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

Wicca Wicca (), also known as "The Craft", is a Modern paganism, modern pagan, syncretic, Earth religion, Earth-centred religion. Considered a new religious movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esote ...

, 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 tools in Wicca, magical tool among several used in ceremonial magic traditions, and by other neopagan religions, neo ...

, 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 Wicca (), also known as "The Craft", is a modern pagan, syncretic, Earth-centred religion. Considered a new religious movement by scholars of religion, the path evolved from Western esotericism, developed in England during the first hal ...

. 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 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 feedi ...

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

grimoire A grimoire () (also known as a book of spells, magic book, 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 divin ...

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 Arthur Edward Waite (2 October 1857 – 19 May 1942) was a British poet and scholarly Mysticism, mystic who wrote extensively on occult and Western esotericism, esoteric matters, and was the co-creator of the Rider–Waite Tarot (also called th ...

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 Magic items Ritual weapons Wiccan terminology Religious objects