There are so any rumours surrounding Wayland the Smith, I’m not on about the mythology or the legend but rumours, It is well documented that wayland produced a number of “magical” swords through Geoffrey of Monmouth, one of these is the known AVALON sword, the light giving sword wielded by no other than Robin Hood. Avalon the place, is a known place of healing throughout the reign of King Arthur. What is unclear in the narrative is, did Wayland travel to Avalon to produce the sword or was the Avalon sword manufactured in Waylands smithy itself.
All of that aside, it is rumoured the Wayland produce the weaponry for king Alfred of Wessex and that is a rumour.
I can understand how this rumour came about; because King Alfred was a Wessex man, His mother lived only six or seven miles away to the south, Only two miles away is an encampment known as Alfreds castle, A title given by Sir Walter Scott on a visit from Scotland to Berkshire. Scott gave this Iron Age fort, the title because King Alfred’s mother lived in Lambourn only 4 miles away and he wrongly assumed that the fort was Alfreds’. There have been many assumption about the area based on King Alfreds mother living in the locality.
In the narrative that I produced I mentioned a lord of the manor who had an axe built by Wayland and he paid handsomely for this iconic bearded axe. It is believed that the lord of the manor was indeed King Alfred.
Wayland the Smith is not a figure easily contained within the lines of a single legend. His name stretches across time and language — Wēland, Völundr, Wieland — each variation carrying its own resonance, its own shadow of the man at the anvil. Yet at the heart of every version lies the same powerful image: …
There’s something inherently stirring about watching machines move earth in a place steeped in legend. Atkinson Excavating arrived at the site of Wayland’s Smithy in the grey hush of early morning, their diggers and tracked vehicles humming quietly beneath the great oaks that flank this ancient part of the Ridgeway. Wayland’s Smithy is no ordinary …
THE STONE CIRCLE OF LIFE Wayland welcomed the stone he found to rest against for the night, far better than the damp ground he had suffered with many days and nights afoot. As the dark dark night gave way to the first twinkling of day break, he gave a gruntled morn to the rising sun …
The Rumour
There are so any rumours surrounding Wayland the Smith, I’m not on about the mythology or the legend but rumours, It is well documented that wayland produced a number of “magical” swords through Geoffrey of Monmouth, one of these is the known AVALON sword, the light giving sword wielded by no other than Robin Hood. Avalon the place, is a known place of healing throughout the reign of King Arthur. What is unclear in the narrative is, did Wayland travel to Avalon to produce the sword or was the Avalon sword manufactured in Waylands smithy itself.
All of that aside, it is rumoured the Wayland produce the weaponry for king Alfred of Wessex and that is a rumour.
I can understand how this rumour came about; because King Alfred was a Wessex man, His mother lived only six or seven miles away to the south, Only two miles away is an encampment known as Alfreds castle, A title given by Sir Walter Scott on a visit from Scotland to Berkshire. Scott gave this Iron Age fort, the title because King Alfred’s mother lived in Lambourn only 4 miles away and he wrongly assumed that the fort was Alfreds’. There have been many assumption about the area based on King Alfreds mother living in the locality.
In the narrative that I produced I mentioned a lord of the manor who had an axe built by Wayland and he paid handsomely for this iconic bearded axe. It is believed that the lord of the manor was indeed King Alfred.
Kit Andrews
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Forged in Fire, Bound in Legend: The Timeless Story of Wayland the Smith
Wayland the Smith is not a figure easily contained within the lines of a single legend. His name stretches across time and language — Wēland, Völundr, Wieland — each variation carrying its own resonance, its own shadow of the man at the anvil. Yet at the heart of every version lies the same powerful image: …
Excavating the Site of Wayland the Smith
There’s something inherently stirring about watching machines move earth in a place steeped in legend. Atkinson Excavating arrived at the site of Wayland’s Smithy in the grey hush of early morning, their diggers and tracked vehicles humming quietly beneath the great oaks that flank this ancient part of the Ridgeway. Wayland’s Smithy is no ordinary …
Wayland Early Years
THE STONE CIRCLE OF LIFE Wayland welcomed the stone he found to rest against for the night, far better than the damp ground he had suffered with many days and nights afoot. As the dark dark night gave way to the first twinkling of day break, he gave a gruntled morn to the rising sun …