Bone Stag Athame, 8 1/2 Inches

Damascus-patterned steel blade. The blade carries the rippling, watered grain that gives Damascus steel its name, a flowing pattern across the metal that makes each blade distinct. It is a display-and-ritual blade rather than a working weapon.

Polished stag-horn handle. The handle is genuine polished stag horn, a natural antler material, so its color, grain, and shape vary from piece to piece. Yours will be one of a kind.

A finer athame for the altar. Heavier and more substantial than a basic ritual knife, it suits a practitioner who wants a dedicated, lasting blade for casting circles and directing energy.

• Form: ritual athame (altar blade) with Damascus-patterned steel and stag-horn handle
• Overall length: about 8 1/2 inches; blade about 3 1/4 inches
• Blade: Damascus-pattern steel; handle: genuine polished stag horn (natural antler, varies piece to piece)
• A ritual tool with a real metal edge; keep away from children, store safely, and follow your local laws on blade ownership and carry
• California Proposition 65 WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

The athame is one of the core tools of Wicca and modern witchcraft, named in the mid-twentieth century from older grimoire traditions and carried into ritual as the blade of will and direction. Its work is symbolic rather than physical: a practitioner uses it to cast a circle by tracing the boundary in the air, to open and close that sacred space, and to direct raised energy toward a goal, to invoke, to banish, to point the intention cleanly. By long custom the athame is never used to cut physical things at all; a separate working knife, the white-handled boline, does any actual cutting. Traditions differ on its element, some assigning the blade to Fire and others to Air, but all agree on its role as the tool of focused will.

The materials give this athame a particular character. Damascus-patterned steel recalls a centuries-old smithing tradition prized for both beauty and strength, and the flowing grain has long carried associations with skill, layered power, and the marriage of many into one. The stag horn ties the blade to the deer and the stag, an old emblem of the wild, of the Horned God in many witchcraft paths, and of sovereignty and the hunt. Together they make a blade that feels rooted in craft and in the older nature-religion currents that run through the craft, a fitting tool for a practitioner who wants their working blade to carry weight in more than one sense.

1. Cleanse and consecrate it when it arrives: pass it through incense smoke or moonlight, and dedicate it to your practice with a clear intention. Stag horn is porous, so favor smoke over soaking.
2. To cast a circle, hold the athame and trace the boundary of your space in the air, point extended, marking where the ordinary world ends and the working begins.
3. To direct energy, raise power as you normally would and aim it through the blade toward your goal, whether you are invoking, blessing, or banishing.
4. To close, trace the circle in reverse to release the space when the working is done.
5. Store it dry and apart from kitchen and utility knives so it stays a dedicated ritual tool, and keep it out of reach of children.

• Stag Damascus Athame: a close sibling in the Damascus-and-stag family, for a matched ritual set.
• Bone Damascus Athame: another Damascus-bladed athame in the same line.
• Rosewood Damascus Athame: a Damascus blade with a warm rosewood handle as an alternative.
• Pakkawood Athame With Sheath: a classic everyday working athame to keep alongside the finer one.
• Altar Bell With Pentagram Design: to clear and consecrate the space before the blade casts it.

What is an athame, and how is it different from a regular knife?

An athame is a ritual blade used in Wicca and witchcraft to cast circles and direct energy, not to cut. By tradition it never touches physical material; a separate knife, the boline, handles any actual cutting. This athame is meant for that ceremonial, energy-directing role rather than for utility.

Is the handle real stag horn?

Yes. The handle is genuine polished stag horn, a natural antler material, which is why each one differs in color, grain, and shape. Small natural variations and markings are part of the material, not flaws.

Is the blade real Damascus steel?

The blade is Damascus-patterned steel, carrying the rippling watered grain the style is known for. The pattern is the signature of Damascus work; treat it as a decorative ritual blade rather than a forged combat weapon, and it will keep its look for years.

How do I care for it, and is it sharp?

It has a real steel edge, so handle it deliberately, keep it away from children, and store it dry, since stag horn is porous and patterned steel can spot if left damp. Wipe it with a dry cloth, and a touch of oil on the blade now and then helps preserve both the metal and the pattern.

Why is there a California Proposition 65 warning?

Proposition 65 requires California businesses to warn about exposure to certain listed substances, and the warning is included here to meet that requirement. It is a labeling rule about possible exposure, common on metal goods; keep the blade out of reach of children and wash your hands after extended handling.