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Thursday, February 17, 2022
Collegian.com
LOCAL BUSINESS
Blacksmith Raven Hammer keeps ancient art alive By Max Hogan @macnogan
In the forested hills of Bellvue, Colorado, one local artisan twists, bends and hammers red-hot metal in a weathered wooden workshop, informed by the ancient legacy of metalwork. Aptly named, Raven Hammer is a local craftsman who practices the centuries-old art of blacksmithing. Hammer specializes in historically accurate recreations of metalwork from 11th-century Viking Europe and fur trappers who lived and worked in the U.S. and Canada in the 19th century. Hammer’s interest in blacksmithing was sparked at an early age — just 4 years old — when he saw a live blacksmithing demonstration at the Dollywood theme park in Tennessee. “I had to be bribed to be pulled away from them,” Hammer said. “I remember watching these powerful people take steel and iron and heat it up and manipulate it with their hands and hammers. … (Since then), I’ve been studying it.” Before starting traditional blacksmithing full time, Hammer learned manual skills like welding and mechanics as well as briefly studying metallurgy, the science of metal properties. “I fabricated my first forge by welding it together,” Hammer said. “I knew how to work gas too, so I was able to build a burner as well. I just fabricated my own equipment and went for it.” Many of the skills Hammer employs in his work today were learned outside of a typical education environment, without an apprenticeship or designated course. “I’m self-taught,” Hammer said. “I’ve been studying it, like, real hardcore, and I’m also neurodivergent — ADHD and dyslexic — so I hyperfocus really, really hard. And my learning is a very visual, technical learning skill, so I can watch something and then replicate that thing. …
WEEKLY HOROSCOPE By Hailee Stegall
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (02/17/22) AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18) Open up your mind, Aquarius. Listening to the beliefs
Blacksmith Raven Hammer bends a twisted rod to create a Norse World Serpent Feb. 8. Hammer loves history, especially the Viking Age, and uses blacksmithing as a way to connect with his spirituality. PHOTO BY MAX HOGAN THE COLLEGIAN
A lot of it’s been trial and error.” Hammer has been working as a full-time blacksmith for two years and specializes in historical reproductions, employing historic techniques and traditional aesthetics to create pieces for himself and other members in reenacting organizations.
“I connect with my ancestors every single time I fire up my forge, which is a big deal, again, to folks who lean into my realm of spirituality.” RAVEN HAMMER LOCAL BLACKSMITH of others does not invalidate your own and may even give you a stronger platform to stand on. PISCES (FEB. 19 - MARCH 20) Pisces, start something new. It’s almost your birthday season, so starting something you’ve always wanted to do is a good early present to yourself. ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19) What do your friends mean to you, Aries? Show those closest to you how much you care about them — remember, we’re all just people. TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20) Taurus, let yourself feel things.
“I am a huge history nerd/ history buff,” Hammer said. “I have a real affinity towards the Viking Age, which is 796-1066 AD. I specifically reenact the 11th century Viking Age. So with that, I needed a lot of historically accurate items, and I did not have the money or patience to buy it from somebody else.” Although traditional blacksmithing and metalwork outside industrial settings has become increasingly rare over the 19th and 20th centuries, Hammer stressed the importance of recognizing it as the basis for modern technology. “Blacksmiths got us out of the Bronze Age and Stone Age and got us into the age of ferrous metals,” Hammer said. “Because of the smiths, we have all of the crap that we’ve got that’s been made out of steel and iron, etc. So there’s your foundation for most of our modern history.”
Through his work, Hammer has built a greater understanding and respect for the work of the craftsmen of the past who fueled human civilization pre-Industrial Revolution. “I love seeing these massive historical sites all done with hand tools (and) donkeys — like, what are you talking about?” Hammer said. “Holy crap, man. We would have a hard time today with power tools and machines.” The act of working with the forge can also be a spiritual one. Hammer said the practice allows him to connect with the blacksmiths of the past. “I connect with my ancestors every single time I fire up my forge, which is a big deal, again, to folks who lean into my realm of spirituality,” Hammer said. While I was in his smithy, Hammer was crafting a Norse World Serpent: a religious symbol depicting a snake eating its own
tail that represents an acceptance of a state of chaos. “When it comes to connecting with ancestors, … being able to reconnect with them through fire and hot steel, through pain because I burned myself the same way they burned themselves, … it’s an interesting way of getting to live as they lived,” Hammer said. Hammer, a modern pagan practitioner, makes many spiritual objects alongside secular recreations of historical objects that were used practically, such as blanket pins, hooks and iron utensils. You can purchase and commission work from Hammer on his website, lifecraftcolorado.com, or through his growing TikTok page @northernraven1. Reach Max Hogan at entertainment@collegian.com.
It’s OK to take some time away from work or school to process your emotions and have a mental health day. GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20) Have a little faith, Gemini. Sit back and look at the world through rose-colored glasses; nothing is nearly as bad as it may seem. CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22) Cancer, get out there this week. Express yourself however you want, regardless of what you're afraid others might think. Be yourself. LEO (JULY 23 - AUG. 22) Compromise is the key to
relationships, Leo. Instead of "my way or the highway," try to accept and try out other peoples' ways of doing things. VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEPT. 22) Virgo, lean into the fact that you’re a creature of habit. Going outside your comfort zone is good, but right now you should just do what you do best. LIBRA (SEPT. 23 - OCT. 22) Take a chance, Libra — you might be used to just coasting through life, but do at least one thing that you normally wouldn’t. SCORPIO (OCT. 23 - NOV. 21) Scorpio, emotional pathways are
opening up for you. You currently have the vocabulary and the means to let others know how you feel. SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 DEC. 21) What does home mean to you, Sagittarius? Spruce up your living space, make a meal from your childhood or just do something cozy. CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19) Capricorn, don’t abandon your morals. It may be tempting to push your boundaries for a night out or a significant other, but resist it.
