For another unrelated essay I went out in search for smiths once culturally seen as magicians, when I stumbled upon this gem: https://bigthink.com/culture-religion/norse-rituals Apparently the Scandinavian smiths made their swords from bog iron, which is low quality. To give it strength and sharpness they performed a ritual in their forges where they attempted to imbue the iron with the spirits of ancestors, heroes and totemic animals. They used bones of animals and people for this and burn