Where to find Morta? Quite simply, at the source: in the Brière region. Morta, a marsh oak in the process of fossilization, takes its name from the Brière culture. Derived from the Brière dialect, the word Morta refers only to the marsh oak buried in the peat of the Brière Regional Nature Park. No other marsh oak, however old, black or fossilized, can bear the name Morta. The exclusive points of sale are the workshops of the craftsmen who work with Morta. Their website features an online boutique. Make a note of their diaries and you’ll come across them at an exhibition, a local market or a trade show, such as Made In France. Some subjects put the church back in the middle of the village. In this article, let’s bring Morta back to its native Brière, its Mother Earth.
Find Morta in exclusive Brière workshops
Morta can only be bought in Brière
To buy Morta, head for the source: the Brière. Morta is only sold by artisans working in the Brière Regional Nature Park. You’ll never find it in bar, block, barrette or any other form: raw or solid. It can only be found transformed into objects.
It’s a heritage choice. Morta is a jewel of the Brière region. It would make no sense to supply it in quantity, like any other raw material, any kind of wood for building or carving. Brière craftsmen make a point of sublimating it in the form of handcrafted creations only.
On the other hand, they love to tell the story of Morta and share their know-how. They’re full of authentic anecdotes that you’re sure to enjoy.
Morta physical points of sale
Knives with Morta handles
Couteaux Morta sells its knives (really?!😉) in its cutlery shop (really?!😉 bis) in Saint-André des Eaux, a small commune in Loire Atlantique, near Guérande.
Here you’ll discover collections of :
- fixed or folding knives ;
- kitchen, galley and table knives;
- indoor and outdoor knives ;
- as well as specific models such as the Morta pompe arrière or the couteau à pain.
Several steels are on display:
- the famous Damascus (RWL34) ;
- rough forged (carbon steel 90MCV8) ;
- stainless steel (sandvik 14c28n).
On site, you can watch the knives being made, as the boutique is located in the cutlery workshop itself.
Buying your Morta on site is the assurance of a pleasant chat with our knifemakers. An opportunity to discover this thousand-year-old wood in its original environment: the Brière region.
Who would have thought ?😲
Visiting the Couteaux Morta workshop also means rubbing shoulders with the kitchen that served as the set for Luc Besson’s film Léon, but that’s another story. Knife fans and movie buffs, take heart…
Morta jewelry
In the same commune of Saint-André des Eaux (just a few yards from the cutlery shop on Rue de la Brière), jewelry fans can buy their bracelets, necklaces or earrings in Morta and silver.
Here, too, the craftswoman explains her know-how and reveals the secrets of her little pliers. She also shares a few tips and good addresses in the Loire Valley reserved for the initiated.
Order Morta online
Official Morta-selling websites
Buying Morta on the Internet is a tricky business, because there are so many sites that use the name Morta or Morta wood.
Logically, the only two e-commerce sites where you can buy genuine Morta are those of the Brieron designers mentioned above:
No online platform for rare or handcrafted wood sells Morta.
No craftsman based outside Brière sells real Morta.
Tip 🧐: an official Morta supplier will never refer to you as « Morta wood ». Does a Normandy creamer sell you « Brie cheese » ?
Not all Morta on the Internet is wood
In Roman mythology, Morta was the goddess of death.
For the Greeks, Morta is one of three sisters, the Fates, who control providence from birth to death. Ancient beliefs generally associated the word Morta with destiny.
As a result, handcrafted creations use this word, such as Natura Morta, for example. They are by no means made of Morta, and most are not even made of wood.
Buying Morta at fairs and exhibitions
Exhibitions, fairs and markets are sometimes a source of Morta. Artisanal designers sometimes set up temporary stands or boutiques.
Fairs and exhibitions
In recent years, you could buy Morta, in particular our knives with Morta handles, at the Made In France fair: the famous MIF, Parc des expositions de Versailles.
🏆 In 2022, we won the Grand Prix du Public at the Salon du Made In France.
This year, in 2024, we will be present at the Grand Exhibition of Made in France at the Élysée Palace in October. Dear readers, you are the first to know. We’ll tell you more soon 😉.
📆 To follow our agenda, subscribe to our Instagram account, Aymeric our serial poster, keeps you up to date with our daily life.
Markets in Brière
Local summer markets sometimes offer some great opportunities to discover artisan creations in Morta. Such was the case this summer in Le Pouliguen, where you could admire and buy sculptures. This method of sale remains random.
If you’re close to Saint-Nazaire or the Guérande peninsula, it’s easier to go directly to the Morta workshops.
Permanent and temporary exhibitions
A few years ago, you could buy Morta by visiting a thatched cottage in the village of Kerhinet near Saint-Lyphard. You could unearth Morta treasures at summer exhibitions. This practice no longer exists, as craftsmen prefer direct contact with the consumer.
What’s more, the nobility of the material doesn’t allow for large quantities of stock.
Edenblack, l’Art du Morta exhibits its sculptures in a showroom on route de Saillé, in Le Pouliguen.
Why is Morta found only in Brière?
Because Morta and Brière are inseparable
The term Morta comes from the Brière dialect. It has been part of the local language and culture for several centuries.
- Literary works both ancient (Alphonse de Châteaubriant) and contemporary (Renée Guillemin, Pierre Pellerin), as well as tales and legends, bear witness to this.
- Scientists such as Augustin Vince and Lionel Visset attest to this.
Morta is a swamp oak in the process of fossilization. Twice in the geological history of the Brière, oak forests have collapsed. The trunks were buried in peat. Deprived of oxygen, they avoided rotting and fed on nutrients.
Silica, in particular, gave them their characteristic ebony-black color. The alternation of black and brown peat gives it its unmistakable caramel glints.
This wood is in the process of fossilization. It is not fossilized, silicified or petrified.
It was only after 5,000 years that the Brierons began to extract the trunks (during peat extraction) to make firewood or lumber.
As you can see, Morta is an integral part of Brieron’s history and heritage. The determination of local craftsmen and institutions to distribute it only locally is part of the protection of this cultural wealth.
🌳So, yes, Morta can only be sold in Brière (in artisan workshops or via their online boutique)🌳
So rest assured that any Morta (or Morta wood 😡) offered elsewhere is undoubtedly a marsh oak, but from Brière, surely not.
On the other hand, we do display a plethora of marsh oaks from Poland, Lithuania, #partoutsaufdebrière.
Morta: a Brière marsh oak, but not from anywhere else…
A chance stroll?
For keen hikers who dream of finding a Morta tree along the way, the extraction of its trunks is strictly regulated. It is governed by an agreement drawn up by the Commission Syndicale de la Grande Brière Mottière in partnership with the Brière regional nature park and biodiversity services.
Have no regrets, taking out a trunk several meters long would have been somewhat complicated.
Unfair competition: plagiarism of the Morta name
We can’t write this article without warning you about the growing unfair competition on the web. Morta is a rare, noble wood. Like all precious materials, it is subject to covetousness. It’s easy to confuse the consumer by selling swamp oak as Morta. Only discerning buyers will notice the subtlety.
Nevertheless, on the Internet, sellers of swamp oak from Eastern Europe are multiplying: black swamp oak, raw swamp oak, swamp wood for sale, Morta wood blocks, stabilized Morta, etc.
Would you order Murano glass or Baccarat crystal on any website without a little inner voice alerting you to the possible confusion?
Rest assured, we are actively fighting to protect this precious Morta appellation. The road ahead is long and full of pitfalls, but as usual, we’re sticking to our guns.
Tips for buying Morta
How to recognize genuine Morta?
Only its provenance can guarantee that it’s Morta. The rule is simple. If you buy it outside the Brière region, it’s not Morta. In fact, it’s nonsense to talk about real Morta, genuine Morta or authentic Morta, since there’s no such thing as fake Morta. Morta is self-sufficient.
If, for humans, existence precedes essence, for Morta, existence and essence are inseparable. Yes, that was our philosophical minute 😅! And again, we don’t notice the play on words with the tree’s essence… 😅
Responsible purchasing: made in France
Finally (and fortunately), it’s up to the consumer to choose. Eco-citizen purchasing is in vogue. At Couteaux Morta, we prefer the less injunctive term raisonnable. Buying French, sourcing local, favoring short circuits that promote know-how.
In short, let’s respect materials and craftsmen. Let’s prioritize quality over quantity, being and knowing how to be over having.
Knives made in France: why opt for French excellence?
Compare prices
Morta prices cannot be compared, as there is only one supplier for each product. The value of a Morta is (as with any knife) passionate, symbolic and therefore priceless. For those who prefer to count with numbers, the store displays prices.
So finding Morta is not complicated. All you need to do is turn to the official sources: the artisan creators of Brière. Whether you buy Morta locally, in Loire-Atlantique, or via the online boutique, it’s more than just a purchase. It’s a commitment to protecting one of the most beautiful treasures of our Brière heritage.
By offering Morta, you’re sharing our love of the authentic. And we thank you for it.
Article written by Christelle Lorant 🪶
Article summary
What is Morta and why is it unique?
Morta is a precious wood, a 5000-year-old marsh oak in the process of fossilization, sourced exclusively from the Brière region.
This unique material is distinguished by its ebony-black color and highly prized appearance, which is the result of prolonged immersion in peat, a process that has allowed the wood to become resistant, while giving it characteristic reflections.
Where can I buy items made from Morta?
Morta objects, such as top-of-the-range knives with Morta wood handles, or jewelry, are only available from Brière craftsmen.
These artisans sell their creations in their workshops in Loire-Atlantique or via their online boutiques.
Why is it essential to source Morta directly from the Brière region?
Morta is intrinsically linked to the culture and history of the Brière region, making it an exceptional regional material. Brière craftsmen are committed to protecting this richness by distributing it personally, without intermediaries and only in the form of manufactured objects, to guarantee the authenticity and quality of the product.
What types of objects are made from Morta and why are they so popular?
Morta is used to make handcrafted items such as pocket knives, table knives and jewelry. Each piece is unique due to the fossilized nature of the wood, which gives it exceptional longevity and strength.
These objects are highly prized for their quality, rarity and the millennia-old history they carry within them.
How to recognize a genuine Morta object and avoid counterfeits?
Genuine Morta can only be purchased directly from Brière craftsmen. To be sure of an object’s authenticity, it’s important to check its provenance.
Any wood sold under the name “Morta” outside this official circuit is an imitation or marsh wood of non-Brière origin.
Why is Morta considered an exceptional gift?
Morta is a rare and precious material, steeped in thousands of years of history, which makes it an exceptional gift.
Giving an object made from Morta means sharing a part of the Brière heritage and demonstrating a taste for authenticity and artisanal excellence, associated with made in France and one-of-a-kind creations.
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