Hello! I’m new here, and relatively new to etymology in general. I’m looking for the specific psalter, mentioned in the blacksmith entry, about using the word smith in middle english to refer to God. I’ve been unable to find that specific source. I’m a smith, and working on a paper about the influence of metalworking on language. Some interesting things I’ve found- the vikings used roves, which were essentially riveted washers, to hold their ships together. That has the same root as reave and bereft, hinting at some kind of influence of the sea rovers/reavers/ravens being named after the things used to hold their ships together…
The psalter in question may be the Surtees Psalter, which includes the verse “Þine es dai, and þine es nighte; þou smiþed griking [i.e. dawn] and sunne brighte.” (The same verse is given in the KJV as “The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.”)
The stuff about roves and rovers is nonsense, I’m afraid. Rovers may well have used roves in their ships, but the two words are etymologically unrelated.
Ah, bummer. Thank you for the psalter source though!! Only found one source about the raven/rove link and wasn’t particularly hopeful to begin with.