Ritual weapons

thumb|Late medieval chalice in silver-gilt with enamels of Saints and Scenes from the Life of Christ thumb|Diagram showing the parts of a liturgical chalice.

thumb|upright|Modern depiction of the caduceus as the symbol of logistics thumb|upright| carrying a winged caduceus upright in his left hand. A Roman copy after a Greek original of the 5th century BCE (Museo Pio-Clementino, [[Rome)]]

thumb|335x335px|Indra bearing a Lotus and Vedic form of a Vajra thumb|upright|A Tibetan Bell and Dorje (Vajra) are inseparable ritual tools thumb|upright|A Double Vajra appears in the national emblem of Bhutan.

thumb|A crozier on the coat of arms of Basel, Switzerland which was ruled by [[Prince-Bishops during the Middle Ages]]

The kris or '''' is a Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (pamor). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although many have straight blades as well, and is one of the weapons commonly used in the pencak silat'' martial art native to Indonesia. Kris have been produced in many regions of Indonesia for centuries, but nowhere—although the island of Bali comes close—is the kris so embedded in a mutually-connected whole of ritual prescriptions and acts, ceremonies, storied backgrounds, and e

term referring to two weapons: one a two-handed infantry weapon derived from an agricultural tool, and the other a one-handed weapon

thumb|Paten, 13th century, now part of the Ensemble for the celebration of the Eucharist (Metropolitan Museum of Art)|Metropolitan Museum of Art Ensemble for the celebration of the Eucharist thumb|Derrynaflan Chalice|Derrynaflan Paten, part of an 8th- or 9th-century communion set found in [[County Tipperary, Ireland]]

pastoral staff used in the Catholic Church by the pope

thumb|265px|An athame, used in Wiccan ritual practices An athame or athamé (, , , or ) is a ceremonial blade, generally with a black handle. It is the main ritual implement or magical tool among several used in ceremonial magic traditions, and by other neopagans, witchcraft, as well as satanic traditions. A black-handled knife called an arthame appears in certain versions of the Key of Solomon, a grimoire dating to the Renaissance.

thumb|Pentagram, a common symbol on a pentacle A pentacle (also spelled and pronounced as pantacle in Thelema, following Aleister Crowley, though that spelling ultimately derived from Éliphas Lévi) is a talisman that is used in magical evocation, and is usually made of parchment, paper, cloth, or metal (although it can be of other materials), upon which a magical design is drawn. Symbols may also be included (sometimes on the reverse), a common one being the six-point form of the Seal of Solomon.

thumb|En no Gyōja holding a khakkhara, Japan, [[Kamakura period, polychromed wood]]

hooked walking stick used by shepherds

thumb|150px| in front of Shinto shrine , , or are wooden wands, decorated with two (zigzagging paper streamers) used in Shinto rituals. It may be considered an Ōnusa with only two Shide.

thumb|Phurba in the Walters Art Museum The phurba (; alternate transliterations: phurpa, phurbu, purbha, or phurpu)or kīla (Sanskrit Devanagari: कील; IAST: kīla) is a three-sided peg, stake, knife, or nail-like ritual implement deeply rooted in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Bön traditions. Its primary association is with the meditational deity Vajrakīlaya (Dorje Phurba), embodying the essence of transformative power. The etymology and historical context of the term reveal some debate. Both the Sanskrit word kīla and the Tibetan phurba are used interchangeably in sources.

ceremonial umbrella or parasol, one of the 8 auspicious signs in Hinduism, Buddhism, etc., often combined with the victory banner (dhjava)

thumb|upright=0.6|right|alt=A wooden pole stood on a square base. It is covered in shaggy paper streamers tied at the top of the pole.|An

thumb|200px|right|Early/Middle Sican tumi knife, 750–1100 AD, held at the Birmingham Museum of Art, it portrays the Sican Lord who abruptly disappeared from Sican art in the Late Sican phase (1100–1375) thumb|200px|right|Sican Culture ceremonial knife (tumi) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, [[New York City]] 200px|right|thumb|Sican-style tumi, 750–1100 AD, from the north coast of Peru, gold with [[turquoise, exhibited in the Art Institute of Chicago]]

thumb|300px| Weapons for capturing suspected criminals, from left to right: a tsukubō, a [[sodegarami, and a sasumata]] The is a polearm, a "man catcher", used by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan.

thumb|A gunbai The is a type of signal baton and Japanese war fan. Once held by military leaders (such as ) and priests in the past, it is used in the modern day by umpires in sumo wrestling.

thumb|A Hindu flag from the temple Maa Naina Devi, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India|260x260px thumb|220px|right|Dhvaja (Victory banner) – pole design with silk scarfs, on the background the Potala Palace

thumb|right|Assorted shillelaghs A shillelagh ( ; or , 'thonged willow') is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty blackthorn stick with a large knob at the top. It is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore.

300px|thumb|A display of Zulu people|Zulu knobkerries (foreground) A knobkerrie, also spelled knobkerry, knobkierie, and knopkierie (Afrikaans), is a form of wooden club, used mainly in Southern Africa and Eastern Africa. Typically they have a large knob at one end and can be used for clubbing an enemy's head. For the various peoples who use them, they often have marked cultural significance. Being able to carry the knobkerrie has also had a political dimension, especially in South Africa.

thumb|right|upright|Medical examination photo of Gordon (slave)|Gordon showing his scourged back, widely distributed by Abolitionists to expose the brutality of slavery. A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type, used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification. It is usually made of leather.

Bronze Age objects of the Indonesian archipelago

Chinese polearm and shovel

In Ainu culture, ' or ' ( or ) is a ritual wood-shaving stick used in prayers to the spiritual world. They were used in most Ainu religious rituals and were also frequently made to request assistance for hunting and childbirth. Some can be used multiple times, while others are destroyed immediately after one use. Their size and the direction in which they are shaved depends on which (spiritual being) it is offered to and what is being requested.

Buddhist ceremonial flaying knife

symbolic staff that indicates an official's position, rank, etc.

The boline (also spelled bolline, pron.: boh-leen) is a white-handled ritual knife, one of several magical tools used in Wicca, mainly for the cutting of herbs and inscribing candles.

Khadga is a traditional sacrificial sword used in the Hindu ritual sacrifice of animals. The large, curved blade is designed to decapitate a sacrificial animal in a single stroke. Khadgas are used in a hacking swing, with the added weight on the curved end being intended for decapitations. The sword's hilt and blade were often adorned with precious stones and metals.

A bulibuli or vunikau bulibuli is a Fijian war club. thumb|Bulibuli, 19th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art thumb|Fijian warriors, the one on the left with a bulibuli