Plural of anvil; heavy iron or steel blocks with a flat or slightly curved top surface used by blacksmiths for shaping metal.
From Old Norse 'anfilði' ultimately from 'and' (against) + 'filði' (to beat); the plural simply adds standard English '-s' suffix.
Anvils appear in metaphors across cultures—from Prometheus bound to an anvil in Greek myth to their iconic silhouettes in cartoons—because they symbolize unyielding hardness.
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