The Athame, Dagger, Boline, Rune Knife

I believe this is important when it comes to understanding how we should use a magical tool. We are not just picking up a fresh blade we have purchased. We are picking up a slice of history, that has significance, and symbolic meaning.

In my opinion, when you pick up a magical tool such as the dagger, you are ready to make a change. You’re not asking for permission, you are taking action. In magical use, you may not see the other side, into the astral world, or into the spiritual plane, where entities may be looking at you while you’re performing the rituals. Just because you don’t see them, doesn’t mean that they don’t see you. When you step up to perform with a dagger, your audience is the spiritual world. The action you take is in their realm. So my point is that you better mean what you are doing!

You wouldn’t step onto a battlefield with a sword, and just declare to the other side that you’re “just testing this out!” My advice is to take it seriously, no matter what you’re doing, or get off the field.

Dagger

The dagger’s primary use or symbolic meaning, is to channel and direct psychic energy, generally conceived as etheric fire. This tool is designed for creating change. It’s an aggressive, and assertive tool, designed to transform. Whether it’s transforming life into death, or Cutting into the magical world from the mundane, it is not a passive tool.

Uses:

  • Ritual magic & spellcasting
  • Religious Rites & Ceremonies
  • Spellcasting

Wiccan Athame

As a masculine principle, the black-handled athame is often used in combination with the chalice, as feminine principle, evoking the act of procreation, as a symbol of universal creativity.

The athame represents the magical element of fire, associated with the Sun and the Horned God; while the chalice represents the magical element of water, associated with the Moon and the Goddess. The union of the two then represents the union of God and Goddess, male and female, sun and moon, fire and water.

The marriage of the Sun and Moon—the union of opposites—is an ancient idea in alchemy; and the hieros gamos or sacred marriage of god and goddess is an even more ancient idea in pagan religions. (For example, in ancient Greece—from whence the term “hieros gamos” comes.) This rite is done by dipping the athame into the chalice to bless the wine. This is a symbol of the Great Rite in Wiccan rituals.[See image right]

Some modern witchcraft traditions may prefer not to use iron blades, instead preferring alternatives such as copper, bronze or stone, such as obsidian. This is most common amongst traditions that have a particular fondness of the Sidhe, to whom iron is supposedly baneful.

Element:

  • Air – For ceremonial magicians we typically place the dagger into the element of air. It’s also common placement for those practising Wicca, However this will also very according to the tradition.
  • Fire – Some witches will place the dagger in the element of fire.

In black magic, or in the dark arts, the athame/dagger Is the preferred tool used for casting the circle, over the wand.

For people practising magic, the dagger is typically used for the casting of the circle. Where the wand could be seen in my previous video, casting a circle to bring down a magical cone of protection, the dagger is used to slice or cut into the veil, allowing us to enter from the mundane into the world of magic.

In most traditional covens, the athame is associated with the magical element of fire, so the circle is considered to be cast in etheric fire. This fire is traditionally envisioned as blue, indigo or violet; although it may equally well be envisioned as other colors. When the circle is ritually purified after being cast, that is traditionally done with the remaining three elements—air (incense), water (salt-water), and earth (salt) – because the element of fire has already been imbued into the circle during the casting, by the use of the athame.

Boline

Used for: Cutting herbs.

Some modern day magical practitioners believe that if things such as herbs or cords need to be cut, another knife called a “boline” is used. The boline is often confused or mislabeled the “white-handled knife”, a completely different magical blade.

NOTE – In “kitchen witchcraft” witches are encouraged to use magical tools for mundane purposes to increase the witch’s familiarity with them.

The Sword

Sword or dagger is known to have powers external to the magician. Typically I will hear the comment, “…..one does not have to have tools to be a successful witch”. And this is true to an extent. However if you are not an adept, or a seasoned Witch who actually can conduct the elements and cast successful magical spells, then you are going to need the help of magical tools to give you some sort of edge.

The sword has had thousands of years to create its legendary status of being a magical tool across the worlds. External to the wielder of the sword, the energy and magic of the sword possesses strength and abilities highly desirable to the user. For example:

Angurvadel : The sword, possessing magical properties, which was inherited by Frithjof, the hero of an Icelandic saga. It had a golden hilt, and shone like the Northern Lights. In times of peace certain characters on its blade were dull and pale ; but during a battle they became red, like fire.

Answerer, Or Fragarach: A magical sword belonging to the Irish Sea-God, Lir. It was brought from the Celtic Other world by Lugh, or Hy Breasil, the Irish Sun-God, and it was believed that it could pierce any armour.

Kai: The seneschal of King Arthur, known in the French romances as Messire Queux – he is identified with a personage whose ” breath lasted nine nights and days under water ” and who ” could exist nine nights and nine days without sleep.” A wound from his sword could not be cured.

Kalki: The final Avatar of Lord Vishnu, the Hindu God, will incarnate himself as Kalki, the machine-man, who will come riding his white horse and with his blazing sword in his hands. This is supposed to be a future avatar of Lord Vishnu. At the end of Kali Yuga (present eon) He will punish all evil doers in this world, destroy this world and recreate the universe in a golden age.

The athame is an elemental tool, while the sword is often a tool representing power, used to keep Spirits in check during goetic Evocation or group ritual. Magic swords have historically played a role in Chinese, Japanese, Jewish, and Persian magic, as well as in modern Wicca.

In Chinese tradition, the most valued magic sword would be one inherited from a famous and consistently successful warrior, even if one only intended to use it for magical purposes. The next best bet is either a peach wood or iron blade consecrated in the name of the famed sword it’s supposed to represent. Willow and mulberry wood are also favored.

Similarly in Western magic, swords of famous warriors held magical associations. Weapons once belonging to the Knights Templar, for instance, that elite knightly order disbanded and doomed because of alleged occult practices, are priceless magical tools.

The sword’s power may be enhanced through embellishment. The grimoire, The Key of Solomon, recommends engraving Kabalistic inscriptions on hilts and blades. Other powerful embellishments include runes, sacred verses, hieroglyphs, and Chinese calligraphy.

Swords are used in various ceremonial rites.

  • They are used for casting circles.
  • They are a protective device and may be used in exorcisms and to repel malevolent spirits.

The Kris

The Javanese kris is a ritual knife regarded as having magical powers. The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although many have straight blades as well. Keris is also a symbol of power and of ethnic pride. The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although many have straight blades as well. Depending on the quality and historical value of the kris, it can fetch thousands of dollars or more.

Both a weapon and spiritual object, kris are often considered to have an essence or presence, considered to possess magical powers, with some blades possessing good luck and others possessing bad.

Kris are used for display, as talismans with magical powers, weapons, a sanctified heirloom (pusaka), auxiliary equipment for court soldiers, an accessory for ceremonial dress, an indicator of social status, a symbol of heroism, etc.

The keris is an important family possession and considered to be an ancestral deity, as weapons often play critical roles in the rise and fall of families and fortunes in history. Heirloom keris have proper names which describe their power: Ki Sudamala is Venerable Exorcist and repels negative forces, Ki Baju Rante is Venerable Coat of Armor and spiritually protects one wearing it.

In Bali, an heirloom keris and other such metal objects are presented offerings every 210 days on the day called Tumpek Landep, which means ‘sharp’. They are cleaned, displayed in temple shrines, and presented with incense, holy water, and red-colored food and flowers to honor Hindu god of fire Brahma. This is followed by prayers for a sharp mind to Sanghyang Pasupati, the deity who empowers sacred objects and defeats ignorance. (1)

Several folktales—linked to historical figures—mention legendary kris that possess supernatural power and extraordinary ability. Most of the magical kris are of Javanese origin, while the tales are derived from Javanese ancient manuscript, Babad (Javanese chronicle) and the Sejarah Melayu of Malaysia.

Legendary kris that possess supernatural power and extraordinary ability were mentioned in traditional folktales, such as those of Empu Gandring, Taming Sari, and Setan Kober. Kris-makers did more than forge the weapon, they carried out the old rituals which could infuse the blade with mystical powers. For this reason, kris are considered almost alive because they may be vessels of spirits, either good or evil. Legends tell of kris that could move of their own volition and killed individuals at will. Some kris are rumored to stand upright when their real names are called by their masters.

Why do I mention this tool in detail? It’s important to know that Gerald Gardner the father of modern Wicca, Who has a major influence in the way many people think about witchcraft tools, learned about the data from the peoples of this region. It was their culture and traditions and his love of this specific tool, that inspired him and thinking about the daggers use inn Witchcraft.

The Daggers of Human Sacrifice & Death

  • The Roman secespita was a ritual knife; however, it was used for sacrifice.
  • Zoroastrian priests (“magi”) traditionally used a knife (“kaplo”), a spear (or stick with a nail on the end), or even the forefinger, to draw ritual furrows (“karsha”) for purpose of protecting the sacred ritual space from evil and ritual pollution.
  • The Tibetan 3 sided ceremonial knife, the Phurba, also known as the magical dagger or Kīla.

Human sacrifice requires the exchange of a life – willingly or not – in return for supernatural assistance or for a greater cause. Human sacrifice was practiced at least 5,000 years ago among the early agricultural societies of Europe.

Around the same date, the royal tombs of the Shang Dynasty at Anyang in China were similarly provided with sacrificed bodies. In the second century BC, workers and soldiers were buried in the tomb of the first Chinese emperor and, in addition, he was provided with an other-worldly army of terracotta substitute soldiers. I visited this region in China around 15 years ago, and while a very popular tourist destination, you can still feel the energy from thousands upon thousands of people going to the tomb with their dead “employer” while still alive!

Mass human sacrifices were particularly a feature of ancient states whose dead leaders required their courtiers and followers to accompany them into the afterworld. The tombs of the first dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs (3100-2890 BC) were each surrounded by the graves of their courtiers.

SECE′SPITA, an instrument used by the Roman priests in killing the victims at sacrifices. The secespita is a long iron sacrificial knife, made of brass and copper from Cyprus, with a solid and rounded ivory handle, which is secured to the hilt by a ring of silver or gold. The flamens and their wives, the flaminicae, who were priests and priestesses of the Ancient Rome, the virgins and the pontiffs made use of it for sacrifices.

In the Aztec culture, a tecpatl was a flint or obsidian knife with a lanceolate figure and double-edged blade, with elongated ends. The tecpatl or sacrificial knife, was an important element in Aztec rituals. The tecpatl was used by Aztec priests to open the chest of the victims of human sacrifice to extract the heart that would feed the gods, in the hope that the offerings would bring blessings to mankind. The most widespread sacrificial procedure among Aztecs, was removal of the heart. This emphasizes the importance of human sacrifices to feed the gods, especially the sun god, who illuminates the earth and sustains life.

Researchers in Mexico announced that they have found blood cells and fragments of muscle, tendon, skin and hair on 2,000-year-old stone knives, calling it the first conclusive evidence from a large number of stone implements pointing to their use in human sacrifice. (3) It’s important to know the significance of the dagger in Ritual, specifically that made from obsidian, which believed that human blood was a sort of vital liquid needed to keep the cosmos in balance. (4)

Now you may be quick to say that the civilisations were primitive, so let’s bring the conversation into an A.D. period.

The Celts were known to strike an individual in the back with a sword, and then divine from his death struggle, “.. after his fall they foretell the future by the convulsions of his limbs and the pouring of his blood”.

There is evidence that human sacrifice still continues today in isolated parts of the world, and researchers have known cases where it is practiced by shamans. If the idea seems unpalatable, we have to remember that one of the major world religions, Christianity, is constructed in the image of a sacrificed man-god who is said to have died to save humankind. However, let’s not talk about this any further.

References

  • http://www.museumneka.com/keris.asp
  • Sloane 3847. The Clavicle of Solomon, revealed by Ptolomy the Grecian.
  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2138946/The-2000-year-old-bloody-knife-PROVES-ancient-Mexicans-practiced-human-sacrifice.html
  • City of Sacrifice: The Aztec Empire and the Role of Violence in Civilization by David Carrasco (Beacon Press, 2000)
  • The Highest Altar: The Story of Human Sacrifice by Patrick Tierney (Viking, 1989)
  • BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/human_sacrifice_01.shtml
  • https://www.alchemy-works.com/rosmarinus_officinalis.html