The thread about "Cauldrons" prompted me to wonder about this prevailing theme in fantasy of the travelling "Tinker"
Quote:
Originally Posted by bocephus
This is one of the primary functions of a "Tinker" was to mend pots, its one of the reasons villagers would welcome or at least not be hostile to these outsiders.
Which actually makes me wonder how accurate is the modern ideal of a "Tinker" who travels around sharpening blades, mending pots, and trading in the small essentials like pins, salt, whetstones, fabrics, etc... Im opening a new thread for this....
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Is this a real thing, or an extrapolation of something that has just become such a standard in the TL1-3+ fantasy and medieval fiction landscapes.
Even as I said it, I started to wonder if this was actually a historical thing, or just a trope that has become so common it became its own fact. I can rationalize the idea, and it seems very reasonable. However I cant help wonder if it ever actually occured?
Im not looking for a GURPS explanation, Im just curious about actual real history.
This is purely a curiosity question on my part to our members that are more historically specialized than I am. I dont need it for a game Im running, nor will it alter my outlook on the world :)
Im just curious, and have enough things going on (my own campaign/players deserve some attention that I have not given lately) that I cant spend the extra time to answer this right now. So I'm farming out my curiosity.
Please and Thank you.