The boline (also spelled ''bolline'', pron.: boh-leen) is a white-handled ritual knife, one of several magical tools used in

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and w ...

, mainly for the cutting of herbs and inscribing candles.

Description

Unlike the

athame An athame or athamé (, or ) is a ceremonial blade, generally with a black handle. It is the main ritual implement or magical tool among several used in ceremonial magic traditions, and by other neopagans, witchcraft, as well as satanic traditi ...

, which in most traditions is never used for actual physical cutting, the boline is used for cutting cords and herbs, carving candles, etc. It has a small, straight or crescent-shaped blade with, traditionally, a white handle.

Purpose

The boline has been adopted by several other modern forms of witchcraft including Eclectic Wicca. Among these later traditions opinions vary as to whether the boline is truly a magical tool or is merely of utilitarian purpose. Similarly, sometimes a white-hilted knife called a ''kirfane'' (various spellings) is used, for roughly the same purposes as the boline. According to the

Kitchen Witchcraft A kitchen is a room (architecture), room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a Kitchen stove, stove, a sink ...

philosophy, the use of magical tools for mundane purposes like cooking is actively encouraged, and as such there is little or no need for a boline as a separate tool from the athame. Some traditions, such as that of Robert Cochrane, also prescribe the use of a single knife for both ritual and practical purposes.

''Key of Solomon''

Many of the bolines advertised in on-line "magick shops" have a characteristic crescent shape, and are described as being for harvesting herbs. This crescent shape is reminiscent of the

sickle A sickle, bagging hook, reaping-hook or grasshook is a single-handed agricultural tool designed with variously curved blades and typically used for harvesting, or reaping, grain crops or cutting Succulent plant, succulent forage chiefly for feed ...

described in the ''Key of Solomon'', a medieval

grimoire A grimoire ( ) (also known as a "book of spells" or a "spellbook") is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and ...

and one of the sources for modern Wicca. Confusingly, an Italian version of the ''Key of Solomon'' has a hook-shaped knife called an ''artauo'' (a possible root for athame) and a straight, needle-shaped blade called a ''bolino''. When the name "boline" was first used to describe the crescent-shaped blade is not clear. In ''The Book of Ceremonial Magic'' published by Arthur Edward Waite in 1911, Waite references a number of early works on magic which mention the ''bolline'' or ''sickle'', saying

"Among the necessary properties mentioned by the Book of ''True Black Magic'' are the sword, the staff, the rod, the lancet, the arctrave or hook, the bolline or sickle, the needle, the poniard, a white-handled knife and another knife, with a black handle, used to describe the circle. The most important to make is that called the bolline..."Waite, Arthur Edward, (1911). ''The Book of Ceremonial Magic''. London:William Rider. p.154

References

{{Knives Ceremonial knives Honorary weapons Magic items Ritual weapons Wiccan terminology