PETULENGRO, THE SMITH

(From F&F#46 August 2003)

Petulengro is the Romany word for a smith and is a common name amongst the Rom people as is its English counterpart `Smith'. A search on the internet for petulengro comes up with thousands of sites - most of which seem to belong to Claire Petulengro an astrologer!

Once upon a time there was a great king and this king decided that his palace did not do him justice, so he decided that he would have built for himself the finest palace in the world. He gathered together the finest designers and craftsmen in the world and they laboured on creating the new palace for many, many years.

When it was, eventually, finished the king celebrated by throwing a banquet for all the men who had worked so hard on the building.
It was a great feast with the finest food and drink served up on heavy gold plates and fine glass drinking vessels. When everyone had eaten and drunk his fill they fell to talking and boasting and arguing as men will do on such occasions.

"Of course, none of this could have been done without me" said the architect who had drawn the plans in the first place.

The stonemasons disagreed "We were the most important" they said. "If it wasn't for us there would have been no walls, just pretty drawings on sheets of paper."

Then the carpenters and joiners put their case. "What good would walls be without floors and ceilings, doors and window frames?"

The glaziers talked about the glass in the windows and how the wind would whistle through and make the palace uninhabitable without their work; the plumbers spoke about the lead on the roof and the pipes to take the rain water away; the plasterers, the painters and decorators, the men who worked with gold leaf, the sculptors, the artists, the tapestry weavers, the carpet makers, everyone, had their say and staked their claim to being the most important of the craftsmen who had worked on creating the great work of art which was the completed palace.

The king listened to what they had to say but didn't say a word. When everyone had spoken he looked around and saw a dark figure sat in a corner.

"Who are you and what did you do towards the construction?" the king asked.

The figure rose, dark and clad in work clothes amongst the finery of all the other guests.

A murmur went round the crowd. "What's he doing here?" they said. "How dare he come in his work clothes. He's a disgrace."

"I am the smith" said the man. "All these other workers have said how important they are and how grand and high faluting, but they could have done nothing without their tools. And who makes their tools? Me, petulengro, the blacksmith. Now, your majesty, you decide. Have I any right to be here?"

The king listened and when the blacksmith had finished speaking he made room for him at his right hand and gave him drink from his own cup and from that day on the smith, the petulengro, has been recognised as the first amongst craftsmen.

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