The Smith´s forge

The forge is located at the basement of the castle, and to arrive to this place you have to pass through dark passageways, but despite being part of the castle, for its symbolism, it deserves a separate study.

To begin with, the forge symbolizes the abode of the god Vulcan, who is always represented as a blacksmith working at his forge, and on the other hand, it is difficult not to interpret the descent to the forge, which is located in the basement of the castle, as a decline hell that is inhabited by evil creatures.

The old man, tall, and fitted with white beard, we identify him as the figure of the hermit, the magician or the druid ( it is very easy to relate this white bearded old man with the wizard Merlin, Gandarf, or the druid Getafix of the tales of Asterix).

In fact, the old man represents the genius keeper of the magic hidden secrets of the pagan and pre-Christianity world. So, the struggle that occurs in the story between the youth and the old man represents the struggle between the good and the evil, or more exactly, the fight between Christianity and the pagan beliefs prior to this. Naturally, the result can’t be another one than the victory of the youth to the wizard, who accepts to revel him his secrets, hand him his treasure, renounce to his magic, and disenchant the castle.