495 – Witch sickle / athame with bone handle

Physical description:

Curved, sharp blade with human bone handle, engraved with traditional Athame symbols.

Museum classification:

Working Tools

Size:

350mm

Information:

Reputed to have belonged to Dinty Moore of Bittaford.
A visitor to the museum has told us that a sickle in the museum came from a house on Dartmoor that belonged to friends of hers. It was known as a "witch's sickle" and had been passed down with the property from a white witch who had lived at the site. It was hung on a beam as protection against malevolent witchcraft. It seems possible that this could be the sickle she was referring to (but see also 514).

The following text by Cecil Williamson may apply to this object: "Here we again have an example of the witches' addiction to relics deemed to have spiritual contact with forces beyond death."

Resource:

Object

Materials:

metal and bone

Copyright ownership:

Copyright to The Museum of Witchcraft Ltd.

Reputed to have belonged to Dinty Moore of Bittaford.
A visitor to the museum has told us that a sickle in the museum came from a house on Dartmoor that belonged to friends of hers. It was known as a "witch's sickle" and had been passed down with the property from a white witch who had lived at the site. It was hung on a beam as protection against malevolent witchcraft. It seems possible that this could be the sickle she was referring to (but see also 514).

The following text by Cecil Williamson may apply to this object: "Here we again have an example of the witches' addiction to relics deemed to have spiritual contact with forces beyond death."