when was the smith and the devil written

The tale of “The Smith and the Devil” isn’t attributed to a single author or a specific time period because it predates written literature.

Here’s what we know:

It’s considered one of the oldest surviving tales in Europe, with roots traced back to the Bronze Age (between 3300 BCE and 1200 BCE). That means it could be up to 6,000 years old!

The story was passed down through oral tradition for centuries before being written down.

We have written versions collected much later, such as Giambattista Basile’s in “Lo cunto de li cunti” (1634) and the Brothers Grimm’s inclusion (and later removal) in their collections (1812-1815).