I picked this book up, not knowing what it was about, but wanting to know more about Wicca. It was an informative read, but not being a Wiccan, I had a hard time getting into it. It talks about what an athame is for, where to get one, why they are used in witchcraft. It gives the history of the Athame and even how ritual knives fits into indigenous people's history. You get information about making your own Athame and decorating both it and the scabbard. There are uses in rituals as well as other uses. I will admit, I skim read most of this as it really wasn't what I was looking for. My rating is blank as I am probably not a person to review this book. As I said, it was informative, but if you are not a practicing witch or follower of Wiccan, this might not be a book for you.

Book Review: The Witch’s Athame by Jason Mankey
Review by Dawn Thomas

153 Pages
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications

Religion & Spirituality

This book is part of the Llewellyn’s Witch’s Tools series. The author explains his reluctance with athames when he first began his path in witchcraft. The word athame came into print in 1949. It is a knife dedicated to magical purposes. It is great that he gives pronunciation tips and possible origins of the word. I love the story about witches finding their athame. The history of athames is very extensive and includes superstitions.

These are the chapters within the book.
Chapter 1: A short history
Chapter 2: The other athame
Chapter 3: Making an athame yours
Chapter 4: Preparing the athame for ritual
Chapter 5: Athame in ritual
Chapter 6: The bowline and the white handled knife
Chapter 7: The athame in the kitchen
Chapter 8: The sword
Chapter 9: Divination, ritual, and the spell work with the athame
Chapter 10: The knife in traditional witchcraft

In chapter 2, the author describes the difference materials used for athames. I was very interested in learning how to make an athame from wood. In chapter 3, he discusses the challenges and limitations to making your own athame. In the fourth chapter, the author gives various ways to clean an athame. One description is to bury the blade on a full moon. I think this is a wonderful way to remove negative energies.

He includes several ideas for cleansing and consecrating an athame. There are many details listing the differences an athame and a bowline. The chapter on the sword includes references from William Wallace to Harry Potter. Before reading this book, I was unaware of using an athame for scrying or using it in candle magic. There is a beautiful initiation ritual, which can be adapted for a specific tradition. The last chapter is dedicated to identifying different traditions in witchcraft.

This was the first book I have read by this author. I liked his writing style. It was very easy to read and understand. The chapters flow nicely from each topic. I also liked that he gave many examples throughout the book. If you are interested in learning about athames, I highly recommend this book.