Weyland the Smith and Thanksgiving Day

By Nathan Lake

Why has it become traditional to celebrate Weyland the Smith day at Thanksgiving? Weyland was a smith whose skill at the forge was greatly appreciated by our ancestors and the Gods alike. Through the years, smithing has become less and less common in the work place as machines and assembly lines have replaced the art of turning raw materials into a finished product.

Today, a process similar to smithing goes into the preparing of the Thanksgiving meal. Raw materials such as turkey, vegetables, fruit, and grains are forged into the meal that we look forward to each year. The forge has been replaced by the stove, the raw metals by the food, the hammer and tongs by the spoon and fork.

As you can see, there is a correlation between Weyland's craft and that of the cook. This, as I see it, is as good a reason to celebrate Weyland the Smith (or Cook?) Day as any that I have heard.

© 1999 N Lake