on his captor and escape on forged wings
Relations
- enemy: NithhadNithhad hamstrung and enslaved Wayland, who took revenge on the king's sons and daughter before escaping by flight.Völundarkviða; Deor (primary)
Sources
- existence: Old English Deor; Beowulf 450–455; Waldere; Franks Casket (primary); Megalithic tomb 'Wayland's Smithy', Oxfordshire (named by 10th c.) (secondary)