Not a problem Tim. I, for one, always appreciate differences in view, so long as we can discuss them, rather than fight over them.
This is actually an interesting period in the rise of Wicca, especially. There isn't a set form for athames or bolines (the two ritual blades in some traditions), and so what we're seeing here is essentially an experimental or evolutionary period where people figure out "what works," however that is defined. A lot of material gets borrowed, including that athame you cited. Personally, I think that is a great form, and it will be hilarious if, in two centuries, people are trying to figure out how the Thais influenced wicca, because of the standard shape of the athame at that time...
In other swords (like the dha), we're stuck trying to figure out how to classify designs, and how they originated and changed over time. Perhaps we should be encouraging pagans to keep a provenance on their tools, so that in a few centuries, the collectors and enthusiasts will have a better idea how the forms evolved in their formative decades. Just a thought.
|