From the flames a raven

 

 ...is born.

 A Celto-Dacian sickle loosely inspired by a find in Varna (after Georgieva 1992)

Made from some crucible steel I found in the woods, I just forged it out because I wanted a sickle for harvesting herbs and because I wanted to know how versatile the design would be. In China sickles are used for just about everything from harvesting to shaving. Viktor, the Kazakhian senior blacksmith in the Bethaus smithy, also used a sickle for woodworking, harvesting, mushroom hunting and much more than I´d care to mention. Likewise I would think of a use of these  historical knives. For iron, and steel, were precious, and the tools at hand were put up to multiple uses to save resources. When you look at the original, you can see that it has a relatively short tang, which looks like a full tang. Since the blade is some 10 cm long and the handle just some 5-8cm it can be argued that this is the case either to save steel or because there was some law to be abided by. I could not find anything about this. What is safe to say, however, that this sickle type was a variant of the famed sica of Dacian provenience.

The sica gained fame as an everyday tool as well as the weapon of choice of back-alley cut-throats. Also, there are implications that smaller versions were used as kitchen knives in the Roman empire. This would not have been the case if those blade shapes, albeit with a more pronounced tip, were not practical. With ùlenklawe,

 

I found out that it gives you an almost frightening amount of purchase when cutting and slashing while still providing the possibility to do precise cutting such as dicing onions and stuff. It cuts 1.5 cm branches in one go! It was modelled after the knife in the picture second from below:

 

(source: archive.worldhistoria.com)

 

I am thinking about making a more accurate reconstruction of the sica found at Varna, but for starters, I look forward to just testing the general cutting capabilities of the knife I just made.

 

In any case, I fear you have not read the last of this style of knife... ;-)

A spring foraging ride

 The sun was shining, and birds were singing everywhere. It was warm and nice, and I felt that urge to get out. Only but recently I had rebuilt the drivetrain of my bike and repaired the brakes that alas where so neglected over the winter they made some funny noises but did not quite... well... brake?;-)

Anyway, after all this and some new handlebar grips it felt like a fresh bike and it is funny how these simple things can affect the fun one has riding so much. So, out with a bike it was, packing the old textile grocery bags, a hand drill, a plastic coke bottle and a tapping system.

Out into the hills pedalling, and even hammering, it was great to see my bike work properly, but I was also astonished to feel that my body, which has made some sissies recently, also worked like it should. It felt as if years fell off my back! I was hooting and hollering and celebrating a great, great ride along technical singletrack.

 No reason one could not have both, I also collected some lesser celandine (ranunculus ficaria, in German: Scharbockskraut) as spice, taking care to only collect the ones not yet blossoming.

 Just around the corner there was a right abundance of wild garlic (allium ursinum, in German: Bärlauch), and I got some for wild garlic oil, for salad, as spice and to put on a cheese sandwich fresh.

 On the trail went, gnarled and rooted it wound through the ancient forest. Up the hill across rocky sections, and when the trail tilted down, I simply had to scream out my joy into the mild and warm driving wind. The echoes in my mind were like the song of a buzzard´s cry. And thus I came to the birchtree grove. Out came the flask of tea, a blanket to sit on, and the hand drill and tapping system.

 So violently the sap rises at the moment that I got 0,7l of birch sap in half an hour! Please remember to always plug the tree after tapping!

 I just sat there and smelled the roses while the birch sap tap system drip-dripped the time away.

A steely blue sky above bore the songs of birds, and a buzzard was circling above.

Then I got a drink of fresh birch sap to go with my cuppa tea. I always love the first cup of sap in spring. It feels like a fountain of youth. It feels like you swallow spring´s essence itself, so refreshing after a long and cold winter that I felt like a bone - shiver this time.

Beech sprouts are delicious with their nutty flavour. I got them for salad...

...to go with wild garlic, jack-by-the hedge,

...and blanched nettle leaves.

Clover was in blossom. I like the fresh flavour, too.

...and the woods were enchanted by so many flowers... beautiful!

As the sun was sinking, I made for my trail home.

Those are maple leaves. You can use them to mend insect stings or ease blister pain. The sap makes for a delicious syrup. The young sprouting leaves can be eaten as salad.

Ground elder - good for tea, as spice or salad!

Violets (viola, in German: Veilchen) make for a delicious flower flavour in herbal syrup.

And, last but not least, sweet woodruff. (Galium odoratum, in German: Waldmeister). When used sparsely, you can make a delicious syrup or wine from it. But keep in mind woodruff is rich with cumarine inhibiting blood-clotting ability. So if you take Marcumar or other medication, please remember to use woodruff only after taking council with your doctor or apothecary.

I came home with quite a loot and the great feeling of spring and birdsong and warmth in my heart.

Much needed ride into the frosty hills, a pensive mood - and quite a loot....;-)

 So, Easter monday came, and nothing to do, and a bit of a depression. Yes, I did not feel too well, but instead of hiding in my attic under a stale-smelling blanket;-) I put on the riding garbs and made a flask of tea and packed some food. The weather was damn cold again (can anyone please call the plumber to repair that gulf stream? Or the heating specialist?*ggg*), but the winter sun of spring was shining brightly, an event that did not happen that often in the last months, and I did some singletrail hammering that did a lot to pin a huge grin on my face, and then made for the bigger hills to take in some scenery.

 On top of the hill it was have a cuppa and some taking in the scenery. The sun was glaring brightly, and I took it in like a sunflower;-). Despite the cold, everywhere were birds fluttering. I met a couple of roe deer, a hedgehog going slowly along across my path, looking at me thoughtfully and the going on on his own business;-), not panicking in the least (I stopped and paused, of course, for I was in no hurry;-)), a buzzard was flying alongside me, and a red kite circling over the ground of a field, not twenty metres away from me. This felt simply great...

 Atop of that hill, it was a bit more humble, however. I sat and drank my tea, when a huge racket going on in the distance alerted me that humans were approaching. They made a right ruckus simply conversing with each other, and, as they came by on the trail some fifteen minutes (!) later, we had a nice chat. They were not even some half-mad ghetto kids, but an elderly couple, nicely dressed. They greeted me and we had a bit of a conversation, about the weather and this and that, and I told them about my encounters with the various animals. I nearly laughed my head off when they wondered why it might be they did not see a single wild animal at all! And then they wondered a bit more why I had a laughing fit and I had to laugh until I choked. Might be they considered me a bit strange afterwards;-) but it was just so comical!

Another couple came around just some few minutes later, middle aged and dressed up well, but more suited for a stroll in the park than an outing into the hills. They greeted me and complained about the state the trails were in... during our little chat it became apparent that they were a bankster couple and were not amused that they payed so much money for taxes and still the woods were not planed with asphalt and concrete. When they were gone, I spared a thought and prayed to every god and goddess I had ever heard of for a dandelion pest in the city and those people never to become so rich and powerful that they could live out their innermost feelings. Other than that, I wished them that they could see what I had just seen, but I guess that´s a wish that could never be granted.

 I had just calmed down drinking my tea, however, when another elderly lady came around. She approached quite silently, and was smiling the whole time. She did not fumble her cellphone, had no hightech walking poles, her walking shoes were well used, and her smock was a bit battered, and she had an ancient walking stick plastered with brass stickers from the places she had been, and piece of vividly coloured cloth tied to the handle I recognized as a bit strange. She too greeted me and we chatted. In fact, she asked me about my wooden cup and if I made it myself. I had to negate that (shame!;-) Have to get that birchwood burr ready I have in the making since three years...;-)), but we had a very great conversation. She told me where she had been and what she had seen that day, and I traded my stories as well, and then we went on talking a good hour or so away and I learned that the brightly coloured piece of cloth was a Tibetan goodluck charm, and she had done her share of hikes in her life. She shared some herblore and trail stories with me and all in all it was a great encounter. We parted as strangers as we met, but it was simply good to meet.

When she had gone, I finished my tea in a pensive mood. There is a good variety of people in the woods, but, for the most part, they should know more what they do. So many people just seem to think they own the woods for good and can behave there like they never would in their own living room. But that´s a misconception, and a grave one at that. But on the other hand it could be so simple. Being silent, enjoying the silence and paying the due respect, like that elderly lady did. She had fun, too, but a different kind of it. Ah, yes, I know, I  came there by mountainbike, and mountainbikers do not have the best of all reputations; and I am no stranger to some hardcore riding myself. And yes, I freely admit, that I have left skid marks on trails that did not deserve it, and built ramps, and the like. But all in all I can say the skid marks came by accident, and it was that or get injured. The ramps I built were in a city wood that was full of special waste and ghetto litter anyway or on a ground devised to the purpose, or I removed them after having my fun. I am no saint, though, but I guess I have been a bit more thoughtful than many. My bike, generally is a means to get places, and I generally follow the DIMB / IMBA trail rules and the common sense of trail etiquette. It pays off, as might be obvious. I just hope more people would learn to love the woods like they deserve it, and out of this love most certainly respect would grow. But people are not taught to love. They are taught to hate, to buy, to fear and to desire. They suffer due to this, so many suffer so much they would not be able to bear it if not for the many ways to distract their minds. They are constantly occupied to keep their minds, and more importantly their hearts and souls from recognizing that there is something thoroughly wrong. They have hundreds of facebook friends, but noone to tend to the wounds of their heart, the scars that we all carry within ourselves. Not all are due to the "evil" in society. In fact we are the ones that make up this society every day. We are all responsible, and we do not need an enemy scheme other than ourselves.

And it is just so simple. We just have to do less, not more. We could do honest work and a job that suits us. We do not need more money than we need. We could enjoy a good meal made by ourselves out of ingredients we trust, not some industrial special waste that consists mainly of chemicals. We could grow part of our food ourselves, and believe me, you can do this even on a balcony. And that´s most important: To enjoy that food actually. Not to make some political statement with it. Really loving the taste, really tasting it in fact. I once made an experiment; I chewed an industrial "system gastronomy" cheeseburger thoroughly. I chewed each bite seventeen times. I nearly threw up. All´s good when you swallow it whole or chew it two or three times. If you really want to taste it, you have a problem. tastes like a mixture of medicinal cough syrup, stale cookies and bad meat. You have to compare it to a real beef burger to find out.

We can even make many things, and enjoy them even more for their shortcomings. We could repair the goods we damaged a bit more and love them for what they are. And if we are in the woods, we could enjoy them as well as for what they are. The woods, plain and simple. And not make some politcal statement of it either, even though that might sound a bit ridiculous in the context, for this is exactly what I am doing with this post. Yes, I know. But I never said I was perfect... I just want to learn to enjoy the woods for what they are, and always more so. I am just hungry for life. Real life, not a parody or some surrogate activity.
 

When I fell into the mind trap, I contemplated for a long time;-), but then I simply moved my lame butt on to get some real living... and there it was... that old  high plain with a crystal sky above, and apart from the wind, utter silence. Wonderful.

 Besides the trail there was this heap of stones that´s part of a mountainbiker´s ritual. It was Jaykay, a local pioneer of mountainbiking, historian, ornithologist, archaeologist, caveman;-), climber, geocaching pioneer, cruiser rider, bicycle tourist, inventor, engineer, philosopher and much more, that started it, if I am not entirely mistaken... twenty years ago. Each time on a ride we paused there and everyone layed down a stone upon the pile. That´s how it looks now;-).

On I rode, and along the road I came across this loot of spring steel....

More knives and tools to make for free....

I then rode home, content with a ride full of thoughts, and resolves, and purpose, full of encounters, good and bad, with beast and man, and full of real life, that was full with wind and sun and silence and brisk and frisky air.

Charcoal Fest 2012 "Meilerfest Ennepetal 2012"- weird and funny people and catastrophes

 On Saturday and Sunday I was forging at the really great event "Meilerfest" in Ennepetal. I was there for the Bethaus smithy. It turned out Volker had no truck at hand, so we packed his car instead, humming the "Tetris" melody*ggg*. Turns out his car was a bit-erm- seasoned*ggg*. So it made some funny noises, and when I arrived, it refused to work. So I unpacked the car, humming the "Tetris" melody and laid plans to go home by bike, should the car fail completely. The location was at a beautiful forest site, and I was placed directly beside the charcoal kiln. The sun was shining, and I lit the forge. I was thoroughly enjoying myself, for there was a bunch of great people around, and the atmosphere was great.

(picture by Benjamin Grigo)

 Then the first kids arrived, and I had a lot to do. The kids were righteously proud of their achievements. we forged little projects, such as mini horseshoes (for dwarfpirateponies;-)), hearts, pendants, snakes, Thor´s hammers, crosses, letters, wardrobe hangers, meat hooks and the like. It was fun, but the sun was beating hard, and I had no time for eating anything until dusk! I drank like 6 l of water that day, it was that hot, and had not to go for one leak!

(picture by Benjamin Grigo)
It was good fun to work with those kids. They were creative enough, and did a great job, and many of them did not forge for the first time. It is good to see a traditional craft not dying out, for sure, and it gives me the feeling to achieve something useful. This, in turn, is good fun.

(picture by Benjamin Grigo)
 A view of the charcoal kiln from the forge. The kiln was built in a circular manner, with a half - step and partly submerged into the soil. The coalers were around and will be for a week.

 Near the kiln they built a coaler´s hut out of spruce twigs, but noone actaully slept there... turned out it was just a fake for the crowd;-).

 The kiln.

Even if I was in a survival situation, I would not sleep in this hut for fear of the main beams falling down;-)...

 Rainer, the carpenter was there, too, and I was quite enthused to meet him, for he is a nice guy to boot!

 He had a lot of great carvings at his booth on display, all carved by chainsaw.

 Owls....

 ...´shrooms...

 I was especially fond of the craftsmanship that shows in the carving of this dog!

 The artist. He made a kingfisher out of oakwood on Saturday.

 Beside the kiln there was a camfire, and kids and adults alike went there to make stickbread.

 There also was this booth of Marion, offering quality pottery. She makes those all by hand in the region.

 Oh, and this is Olaf, a knifemaker... Olaf is a pagan and screams that on top of his lungs. He is what I´d call an amulet heathen.... I would walk doubly bent over had I to wear that load of amulets! We had a chat, and, apart from his naughty appearance, he was a gentle guy. A weirdo, for certain,. but it´s often the weirdos being valuable people to meet! I am always aware of the fact that the deity scrutinizes us through the encounters we make. To me, it is a gift, meeting unusual people. Life would be boring if not for those encounters. Olaf had some really great and beautiful knives on display.

 Blunt training daggers,

 Mini axes and hatchets and tiny neckknives

 As well as those beautiful mountainman - style users.

 I was particularily fond of this hatchet. A bit too much runes for my liking, and too many inscriptions... Bindrunes would have done finely, too, but a great axe it was no less!

 And I could have bought all of those. Olaf does not forge to date, but our chat is likely to have changed that!

 I really like this damascus hunting knife!

 A backup knife he made from a big - term corporation knife, modifying the grind and adding some filework.

 He also makes leather pouches, sheaths, and bags, and all in a great quality.

 A detail of a lanyard mojo. Silver.

 An antelope drinking horn-sweet!

 I then went to the next booth. There was an altogether different guy, a very modest man making works of art with a simple whittling knife. He carved roosters out of hazel wood as a Christian symbol. He is a practising Christian, and Olaf and he had a nice chat from time to time and got along fine. It works, see?;-) I know, I am starting to get on your nerves, but look around you. Everywhere the goofbrains whack each other with nuclear weapons because some party or the other made fun of their respective opponent´s God. I do not care if you try to make fun of the Goddess, and she loves a healthy laugh, too. And if you make fun of the law of the universe, it´s your own fault and not my business if you burn yourself to ashes, even if I get burned in the process. I tried that, it tickles.*ggg* So I have a different perspective upon that, and I really enjoy the beauty of an utter heathen and a dedicated Christian getting along with each other nicely. Rant over and out.;-)

 And Mr. Rosenberger really had works of art on display, see?;-)

 ...okay, ambitious, and not my liking, but the crowd loved those.

 ...and those.

 Mrs. Rosenberger was weaving baskets and other beautiful items. She worked all day long, too, and still was smiling. In fact, there were so many people smiling, even when at hard work, I could not help but smile myself.

 The works of art of Mrs. Rosenberger.

 This, in turn, was Siggi´s smithy. He had built a smelting furnace and explained to the crowd how iron ore was made in the times of Yore;-).

 And that I met this woman and her man was a right privilege, and quite certainly it was no coincidence. Alexandra is a herbalist tutoring her students about herbs and their fascinating life, of natural spirituality, of incense and healing with crystals, of runes and that simple thing called inspiration that is yet so complex most people confuse it with force and might and magic, and she follows a very similar path to mine. We had a lot of intensive talk, or so it seemed, but in retrospective it were just some 15 min of talk all in all. It felt like hours, in the positive sense of the word. More was said than just words, and I hope to get to know both her and her man better.

 Then I was off to Olaf´s booth. He cellars mead and keeps bees, and he had a lot of related products at hand. he just loves what he does and does it his way, and his love shows when he talks about the products he has on display. I work in the marketing, and I can tell a lie from real passion for a product. His is the latter. He keeps bees, and it´s great that more and more people dicover how important those little creatures are even for the survival of mankind. No bees, no life, it´s that simple. Olaf certainly does not talk much about that, but his bees he keeps with love, and his passion keeps the fire burning. Hats off, mate!

 This is a wood spirit Rainer carved. Oak wood, burned and oiled.

 It took a while until I realized there was a green man at the entrance of the coaler´s hut...

 ..but there he was. Rainer made him. That place was full of details like this.

 A vulture. In Germany we have a saying that goes "Weiß der Geier" (That may know the vulture, literally) indicating that someone has no clue about something. The baker at whose booth the vulture sculpture;-) stood, had a paper bag of miscelaneous bread and cake for sale, the "Weiß-der-Geier"-bag... funny;-).

 They gave away one bread wrapped in a quality towel to every one at work for the fest! Thanks a lot, the bread was delicious!

 I also had a lot of fun with the coalers.

 And that´s the best reward for my work. A smiling, happy kid that discovers smithing.

 This was the smelting furnace Siggi built. Now Siggi certainly is another strange guy with sometimes wild theories concerning archaeology. But that´s because he tends to think more with his heart than with his cerebellum, as most bankers do (EATDRINKSLEEPGAINREPEAT), and in his passion he tends to forget that not everybody thinks along these lines. That is not to say he is not a most intelligent guy. But he thinks along unusual lines, and that makes him not always a friend to everyone, carefully spoken. I like that very much, for it is a challenge, and if you like challenges of the mind, Siggi might be the right guy to talk to. He is weird and funny, but I get along with him pretty well. 

 And, mind you, building a furnace like this is certainly nothing you do wthout a huge portion of knowledge! What was made abundantly clear by the setup was how synergetic people had to think and work in times not so long gone by. The woods were used in a crop change agriculture. There hardwood was cultivated for charcoaling. The charcoal kiln was set up in the immediate surrounding of the furnace. The ore was extracted in the hills where the woods were planted also, where the kiln and the furnace were, and where the smithy was built. We in our overspecialized society have forgotten to think like this, and it has gotten us into the mess we´re in.

 The furnace was stocked with a big fire up to 3 / 4 up the channel. Then three parts ore and one part calcium carbonate was added. Charcoal was added, and so forth. With about 8 to. of charcoal around 1 to. of iron could be smelted!

 This is Siggi, explaining the synergetics.

 The product of the furnace.

 The ore.

 More fine products at Andrea´s booth!

 And there was a troop of falconer´s, too. I was especially fond of this goshawk...

 ... and this fellow here: an eagle owl.... I had a conversation with him and he allowed me to stroke him. It´s kinda funny how much they enjoy being stroked, "vicious" bird of prey, hunter of the night and all;-).

 There also was this demo of moving timber with horses, a Haflinger horse. I really love this breed of horse, good-natured and strong as they are.

 ...and to my eyes, beautiful, too!

 Not all was roses, though. On Sunday morning, after Saturday´s hard work, the pedal of my forge broke. I made a makeshift substitute, but on Sunday afternoon, that broke, too. My hammer came loose by the constant bashing, the nailforging hardy device broke, and the car got still on my nerves.

 The broken pedal winch and the makeshift I made.

 I strolled the aisles a bit, and had a good chat with Alex, another good guy I met. Alex stood nearby the forge on Saturday morning, and before we could trade as much as ten words, he was already helping with the kids, and doing a good job with that. Since it was a right mad craze on Saturday, I was right grateful for his help, and I hope I made that clear enough! Thanks, Alex, you are welcome!

Then, sooner as i anticipated, evening came. It was but time for a goodbye tour that turned out not too brief;-). I daresay new acquaintances and maybe even friends were made, and I will be back for sure!