Athames and Bolines

Athame is traditionally a black handled knife used by witches for psychic self-defence, casting circles, calling quarters and blessing wine. This magical knife must never be used to cut, if it should touch blood it would be then useless as an Athame. If Steve Smythe (my Swordsmith) should cut himself whilst making my Athemes, you have my promise that it will never be sold for this purpose. Although an Athame is traditionally black handled, very often I are requested to leave them natural, to be finished by their new owner, with either beeswax or varnished. 

The woods that we use are all "black" in that they are protective wood, although there are no naturally occurring black woods in Europe I can stain, burn or bind the handle in leather or leave them natural for you to finish. An Athame is a male knife and sacred to the God.

Boline is traditionally a white handled curved knife, used to cut herbs, sigils into candles and cords, with in a cast circle. Although today not always a curved blade, a Boline is a female knife and sacred to the Goddess.

All my Athames and Bolines are handcrafted on the Fullmoon, to order, with the traditional words of power whispered into the making. The pommels and quillions are made from solid best quality Brass and the blades are made from drop forged steel, hand ground. These can be either EN9 Carbon Steel or Stainless Steel and both have a through tang, screwed to the  pommel. The difference between a stainless steel blade and a carbon- a carbon steel is more traditional but a stainless  steel blade needs less looking after.  As all the Athames I sell, you can choose  any wood, any pommel and any quillion, from those pictured below, to make the perfect Athame for you.  All Athames come with a leather handmade scabbard supplied free.

Woods

Oak a sacred wood used by the Druids for it's power, oak is strong for all magic with protection, healing and luck as it's main properties. Oak is a male wood.

Ash a wood sacred to the Celts and also to the Vikings. The Yyggdrasil an ash, is to the Vikings the world tree, it's branches spreading from this world to the land of the Gods. Ash is used for love, protection, healing and is a male wood.

Yew a wood of great power for magic, on hot summer days the tree will give off a gas, that is advisable not to fall asleep sitting under the tree or you may never wake. A tree of the Dark Goddess and therefor female. Yew makes beautiful handles with it's very fine grain.

Beech a wood to use for enchantment and increasing creative powers and is a female wood.

Ebony (£10 extra) a natural black wood, beautiful to work with and to hold, it resonates with power and is best just beeswaxed, although beeswax will need does re-applying occasionally.  All our Ebony comes from renewable sources or from fallen or trimmed trees. Protective, healing and love, Ebony is a male wood.

Holly is a very white wood, as we use branches from our own trees and those from Ravens Wood, some have small marks where branches have grown in the past, but these merely add to the character of the handle.

     Any of the Athames below can be make with white Holly handles as matching Bolines.



Pentagram Athames and matching Boline with Moon quillion