anvil

An anvil is a heavy metal block used for pounding and shaping metal.

You might think of an anvil as something that's always found in a blacksmith's workshop or a forge. That's because it's traditionally been a crucial tool for metalworkers, who use the anvil to shape hot metal into useful objects like horseshoes, tools, or even decorative items. The anvil provides a stable surface for hammering away at the metal until it takes the desired shape. In some cases, an anvil can be quite simple and small, but in other cases, it's massive and weighs tons – literally.