Making ritual tools?

Question

I want to design and have my craftsman son make an athame and a boline. But I need a basic drawing of each to base my designs on. IS there a site somewhere that has basic drawings of a few different ones.? I've tried to bring a site up but am not having much success. My son has made all types of knives before but he realizes that this one will be special to me and wants to make it very individualized. Info on metals and woods for something like this would be appreciated as well.

Answer 1

Go to this site for information on Woodsmaster Volume 9: Primitive Knifemaking. It's not just an advertisment for for the book. If you scroll down, their are great pictures that should give you some great ideas.
http://www.survival.com/volume-9.htm

If you do decide to buy a book, I recommend Richard Schneider's Crafts of the North American Indians; A Craftsman's Manual. I use it all the time. There is a great chapter on knives. Very easy to follow directions with excellent illustrations and diagrams.

Answer 2

the basic forms of Athames and Bolines can be found in the Big Blue Book by Buckland. Beyond that, the specifics should be left up to the craftsperson crafting the tool. Make sure that YOU, yourself make an addition to the tool with your OWN hands so as to bind the tool to YOUR use only. A word of note here, a Boline should be made of brass or copper or silver, as steel or iron tends to contaminate herbs as you're cutting them, with energies that may influence your workings in a negative manner.

BB,
Raji the Green Witch

Answer 3

I visited the museum of witchcraft in Cornwall (Boscastle). From what I remeber there is really no difference between the ritual knives than other knives and daggers from the time relevant. However if you have specific symbols and images you prefer it would be a nice idea to incorporate them on the design, as you can do it, because it is a custom job.

Just remind your son not to accidentally cut himself whilst making it. ;)

Answer 4

I don't know of such a site, but when my husband made mine he carved it with things that were meaningful to me, so it has a pentacle on one side and a faery offering out a flower on the other, and at the top of the handle a large Garnet is set into it :)