Editing Knife (section)

==Rituals and superstitions==
[[File:The Sacrifice of Isaac by Caravaggio.jpg|thumb|250px|right|alt=Painting of an elderly man holding a young boy's head down with one hand; a winged angel restrains the man's other hand, which grasps a knife. A ram looks on from the side; in the background is a Renaissance landscape with hills, trees, and a castle.|''[[Binding of Isaac|The Sacrifice of Isaac]]'' by [[Caravaggio]], (1590–1610; Oil on canvas; [[Uffizi]]). [[Abraham]] is holding the [[sacrificial]] knife.]]
The knife plays a significant role in some cultures through [[ritual]] and [[superstition]], as the knife was an essential tool for survival since early man.<ref name="palomar.edu"/> Knife symbols can be found in various cultures to symbolize all stages of life; for example, a knife placed under the bed while giving birth is said to ease the pain, or, stuck into the headboard of a cradle, to protect the baby;{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} knives were included in some Anglo-Saxon burial rites, so the dead would not be defenseless in the next world.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Heroic Age: The Anglo-British Cemetery at Bamburgh |url=https://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/4/Bamburgh.html |access-date=2007-05-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070417143622/http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/4/Bamburgh.html |archive-date=2007-04-17 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bronze age grave goods from Bedd Branwen burial site, Anglesey :: Gathering the Jewels |url=http://www.tlysau.org.uk/en/item1/14435 |access-date=2007-05-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928002436/http://www.tlysau.org.uk/en/item1/14435 |archive-date=2007-09-28 }}</ref> The knife plays an important role in some [[initiation]] rites, and many cultures perform rituals with a variety of knives, including the ceremonial sacrifices of animals.<ref>{{cite web | title = Ritual knife | url=http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/changing/journey/objects/089knife.html | access-date = 2007-05-08 }}</ref> [[Samurai]] warriors, as part of [[bushido]], could perform ritual suicide, or [[seppuku]], with a [[tantō]], a common Japanese knife.<ref>{{cite web | title = Howstuffworks "How Samurai Work" | url=http://science.howstuffworks.com/samurai6.htm | access-date = 2007-05-08 | date=2004-04-16 }}</ref> An [[athame]], a ceremonial knife, is used in [[Wicca]] and derived forms of [[neopagan]] witchcraft.<ref>{{cite web | title = Hellenic Magical Ritual | url=http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/HMT/ | access-date = 2007-05-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = The Clavicle of Solomon, revealed by Ptolomy the Grecian. (Sloane 3847) | url=http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/sl3847.htm | access-date = 2007-05-08 }}</ref>

In [[Greece]], a black-handled knife placed under the [[pillow]] is used to keep away nightmares.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} As early as 1646 reference is made to a superstition of laying a knife across another piece of cutlery being a sign of [[witchcraft]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Iona Opie |author2=Moira Tatum |date=1996|publisher=Oxford University Press| title = Knife laid across – A Dictionary of Superstitions  | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1O72-KNIFElaidacross.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624033035/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1O72-KNIFElaidacross.html | archive-date=2011-06-24 | access-date = 2007-05-08 }}</ref> A common belief is that if a knife is given as a gift, the relationship of the giver and recipient will be severed. Something such as a small coin, dove or a valuable item is exchanged for the gift, rendering "payment."{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}
[[File:Knife Sharping.jpg|right|thumb|A man sharpening a knife in Nepal using a traditional method]]