Smithery, quite simply, is the work or workshop of a smith, that is, one who works with metal. It has long been known that God taught simple smithery to the first generation of Landians, which until recently has always been thought of as consisting simply of Connor and Brigid. However, it is now known that they were but two of a greater number of people created by God on Day One, and so the question has arisen of whether Connor and Brigid, or some other(s) of their generation were in fact the Land's first smiths. Either way, smithing is among the world's first jobs, and in the centuries since the Land was created, the craft has become vastly more complex, and remains one of the most essential and therefore one of the most common jobs on the Land. (It is known that on Earth, "Smith" has the reputation of being a very common surname; however, when the surname law was passed on the Land in 904, an attempt was made in most cases to allow only one clan to claim any specific surname. Therefore, there are at present few people on the Land with that name, though there are other clans with variations such as "Blacksmith" or "Bladesmith," to name just two of many possible examples.)
The earliest items forged by smiths included tools for farming, hunting, woodcutting, and fishing (hoes, shovels, scythes, arrowheads, spearheads, axes, saws, fishhooks, etc.) Early smiths also made utensils for cooking and eating, as well as pots and pans, razors for shaving or cutting hair, knives for cutting hides to be made into clothes or shelter, crude needles for sewing, hammers and nails for building, etc. Smiths have also long made jewelry from various metals, and sometimes include settings for gems in the design. It is impossible to make a complete list of the various items created in the first century of the Land's existence, or when exactly each one was first made. But of course, over time there were refinements in the methods of smithery employed by Landian smiths, and therefore refinement in the items they could produce. (Though God taught the first generation of smiths the basics of the craft, He left it up to them to discover ways of refining it and coming up with new uses for it.)
Perhaps the earliest product of smithery the invention of which is specifically recorded is coinage, which was first introduced in LY 103, by a smith named Drahkma (along with her brother, a miner named Ducket), though the use of money wasn't officially established until 107. (Subsequent denominations of coins were introduced in 117, 225, and 360.) In 105, Ducket and Drahkma joined Brist and three other spirit-talkers, one of whom was a writer named Isaac, who is credited with the idea of compiling writings into what became the O'Gas. It was also his idea that there should be some kind of writing implement which would work better than the stylus and tablet method that had been used since Connor and Brigid's time; his suggestion led to Drahkma fashioning the Land's first nib pens (though these would not come into wide usage until the later invention of paper in 170, which replaced parchment). Other relatively early developments of smithery included blades (this category includes things which had actually been used since the first generation for hunting, woodcutting, etc., but which were not used as weapons until later.) The exact year when the specialized craft of bladesmithery came into being is not known, nor is the first smith to specialize in blades. However, it is believed to have happened between 225 and 230. Within a few years of the discovery of striders in 150, plows were developed to be drawn by the animals, thereby increasing the productivity of farms.
Minismithery[]
"Minismithery" is a term first used around LY 300, upon the invention of screws. While many people tend to think of the word minismithery as applying specifically to small items, size is not the actual determining factor, but rather complexity. Many small items, such as coins, nails, fishhooks, etc., are not technically considered products of minismithery, because they are not seen as sufficiently complex in design. It's true that most products of minismithery are small, that needn't always be the case. In fact, some such products are quite large. It should be noted that smiths throughout history have worked with inventors and other craftsmen such as woodcutters, architects, and mechanics, to develop ever more complex machines, constantly improving upon the methods of making other products, such as textiles. This cooperation was greatly increased upon the introduction of minismithery, which led to the invention of even more complex machines, of widely varying uses, in the following centuries.