Athame...?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Jun 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Jenny-Li	01 Jun 2002
Hi all! Wasn't sure where to put this question, but it's not *really* Tarot-related, so I put it here. Hope it's OK...! I'm reading Robin Wood Tarot, the Book right now, and being Swedish AND not terribly into pagan/wiccan religion and rituals (am curious but haven't gone there yet!) there's a lot of terms that I don't understand. Athame was one of them. By searching the net I have found out so much as that it's a kind of ritual knife, but what is it used for? What's its story? Is it OK to ask? Thank you so much for any help! Light and love, from confused Jenny... :)

Kiama	01 Jun 2002
Because Wicca is such a diverse religion, and everybody has their own way of doing things within it, I shall give you my view of an athame, and what I use it for... It is usually a smallish knife, although I have seen a couple of rather dashing looking swords... Most use it when 'Casting the Circle'... Basically, you point the athame at where you want the Circle to go, and direct your energy throgh the Athame and 'draw' the Circle's boundary with it... The Athame is like the traditional Magician's Wand: An extension of the will... It is a focal point for the energy you want to direct, and can be replaced with a wand, or even you index finger... It depends on your circumstances... I still use a finger, whilst my friend has a sword... It is also used in the Great Rite, which is a symbolic representation of the sexual union of the Goddess and the God; During the Rite, the High Priestess (Usually!) holds the Chalice (The cup) whilst the High Priest (again, usually, but not always) plunges the athame into that Chalice... (Very phallic. Freud would have a field day with us Wiccans and Pagans!) Like I said, this is only my veiw of it, so I think you'll get some more interesting replies from people who use it differently! Hope this helps! Kiama

Rhiannon	01 Jun 2002
Here is a picture of my athame: http://www.chesapeakeknifeandtool.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/unc-isis-0107.htm?L+scstore+nmwr5640ffa28da2+1042755874 As you can see it's very ornate. It's also VERY sharp, as I found out one day when I bumped into it when I had it hanging on my wall! LOL I don't use it very often. It's quite heavy. I only use it on special occasions. The last time was when I worked a spell for peace between my friend's divorcing parents. Rhiannon :)

Faerie Lin	01 Jun 2002
Rhiannon! I LOVE that athame, its just so freakin beautiful!!!! Lin

Faerie Lin	01 Jun 2002
I think I actually may save up to get it too! Lin

Jenny-Li	02 Jun 2002
All-right! Thanks you guys - I have a very fair picture now! Thanks a lot! Jenny :)

Rhiannon	02 Jun 2002
Thanks Faerie Lin, I love it. I just love looking at it. They have some other really beautiful knives as well. I've thought about collecting them and hanging them on my wall... but then I start to think... how much do I REALLY trust my husband????? ;) :D Rhiannon :)

Phoenix	02 Jun 2002
Generally, athame is a small, blunt ritualistic knife used to direct energy. Related to the East and the element of Air, I believe, as opposed to a dagger, which is related to the South and the and the element of fire

Faerie Lin	03 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Rhiannon Thanks Faerie Lin, I love it. I just love looking at it. They have some other really beautiful knives as well. I've thought about collecting them and hanging them on my wall... but then I start to think... how much do I REALLY trust my husband????? ;) :D Rhiannon :) Rhiannon, you just made me go to tears laughing so hard, cuz I didn't expect that last part!!!! LOL Lin

catlin	03 Jun 2002
Just a question for non-English Wicca: How do you pronounce "Athame" correctly? Is it something like "ethem"? And any ideas where the word comes from in origin?

Maan	03 Jun 2002
Hi Catlin i was wondering the same thing. I pronounce it as ataame but a friend of mine calls it Atheeme Pronouncing the Th almost as an s But he most people around here say Tarot and not taro

Kiama	03 Jun 2002
I've heard it pronounced 'A-thame'. I pronounce it 'A-the-mee' or 'A-thar-may'... Kiama

Kiama	03 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Maan But he most people around here say Tarot and not taro On Ebay, I saw somebody write that 'Tarot' was pronounce to rhyme with 'Pharoah' eg- 'Tare- oh'. Is this how people in the Netherlands pronounce it? Kiama

wavebreaker	03 Jun 2002
I don't, but then I've never met anyone in real life to discuss tarot with yet... :D I pronounce tarot to rhyme with "pot".

catlin	03 Jun 2002
Thanks for the prononciation input. Glad I pronounced it right. What a pity that there is no Pronounciation guide for Magickal words and terms available.

Shadow_Dragon	03 Jun 2002
Well, you can pronounce athame in many different ways, but as a wiccan I pronouce athame like this (A-THE-ME)

Maan	04 Jun 2002
hi Kiama Most dutch peolpe just say Taroo. ( not pronouncing the t at the end) But some pronounce it like Tarotlady I don't know what is the correct way... but in the tarot calsses i followed here in the Netherlands they say Taro... maybe it sounds smarter ;)

Jenny-Li	04 Jun 2002
Hm... I've actually never much thought about how to pronounce the word Tarot - I guess being a French name from the start, I just assumed it would be "Taro"... Athame I assumed would be "A-thaa-me" but I guess it wasn't that obvious...! :D One certainly learns new stuff EVERY day! Jenny :)

The Athame...? thread was originally posted on 01 Jun 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.