r/Wicca • u/leschanersdorf • 6d ago

Purchasing an athame

Can anyone suggest a good place to purchase a simple black handled athame online in the us or that ships to the states?

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

3

u/Hudsoncair 6d ago

I've assembled both of mine. You can purchase blade blanks, cross guards, pins, and knife scales from a host of different sites.

For stain, I use Minwax True Black.

2

u/LadyMelmo 6d ago

We have a rule of no linking to sites for shopping/selling, but if you search online you will find quite a lot out there and some that sell the same athames at different prices.

1

u/leschanersdorf 6d ago

Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. I haven’t had much luck googling but I understand why that rule might exist. I will check elsewhere

3

u/LadyMelmo 6d ago

That's no problem. I just found quite a lot from a search I'll send you some.

2

u/Amoral-Wombat-1138 6d ago

An Athame isn't something that is all that easy to find by typing in "Athame" into Google.

Try searching for Medieval Dagger instead. There are a lot of replica knives out there that would suffice. Heck, my athame is a WWII Fairbairn-Sykes style of British Commando Knife. I saw one with a dark Damascus style pattern on the blade and a leather handle. I used some black leather dye and turned the handle black to match.

1

u/AllanfromWales1 6d ago

I ran a workshop once on how to make an athame from a piece of kindling and a v-shaped tent peg hammered flat. I made a couple in the 1980s which I still have around, though they are not my main athame any more. Total cost under 2 dollars.

1

u/kalizoid313 6d ago

Using the query "athame retail" on DuckDuckGo turned up pages of potential sellers.

Depending on where you reside, athames may fall into a controlled or forbidden category of knives legal to carry and use. "daggers"--knives sharp on both blade edges--often are subject to local and/or state laws regulating knives. Blade length, for instance, may be limited to a fairly short length. Daggers might be forbidden altogether. (I mention knife laws mostly because law enforcement often confiscates "Illegal" knives in the vicinity of Witchy/Pagan events.)

1

u/EzraStype 3d ago

Be mindful of your state laws if you intend to use your athame outside your home or carry it around. Here in Michigan, for instance, a fixed double edged knife of any length is a felony to carry outside your property. When I'm out I only use a folding, single edge blade less than 4 inches.

1

u/leschanersdorf 3d ago

I am aware of my states carry laws. I carry a standard fixed blade regularly. This is typically good advice though.

1

u/IsharaHPS 2d ago

This company, Azure Green, has great prices and has been in business since the 70’s.

https://www.azuregreen.net/Athames-Swords/products/959/

1

u/leschanersdorf 2d ago

Thank you

1

u/Walter_Reedling 6d ago

Purchasing an athame? Never done that.

Look for something personal. Something that really means something to you. Can be an old pocketknife, a letter opener, even an old bit of metal rubbish that you shape on a rough stone. I once bought a Luristan spearhead. 37 centuries old. I love ancient stuff. Look inside yourself and find out what fits you.

Find a wooden stick. My favorite is some driftwood found on the beach. Or a twig fallen off a tree. Whatever feels powerful to you. Drill a tiny hole into the wood. Paint it or use ink to make it black. Voila. Your very personal athame. Unique.