He Is Not The Only Smiting God Who Is Deformed

The lame and ugly Hephaestus is unique among the other perfectly beautiful Olympian gods, but when observing other ancient cultures, he is not alone. For example, the Egyptian god Ptah may be depicted as a naked and deformed dwarf. Another prominent example is Wayland. The Smiths in early Germanic/Norse mythology. In the poem Völundarkviða, found in the Old Norse poetry collection "Poetic Edda" in Iceland in the 13th century, Wayland was once captured by the evil King of Sweden (King Nids).

Kothar-wa-Khasis is a Ugaritic god (an extinct Semitic) whose name can be translated as "skillful and wise." Another of his names, Hayyan hrs yd, means a skilled or skilled hand with both hands. Perhaps an indication that he is limping, Cotard is said to have been recognized from a distance by his unique gait. Some researchers have concluded that with examples like the one above, these stories may indicate the real dangers associated with Bronze Age metallurgy.

Aside from the obvious dangers of trade, ancient metal workers have been observed to use toxic substances such as arsenic in the production of bronze. Prolonged exposure to these substances can damage the appearance of the human body, damage nerves, and cause a variety of other problems.