Top 10 Reasons Why            Athame Handles are Black 10. So they'll go with any color of robe. 9. So you can cover up nicks & scratches with shoe polish. 8. It's slimming (can't have fat athames, can we?) 7. It doesn't show dirt. 6. Because finding a dropped athame in an outdoor ritual in the dark is a test of loyalty to your faith. 5. It's so much more dignified than chartreuse. 4. Seemed like a good idea at the time. 3. Someone spilled all the paints together and that's what ended up. 2. No, no! Black is for winter rituals--use white before Labor Day! And the #1 reason athames handles are black.... 1. So that we'd have something to argue about other than how "athame" is pronounced!