A boline is a functional ceremonial blade used for any purpose that may require a sharp blade- cutting and harvesting herbs, cutting cords, ribbons, string, etc., carving symbols into candles and objects are a few possibilities. Traditionally the boline has a white handle, (it is sometimes referred to as the “white-handled knife”).
Bolines usually, but not always, have a single sharpened blade, which is often curved and may take the shape of a small sickle, the traditional crescent shape resembles one of the tools described the Key of Solomon(though it is not named a boline there).
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A boline is a ritual knife used in various pagan and witchcraft traditions.
It typically has a curved blade with a sharp, crescent-shaped edge and is often single-edged.
The boline is primarily used for practical purposes in ritual and magical work, such as harvesting herbs, cutting cords, carving symbols or sigils into candles, and other tasks that require precision cutting.
It is commonly associated with the element of Earth and is seen as an extension of the witch’s hand for working with natural materials.
Contents
What is a boline?
The Boline is a knife which has a practical use. This knife derives from the golden sickle used by the Druids, in fact you can find Boline with the characteristic shape of the sickle.
| Aspect | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Definition | In witchcraft, a boline is a ritual knife or blade with a curved or crescent-shaped blade, often used for practical and mundane tasks during rituals, spells, and magical workings. |
| Purpose | The primary purpose of a boline is to perform practical tasks, such as cutting herbs, harvesting plants, carving symbols, or preparing ritual materials, in a sacred and precise manner. |
| Design | Bolines typically feature a curved or crescent-shaped blade, resembling a sickle or pruning knife, attached to a handle made from wood, bone, or metal. The blade is usually double-edged and sharp for precise cutting. |
| Symbolism | Bolines symbolize the practitioner’s connection to the natural world, the element of earth, and the practical aspect of witchcraft. They are associated with the harvest, abundance, and the cycle of life and death. |
| Ritualistic Importance | Bolines play a significant role in witchcraft rituals, where they are used to gather herbs, prepare ritual ingredients, and perform ceremonial tasks with precision and reverence. They are considered essential tools for practitioners of many magical traditions. |
Boline Symbolism
To some, this symbol symbolized the moon and thus a Lunar Goddess, or it may symbolize the sickle given to Chronos by Gaia to use against Ouranos, or it may simply be a convenient shape for the harvesting of herbs and cutting of cords.
Bolines may also curve backward, or take a more hook-shaped appearance as best suits the tastes of the practitioner.
The word Boline is pronounced BOW leen. The word may also be spelled Bolline.
Origins and historical backgrounds
The few hints that we find on the on the boline come from The Key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis), in the second book in chapter 8: On daggers, swords, dagger pens, iron pens, lances, wands, sticks and other instruments of magical art we find a long series of different ritual blades listed, among which the artauo and the bolino stand out, with black and white handles respectively.
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- English (Publication Language)
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The Clavicula specifies: “To obtain the best results in the most important operations of the art, various instruments are necessary, such as the dagger with a white handle, another with a black handle, a lancet with which to draw circles, characters and other things .
The knife with the white handle must be made in the hour of Mercury, when Mars is in Aries or Scorpio. It should be dipped in the blood of a gosling and the juice of the scarlet primrose, the Moon must be full or waxing. You also need to dip the white handle on which you will then engrave the specified characters (…). Then sprinkle it with the scents of the Art.
(…) With this knife you should carry out all the operations necessary for the art, except tracing the circles. But if it seems too difficult to make a knife like this, get a similar one; you will have to place it three times in the fire until it becomes incandescent red and each time you will have to dip it in the blood and juice quickly up to the point where you will write the specified signs in the handle and after which you will engrave them with the art pen ( …). Then perfume it and sprinkle it and keep it wrapped in a piece of linen.
The ancient druids used a golden sickle to cut the mistletoe on sacred nights, and the shamans always used the usual knife to collect herbs and to carve runes into the bark, as well as a precise knife was used to briefly wound the blood and pour it on the plant as a sacrifice in exchange for the harvest. In Wiccan tradition and witchcraft, the knife specified by the Clavicula Salomonis and called the “bolino” has become the boline.
How a boline is used
The Boline is used to cut herbs, to chop the bark or roots which you will then put to dry, it is also used to decorate and debark the wand or to cut branches for your broom. It is used to cut wands or sacred herbs, inscribe symbols in candles or wood, clay, wax, and to cut cords for use in magic.
It usually has a white handle to distinguish it from the magic knife.
Some Wiccan traditions indicate that the white-handled knife can only be used within the magic circle.
This, of course, would limit its usefulness.
It seems to me that using the boline only for ritual purposes (such as cutting flowers from the garden to place them on the altar during the ritual) confirms the sacredness of the instrument and thus allows its use outside the “sacred space”.
The difference between boline and athame
In modern practice, Athame and Boline are two ceremonial knives used by Witches and Wizards for various rituals and purposes. The substantial difference between the two concerns the primary use that should be made of them.
The athame is used for directing energy, the boline is considered a practical tool for physical tasks.
The Athame, in fact, is generally a straight double-edged knife (although sometimes it is more curved and single-edged), with a black handle, possibly made of wood. It is purified and consecrated (and, sometimes, personalized with engravings on the handle) and has a purely ritual use: it should never, in fact, cut anything physical.
Some use it to “draw” the Pentagrams and other symbols sacred to the Quarters during the construction of a Circle (as we have already seen in many articles), to “cut” the Veil of the other Worlds or to open a “door” in the Circle already formed to let people in or out.
The Boline, on the other hand, is an often curved and single-edged knife (but, here too, there are exceptions) with a white wooden handle.
If the Athame is dedicated to cutting only what is not physical, the Boline, on the contrary, is commonly used to pick herbs to use during spells, to chop or mince them and, in general, for decidedly physical and material work.
Even the Boline can be purified and consecrated or not (depending on the different schools of thought).
| Type of Boline | Description |
|---|---|
| Traditional Bolines | Traditional bolines feature a curved or crescent-shaped blade, similar to a sickle or scythe, attached to a wooden or bone handle. They are often handcrafted or personalized by practitioners and passed down through generations. |
| Ritual Knives | Ritual knives used as bolines may have a more modern design, with a curved or straight blade and a handle made from metal, wood, or synthetic materials. They are often purchased from occult or ceremonial supply stores. |
| Customized Bolines | Some practitioners customize their bolines by selecting or crafting a blade and handle that resonate with their magical practice, personal preferences, or symbolic associations. They may adorn their bolines with symbols, sigils, or gemstones. |
Uses in ancient times and today
These tools are mentioned in some manuscripts of Ceremonial Magic. Their origin, therefore, seems to be more specific to that type of practice (even if today they are also commonly used in Witchcraft).
This is because we must keep one thing in mind: most likely, in the traditional folkloristic way (as well as in Kitchen Magick), the same everyday tools were used to practice that was used for cooking or for other worldly purposes (without consecrated tools specifically dedicated to a specific ritual purpose).
The idea of having a set of sacred objects was probably not something that popular practitioners could afford. Even today, in fact, many prefer to continue in this way.
The stamp is the tool that a witch uses when she has to cut something, to clean the candle holders, to engrave runes and symbols in the wax, to collect herbs, to cut the fruit of the ritual banquet… for any type of practical work in the where a sharp blade is needed, the boiler is used.
| Ritual Use | Description |
|---|---|
| Herb Harvesting | Bolines are used to harvest herbs, flowers, and plants from the natural environment or from a garden for use in spells, potions, and ritual workings. The curved blade allows for precise cutting without damaging the plant. |
| Ritual Preparation | Bolines are used to prepare ritual ingredients, such as cutting candles, carving symbols or sigils into candles or other materials, and slicing fruits, vegetables, or other offerings. |
| Cord Cutting | Bolines are used in cord-cutting rituals to sever energetic ties, attachments, or negative influences from the practitioner’s life, symbolizing the act of releasing and letting go. |
| Ritual Cleansing | Bolines are used in ritual cleansing practices, such as scraping wax or residue from ritual tools, purifying ceremonial items with salt water, or removing negative energies from sacred spaces. |
| Symbolic Ritual Tasks | Bolines are used for symbolic tasks in rituals, such as cutting a door in a ritual circle to open a portal, carving runes or symbols onto ritual objects, or creating talismans or amulets. |
The boline is sacred to the element of Air, like the athame, but some consider it to be an Earth instrument.
The original consecration, as we read from the Clavicula Salomonis, should be done on a full or crescent moon and involves anointing with animal blood and scarlet primrose extract.
Obviously, since it is absolutely anti-Wicca ethics to harm any living being during a consecration, the replacement of animal blood can be done with a drop of your own blood. In fact, unlike the athame, which must never produce cuts, the boline instead has that purpose, so blood has its role in the consecration of the boline.
Whatever you do with this blade, the key thing is to use it only for ritual, albeit practical, purposes. Never use it as a weapon. Not using it for other non-ritual purposes, i.e., not inherent to the art, will bring it back to a state prior to that of consecration; it, therefore, remains a magical tool and must be treated as such.
When not used it should be kept in a dark cloth which nullifies its energy. According to the Clavicula, the cloth should instead be made of white linen.
How to consecrate and purify the Boline?
During an Esbat wash and rinse the Boline, while doing this, visualize the negativity sliding away with the water.
Once this is done, dry it well and pass it over the white candle and the incense smoke and trace a pentagram with the oil or water and salt. Accompany these gestures with an invocation to a deity you feel a connection with.
Conclusion
Now that we know what a boline truly is, its history and its best uses we can truly make the most of it. There is no right or wrong when it comes to using a magickal tool as long as you honor it, use it with respect and follow your intuition.
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