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[Trollhammaren]

As we all know, metal items such as anvils can only be made by using bars of metal, a heat source and an anvil. This has lead to a variety of theories on the origin of the first anvil used to make all subsequent anvils - how can there be a first anvil without an anvil to make it? - and various theories of Dwarven Creationism. There's ample evidence against creationism, such as the presence of coal and peat in the world, which would have taken thousands to millions of years to form, the presence of individuals older than the supposed date of creation and their memories from the time before, homology and traces of evolution in species (which you would not assume are there were the world simply created) and so on, but this question has been so far hard to answer.

My proposal is that the anvil could have evolved naturally. Consider this anvil rock:

Is it inconceivable that a smaller version could exist?

I suggest that at one point in time dwarves indeed did not have anvils and hence no possibility of making metal items. No divine intervention was required to make the first anvil, however. An expedition of seven from the first dwarven civilization must have embarked, and, upon embarking, have noticed this unique feature - a rock anvil [1] - built the first forge and proceeded to make and export the first metal anvils that then spread throughout the world.

An alternative theory may be that dwarves at one time were sufficiently large to use anvil-shaped rock formations as anvils. Possibly the largest dwarves were more often drafted as fortress defenders or butchered for meat by a more primitive society, so that genetics caused dwarves to become smaller and smaller over time. As they did, they also made smaller anvils using the somewhat larger ones, resulting in much smaller anvils that regardless originated from using a natural formation that looks like cubes of rock to a modern day dwarf. Will dwarves become even smaller in the future? We shall see. Either way, I hope this resolves one of the major arguments supporting Dwarven Creationism.

[Brewster]

That's a thought, but I imagine it's from a mood. I embarked with nothing once and had a mood make a badger bone pick. I imagine an anvil could come one day...

[Thormgrim]

I like to think the first dwarves rode a meteor to earth and used the meteorite as the first anvil.

[Anathe]

In the time before times, the other Gods created many titans, megabeasts, and other hideous creatures that lurked in the caverns. One God, driven to madness, descended into the depths of the earth and created

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Hell, and it's demons.

Armok, the God of Blood, was not willing to allow this to be unleashed upon the lands. He sealed them off, with the only ways into their domain blocked by

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Adamantine, made from his blood, and fortresses guarded by undead minions.

Armok also knew that there would come a time that this evil may be unleashed. Knowing this time would come, he created the Dwarf, stout creatures fond of drink and industry. Knowing they would need tools, he took the easy path, and gave to them the anvil, so they would be more industrious and build their tools themselves. They reverse engineered the anvil, and now proliferate it throughout the world.

Armok, however, was wrong. As the smallest pick would prove to be the tool through which evil was unleashed, for in their lust for industry, Dwarves would inevitably harvest materials they were meant to protect...

[MisterChuck]

Hardwood tree stumps make pretty good short-lived anvils in the real world for hot work, and last years and years for cold work. I like to think the first dwarves cut down the first elves' tree, made hammers with its branches, charcoal from its trunk, and hammered the first iron pick on the tree's steaming heartwood.

[wierd]

The obvious answer is to use a cast iron anvil, using a sand casting box, and a large smelting cruicible.

[Sutremaine]

I wonder if you could have a reaction that turned a hardwood log into a temporary anvil, made of a substance damaged by any temperature warm enough for a dwarf. Ideally you'd have just enough time to make one anvil, from which you could make a permanent forge.

[MisterChuck]

You could have the wood anvil catch fire as part of the forging reaction (I think, I'm new to this). The added fire, smoke, and general badassery would be really appropriate for the birth of baby Urist's first anvil.
Plus, only the dedicated would complete the process - anyone unworthy of the forge would be driven off by the face-melting smokey brilliance. Combines risk, excitement and reward all in one! And flaming anvils!

[acetech09]

The obvious answer is to use a cast iron anvil, using a sand casting box, and a large smelting cruicible.

More likely, dwarves dug a hole in a beach, compacted it, and poured in molten iron.

etc.

I like it, but quick correction: Those blue tubes are hairs of Armok's beard, not his blood.

[wierd]

Now there's an interesting take on the myth.

The other gods cursed armok for his cruelty, and burried his blue whiskered body to conceal it, then planted and seeded the surfaces with abundant lifeforms to torment him with.

Dwarves, being slaves to armok, are driven to dig deep, and unleash his inner demons on the perverse surface world created to torment him, that he may have his vengence. (Elves especially are loathed by armok)

Candy floss is his beard, magma his blood, and slade his heart. Denser, and colder than any other substance.


I kinda like that.

[Broseph Stalin]

The first anvil was carved of wood. In the beginning the elder dwarves used the anvil like they used everything else, as a tool to murder elves. Armok was pleased by the elf blood staining it and sent down a bolt of lightning to instantly burn it to charcoal. The anvil ignited the first time it was used and the first dwarf to use it was burned alive but created the first metal anvil and gave the world the art of metalsmithing.

Sadly the creation of metal weapons meant the end of improvised elf-blugeoning and the art of wooden anvil making was lost to the ages.

[Drazinononda]

The obvious answer is to use a cast iron anvil, using a sand casting box, and a large smelting cruicible.

More likely, dwarves dug a hole in a beach, compacted it, and poured in molten iron.

That's... Aren't those...

Er...

Never mind.

[BoredVirulence]

We know dwarves have an age at year 1. So there is history before history began. Can we all agree that the beginning of dwarven history marks the creation or discovery of the first true anvil?

I would argue that casting couldn't have been done since it the technology to make fully molten iron was more advanced than should be allowed in dwarf fortress (as far as the time line goes), but then I recall true steel requires the iron to be fully molten, and dwarves can make steel. So casting is an option.

I prefer the idea of a temporary wooden or stone anvil. I would argue there might be a limit as to what metals could be worked on such an anvil, but it should be able to work softer metals such as copper and iron, which is sufficient to make an iron anvil.

Edit:
We could make a custom building that acts like a forge, but it isn't built with an anvil. A temporary anvil is a reagent, which is destroyed after production.

[Trollhammaren]

There are several factors speaking against the casting theory.

1. Molten metal is what is known as a contaminant, and impossible to work with as it does not have an appreciable volume. It is not physically possible to pour molten metal on molten metal to make the layer of molten metal thicker. This seems like a very formidable obstacle to creating useful objects out of it.
2. Likewise, it is impossible to dig smaller holes than the size of a dwarf, so this would yield an anvil approximately the size of a dwarf.
3. Anvils must be forged, not cast, as any dwarven smith will tell you, to be made. If metal items could be made by melting metal, why would the anvil exist in the first place?

I think this allows us to safely determine it was not "cast", unless the universe was somehow different at the time. Now, if the first anvil turned out to be made of wood during a strange mood, it would very likely be an artifact. This would of course make it physically immune to heat, but not to catching on fire. Possibly it is still burning somewhere after being used in a magma forge, and could be found following an unexplained trail of smoke?

Actually this could yield some information on the prehistoric dwarven condition. If it were made of dragon bone, that is one thing. If dwarf bone, we would take that as evidence of societal problems and unrest at the time, possibly even deaths (of beloved prehistoric lye maker?) causing unhappiness... in a time supposedly before time.

[edgefigaro]

Mermaid bone anvil: Atlantis does exist! And was ruined by the dwarves!

Related question: Where does the first axe come from? Wood stolen from elves? Did the dwarves breed and slaughter wagons?  Wagons, once such a proud, noble race...