Athames, Knives & Swords

Athames-An athame is a witches ceremonial knife. In many traditions the athame is black handled, with a double sided blade around 9 inches long. Some covens and high priest(esses) have a white handled decorative ceremonial athame and a black handled secondary athame for cutting fruit and herbs, carving symbols etc, and each member has their own black handled athame. The reason for this is because your athame is not meant to be used as a weapon even if it is a mundane task such as herb cutting. In some traditions this is reversed and the black handled athame is ceremonial and the white handled work knife is known as a Boline. Many traditions hold that the boline is a work knife for cutting and preparing items used including herbs fruit etc, while the athame is to only be used to cut air and the wedding cake at a handfasting (witches wedding). It also represents the male element in some ceremonies. It functions similar to a wand as a means of channeling energy and is often used for invoking and banishing elements, entities and other energies.

Knives--Hunting knives and pocket knives can serve a multitude of different purposes and are very handy to carry around as utility blades. Hunting and pocket knives can also be used as substitutes to the traditional design athame since regular knives all have sharpened pointed blades that can still represent the male aspect in a ritual or rite. Pocket knives are also easily portable and conspicuous making them excellent if one needs to travel to their rituals or ceremonies.

Swords-Although considered to be too large to be used as a suitable substitute for an athame swords can still serve a purpose in rituals and ceremonies just like in many other cultures. Swords can be used to bless and promote initiates within a coven by placing the tip of the sword blade on each shoulder(just one example) or a sword can be held in both hands and held out towards the altar while kneeing as an offering to a god or goddess. Swords also make excellent decorative and meanginful purposes if put on display near or on your altar when not in use.