26. Ferrum (Iron) - Elementymology & Elements Multidict

Although Iron occurs only sparingly in the free state, the abundance of ores from which it may be readily obtained led to its use in a very remote period. Iron has been known and used since prehistoric times. The writings of the most early civilizations refer to it, and there is evidence that it was known more than 7000 years ago; in China the usage of steel goes back to 2550 B.C. Some vedic poets wrote that their prehistoric ancestors already knew iron and were able to transform it into utensils through a considerable range of technics.
The Iron Age, the period of civilization during which this metal played an all-important part, succeeded the ages of copper and bronze, notwithstanding the fact that the extraction of these metals required greater metallurgical skill. The Assyrians and Egyptians made considerable use of the metal. In the Bible it is mentioned in Genesis 4:22:

During the reigns of the Roman Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, Ferrum Indium appears in the list of dutiable articles. There also exists an ancient Greek chemical treatise entitled "On the Tempering of Indian Steel". The Arab geographer Al-Idrisi (1099-1166) has noted that "The Hindus excel in the manufacture of iron. They have also workshops wherein are forged the most famous sabres in the world. It is impossible to find anything to surpass the edge that you get from Indian Steel". This passage which has been quoted in the notes to the Periplus on page 71 proves beyond doubt, in the words of a foreign historian, that the art of smelting and casting iron was well developed in ancient India.

The Hindi word for Iron is लॊहा (lohā). In ancient times, in India, "Loha-churna" meant iron ore; "Kupya-shala" and "Sandhaani" meant an iron foundry. A furnace was called "Chuli" or "Agnikund". Wrought iron was called "Lohabandhan", iron bars were called "Loha-pindaha". Smelting of iron was called "Loha-drava-Karan" (literally, liquefaction of Iron). "Loha-chinha" meant an iron mould and "Lohakaraka" meant a smith or ironmonger (Duff).
Other (later?) sources for Iron for the Greeks, were the Chalybes, who dwelt on the south coast of the Black Sea; and for the Romans, besides drawing from these deposits, also Spain, Elba and the province of Noricum. (1911 Encyclopedia).

In astrology alchemy the seven heavenly bodies known to the ancients were associated with seven metals also known in antiquity:

Sun (Sol)	Gold (Aurum)
Mercury (Mercurius)	Mercury (Hydrargyrum)
Venus	Copper (Cuprum)
Moon (Luna)	Silver (Argentum)
Mars	Iron (Ferrum)
Jupiter	Tin (Stannum)
Saturn	Lead (Plumbum)

The long history of Iron is reflected in the many different words for this metal. See the list of names to the left and in the overview of Iron in over 100 languages (click here), Gábor Lente of Debrecen university found even more, 213 words for iron (his PDF-file here).
We can identify at least 15 different roots, even the three main European branches of the Indo-European language group have different roots for their name of this common metal: ferrum, the Germanic isarn and the Slavic železo.

Sumerian AN.BAR
Akkadian PAR.ZILLU
Aramaic PAR.ZEL
Hebrew BAR.ZEL
Arabic FIR.ZILun
Lithuanian ZHAL.VARis "bronze"
Latvian DZELs "iron"
Latvian ZEL.TS "gold"

And similar lists for Copper, Tin, and Lead. In examining all of these ancient terms for these metals, Kaulins sees that all names have two basic roots as their origin:
(1) "bar, var, par" (cf. ferrum in Latin). Indo-European for "to smelt, boil" (Latvian var). (N.B. Kaulins makes a note here: "and of course the root of FERRO- «iron» in Latin, which currently has a false etymology.").
(2) "dzel, zil", meaning "yellow, gold, blue, dark blue, shiny" (Latvian zil).

In 1850 the Swedish chemist Clemens Ullgren (1811-1868) described a new element, Aridium (note). Three years later, J.F. Bahr proved Aridium is nothing more than impure Iron (note).

Just as Helium was discovered by means of spectroscopical analysis of the the sun, there were a few other elements discovered in the spectra of stars and nebulae which are not known on earth: Coronium and Nebulium (see Oxygen). But, it was found out that the unusual spectral lines originated from known elements in unusual conditions.

A strange green line in the spectrum of the suns corona, observed during the solar eclipse of 7 August 1869, was ascribed to the presence of a new element which was called Coronium. (Cf. Geocoronium at Nitrogen). Only in 1939 the real meaning of the green Coronium line was found: the lines come from [Fe XIV] and Coronium was placed on the list of non-existent elements (note).

RAYAN
IRON, the Lever of Britain's Commerce,
Named Ferrum, is a bright, white, and tough yet soft metal;
Its dust when pure, fires when exposed to Air;
Iron is magnetic from cold to red heat;
It requires a very high heat to fuse;
When cast, its structure is crystalline cubes;
Hot Iron hammer'd is granular, when roll'd, fibrous.

IRON, THE LEVER OF BRITAIN'S COMMERCE.
Slave Iron, the lever of Britain's commerce,
Work'd by the genius of Man,
Now spans waters vast, Trade-wealth to disperse,
Fulfilling God's foredestined plan.

True Iron honour serves in our country's need,
True as Steel 's the type of a man,
Honour must be till'd where choked by ill weed,
God speed to the speediest plan.

Tough Iron is jannak and with Vigour graft,
Tough as Iron 's the proof of a Man,
String up your sinews, like the Bearing-shaft
In the Civilization Van.

Then will iron, coal, and cotton together,
Three Gems to a Lancashire Man,
We'll ward wind and weather, and reap Earth's treasure,
So give praise to Old Iron and klan.