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The Witch's Tools #3
Witch's Athame: The Craft, Lore & Magick of Ritual Blades
Full of practical applications for both the circle and the home, The Witch's Athameshows you how to utilize the ritual blade to its highest potential. Discover everything you need to know about finding the right athame, personalizing and consecrating it, and using it in your practice.
Tracing this impressive tool from ancient times to the present day, The Witch's Athamepresents the symbolism, history, and modern uses of the ritual blade. Also featured throughout are "Getting to the Point," short segments of wisdom by knowledgeable writers. From contemporary athames made of stone and crystal to folklore about knives in magic, this book helps enhance your Craft and appreciation of such a versatile tool.
"The most complete book on the ritual blade that I've ever seen. An informative and fun read."-Christopher Penczak, author of the award-winning Temple of Witchcraft series"
Tracing this impressive tool from ancient times to the present day, The Witch's Athamepresents the symbolism, history, and modern uses of the ritual blade. Also featured throughout are "Getting to the Point," short segments of wisdom by knowledgeable writers. From contemporary athames made of stone and crystal to folklore about knives in magic, this book helps enhance your Craft and appreciation of such a versatile tool.
"The most complete book on the ritual blade that I've ever seen. An informative and fun read."-Christopher Penczak, author of the award-winning Temple of Witchcraft series"
290 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 8, 2016
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277 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 11, 2016
I was pleased to have received a proof copy of Jason Mankey's new book, "The Witch's Athame," to review. I wanted to save the review until right around the time that the book came out, and it was released this Friday. Overall I was impressed by this book! But I'll be honest; I just finished it because I had books that I needed to finish first, and also because the first couple of chapters are very much at a Wicca 101 level and I consequently found them difficult to get into.
This is necessary, and even important, in a book that is everything you ever wanted to know about a witch's athame but were afraid to ask, but I've read a lot of 101 books by now and I found it a little slow. An experienced witch would be tempted to just skip it. I urge you not to, because hidden gems of wisdom that you may not have been aware of -- such as the probable etymology of the word "athame" -- are buried in the midst of the 101 material.
The introduction gives you the basics: what an athame is for, where to get one, why they are used in witchcraft. The first chapter offers "a short history" and details the origins of the athame, ritual knives in general, superstitions, why a double-edged knife and even some information on First Nations' traditions surrounding ritual knives. It details the history of both the black handled knife (athame,) the white handled knife, and the boline. This chapter also includes some information on athame correspondences, and argues both for air and fire being its elemental association (though he clearly states his preference for fire; I disagree, which is probably my Algard roots showing.)
The second chapter deals with creating athames out of other materials, such as bone, stone or wood, and using "secret athames," such as kitchen or Swiss Army knives. Some ideas are offered for the selection of a particular wood for its magical associations, and carving instructions are included also.
Chapter three is all about embellishments such as etching the blade and painting the hilt. There's some really useful stuff about witch signs and magical scripts, and there are suggestions on building a scabbard if your athame didn't come with one. Chapter four gives some simple rituals for consecrating and cleansing your athame, which I don't think enough witchcraft books cover, so kudos for that!
Chapter five puts the athame to work in some simple Wiccan rituals, breaking down the casting of the circle, the calling of the quarters, and creating a door to the Summerlands. This is about where my personal interest started to pick up because this is good information that, again, a lot of books don't tell you, and it was interesting to see how other traditions might interpret such things.
The following chapter talks about the boline, the white handled knife, what the difference is between the two and their connection to the Druidic sickle. I was excited to learn that originally, some paths of witchcraft had three knives, not two, because my tradition uses three knives.
For me the book became really interesting in chapter seven, which was about the use of the athame in kitchen witchery, followed by chapter eight on the sword (which, of course, is basically a big athame designed for a coven.) And I thought the book really shone in the last two chapters, which dealt with ritual, spellwork and divination using an athame (I had never considered using my athame for divination; I liked the ideas suggested and I am going to try some of them); and the use of the athame or ritual knife in traditional witchcraft (which I knew nothing about, and therefore I enjoyed reading the chapter immensely.)
If you're a fan of Jason's column at Patheos.com, "Raise the Horns," (like me) you will recognize and appreciate his conversational style. Jason writes like he talks. I can visualize him giving a lecture or leading a workshop as I read his text, and that, in my view, is one of the book's greatest strengths. It's easy to follow, entertaining, and speckled with personal experiences and his quick wit. Jason also takes great pains to offer options in one's practice, even though he is a Gardnerian himself (and a self-described "Hard Gard" in his own practice). I think traditional witches will appreciate his respectful treatment and solid research into their path as well.
Jason is also an excellent ritual writer, and it shows through in the rituals he includes in the book. He makes them straightforward and simple to adapt, but effective. I like the fact that he has not lost the slightly archaic witch's art of rhyming spells (and not always in a simple ABAB or AABB pattern either!) It doesn't seem to me like a lot of witches bother to do that these days, but it's my personal belief that such a spell not only sticks in your mind more effectively, but also surpasses more subconscious barriers and therefore, works better than long prose spells.
I also really liked the small blurbs from other authors that were included at the ends of the chapters. Having Pagans of other traditions offer their take on the athame expanded and enhanced the effectiveness of the book. I am given to understand that this is a typical format for the Llewellyn series on the witch's tools. If so, it works. And the interior art was absolutely amazing. It's not only a useful book, it's beautifully made.
I personally would have liked to see a blurb on creating an athame from scratch, but Jason explained that he felt that this was probably unnecessarily complicated, and he didn't personally find that adapting Buckland's instructions (from "Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft") worked well for him. He's probably right, and certainly there are thousands of books out there on smithing if that is something you'd like to pursue; I just tend to be a little obsessive and like to craft things for myself whenever possible. But if you're into that, you can feed that bug pretty well with Chapter Three and all the adaptations and embellishments offered. Or you can carve yourself an athame out of wood or stone, as Jason suggests.
And, as I said at the beginning, the experienced witch might find that the first couple of chapters are an exercise in patience just because of the nature of the material. Stick with it, though, and it will be rewarding.
This is a must-have for every coven bookshelf, to be given to your coveners to read just before they take their first degree so that they can fully grasp and appreciate the significance, use and history of the athame (and related bladed tools). And certainly a solitary witch who uses the traditional tools will want this book as well, probably just before she goes out to make that first athame purchase.
This is necessary, and even important, in a book that is everything you ever wanted to know about a witch's athame but were afraid to ask, but I've read a lot of 101 books by now and I found it a little slow. An experienced witch would be tempted to just skip it. I urge you not to, because hidden gems of wisdom that you may not have been aware of -- such as the probable etymology of the word "athame" -- are buried in the midst of the 101 material.
The introduction gives you the basics: what an athame is for, where to get one, why they are used in witchcraft. The first chapter offers "a short history" and details the origins of the athame, ritual knives in general, superstitions, why a double-edged knife and even some information on First Nations' traditions surrounding ritual knives. It details the history of both the black handled knife (athame,) the white handled knife, and the boline. This chapter also includes some information on athame correspondences, and argues both for air and fire being its elemental association (though he clearly states his preference for fire; I disagree, which is probably my Algard roots showing.)
The second chapter deals with creating athames out of other materials, such as bone, stone or wood, and using "secret athames," such as kitchen or Swiss Army knives. Some ideas are offered for the selection of a particular wood for its magical associations, and carving instructions are included also.
Chapter three is all about embellishments such as etching the blade and painting the hilt. There's some really useful stuff about witch signs and magical scripts, and there are suggestions on building a scabbard if your athame didn't come with one. Chapter four gives some simple rituals for consecrating and cleansing your athame, which I don't think enough witchcraft books cover, so kudos for that!
Chapter five puts the athame to work in some simple Wiccan rituals, breaking down the casting of the circle, the calling of the quarters, and creating a door to the Summerlands. This is about where my personal interest started to pick up because this is good information that, again, a lot of books don't tell you, and it was interesting to see how other traditions might interpret such things.
The following chapter talks about the boline, the white handled knife, what the difference is between the two and their connection to the Druidic sickle. I was excited to learn that originally, some paths of witchcraft had three knives, not two, because my tradition uses three knives.
For me the book became really interesting in chapter seven, which was about the use of the athame in kitchen witchery, followed by chapter eight on the sword (which, of course, is basically a big athame designed for a coven.) And I thought the book really shone in the last two chapters, which dealt with ritual, spellwork and divination using an athame (I had never considered using my athame for divination; I liked the ideas suggested and I am going to try some of them); and the use of the athame or ritual knife in traditional witchcraft (which I knew nothing about, and therefore I enjoyed reading the chapter immensely.)
If you're a fan of Jason's column at Patheos.com, "Raise the Horns," (like me) you will recognize and appreciate his conversational style. Jason writes like he talks. I can visualize him giving a lecture or leading a workshop as I read his text, and that, in my view, is one of the book's greatest strengths. It's easy to follow, entertaining, and speckled with personal experiences and his quick wit. Jason also takes great pains to offer options in one's practice, even though he is a Gardnerian himself (and a self-described "Hard Gard" in his own practice). I think traditional witches will appreciate his respectful treatment and solid research into their path as well.
Jason is also an excellent ritual writer, and it shows through in the rituals he includes in the book. He makes them straightforward and simple to adapt, but effective. I like the fact that he has not lost the slightly archaic witch's art of rhyming spells (and not always in a simple ABAB or AABB pattern either!) It doesn't seem to me like a lot of witches bother to do that these days, but it's my personal belief that such a spell not only sticks in your mind more effectively, but also surpasses more subconscious barriers and therefore, works better than long prose spells.
I also really liked the small blurbs from other authors that were included at the ends of the chapters. Having Pagans of other traditions offer their take on the athame expanded and enhanced the effectiveness of the book. I am given to understand that this is a typical format for the Llewellyn series on the witch's tools. If so, it works. And the interior art was absolutely amazing. It's not only a useful book, it's beautifully made.
I personally would have liked to see a blurb on creating an athame from scratch, but Jason explained that he felt that this was probably unnecessarily complicated, and he didn't personally find that adapting Buckland's instructions (from "Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft") worked well for him. He's probably right, and certainly there are thousands of books out there on smithing if that is something you'd like to pursue; I just tend to be a little obsessive and like to craft things for myself whenever possible. But if you're into that, you can feed that bug pretty well with Chapter Three and all the adaptations and embellishments offered. Or you can carve yourself an athame out of wood or stone, as Jason suggests.
And, as I said at the beginning, the experienced witch might find that the first couple of chapters are an exercise in patience just because of the nature of the material. Stick with it, though, and it will be rewarding.
This is a must-have for every coven bookshelf, to be given to your coveners to read just before they take their first degree so that they can fully grasp and appreciate the significance, use and history of the athame (and related bladed tools). And certainly a solitary witch who uses the traditional tools will want this book as well, probably just before she goes out to make that first athame purchase.
September 27, 2016
I love that this book was perfect for a beginner and for someone more experienced. The first couple of chapters are to go over what everyone but someone just starting out would know. Then it jumps into so much. I feel closer to this tool knowing so much more about it.
*Thanks NetGalley for this book*
*Thanks NetGalley for this book*
July 2, 2017
Useful and informative. The introduction covers absolute basics, such as the pronunciations of "athame," the names of the parts of an athame, how to get one, and why you would want one in the first place. Mankey goes on to discuss the history of athames, the elemental associations, using an athame in ritual and out, the different materials an athame may be made of, and practical suggestions on how to care for one. He also discusses other ritual blades, focusing on the boline and the sword. There are short essays from other authors scattered through the book that give different perspectives on the use of athames. I admit that I wasn't sure how interesting an entire book on athames would be, but Mankey did a good job of sharing his enthusiasm, and I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.
Read
September 8, 2023I picked this book up, not knowing what it was about, but wanting to know more about Wicca. It was an informative read, but not being a Wiccan, I had a hard time getting into it. It talks about what an athame is for, where to get one, why they are used in witchcraft. It gives the history of the Athame and even how ritual knives fits into indigenous people's history. You get information about making your own Athame and decorating both it and the scabbard. There are uses in rituals as well as other uses. I will admit, I skim read most of this as it really wasn't what I was looking for. My rating is blank as I am probably not a person to review this book. As I said, it was informative, but if you are not a practicing witch or follower of Wiccan, this might not be a book for you.
June 29, 2017
This book is good to read cover to cover to get a full sense of what Athame's and other blades are and how they're used it witchcraft. Then, after you finish, the book is a great one to keep as a reference book. It is easy to read. I also appreciate the contributions by Jenya and Angus, who offered different perspectives. Special thanks to Jason, I recently aquired my first athame. This book should be on every witch's bookshelf!
June 27, 2020
Jason is a fraud who supports abusive cults.
May 27, 2022
J'ai beaucoup aimé ce livre sur les athamés.
J'avoue je n'y connaissais pas grand chose, voire rien, et ce livre m'a beaucoup aidé !
J'avoue je n'y connaissais pas grand chose, voire rien, et ce livre m'a beaucoup aidé !
February 24, 2024
I was immediately drawn to the athame over a wand. I really didn't know anything about them, though. I appreciated the comprehensive look at this tool and then ways to use it in your craft.
March 23, 2022
I read this book quickly to prepare for a presentation on athames for my boss/coworkers. I work at a metaphysical shop and found this to be detailed, succinct, and accessible. I am excited to pick up more books by this author! Would highly recommend to anyone who is interested.
February 24, 2017
I misplaced the book in my husbands car for a few month, hence the delay in finishing. Great book and well-written. starts out with introductory lore and becomes more elaborate as it goes. a must have for any pagan home library
April 24, 2020
Written in Jason Mankey’s clear, entertaining, and personal style, this is a pleasing addition to any witch’s bookshelf. I also liked the short passages contributed by other writers, especially the one from Angus McMahon about the athame showcase in his occult shop.
However, I don’t know which British Wiccans Jason asked about how they say athame, but most of the ones I know (including me) say uh-THAY-mee. I totally agree that we don’t know how it’s pronounced, so your version is as good as mine! Intriguingly, it seems that the early Wiccans said uh-THAIM, as a reporter covering an early Gardnerian public event wrote it as “thaim” in his newspaper article. Neither of these pronunciations is offered as an alternative in the section on how to pronounce it.
A more serious error is the statement that the “thorn” in the Kipling song “Oak and Ash and Thorn” is box-thorn. This species doesn’t even grow in England. The tree referred to in the rhyme is hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) which is a faerie tree in British folklore.
Nonetheless there are some excellent suggestions and rituals for choosing, preparing, and consecrating your athame. Its conversational style makes it an entertaining read, and it’s a comprehensive overview of athame lore.
The section on the Cochrane tradition of folkloric witchcraft is also excellent, and the section on the athame in the kitchen was very enjoyable.
However, I don’t know which British Wiccans Jason asked about how they say athame, but most of the ones I know (including me) say uh-THAY-mee. I totally agree that we don’t know how it’s pronounced, so your version is as good as mine! Intriguingly, it seems that the early Wiccans said uh-THAIM, as a reporter covering an early Gardnerian public event wrote it as “thaim” in his newspaper article. Neither of these pronunciations is offered as an alternative in the section on how to pronounce it.
A more serious error is the statement that the “thorn” in the Kipling song “Oak and Ash and Thorn” is box-thorn. This species doesn’t even grow in England. The tree referred to in the rhyme is hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) which is a faerie tree in British folklore.
Nonetheless there are some excellent suggestions and rituals for choosing, preparing, and consecrating your athame. Its conversational style makes it an entertaining read, and it’s a comprehensive overview of athame lore.
The section on the Cochrane tradition of folkloric witchcraft is also excellent, and the section on the athame in the kitchen was very enjoyable.
October 21, 2016
This was an enjoyable read that somewhat breaks the mold of many pagan books by focusing on a narrow topic, rather than trying to be an all-in-one primer. This does cover many aspects of its chosen topic, covering history, use, correspondences, and related tools in both Wicca and traditional Witchcraft. There were a lot of interesting new ideas as well as bits of information I hadn't known which, considering the volume of pagan books that I have read, was more than I expected. Given how much I enjoyed this book, I am interested in reading other volumes from this series.
February 18, 2016
This is a tough topic to write about. Athames are hugely important to those that use them as a way of channelling energy and yet they are so personal it can be difficult to really find the material to write at length about them. Mankey really covers a lot of key ideas in this book as well as providing a few good rituals related to the athame
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews