 | This articlepossibly containsoriginal research. Pleaseimprove it byverifying the claims made and addinginline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.(December 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Anathame orathamé (/əˈθɒm/,/əˈθɒmə/,/ˈæθəmeɪ/, or/ˈæθɪmɪ/) is a ceremonial blade, generally with a black handle. It is the main ritual implement ormagical tool among several used in ceremonial magic traditions, and by otherneopagans,witchcraft, as well as satanic traditions. A black-handled knife called anarthame appears in certain versions of theKey of Solomon, agrimoire dating to theRenaissance.[1]
Theathame stands as one of the four elemental tools in modern occultism, traditionally representing fire for witches, and air forceremonial magicians. It is mentioned in the writings ofGerald Gardner in the 1950s, who claimed to have been initiated into a surviving tradition ofwitchcraft, theNew Forest Coven. The athame was their most important ritual tool, with many uses, but was not to be used for actual physical cutting.[2] The other three elemental tools are the wand, the pentacle (the element of earth), and the cup or chalice (the element of water). These four magical tools correspond to four significant "weapons" or talismans in Celtic myth: The sword, the spear, the shield, and the cauldron (and/or 'grail').
These same four ritual tools also appear in the magical practices of the western hermetic tradition, derived fromGolden Dawn, who pioneered the modern occult tradition andNew Age spirituality; and they appear intarot decks as the four card suits: swords, cups, wands, and pentacles. The athame is an elemental tool, while the sword is often a tool representing power, used to keep spirits in check during goetic evocation. Wiccans sometimes use the sword as a substitute for the athame.
Anathame can take many forms. Contrary to popular belief, athames are not required to have double-edged blades or specially-coloured handles. Contemporary magical practitioners often choose a double-edged blade since this carries symbolic meaning.
Some witches will choose a single edge athame and use the straight edge to ring the bell for rituals. The handle of the athame is usually black, and is required in most covens which practice some variant of British tradition Wicca, including Gardnerian andAlexandrian. The handle may be inscribed with particular symbols dictated by the tradition.[4]Janet and Stewart Farrar inA Witches' Bible suggest that the point of an athame be dulled so as to prevent un-intended physical harm during ritual use.[3]
Ineclectic forms of Witchcraft the handle decorations range fromastrologicalglyphs torunes, the symbols being chosen by the owner. Many fantasy-themed athames are also available from medieval and neopagan supply shops.
Ceremonial witches, on the other hand, use the symbolic colours purple and yellow, representing the alchemical element of air, to colour the athame, and it is then inscribed with specific sigils. This is to invoke the powers it corresponds to, and make a proper impression upon the subconscious.
The athame's primary use is to channel and direct psychic energy, generally conceived as etheric fire. They are usually not supposed to harm or draw blood. Some modern day magical practitioners believe that if things such asherbs 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. In fact, a boline was more similar to a sickle than a knife and thus would have made chopping herbs very difficult (the boline was, however, handy for harvesting herbs). In the "kitchen witchcraft" tradition, witches are encouraged to use magical tools for mundane purposes to increase the witch's familiarity with them.
The ritual drawing of the boundary of themagic circle – also known as "casting the circle" – is usually done with either a ritual sword or an athame, in traditional coven practice. For open rituals in public places, this is sometimes done with a ritual wand or staff instead, since there may be legal complications involved with swords and daggers in public places, even when the edges have been dulled. 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.
After the casting, the athame is the tool traditionally used to invoke the elemental guardians of thefour directions (also termed "calling the quarters"), typically by drawing invokingpentagrams at each quarter.
As a masculine principle, the black-handled athame is often used in combination with thechalice, 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 theHorned God; while the chalice represents the magical element of water, associated with the Moon and theGoddess. 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 thehieros 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 theGreat Rite in Wiccan rituals.[5] Some modern witchcraft traditions may prefer not to useiron blades, instead preferring alternatives such ascopper,bronze, orstone such as obsidian. This is most common amongst traditions that have a particular fondness of theSidhe, to whom iron is supposedly baneful.
Some Wiccan traditions associate the black-handled athame with themasculine principle and with theelement offire, as didGardner; while the wand is associated withair. Other traditions may reverse these elemental associations, and use the athame to represent air and the wand to represent fire.Farrar &Farrar (1984, 1996) suggested this difference is due to theGolden Dawn releasing false information in the hopes of preventing its rituals being used in the correct way.[4](p 252)[3](II: p 252) They add that a witch should always choose the association which seems the most correct to them.
Fire and water are considered to be polar opposite elements, classically and inalchemy and traditional magical practice. They are sometimes considered to be the two primordial elements, the combination of which gave rise to the other two elements of earth and air. Fire and water are also the elements most associated with Sun and Moon, and thus theHorned God and theGoddess within Wicca. For this reason, covens that associate the athame with air (and the wand with fire) may decide to use the wand to bless the wine chalice, instead of using the athame. A union of air and water does not carry the same symbolic significance of theconjunctio oppositorum (union of opposites) that the union of fire and water does. Also, covens that regard the athame as air and the wand as fire, may choose to cast the ritual circle with the wand or staff, instead of the sword or athame – if they conceive of this casting in the traditional way, as a casting of etheric fire via a projection of psychic energy. If they conceive of the circle casting as cutting a line in the air with the tool of air, then they may choose to purify the circle with the remaining three elements of fire, water, and earth; this would involve using a candle to purify the circle, and omitting the incense, since the circle has already been imbued with the element of air.
The athame is the most important ritual tool in Wicca, and like other ritual tools it is generally purified and consecrated to the gods before being used for ritual and magical purposes. There are various ways of accomplishing ritual purification and consecration, depending on the specific tradition of Wicca being followed, and also whether the individual Wiccan is practicing with a coven or as a solitary witch. One common way to do this is by using the four magical elements of fire (candle), air (incense), water, and salt; and perhaps anointing the blade with an oil infused with magical herbs. Touching another person's athame without permission is considered a ritualfaux pas in almost all traditions of Wicca: It is an intrusion of the owner's personal space; and more importantly, it is an act that violates the magical bond between the athame and its owner. Some witches will go to great lengths to ritually purify, reconsecrate, and rededicate an athame after it has been touched by another person.
There are rituals of consecration for a newly acquired athame, be it new from its maker, or acquired after ritually used by some other person.[6]
The term athame derives, via a series of corruptions, from the late Latinartavus ("quill knife"), which is well attested in the oldest manuscripts of theKey of Solomon.[citation needed] It means "a small knife used for sharpening the pens of scribes" ("Cultellus acuendis calamis scriptorii").Artavus is well-attested in medieval Latin, although it is not a common word. This explains why it was left untranslated in some French and Italian manuscripts, and ultimately became garbled[7]in various manuscripts asartavo,artavus,arthana,artanus,arthany, orarthame.[8][9]Latham[9] described the etymology ofartavus as being dubious, but Johannes Balbus de Janua[10]derives it fromarto,artas, etc. ("to narrow").[8]
An alternate etymology is given by de Garlande, (c. 1225):[11]
(As distinguished either from a weapon, or from a table knifecultellos ad mensam,mensaculos.)
Idries Shah, who was personal secretary and close friend ofGerald Gardner, provides yet another etymology from an alleged Arabical-dhammé ("blood-letter"), which was supposed to be the ritual knife of a medieval magical cult ofMorocco andAndalusia. This etymology is controversial, however: It appears in his bookThe Sufis as a quotation fromA History of Secret Societies byDaraul – a probable pseudonym of Shah.Graves (an acquaintance of Shah) suggests an Arabic derivation fromal thame (oradh-dhame), which he translates as "the arrow".[12]
A Latin manuscript version of theKey of Solomon has a drawing that looks like asickle, labeledartavo. Gerald Gardner's use of 'athame' probably came from modern French versions of theKey of Solomon, probably viade Givry (1931),[13] who misinterpreted the term as applying to the main ritual knife, as shown by his index entriesarthane,arthame, andathane.[14][13][15](p 232)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| Kitchen and table knives | |
|---|---|
| Otherknives |
|
| Daggers |
|
| Manufacturers |
|
| Knifemakers |
|
| Associations | |
.svg)
