The art of forging has been known in Russia since ancient times, but its became widespread in the XII-XIII centuries. At that time, blacksmithing was isolated from other peasant occupations. Forging consists of complex and difficult actions, even forging an ordinary horseshoe requires skill. Therefore, in order to fully focus on his craft, the blacksmith had to stop plowing, sowing, herding sheep, etc. It was incomprehensible and seemed mysterious to other peasants. The danger of fire from an accidental spark forced the smithies to be set apart, which gave rise to additional mystery to the blacksmithing craft. Among the peasants, blacksmiths were considered sorcerers associated with evil spirits (the same attitude was towards millers). In the villages, it was believed that a blacksmith could not only forge iron, but also arrange a wedding, predict a rich life, and cure diseases. In Russian folk tales, a blacksmith can defeat a Gorynych Snake, forge an old one into a young one, or forge a voice — to make a thin one out of a rough one.
Saints Kosma and Damian (Kuzma and Demyan) have long been considered the patrons of blacksmithing in Russia. Their day on November 1 (14) is celebrated at the end of autumn, when frost shackles rivers with ice.
In Peter the Great’s time, there was a special category of serving people — government blacksmiths, who received salaries from the state treasury. In the Cossack regiments, the blacksmiths were non-combatant Cossacks, that is, they did not participate in hostilities, although they followed campaigns with the Cossack army. In cavalry units, up to the middle of the twentieth century, there were full-time positions of blacksmiths.