Alan's picture of the Elves at the forge puzzles me further. The ring-shaped object on the coals is very large. The male figures are doing understandable things -- one is operating a bellows, one is using tongs. But what is the Elf-woman doing? Honestly, it looks like she is maybe sprinkling a pinch of salt on a jumbo bagel.

And the woman in the background appears to be grating something, like a clove of garlic perhaps, so that I almost wondered if Alan's idea was to show them taking a break for lunch and see if anyone noticed. Can someone explain -- ?

Dale Nelson wrote:

Alan's picture of the Elves at the forge puzzles me further. The ring-shaped object on the coals is very large. The male figures are doing understandable things -- one is operating a bellows, one is using tongs. But what is the Elf-woman doing? Honestly, it looks like she is maybe sprinkling a pinch of salt on a jumbo bagel.

And the woman in the background appears to be grating something, like a clove of garlic perhaps, so that I almost wondered if Alan's idea was to show them taking a break for lunch and see if anyone noticed. Can someone explain -- ?

The "bagel" is a crucible, not a ring. You can't just put the metal into the coals. It isn't clear what the person in the background is doing, even looking at a higher resolution image, but I'd imagine it is a polishing stone, probably.

Thanks! What would you suggest that the Elf-woman in the foreground is doing? My first thought was that maybe she was inscribing a rin, but that doesn't really fit the image.

Dale Nelson wrote:

Thanks! What would you suggest that the Elf-woman in the foreground is doing? My first thought was that maybe she was inscribing a rin, but that doesn't really fit the image.

I don't think so. From the hand detail it looks like she has a pinch of something that she is adding to the crucible, so probably adding another bit of ore to be smelted to get the right alloy. The image just shows the hand with pinched fingers. There isn't anything more than that.

Stu! Good to hear from you ?

Welcome back Stu.

She’s sprinkling fairy dust. How else do you think the elfs made their rings magic? ?

Stu thank god you’re back

Thanks northman, Philomythos, Mr. Underhill. I wouldn't say back, but I'll probably chip in from time to time if there is something I actually know about - which happens occasionally. I'm a renowned expert on the bagel and garlic approach to ring forging.

Just FYI Alan has told me his compositional thoughts making this painting but I am waiting for him to confirm that I can post them publicly. ?