By the 12th century, water-powered trip hammers are well-established in medieval Europe for forging iron and other metalwork. These massive hammers, lifted and released by cams on a waterwheel, allowed for the production of larger and more uniform iron tools, weapons, and armor. The technology, which had been known in China for centuries, was a key driver of the European iron industry and contributed to the region's military and economic expansion during the High Middle Ages.

The water-powered hammer forge appears in medieval literature and folklore as a symbol of both industrial might and the terrifying power of nature. The rhythmic pounding of the hammer, driven by the relentless flow of water, could evoke both the industry of the smith-god and the monstrous, machine-like forces that began to stir in the human imagination, a theme that later poets like William Blake would explore in their critiques of industrialization.