« Man survives only in what he creates: a work of art, shaped objects…» said Jean Marais. With morta, it’s the object itself that keeps history alive. Imbued with the soul of the Brière region, Morta, the oak of the Loire-Atlantique marshes, is a wood in the process of fossilization. In itself, it tells the story of local culture (Île de Fédrun, Saint-Joachim). Morta objects are all handcrafted creations: knives, jewelry, sculptures, pencils, pipes. Only workshops located in the Brière region are authorized to sell them. Don’t worry, you can also order from their website. Buying or offering a Morta object is a meaningful gesture. Tradition, quality and nobility combine to ensure that your gift conveys the heart, the black gold of the Brière region.
Types of objects made in morta: for gifts or for yourself
Knives with morta handles
Our cutlery offers top-of-the-range knives for everyone. Whether for work, collecting or everyday use, a knife is useful everywhere and at all times.
Cooks will find the right paring and chef’s knives, while nature lovers will love our folding knives, the Morta pompe arrière or the Trappeur model. For meals with friends, table knives and bread knives add spice to your already delicious dishes.
All, without exception, have morta handles. More than our trademark, it’s our raison d’être.
We fell under the spell of this Brière marsh oak over ten years ago, and the passion never fades.
Come and visit us in Saint-André des Eaux, where our team loves to tell the story of our local hero: the morta.
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Compact fixed knife as forged
180,00 € This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
XL fixed knife as forged
240,00 € This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Stainless steel chef’s knife
280,00 € This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Morta and silver jewelry
Would you like a piece of morta jewelry to enhance your outfit?
The Morta Bijoux workshop is located on Route de la Brière, just a few yards from our cutlery shop. Designer Hélène and her little pliers marry fine or solid silver with morta to create the most beautiful ornaments.
She offers collections for women, men or both. Necklaces, earrings, chips and studs, bracelets and key-rings fill the shelves of her showcases. She’s also a lover of the local swamp oak, and she’ll be delighted to tell you all about its history and poetry.
Morta sculptures
The Edenblack brand uses morta to design decorative objects: sculptures, frames and paintings. It gives an ultra-contemporary look to this thousand-year-old oak. Edenblack exhibits in Le Pouliguen, near Guérande. The craftsman also presents his creations at summer markets.
Morta pens
Jean-Noël MOYON, Au Tour du Morta, offers ballpoint and fountain pen models in Morta. To be used without moderation to sign gold contracts and not wooden checks, we trust you 😉.
Located in Saint-Joachim, plan a stop there on your next vacation in our beautiful Brière region.
Mortar pipes
Mortar pipes are becoming increasingly rare. Patrick Sebilo, commonly known as the Herbignac pipemaker, no longer makes them. A few are still available on request only. These days, pipes are becoming more of a decorative or collector’s item, a way of remembering our ancestors. We know our grandfather’s knife, but did he smoke a pipe?
If any pipe smokers are reading this, we’d love to hear from you!
Morta furniture
No Brieron craftsman makes furniture. So you’ll never find a morta table, chair, stool or china cabinet. Many websites offer swamp oak furniture, but none of it is morta. Depending on the supplier, the oak may come from Lithuania or Poland. Indeed, the Eastern European countries abound in swampy areas.
It is now a daily struggle for morta craftsmen to have the appellation recognized for its true value. The Association Briéronne des Artisans du Morta is fighting to protect the Morta name.
How much does a morta object cost?
Morta objects are available at all prices. For those on a budget, “tree of life” key rings cost 28 euros and the first earrings cost 50 euros. The vast majority of the Morta Bijoux collection costs less than 100 euros and is suitable for the average purse.
As for knife prices, the range (we couldn’t miss it, 😅this one) starts at 95 euros for the oyster knife. Prices increase according to each design, blade steel (forged, Damascus or stainless steel), manufacturing time and chosen personalization.
The entire Morta Knives collection
Morta knives alone don’t sell. And that’s a good thing! How do you estimate the value of 5,000-year-old wood?
We could epilogize between sentimental value, emotional value, symbolic value and craft value, but would we really answer your question?
As for the value of effort, let’s say that to extract the morta, we get the wages of fear. Imagine pulling a trunk over 10 meters long with the strength of your arms (and a goat 🐐; not that one, the one in the photo just below 👇 )… A few drops of sweat aren’t enough, believe us, you have to pay a lot more!
For the more suspicious, this video should convince you.
Why buy a morta object?
Acquire an exceptional handcrafted object
While industrial objects meet a real market need (mainly for their cost), handcrafted creations address a different demand. And sometimes for the same customers. Consumer goods are bought for their price, availability and usefulness. Period! And that’s normal.
To acquire an objet d’art, and in particular a morta object, is to :
- honoring beauty ;
- to hold in your hand a unique entity;
- appreciate handcrafted work;
- support French craftsmanship in the face of overwhelming competition;
- participate in the promotion of local know-how;
- assume one’s personality (yes, our goods speak for us);
- treat yourself or others;
- own or give the gift of an exceptional item.
If you’d like more arguments, come and see us at the cutlery shop, we’ve got tons in stock 😉.
Enjoy the timeless elegance of fossilized wood
It’s a well-known fact: organic materials warm a room (and the heart). No matter how original, a Formica sideboard will never replace an oak wardrobe. A plant in a living room brings that essential touch of life that comforts long winter evenings.
So what can we say about 5,000-year-old wood? Talk about nobility, wisdom, authenticity and timelessness, perhaps?
Imagine the feel of your palm against the morta handle of your knife. As if you were alone in the world.
In your hand, you hold the history of La Brière.
The very wood that first rubbed shoulders with Homo sapiens, then was contemporary with the Pharaohs. The very wood that remained oxygen-deprived for millennia, buried in black and brown peat, patiently feeding on silica to give you that unique ebony-black with caramel highlights.
To give or own a morta object is to pass on a little history and a lot of love, or the reverse, as you wish.
Buying an object in morta means buying French
At a time when globalization is showing its flaws, we’re changing our buying habits.
Today, within the limits of their financial means, consumers :
- buy French out of national pride ;
- rely on labels of quality and origin;
- reduce their carbon footprint;
- support local producers;
- prefers fruit and vegetables with fewer pesticides than some of their European neighbors (or even organic);
In short, the era of “less but better” has begun. Admittedly, budget constraints prevent us from generalizing this practice to all our purchases. However, when we give a gift or treat ourselves, choosing an object of handcrafted quality has a symbolic dimension. It conveys an idea, a token of friendship or love, a little of the world’s beauty.
Where to buy morta?
Where to find morta
While Brie or Sauternes can be bought all over France (or the world?), morta, the black gold of the Brière region, can only be sold… in the Brière region. Local decision-makers are determined to promote their heritage and preserve their know-how.
Morta comes from the Brière forest, which sank 5,000 years ago.
The Brière craftsmen can, if they wish, sell from their workshop, on the Internet via their e-commerce, on markets or at trade fairs. At Couteaux Morta, we took part in the Salon du Made In France in 2023, and you could buy morta on our stand.
You can find morta in :
- our JHP workshop in Saint-André des Eaux (Loire-Atlantique) ;
- the Morta Bijoux boutique-workshop in Saint-André des Eaux;
- the Edenblack showroom in Le Pouliguen.
If you prefer to buy online, here are the only official websites:
💡 Notice to enthusiasts
Morta will never be sold :
- by a company located outside Brière ;
- in the form of raw material: plank, wafer, bar, block, etc. ;
- as raw or solid wood.
Morta can only be offered in the form of manufactured objects.
Just a reminder 😉 we don’t speak of morta wood, but of morta. Are we talking about pine wood or beech wood?
Why are only Brieron craftsmen allowed to sell morta?
Strictly regulated morta extraction
Morta is a precious wood, a noble resource of great wealth, found in a delimited area. Its extraction is strictly regulated by the Commission syndicale de la Grande Brière Mottière.
Any operator wishing to extract morta must meet a number of criteria, and sign an agreement drawn up by the CSGBM in agreement with the Brière Regional Nature Park and biodiversity services. In particular, the operator must reside in one of the 22* communes that make up the Brière.
The quantity, dates and conditions of extraction are redefined each year to respect the evolution of the flora and the reproduction of the fauna.
To date, only our cutlery workshop “atelier JHP” has signed this agreement, and thus officially holds the right to extract morta logs from the undivided domain.
The 22 communes of Brière: Assérac; Besné; La Chapelle des Marais; Crossac; Donges; La Baule-Escoublac; Guérande; Herbignac; Mesquer; Missillac; Montoir de Bretagne; Pontchâteau; Pornichet; Prinquiau; Saint-André-des-Eaux; Saint-Joachim; Saint-Lyphard; Saint-Malo-de-Guersac; Saint-Molf; Saint-Nazaire; Sainte-Reine de Bretagne; Trignac.
Selling morta
As already mentioned, only artisans in these 22 communes are authorized to sell morta in the form of manufactured objects.
Why is morta only found in Brière?
The term Morta comes from the Brière dialect. It has always been the hero of local tales and legends. It can be found in books both ancient (La Brière, by Alphonse de Châteaubriant) and contemporary (Mystérieuse Brière by Renée Guillemin, Nature insolite en France by Pierre Pellerin).
Several scientists, including Augustin Vince (Notre Brière) and Lionel Visset (8000 ans en Brière), explain that morta is inseparable from the geology of the Brière.
Buying or offering a morta object is a way of honoring its future owner. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a handcrafted creation made from a thousand-year-old wood evokes just one: love. To love beauty, to love a person, to love giving pleasure, to love life quite simply.
And if the message isn’t clear enough, you can always engrave a text on the knife blade 😉.
Article written by the sharp pen of Christelle Lorant 🪶.
Article summary
What is morta and where does it come from?
Morta is a thousand-year-old wood from oak trees buried in the Brière marshes in the Loire-Atlantique region of France. It is a wood in the process of fossilization, and it is the silica contained in the peat that gives it its unique black color, described as ebony black with caramel highlights.
These oaks were sunk some 5,000 years ago, deprived of oxygen under a thick layer of damp peat. The fossilization process slowly began, impregnating the wood with silica.
This rare and fascinating phenomenon makes it a precious and noble resource, linked to local geology and legends. Morta is closely associated with the Brière forest, an area protected by a regional nature park.
What objects are made from morta?
Local artisans use morta to create a variety of handicrafts, including :
- Knives: Morta handles for kitchen knives, table knives, folding knives and oyster knives. Each piece is carefully crafted, combining the elegance of wood with the precision of forged steel, Damascus or stainless steel blades.
- Jewelry: local designer Hélène combines morta with fine silver to create necklaces, earrings, bracelets and key-rings, offering unique pieces for men and women.
Sculptures: The Edenblack brand creates contemporary decorative objects such as sculptures, frames and paintings, bringing a modern touch to this age-old wood. - Pens: Jean-Noël Moyon of Au Tour du Morta offers ballpoint and fountain pens, perfect for signing your most important contracts… or for impressing at the next office meeting! 😉
- Pipes: Although rare today, morta pipes have become collector’s items or decorative objects.
Why is buying a morta object an important act?
Acquiring a morta object is much more than simply owning a material possession. Morta, a 5,000-year-old wood, is a symbol of tradition, authenticity and French craftsmanship.
Each object is unique, hand-crafted, and reflects the rich local heritage of the Brière marshes. By purchasing a morta object, you :
- support local craftsmanship in the face of industrial products and international competition;
- appreciate meticulous work, carried out with passion and respect for the raw material;
- honor history, as morta tells the story of the evolution of nature and the people who have lived in harmony with these marshes for millennia.
To own or give a morta object is to pass on a piece of history, and to show your love or friendship for the person for whom it is intended.
Where can I buy morta objects?
Morta is only sold in the Brière region, in the workshops of local craftsmen. It’s impossible to find raw morta, unworked planks or blocks. Only finished objects are available for sale, authorized in the 22 communes of the Brière.
Here are the places where you can buy morta objects:
- L’atelier JHP in Saint-André des Eaux: specializing in cutlery, this workshop offers a wide range of knives with morta handles.
- The boutique-atelier de Morta Bijoux: also in Saint-André des Eaux, exhibits morta and silver jewelry.
- The Edenblack showroom in Le Pouliguen: to discover decorative objects and contemporary sculptures in morta.
- Online: Atelier JHP and Atelier Morta Bijoux have online boutiques for those who can’t make it to Brière.
Why is morta so precious and regulated?
Morta is a rare resource, and its extraction is strictly regulated to preserve the region’s biodiversity and natural wealth. Only a handful of craftsmen, like those at the JHP workshop, are authorized to extract this wood, under the authority of the Grande Brière Mottière syndicate commission.
The quantities extracted each year are limited to avoid over-exploitation.
What are the legends surrounding morta and the Brière?
As the « héro » of the Brière marshes, morta is at the heart of many local legends. This thousand-year-old wood, which has spanned the ages and civilizations, is linked to stories of mystery and buried treasure.
Whether it’s « Le Morta et le corseau », « La pipe en Morta » ou « Notre Dame de Blanche Couronne », all these tales of local folklore give morta the leading role in their stories.
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