The Witch's Athame by Jason Mankey

Author:Jason Mankey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: the witches' athame, the witches athame, witch's athame, witches' athame, witches athame, athame, jason manky
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2015-12-07T05:00:00+00:00

[contents]

16. I think of the Summerlands as a sort of cosmic waiting room where souls go between incarnations on this earth. It’s not quite “heaven,” but it’s similar.

chapter

6

The Boline and the

White-Handled Knife

The first modern Witches generally used three different knives in their practices. The first was, of course, the athame, and it was seldom if ever used for any actual physical cutting. For physical cutting, most Witches used the unimaginatively titled white-handled knife, sometimes called a kerfan (or kirfane). A third sickle-shaped or slightly curved knife called a boline, generally used for cutting herbs and other plants, rounded out the trio.

As the years have gone by, the white-handled knife and the boline have essentially merged into one tool, with many Witches unaware that their altars once contained a kerfan knife. The standard athame has also absorbed many of the functions once carried out by the white-handled knife. There are still many Witches and traditions of Witchcraft that continue to use all three knives, but that’s become more and more rare.

Originally the Witch’s toolbox contained two ritual knives. There was the athame (to be used when calling the quarters, casting the circle, and celebrating the Great Rite) and the kirfane (used for everything else). White-handled knives were used for marking candles, creating other tools, cutting cords, and any other physical activity that might take place inside the circle. In time, many Witches began to feel completely comfortable using their athames for what were essentially magical acts, and discontinued their use of the kirfane.

The boline (sometimes spelled bolline and generally pronounced “bow-leen” or “bow-line”) bears some similarities to the white-handled knife, but it was originally designed for entirely different work. Like the white-handled knife, the traditional boline has a white handle, but that’s where the similarities end. The boline is sickle-shaped, resembling the traditional Druid’s tool more than a Witch’s knife. The boline was also designed to be used outside (or perhaps in an indoor garden) and not in the Witch’s circle. The kirfane was originally a ritual tool that sat on the altar as a complement to the athame.

At some point, the white-handled knife was superseded by the boline, though no one is exactly sure why. Perhaps the idea of three knives simply seemed redundant. Any cutting that was needed could be done with the boline (or even the athame) and besides, the boline was completely unique. It has that cool shape and stands in sharp contrast to the athame.

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