Rune School

8/10/2019 Rune School

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Lesson 1 - What are the Runes?

This is a very simple question which unfortunately must bring a very complex and non-

commital response since the answer depends on

who you are

what your perspective is

what experience(s) you have with the runes

when the question is asked

As we shall see in future lessons there is very little consistency in either the names of

the runes or the shapes of the runes over time, and whilst there are some areas of general

agreement, there remain many issues surrounding the runes about which there is

considerable uncertainty and fierce academic debate

!or many people the first time they hear the word "runes" is whilst reading the novels

of # $ $ Tolkien %n The Hobbitfor example, directions about a secret door are written in

runes on Thrain&s map The fact the information is about a hidden door is significant since

the word "runa" (from which we get "rune") means "secret" or "mystery" and the runessymboli'e magical andor secret knowledge ooking at the spindly characters that are

Tolkien&s runes inLord of the Ringsthough you could be forgiven for thinking though that

the runes are *ust another font The +orse runes with which this course is concerned are an

alphabet based on sound with pictorial rather than abstract characters

Though the precise origins of the runes is uncertain, it is likely they emerged out of

prehistoric rock carvings and paintings as a way to depict key aspects of the world The

association between picture and sound is one that we still use today and is the way most

children learn to read

A is for Apple ..

%t is the link between the picture, the letter and the sound which helps us to

understand that the abstract representation "A" represents the sound "ah" as in "apple"

owever rather than using "A" we could use something which reminds us better of an

apple hy not "." which looks like an apple/

O is for Apple ..

This is every bit as valid a statement as the previous one though because we are so

used to "A" it may be harder for us to accept at first owever now when we need to

represent the "ah" sound we can use an "o" which if we were to paint it, or carve it on a

rock would look like


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hich is exactly how the runes work They are depictions of sounds using very

simple pictures which related to the every day reality of those who used them These

shapes are known as "glyphs" 0ecause we do not have any 1ikings or 2axons to directly

consult with, we cannot be entirely sure what their glyphs are meant to show ere for

example is the Tiwa' (Tir) rune glyph which may show a spear

As time passed and needs, beliefs and society changed, the shape of some of the runes

changed also The set of runes with which we will be working in this course is shown

below, but this is *ust for information and at this stage you do not have to worry about

what they mean or depict

!ehu (!eoh), 3ru' (3r), Thurisa' (Thorn), Ansu' (.s), $aido ($ad), 4ena' (5en), 6ebo

(6yfu), un*o (ynn), agala' (aegl), %sa (%s), #era (6er), 7ihwa' (7oh), 8ertho

(8eorth), Algi' (7ohl), 2owelu (2igil), Tiwa' (Tir), 0erkana (0eorc), 7hwa' (7h), 9anna'

(9an), agu' (agu), %ngu' (%ng), .thala (7thel), :aga' (:aeg)

;ou will notice that we referred above to "Tiwa'", with "Tir" in brackets The first

name is the 6ermanic name which most books on the runes tend to use, though not all

The bracketed name is the .ld 7nglish (2axon) name for the same rune This is a practice

we will use throughout this course 2ince most people use the 6ermanic name you may

legitimately wonder why we bother with the 2axon nomenclature owever there are two

very good reasons for using the 2axon names as well The first is the additional

perspective which different names can give of a rune Take this rune for example


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The 6ermanic name (Thurisa') means "giant" and the 2axon name for this rune

means "thorn" ow can the same rune represent both something as huge and dangerous as

a giant and as small and insignificant as a thorn/ ;et both names reflect aspects of thesame rune as you will discover in future lessons

The other good reason for learning the saxon names is that they are in sound and

appearance actually much closer to modern 7nglish words than the 6ermanic ones are .f

course when you first see them you may find this a little hard to believe since generally

both look as incomprehensible as each other owever between .ld 7nglish and 9odern

7nglish there have been a number of changes, if you learn the rules and can reverse these

changes then you should be able to see the similarities ere are three key rules-legged horse

called 2leipnir is wife is the goddess !rigga

.din is a god of the dead, of warriors, of weather, of war and of magic e is also ahealer, shaman and teacher hen the dead witch he raises to interpret 0aldur&s dream

calls him ".dhinn the wily, unaging magician" she summari'es him well e is cunning

and pragmatic, certainly not above cheating to get what he wants .din is a shape-shifter

and seems to take great delight in turning up in places in disguise

The .ne-7yed god is renound for his wisdom and poetic ability and it is therefore

appropriate he should be the narrator of the avamal which is essentially a collection of

good advice

"a kind word need not cost much

The price of praise can be cheap:With half a loaf and an empty cup

I found myself a friend"

%t is this aspect of .din, the great communicator, sometimes appearing in unlikely

forms but always a source of wisdom and information, which is reflected in the rune

Ansu' (.s) %t has been suggested that the shape of its glyph represents .din&s hat and

cloak

ike all the gods though .din has many all-too-human traits e has strong sexual

lusts which can cause trouble e can be quickly angered and is sometimes impetuous, as

when he ignores !rigga&s advice and rushes to pit his wits against the giant 1afthrudnir, acontest he wins only by dubious means hile the favor of .din was a good thing for a

warrior to have, it could not be relied upon for .din was prone to desert people, as 6eirrod

found to his cost when !rigga tricked .din into killing him


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ithin Asgard (his heaven) .din has a mighty hallpalace, 1alhalla, where the

1alkyries take the brave warriors who fall in battle There they spend their time in laughter

and feasting, waiting for the day they are needed again, at $agnarok Thus there is a tragic

side too to .din e has lost one of his sons, the beloved 0aldur and his wisdom and

magical insight have given him the knowledge that he will not survive the final battle

hen .din comes forth at $agnarok with his army to confront the wolf !enris, it will

swallow himTHOR

e is the husband of the goddess 2if and the son of .din ike his father he is

linked with weather and storms Thor is a god of sailors, and farmers, controlling thunder,

lightning, wind and rain - weather vital to the health and success of these groups e is

also a god of war and as such appealed heavily to the warlike 6ermanic tribes, particularly

in his earlier incarnation as :onar %n some countries Thor was considered a more

important god therefore than .din

Thor has suffered though from the fact that a much debased version of him has

survived in popular culture The original Thor was little like the 9arvel 5omics character

for example e was a huge red-haired man with a red beard and bla'ing eyes Thor wore

a magic belt which could double his strength and a pair of gauntlets which allowed him to

wield his mighty hammer "9*olnir" e travelled the heavens in a chariot drawn by two

sacred goats, defending Asgard and 9idgard from the !rost 6iants %n a storm, the thunder

was the sound of his chariot, and the lightning was caused by blows from his hammer

The Thunderer, as Thor is sometimes referred to, was the great protector - the

defender of men and gods who both would turn to in times of trouble is ma*or activity

was the slaying of giants e thus acted as a balance to them, mirroring them in si'e and

strength This is reflected in the rune Thurisa' (Thorn) Thor is the force of order thatkeeps chaos at bay and this rune symboli'es the power of defense, and also the force of

destruction, that is the god&s hammer A storm brings life-giving and refreshing rain along

with disruption ence Thurisa' (Thorn) reminds us that a destructive force is not

necessarily a bad thing, if viewed in the longer term The rune represents the positive

application of power There is debate over its glyph, some think it depicts a giant, others

9*olnir as well as a thorn

Thor was resourceful, noble, brave and powerful is great strength coming from

his parentage as the son of .din and the earth -

"the earth was his daughter and his wife; by her he had his first son sa!Thor #ight andstrength were Thor$s characteristics% by these he dominates e&ery li&ing creature"

Thor takes an obvious delight in combat and slaying is killing of giants seems not

so much a role as a hobby and he kicks a passing dwarf into 0aldur&s pyre e has an

obvious temper which can easily cause him problems owever it also buys him respect

hen oki gatecrashes the gods& party, Thor is the only god he does not insult, preferring

instead to flee

"'ut now I shall go% for I know your rages%

With Thor I$m afraid to fight"

2ometimes Thor is accused of having rough manners and dull wits %t is certainlytrue there are a number of stories of him being deceived !or example 3tgard-oki uses

magic to deceive him during a drinking contest Thor does not reali'e the drinking horn is

connected to the sea and so refills each time he drains it owever it would be a mistake to


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regard Thor as stupid, he may be thought a god more inclined to action than to thought,

but he can be cunning as is seen in the Alvismal e turns the dwarf&s intelligence against

him, so that Alvis becomes so focussed on answering the questions and demonstrating his

knowledge that he fails to notice the sunrise, turning to stone

At $agnarok Thor will be slain in battle with the 9idgard 2erpent Though he will

kill it, the effects of its poisonous breath will almost immediately cause him to fall to the

ground deadALD!R

The son of .din and !rigga, 0aldur has a unique place and role amongst the +orse

gods %n some ways he is a god better known by reputation than deeds since the stories of

him are limited and his popularity is due in part to the parallels which later generations

drew between him and 5hrist

0aldur is called "The 0eautiful" and his physical beauty is unequalled amongst the

gods e has gold-colored hair and eyes as blue as the summer sky and he shines with a

golden radiance !rom his parents he has inherited wisdom and a love of nature e

practices herbal medicine .din engraved runes onto 0aldur&s tongue making him the most

eloquent of the gods with unsurpassed diplomatic abilities including being able to

persuade and reconcile To see 0aldur is to love him and he is popular amongst all the

peoples of heaven and earth with the exception of oki who resents him

e is a god of light, eloquence and *oy though the light aspect predominates This is

the light dispelling darkness, bringing health and energy and the wisdom which

illuminates e is thus sometimes associated with the 2owelu (2igil) rune which has the

same qualities though this rune directly represents the sun which in +orse mythology was

feminine

0aldur is however troubled by dark prophetic dreams of death and so !rigga goes toevery possible source of harm and makes it swear not to in*ure 0aldur .nly one plant,

mistletoe, escapes the oath because !rigga considered it so weak and insignificant Truly

immortal now 0aldur becomes a source of constant amusement for the gods who throw

things at him, confident that he can come to no harm .nly odur, the blind god, cannot

*oin in the games so oki offers to guide his arm, putting into his hand a dart made from

mistletoe The dart hits and to everyone&s horror 0aldur is slain

"When the esir did try to speak% weeping came first so that no one could tell the other of

his grief in words (din% howe&er% was the most affected by this disaster% since he

understood what a loss and berea&ement the death of 'aldur was for the esir"The gods hold a magnificent funeral for 0aldur and build a pyre for him aboard his

massive ship $inghorn is wife, +anna, dies of shock and along with his horse ettfet

(ightfoot) is added to the pyre

9eanwhile !rigga dispatches another of .din&s sons to plead with el for the return

of 0aldur to the land of the living el is tough but fair and recogni'es the extent of the

loss 2he agrees to let 0aldur free if every living thing will weep for him This should be

no problem since the world is filled with grief but one creature, what is apparently a

giantess Thokk, refuses to shed a tear ence 0aldur remains in +iflheim with el

!or him though things will be different at $agnarok after the defeat of the gods andthe burning of the world

")nseen acres shall har&ests bear%

*&il be abolished% 'aldur return"


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ence after $agnarok, 0aldur will take his dead father&s place in Asgard as the new chief

of the gods

T"R

Tyr is known for his courage and nobility e was originally the principal god but

was later eclipsed in this role by .din, being relegated to a fairly minor ar 6od position

is following was particularly strong in :enmark though e is a fairly shadowy, thoughimportant, figure and we lack a detailed description of him though one aspect of his

appearance is universally accepted, the fact he lacks a limb

The ".ne-anded god" is another name for Tyr who lost his hand in the chaining of

the !enris wolf The gods wanted to contain !enris who they, rightly, regarded as a threat

2o they forged a fetter to hold him, inviting him to put it on as a test of strength !enris

was not stupid though and he did not trust the gods e would not accept the fetter unless a

god would put his hand into the wolf&s mouth The gods hesitated, but Tyr stepped forward

and calmly slipped his hand between the wolf&s *aws as a pledge of the gods& good faith

.nce !enris found he could not break free of the fetter, the gods began to mock him, apart

from Tyr who waited for the wolf to take its revenge, biting his hand off at the wrist

Tyr is the god who maintains *ustice, order and cosmic law, overseeing and

upholding contracts and oaths, and presiding over contests and trials e represents

bravery and willingness to take responsibility for one&s actions %t says of him in the 8rose

7dda

"He is the boldest and most courageous and has power o&er &ictory in battle"

As this reminds us, Tyr is a god of war, but not of war for the sake of fighting but

rather as an instrument of order and *ustice e ensures that the side which is more

deserving in terms of their yrd wins

is rune is the Tiwa' (Tir) rune which represents concepts such as honor, truth,*ustice and authority %ts glyph is thought to represent either a spear or the ;rminsul

column which holds the sky and earth apart %ts phallic shape also suggests the useful

focussing of male energy and power Tiwa' (Tir) is particularly applicable to all legal and

contractual matters

Tyr is slain at $agnarok, killed by the hound 6arm who guarded el 6arm and Tyr

manage to slay each other

Lesson # - The Norse Gods $ontinued%n the previous lecture we met four of the +orse gods and learned their main

characteristics %t is important to recogni'e that this is not a topic outside the runes $ather,

it is integral to them and can help us understand the runes in two crucial ways runes belong to the fertility god !rey and are runes associated with thecreation of the world, its inhabitant races and the gods $unes in this aett have the effect of

starting things moving As Aswynn puts it "!or the purpose of divination therefore the

runes of this aett often express the basic principles of life - such as money, health, conflict,

intelligence, control, knowledge, balance and pleasure"The runes are from left to right 3ru' (3r)#uly =? - Aug @= Thurisa' (Thorn)

Aug @B - Aug => Ansu' (.s)

Aug =? - 2ept @= $aido ($ad)

2ept @B - 2ept =E 4ena' (5en)

2ept => - .ct @= 6ebo (6yfu)

.ct @B - .ct =E un*o (ynn)

.ct => - +ov @= agala' (aegl)

+ov => - :ec @= %sa (%s)

:ec @B - :ec =E #era (6er):ec => - #an @= 7ihwa' (7oh)

#an @B - #an =E 8ertho (8eorth)

#an => - !eb @@ Algi' (7ohl)

!eb @= - !eb =F 2owelu (2igil)

!eb =E - 9ar @B Tiwa' (Tir)

9ar @D - 9ar =? 0erkana (0eorc)

9ar BC - Apr @B 7hwa' (7h)

Apr @D - Apr => 9anna' (9an)

Apr =? - 9ay @B agu' (agu)9ay @D - 9ay => %ngu' (%ng)

9ay =? - #un @B .thala (7thel)

#un @D - #un => :aga' (:aeg)

Lesson < - &eanin0s

This lecture is very different from some of the others +ormally we try to give you a

fairly comprehensive introduction to whichever topic is under consideration This lecture

though is very much only a starting point and leaves you with considerable work still to

do e are not giving you the rune meanings in this lecture, what we are offering are somekey words to help you get a feelfor the rune e have chosen to keep the information

provided concise precisely because it should act only as a sign post 9emori'ing it is not

the way to learning the runes %f we gave you a full detailed list of meanings at this stage,

the chances are you would treat them like wisdom handed down from on-high and hence

you would never end up reading the runes, you would *ust be parroting back this lecture

$eading the runes requires more than an academic book-learnt list of their

meanings !irstly it requires an understanding of the society they evolved out of 2econdly

you need apersonalunderstanding ;ou mustfeelwhat the runes mean Any true reader of

the runes must achieve an individual appreciation of what they represent rather than taking

meanings from a book ;ou have no right as a rune reader to tell others what the runes

mean for them unless you have first grasped what they mean to you


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The runes had an immediacy for the ancient runemasters which unless we are very

careful they can easily lack today The rune glyphs were not abstract designs, they were

pictures of things which had particular significance to the culture of the day The need fire,

the cart&s wheel, the tribal banner - all these mattered in the lives of the runemaster and the

world they belonged to %n order to be successful as a rune reader you need to discover

meanings that have a similar relevance to your own life

;ou have certainly never been out hunting Aurochs, so what understanding can youreally have of the 3ru' (3r) rune/ 9aybe though you can think of some other rite of

passage or initiation you have undergone 8erhaps you can recall some other occasion on

which your courage was tested %t is these kind of personal experiences and memories that

can bring you closer to an appreciation of the rune 2ome runes are of course easier to

feelrelate to for a modern rune reader than others but you should ultimately be able to

develop an appreciation of them all !or example, though we no longer use cattle as

currency, anyone who has faced bankruptcy or experienced a period of poverty in their life

will be able to grasp the message of !ehu (!eoh) and understand what an insubstantial

transitory thing material wealth can be%n the following table we give positive and negative meanings of each rune, along

with the figure regarded as presiding over that rune As with much about the runes

governing deities are the sub*ect of much debate so don&t be surprised if we soon send you

off to look at material which contradicts what we have said %t&s all part of the *oy of

learning the runes and in the end you have to come to your own decisions about these

matters e won&t be looking at the idea of reversed runes until esson @E and if at that

stage you decide to use them you will find the reversed meanings equate roughly to the

negative ones given in our table e have however given negative meanings for runes that

some authors will tell you are "positive" and don&t reverse The negative meaning though

is always there in the same way that light generates shadow - a shadow which is intimately

connected to and dependent on the light A rune that bestows wealth is in simplistic terms

"good" but if as a consequence of becoming richer we become selfish, don&t share our

good fortune or stop thinking of others then it is "bad" The runes therefore warn us to

maintain equilibrium regardless of what events good or bad befall us

R!N% &%ANING /(e+ =ords onl+

!73

1ositi&e< gain, financial security, success, fertility,

nourishment, food, sharing, luxury

/egati&e:loss, *ealousy, envy, greed, failure, bankruptcy,

payment, slavery

1residing -igure:The god !rey

3$3G

1ositi&e< bravery, questing, initiation, challenge,

untamable spirit, rugged good health, masculinity,

stamina, independence, strength, action

/egati&e:male violence, callousness, inaction, abuse,

poor health, angerrage

1residing -igure:+one

T3$%2AG 1ositi&e< protection and defense, fertility and

regeneration, survival of difficulties, need for correction

action or right decision, resistance

/egati&e:vulnerability, conflict, strife, disease, many


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problems, natural forces, destruction, aggression, malice,

change without warning, attack

1residing -igure:The god Thor

A+23G

1ositi&e< news, study, communication, wisdom perhaps

from unlikely source, speech, inspiration, thought,

shamanism, language and writing skills, leadership,

teaching, truth/egati&e:loss, misunderstandings, vanity, dishonesty,

treachery, neurosis

1residing -igure:The god .din

$A%:.

1ositi&e< travel, exploration, vacation, new start, motion,

taking control, leadership, direction, rites, ceremonies,

process, promotion

/egati&e:control freaks, dictatorship, disruption,

demotion


47+AG

1ositi&e< enlightenment, intellectual learning, moulding,

shaping, clarity, knowledge, revelation

/egati&e:confusion, false hope, lack of clarity,

arrogance, ignorance


670.

1ositi&e< love, partnership, sharing, gifts, balance,

exchange, union

/egati&e:sacrifice, dishonesty, lack of balance, toll


3+#.

1ositi&e< fulfillment, success, glory, respect, solidarity,

hope, wishes, fellowship, harmony, delight, well-being

/egati&e:failure, misery, exile, loneliness, intoxication,

excessive 'eal


A6AAG

1ositi&e< cleansing, purging, room for growth,

acceptance, fortitude, past events, letting go, unconscious

mind, testing

/egati&e:destructive natural force, chaos and disruption,loss, need for shelter, unresolved matters, blaming others,

nostalgia

1residing -igure:The +orn 3rd

+A3T%G

1ositi&e< inner strength, resources, heroism, urgency,

growth, change, determination, resistance, resilience

/egati&e:suffering, affliction, necessity, distress, guilt,

anxiety, cowardice, constraints, extremes

1residing -igure:The +orn 1erdandi

%2AG 1ositi&e< slowing, pause for thought, preservation,stability, focus, detachment, completion

/egati&e:cooling of relationships, deceptive beauty,

treachery, dangerous path, restrictions, delay


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1residing -igure:The +orn 2kuld

#7$A

1ositi&e< a year, cycles, passing of time, plenty, fruition,

growth, progress, patience

/egati&e:paying price for deeds, repetition of negative

patterns


7%AG

1ositi&e< endurance, initiation, change, consciousness,

defense, spirituality, strength, reliability, rebirth

/egati&e:death, loss, confusion, hysteria


87$T.

1ositi&e< yrd, amusement, gaming, success,

birthrebirth, memory, problem solving, occult knowledge

/egati&e:delusion, fantasies, failure, that which is

hidden, powers beyond human influence


A6%G

1ositi&e< protection, defense, repelling evil, shield,

support

/egati&e:vulnerability, danger, forbidden acts


2.%.

1ositi&e< good health, success, life-giving force, energy,

clarity, understanding, optimism, confidence

/egati&e:sudden change sweeping things out of way,

over-confidence, burn out

1residing -igure:The god 0aldur

T%AG

1ositi&e< law, order, *ustice, bravery, honesty, victory

/egati&e:war, defeat, paying price for deeds, sacrifice,

dishonesty

1residing -igure:The god Tyr

07$4A+A+

1ositi&e< fertility, woman, love, birth, reproduction,

growth, healing, recooperation, re*uvenation, children,

new beginnings

/egati&e:secrecy, containment, immaturity, lust,

abandonment1residing -igure:+one

7AG

1ositi&e< partnership, union, marriage, instinct, progress,

trust, loyalty, faith

/egati&e:treachery, break up of partnerships, lack of

direction, reckless haste


9A++AG 1ositi&e< mankind, development of consciousness,

intelligence, reason, social structure, rational mind,

support, awareness, openmindedness/egati&e:arrogance, bigotry

1residing -igure:The god eimdall


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A34AG

1ositi&e< intuition, occult, flow, healing, mystery,

empathy, emotion, unconscious mind, adaptability,

dreams

/egati&e:emotional manipulation, madness, despair,

suicide, lack of flexibility, moods


%+6AG

1ositi&e< sexuality, fertility, agriculture, peace, plenty,

children, virtue, common sense

/egati&e:lust, immaturity

1residing -igure:The god !rey

.TAA

1ositi&e< daylight, illumination, break through,

transformation, enlightenment, start of new cycle, health,

prosperity, balance, a state of being between things

/egati&e:impulsiveness, ending


:A6AG

1ositi&e< family, heritage, clan, home, nation, inheritance,

patriotism, natural law

/egati&e:racism, greed, xenophobia, provincialism


lesson > - Histori$al Rune De*elop3ents

As we saw in ecture E, the 7lder !uthark was a pictoral alphabet based on sound.ne of the characteristics of languages is that they do not remain static but instead change

over time %n the case of the 7lder !uthark this means the alphabet itself had to change to

incorporate new sound variations

'risian Runes

2ometime in the late th or early Fth century changes occurred in the !risian region

(area around +orthern +etherlands and +orth-west 6ermany) meaning that new sounds

created a need for new letters Accordingly four new runes were added to the 7lder

!uthark

The Ansu' rune was split into two new runes The .s rune took the communication

aspects of Ansu' and replaced it near the start of the alphabet Ansu' itself was renamed

Aesc and moved to the end There is a disagreement between scholars over which was the

last rune of the !risian row 8ennick suggests it is %or whilst Tyson believes it was 7ar e

have gone with 8ennick&s model According to 8ennick, 7ar was not added until the end of

the Eth century

%t was the => !risian runes which were taken to 0ritain by the 2axon invaders :ue

to the displacement of the "A" rune, the alphabet can no longer be referred to as a


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"!uthark" (!-3-T-A-$-4) and so the 2axon!risian runes are a "!uthork", or are

sometimes called a "!uthorc" reflecting the emergence of the c-sound

The 7lder !uthark was almost certainly intended primarily for being carved onto

wood which explains why there are no curves or hori'ontal lines used in their glyphs ith

carving on stone though there are no equivalent problems with grain and hence different

shapes are possible This is reflected in the later rune designs, for example the 3ru' (3r)

rune was modified incorporating a curve

8lus as we have already seen, the ;r rune included a hori'ontal line This would

indicate the later runes were intended mainly for carving on stone rather than wood

Northu3rian Runes

The second 2axon extension of the runes took placed in +orthumbria, 7ngland,

probably during the ?th century 7xtra runes were added to compensate for further newsounds bringing the total to BB %t is this set of BB runes which many authors call the

Anglo-2axon !uthorc though in reality this was a locali'ed extension which did not spread

beyond +orthumbria

All 2axon runes reflect the fact that their&s was now a 5hristian society but 8ennick

suggests that this last addition was influenced by 5eltic tradition also

.ne other aspect appears to distinguish the 2axon runes, namely there seems to be

more flexibility in the order of the runes than was traditionally the case Archaeological

and literary evidence offers no less than three different orders for the 2axon runes and

there may be more still to be discovered

&eanin0s of the ,aon Runes

.n this course when it comes to divination we are focussing on the 7lder !uthark,

but some rune readers do use other variations including the +orthumbrian runes The

2axon runes are more problematic though, since less is known about them and some of the

characters were only in use for a short time There is still considerable scholarly debateregarding their meanings therefore

A$

+ormally taken as referring to the .ak tree %t symboli'es power and potential

Aes$

9eaning Ash this rune probably represents ;ggdrasil and its role of holding the worlds

together, symboli'ing stability and order"r

This rune is normally taken to mean "bow" but Tyson makes a good case for "saddle" as

an alternativeIor

$epresents some kind of amphibian though there is considerable disagreement over which


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%t would appear to link also to the 9idgard 2erpent ence it represents situations that

must be tolerated because the consequences of failing to do so would be much worse

%ar

The meaning of this rune is "earth" or possibly "grave" %t represents the inevitable ending

of things This is the last of the 2axon runes described in the .ld 7nglish rune poem and

hence for which we have any definite source for the meaning

8al$%t means "cup" or possibly "chalice" and links to the oly 6rail and possibly 5erriwidens

cauldron Thus it represents the mystical and unobtainable

Gar

8robably means "spear" linking with .din&s spear which he used to attain the runes Thus

it represents a fresh beginning

8=eorth

Another rune over which there is considerable debate 8ennick suggests it means "fire"

and hence represents transformation and liberation Tyson suggests it should *ust be taken

as unknown,tan

%t means "stone" and suggests an obstruction

The "oun0er 'uthar4

hile in 0ritain the !uthark was being extended, over in mainland 7urope the

opposite was happening They faced a similar problem of needing to incorporate new

sounds but came to an entirely different solution %nstead of adding new runic characters to

represent these new sounds they decided to have a single glyph represent several sounds

depending on context Accordingly then they actually reduced the si'e of the !uthark

down to *ust @F glyphs This is generally referred to as the ;ounger !uthark 2trictlyspeaking there were several versions of this !uthark, the most important being the

2wedish-+orse and :anish versions They all however had @F characters The version

shown here is the :anish one

As you can see in addition to removing some runes, such as 6ebo, they also

simplified the glyphs of some of the remaining runes .ther runes also completelychanged meaning so Ansu' became .ss meaning "river-mouth" and most drastic of all,

3ru' came to mean "dri''le"

The ;ounger !uthark is awkward to use for divinatory purposes ith so few runes

it is difficult to achieve variety in readings 9oreover, perhaps reflecting a more troubled

society, many key concepts such as *oy, partnership were now missing from the runes

making it much harder to use them in relation to emotional issues, and also ensuring

readings had a bleaker outlook

De*elop3ents - 'urther refle$tions

Though historically the belief was that there was a 2axon !uthorc and a ;ounger!uthark this is an overly simplistic picture Archaeological evidence is increasingly

revealing ever greater numbers of local variations on these The $uthwell 5ross for

example uses B@ runes of which two are not found anywhere else


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The Rune :oe3s

0ack in esson F it was mentioned that as well as the 7ddas there is another

significant literary source with respect to the runes These are three ancient texts which list

the runes and their meanings, and are known collectively as the $une 8oems There is one

poem in %celandic, one in +orwegian and one in .ld 7nglish All the rune poems have a

similar structure suggesting a common ancestry %t has been suggested that the poems were

intended to help someone memori'e and learn the runesThere is debate about the dating of the different poems though most scholarly

opinion seems to favor the .ld 7nglish poem as being the oldest The .ld 7nglish poem is

the only one of the three that covers all the runes in the 7lder !uthark, the other two

describe only the ;ounger !uthark owever, while the .ld 7nglish $une 8oem may list

these runes it is important to reali'e that it is describing the !risian !uthorc and that the

names and meanings of some of the runes were different, largely as a result of 5hristian

influence divorcing the runes from their pagan past !or example the Tir rune now meant a

star, though there is something of the old meaning retained in the sense that it is part of the

cosmic order and a source of guidance"Tir is a guiding star;

well does it keep faith with princes;

it is e&er on its course o&er the mists of night and ne&er fails "

%t is possible that there was an earlier rune poem giving the meanings of the 7lder

!uthark but if this was the case sadly it is lost and we must manage as best we can with the

three poems that remain

Lesson 1@ - The Runes and &a0i$

Though this course is principally aimed at helping people to learn divination, it

would be remiss of us if we did not also look at rune magic The runes are magic and have

always been used for magical purposes %n this lesson what we are seeking to do is provide

an overview of topic, giving you some idea how the power of the runes can be utili'ed to

achieve desired magical ends, and how this was done historically according to the

literature e are notencouraging you to practice rune magic though %t is a separate and

very detailed field of study beyond this course, requiring considerable reading along with a

detailed understanding of the runes ;ou should not think of embarking on rune magicuntil at the very least you have completed this course 6etting things wrong can be

ha'ardous

The ancient runemaster 7gil tells a tale of being called to the bedside of a woman

who was sick There he discovered someone had carved of what-they-believed were love

runes to make the woman fall in love with him, but since the person was obviously not

very skilled with the runes he had chosen the runes badly ence it was this set of carved

runes which were causing her illness which is promptly cured when 7gil destroys the

errant runes +ot surprisingly, 7gil condemns those who do not understand what they are

doing with the runes and this is a warning that holds *ust as true today

7ven those who are skilled in the runes are still prone to errors and

misunderstandings %n his bookRune #agic, :onald Tyson includes a ritual in which the

god .din is first summoned and then commanded to serve Anyone who knows much


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about .din, and you received a fairly comprehensive introduction to him back in esson =,

can hardly be convinced that .din is the type of character to be amused at being offered

such a subservient role 2ince an unhappy god is an unpredictable god, this is potentially a

very dangerous ritual to use

%n the ancient +orthern magic tradition there were essentially two different strands of

magical practice

27%:$ - This was shamanistic in nature, involving trances and dreams to travelastrally including to the nine worlds %t has a darker side including bringing illness

and death

6A:$ - as closer in nature to ceremonial magic %t involved the use of talismans

and charms, particularly those spoken aloud 9ost rune magic is of this sort

%n truth, a great deal of nonsense is written about rune magic by modern authors

attempting to analyse it by the standards of modern magic This is not to say that the runes

are incompatible with icca or modern ceremonial magic but that we should begin any

examination of rune magic with the historical sources ence we must clearly start with

the avamal.ne passage we encountered back in esson D concerned the techniques necessary for

magical use of the runes At the time we rather skirted around the issue at the time but this

passage is probably sub*ect to the greatest variation in translation and hence interpretation

e can see this if we put two translations side by side

Auden and 80 Taylor (net) 5arrolyne arrington (set book)

4now how to cut them, know how

to read them,

4now how to 2tain them, know

how to prove them,4now how to evoke them, know

how to score them,

4now how to send them, know how

to spend them

:o you know how to carve, do you know

how to interpret,

do you know how to stain, do you know how

to test outdo you know how to ask, do you know how

to sacrifice,

:o you know how to dispatch, do you know

how to slaughter/

%t is worth noting that eight different techniques are listed here, as we have already

seen eight is a number of great mystical significance with respect to the runes, as reflected

in the three Aetts e will now look at the techniques one by one

8uttin0

This refers to the physical marking of the rune glyph %t is easy to forget that the runes

come from a time before widespread literary and access to writing materials, and that

therefore marking a rune was a physical process involving cutting into the raw material

9oreover how a rune glyph was marked out was a precise process rather than a matter of

chance The cuts had to be in the correct order if the rune was to be useable for magic

Readin0

arrington speaks of "interpretation", but this is to confine the technique too heavily to

divination which is not appropriate particularly given this is only the second technique and

they clearly have a sequence Aswynn better defines it as "knowing the runes and theircorrespondences to ensure that what was being cut was appropriate"


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,tainin0

There are a number of references, including from 7gil, to ancient runemaster staining the

glyph with their blood when it was to be used for magic 2ome modern writers suggest this

was purely symbolic and red ochre, or similar coloring, could be used instead

Testin0

This one is the sub*ect of debate but it was likely to involve an evaluation of the quality ofthe rune which had been marked as well as an assessmenttesting of the runemaster

himherself

%*o4in0

.nce again interpretations vary, and some translations call this "asking" which may reflect

the use of a spoken command, for this is the part of the process which transforms the

glyphs from characters carved on wood or stone to full activated runes

lessin0

arrington and some other translators call this "sacrificing", but this should be seen in thereligious usage of the word This stage involves some form of ritual hallowing of the

runes, probably dedicating them to .din, and preparing them for imminent use

,endin0

This is a stage which will be very familiar to any modern practitioner of magic !or

example the coven having raised a cone of power must then direct and release the magical

energies in order to bring about the desired result %t would seem the ancient runemaster

was much the same for this technique involves focussing the magical power of the runes

and sending it towards the target of the spell

Destro+in0

Aswynn suggests this is the runemaster giving of himselfherself to the charm, feeding it

with hisher strength and energy 4ing however suggests that it is to do with deactivating

unwanted charms in the way 7gil does in the case of the sick woman This makes more

sense given its position as the last technique

8har3s

The use of single runes, or combinations of runes, as charms is well established in

both the archaeology and literature of (+orthern) 7urope e have already looked at thedivinatory meanings of the runes and their magical meanings are closely related to these,

as this example using !ehu (!eoh) illustrates

Rune Di*ination &a0i$

!ehu (!eoh)

$elates to mobile wealth, success

and the qualities and motivations

necessary to achieve business

rewards

3sed magically to attract

wealth

9agic is of course bi-directional so !ehu (!eoh) can be used negatively also, to

deprive another of success and material comfort 9ost modern rune magicians do notengage in such practices, they are however traditional and reflected in the literature

8ositive magic with the runes is sometimes called "weal working", whereas negative uses

are called "woe working"


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.f course magic itself is a natural power and as such is no more moralistic than say

gravity %t is up to us whether we apply it for good or ill 5ertainly both were done in the

past, but if we examine the @> charms listed in the Ha&amalwe find only weal working

The @=th might be negatively regarded today, since our squeamishness about death means

all necromancy is seen as evil, but there is no evidence it would have been viewed like this

at the time 9any of the charms are defensive and protective ence, rather than killing a

foe, there is a charm to make his attacks ineffectual -I know a third: in the thick of battle%

If my need be great enough%

It will blunt the edges of enemy swords%

Their weapons will make no wounds

Though the > techniques of rune magic are not explicitly referred to with each

charm, they can be deduced 2o for example if we take the thirteenth charm

I know a thirteenth if I throw a cup

(f water o&er a warrior%

He shall not fall in the fiercest battle%/or sink beneath the sword

Though runes are not mentioned at all here, clearly it is more than the water which

is protecting the warrior e can assume then that runic charm is marked ("cutting" and

"staining ") on the cup and some form of ritual conducted ("evoking" and "blessing")

before the cup is poured over the warrior ("sending") There are several references to

charms being activated by spoken or chanted commands, such as the @@th charm which

only has to be chanted behind a shield to be triggered

The precise runes utili'ed for any of these charms is a matter of debate Aswynn

offers her suggestions in her book, so that, for example, the protective charm mentioned

above in her view requires - 8ertho (8eorth), agu' (agu), 0erkana (0eorc) and .thila

(7thel)

ind Runes

This is a way of combining runes to focus their magical power Two or more runes are

super-imposed on each other to form a new unique pattern This shape is then used as a

personal symbol or as a pendantamulet There are two main types of bind-rune book, "The 0ecrets of the Runes"

%n his Armanen system there are @> runes which ist links with the charms in the

avamal 7ach of his runes is supposed to perform one of the charms The Armanen runes

are based on an expanded ;ounger !uthark (the variant known as 9ixed $unes) though

there are differences in names and some glyphs The design of the Armanen rune glyphs is

very rigid, based around a hexagon which is the alternative glyph for the agala' (aegl)

rune used in the 2axon !uthorc1on ist was a german nationalist and his runes were linked with the mythological

and racial ideology that was Armanism e founded the Thule 2ociety, an occult and right-

wing political organisation, to propagate his views

0ased largely on dubious scholarship the Armanen runes probably would have

remained a footnote in history had not the ideas of racial purity and superiority inherent in

Armanism not brought them to the attention of an emerging and evil power

The NACIs

Though officially occultism was banned under the +AG%s and many leading

6erman occultists were imprisoned, nonetheless many key members of the party,including immler and itler himself, had a strong interest in the occult The works of


37/80

1on ist therefore found favor with the +AG%s and it was his Armanen runes which were

adopted by the party as a number of their badges and emblems

$une glyphs are simple striking designs that are easily memorable and recogni'able

which makes them ideal for uses as badges, logos etc The Tiwa' (Tir) rune served as the

badge of the itler ;outh movement The 2owelu (2igil) or 2ig rune was linked with the

6erman word "sieg" ("victory") and hence a doubled version of the rune glyph was used

as the logo of the infamous 22 This design was used on swords, rings, banners anduniforms during the +AG% era The lightning flash emblem of the 0ritish 3nion of !ascists

was inspired by the 2ig rune too Though the +AG% period runes were seen throughout

6ermany including on tombstones The meanings given to the runes were inspired by the

Armanen runes but the +AG%s modified them according to their own ends, according to

9eadows introducing "a new symbolism emphasi'ing struggle, control and dominance,

thus inflicting artificial meanings on the runes"

The association between the runes and the +AG%s inevitably did the runes

incalculable harm hile hopefully as students of this course you can appreciate how

thoroughly the +AG%s misrepresented and misused the runes for their own ends, the factremains that for many they only encounter the runes in combination with these historical

events which causes them to regard them with distrust This is not helped by the continued

use of rune glyphs by certain right wing groups who misunderstand and hence misuse the

runes as badly as their predecessors did The .thala (7thel) rune representing home, clan,

nation etc is a favorite badge and tattoo of these racist groups There is however nothing

inherently racist about this or any other rune hile it expresses the value of home and

respect for one&s heritage it is as applicable to the Tribes of #udea as it is any "Aryan

nation" %ndeed the values represented in the 7ddas and runes are inclusive ones The

sentiments in the avamal about the worth of disabled people can be seen as extremely

progressive and at variance with +AG% ideas of perfection yrd, the cosmic force of

*ustice and order is sharply opposed to the "might is right" philosophy of the +AG%s

%ndeed it is tempting to believe it was yrd which brought the "Thousand ;ear $eich" to a

premature end, making the +AG%s face defeat as a consequence of their actions including

the misuse of the magical power of the runes

Asatru

!or some time after the end of the 2econd orld ar the runes were untouchable

for many but as time passed interest slowly revived $eputable organi'ations such as the

.dinic $ite and the $ing of Troth were formed to further the study of the +orthernmysteries, including the runes, and to pursue the religion known as Asatru This honors the

+orse deities and uses the 7ddas as key texts The increased interest in Asatru can be

considered part of the late =Cth century +ew Age movement which has generated an

interest in spirituality, alternative methods and respect of our ancient pagan heritage,

however the practices of Asatru are considerably more ancient and it is only lately the

masses have rediscovered them %n the more commercial end of the +ew Age movement

considerable attention has been given to divinatory techniques, particularly Tarot though

the runes have not been neglected

%ndeed one tension between +ew Agers and traditionalists has been the developmentof many authors for whom the runes are *ust another divinatory tool to write about and

who treat their heritage with less respect than would traditionally have been the case


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5onsequently many of these authors feel able to modify the runes according to their needs

2uch changes include names, glyphs, order and meaning

Ralph lu3

+o record of the recent history of the runes would be complete without mention of the

highly controversial figure of $alph 0lum %n the @?>Cs 0lum published "The 'ook of

Runes" almost certainly the most commercially successful book on the runes ever %nspiteof this, or perhaps because of it, he is almost unmentionable in serious runic circles and the

degree to which he is reviled seems out of proportion with his "crimes"

introducing the 0lank $une

changing the order of the runes

divorcing the runes from their mythological heritage

creating some highly individualistic rune meanings

5ertainly 0lum populari'ed the 0lank $une though he himself claims in " The /ew

'ook of Runes" that it was included already in a set of runes he purchased in 2urrey,

7ngland and he was not therefore the inventor 9any regard the 0lank $une as a hideousmodern abomination which is based upon a misunderstanding of the runes and which

disrupts their delicate balance 7ven if the 0lank $une was already in existence it is

undeniably 0lum who brought it to general attention, giving it considerably significance in

his book

ith respect to his re-ordering of the runes the case against him is less strong

5ertainly 0lum does offer an alternative modern order for the runes, however he makes it

clear that this is what he is doing and does give the traditional order along with a brief

explanation of the Aetts is reader is therefore not in ignorance of the standard order and

can use whichever she chooseshilst it could be argued he does similar with the traditional rune meanings, the two

situations are not comparable The traditional rune meanings he lists are little more than

single words and as such could never be realistically used for divination

Though it is often said that 0lum ignores the mythological heritage of the runes, this

is an over-simplification e quotes all the key parts of the avamal in " The /ew 'ook of

Runes" which is more than some other authors do %t would be truer to say that he is

inconsistent and misleading in his use of mythological material +one of the rune

meanings he gives make direct reference to the underlying mythology and on the rare

occasions he mentions the +orse gods the assignments he makes are highly anomalous,

linking Thurisa' (Thorn) to oki rather than Thor for example The rune meanings he

gives are therefore highly individualistic produced by a series of methods including

meditation and the use of other divinatory systems to comment on the runes %n most cases

though one can discern traces of the standard meaning within it though it is sometimes

quite well hidden is interpretation of Thurisa' (Thorn) as a gateway though is a

considerable distance from that suggested by most authors or indeed taught on this course

is later books and rune cards show an ever increasing trend towards deviation dispensing

with both traditional names and rune glyphs

0lum rightly has many critics but he must be given some credit for bringing the

runes to well over three hundred thousand people and his many detractors still fail torecogni'e why his books have proved so popular The unique thing about 0lum&s books is

they are instantly empowering hile readers of more traditional authors are still learning


39/80

how to obtain the wood to make their runes, 0lum&s readers are gleefully clutching their

free bag of ceramic runes and heavily into spreads is approach is clear and simple and

never leaves the reader in any doubt that they will be able to read the runes There is a

simple reassuring spirituality in his text which attracted many who found comfort in pages

deal with issues such as bereavement and offering short clear prayers 9oreover few other

rune authors can match the power and impact of his style producing pages of rune

meanings that for all their faults often verge on the poetic 8hrases like "do not go beyondwhere you have not yet begun" or "completion of beginnings" have deeply affected

readers who found a spiritual beauty in them

+one of this of course excuses his transgressions though he is nevertheless due his

place in the runes& recent history To some extent in recent books he has "outgrown" the

runes and is pioneering a new divinatory system in all but name e is a man who

generates strong emotions but little in his books really *ustifies the intensity of contempt

that many hold him in %n the same way that .din breathed the spark of life into Ash and

7lm, 0lum has breathed the spark of inspiration into his countless readers many of whom

would never have encountered the runes but for him .f these a fair number have nowgone on to read more conventional rune authors such as Aswynn, 8ennick and Thorsson

:oubtless many students on this course will fall into this category

&eado=s and the !thar4

.ne of the results of the work of authors such as 0lum was ever greater

experimentation with the runes There is nothing wrong with this but much of it has been

conducted by those who have little or no understanding of the traditional methods and so

seek to break rules without ever first learning what they are or why they are there The

0ritish author, 4enneth 9eadows, writes from a heavily 2hamanistic perspective but does

certainly not fall into this category of those who have not done their research e is oftencredited with the creation of the 3thark theory but in fact he picks up upon, and fails to

credit, work done by 8rofessor 2igurd Agrell in the @?BCs 2ince Agrell&s work is difficult

to obtain outside scholarly circles, most people&s exposure to the 3thark theory comes

from 9eadows& book The 3thark theory is worthy of attention though few scholars

subscribe to it 9eadows argues that rather than seeing the runes as a linear progression

we should regard them as a circular sequence whose true starting point was deliberately

concealed by the ancient rune masters

9eadows points to an incongruity at the start of the 7lder !uthark The first rune is

a rune of fulfillment and rewards, whereas the second rune is one of challenge and ofquesting e suggests it is strange to go from satisfaction to need in this way Therefore

both 8rofessor Agrell and 9eadows propose that the runes should begin with 3ru' (3r)

and end with !ehu (!eoh) This is a modern theory but based on considerable research and

practice with the runes and it does illustrate there are still things within the !uthark to be

investigated and explored without the need to cast away the traditional names and glyphs

etc as many modern authors feel the need to do

,heppard and the Wit$hes Runes

+ot to be confused with the recently retitled and repackaged rune set offered by

2ilver $avenwolf and #ackson which uses the 7lder !uthark, the original itches $uneswere invented by 2usan 2heppard in the late =Cth century 2ince her @B "runes" use neither

conventional names, glyphs or meanings, once again they should be thought of as a


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separate divination system and of no relevance to the material taught on this course This

does not mean they are not of interest or worthy of consideration in their own right as a

means of divination but *ust not as part of standard rune course

8on$lusion

The =Cth century has seen a greater interest in the runes than probably any other

period 7ven during the first millennium when the runes were arguably at their peak theyremained a fairly esoteric and speciali'ed band of knowledge owever their *ourney into

the more mainstream has inevitably brought tensions with it They are magical with a

mythological heritage which makes them unique They therefore deserve and require

respect and serious study 5ommercial pressures mean that some authors are now churning

out books on divination factory-style with a rune book *ust one in a sequence of planned

ventures ence some people writing today have less background in the runes than is

provided by this very basic course +ow 8andora&s 0ox is open though little can be done to

reverse the trend ence there is a responsibility on those of us who believe in the runes to

try to ensure accurate information is available to seekers owever, before anyone

condemns the popularity of the runes now they should reflect that we are very fortunate

that the runes do have any popularity at all after the +AG% period and their association

with right-wing extremism Though we can rightly argue this was an aberration in a

history of several thousand years perpetrated by people who had no real understanding of

the runes or respect for them, nonetheless it had the potential to do considerable damage

Lesson 12 - Rune A$uisition 1 - 8hoosin0

An argument rages between those traditionalists who assert that it is essential to

make your set of runes yourself and those who claim that a set of runes that has been

purchased will work *ust as well 2ince these are extreme positions with little ground for

compromise they present the new rune reader with a problem and a choice ere at the

$une 2chool we have already stressed that being a rune reader requires a willingness to

take responsibility and therefore we do not think we should tell you what to do

Accordingly in the next two lessons you will be given all the necessary information to

make or buy a set of runes and which of these you do is your decision

The plain and simple fact is that there are many authors on the runes, particular of

the +ew Age variety, who have purchased every set of runes they have ever used As their

books demonstrate, they achieve results with the runes, and hence their experiences cannotbe lightly dismissed 9ost of us do not make the clothes we wear or indeed most, or often

any, of the ob*ects we use every day .urs is a consumer society and few of us now would

claim great practical skills unless employed in such a capacity %f we need something, we

buy it, whether it is a take-out meal or a set of runes +o Tarot card reader would accept

being told they had to paint all E> Tarot cards themselves, so why do we accept this

apparent elitism with the runes/

.bviously any ob*ect you have made yourself will have a more immediate psychic

connection to you than one you have bought owever this is not required for divinatory

success The best known divinatory tool, the crystal ball, is not a do-it-yourself ob*ect %naddition it is possible to develop close emotional and psychic links with purchased ob*ects

2tories abound of ob*ects, particularly clocks, breaking down the day their owner dies

$epeated contact with or use of an ob*ect enables us to form strong psychic links with it


41/80

ence a store-bought set of runes, through use and repeated exposure can become very

special to us

Assuming then you decide to buy a set of runes, *ust where should you purchase them

from/ There are a number of options available

ocal craftsperson

+ew Age 2hop

0ook store

9ail order%nternet

7ach of these types of vendor has advantages and problems associated with it and so

we will examine each of them in turn

Lo$al 8raftsperson

:epending on your luck this can prove to be either one of the cheapest or most

expensive ways of purchasing %n buying runes though price should not be one of your

highest priorities !ew of us can claim price is no ob*ect but neither should you try and

shortchange the gods The runes you buy will be a very special ob*ection to you Theyshould be capable to repeated use with a clear design on them which will not easily be

chipped or erased :on&t haggle about price then but buy the best set you can afford

The key advantage of this method of rune acquisition is that it enables you to have

personal input into the rune production 9ost craftspeople will be willing to be guided by

your individual requirements rather than producing standard models !or example you can

decide the material out of which you want the runes to be made, whether you want them in

yew or ash wood for example 9aybe you want the runes marked out in red for blood or

blue for .din These choices help to ensure your runes are truly personal even if you didn&t

make them yourself %f you want to, some craftspeople may even permit you to undertakeroutine tasks in the making of the runes, such as removing stones from clay or stirring

paint

ence having your runes made locally can offer you a compromise between making

them yourself and purchasing them, since you can still include a personal dimension 7ven

if you don&t, this way of buying still has an advantage since you can inspect the quality of

the product before purchasing thus ensuring it meets you needs 2ome people offer to

make runes not because they know anything about them but because they are aware there

is a market for them ence your runes may be accompanied by a dubious set of

instructions and worse the glyphs may be incorrectly reproduced since only minimal

research has been done The rune set may be the !uthorc or ;ounger !uthark rather than

the more usual =D runes 7qually some of the shapes may be non-standard such as

rather than for %ngu' (%ng)

Ne= A0e ,hop

These are becoming increasingly common and most people should have access to

one +ot everyone will feel comfortable in them and 5hristians in particular may dislike

the pagan influence and many of the items they sell Assuming entering the shop is not a

problem though the chances are they will have one or more sets of runes for sale9oreover the staff are generally knowledgeable since this is their business though because


42/80

runes are a specialist area you cannot guarantee this Again you will have an opportunity to

inspect the runes before you buy and can therefore insure that you are happy with them

oo4 ,tore

!or those who don&t have +ew Age shop near them or are reluctant to enter one, the

local book store can provide an alternative source of runes 9any book stores have a small

section where Tarot and rune cards can be purchased and sometimes they have rune stonesas well There is a good market for +ew Age books, including those on divination, and

many book stores seek to encourage this by also selling divinatory materials .f course,

don&t expect your average shop assistant to be able to offer much advice about the runes

hat you are buying is ready packaged and standardi'ed, as close to mass produced as

any set of runes can be

7ven if your book store hasn&t seen fit to provide a section selling divinatory

materials, chances are you will still be able to walk out clenching a set of runes since many

publishers have reali'ed they can boost sales of books on the runes by bundling a set with

the book $alph 0lum has probably started more rune careers, not because of the quality of

his book (which remains extremely controversial) but because it is packaged with an

extremely attractive set of clay rune tablets Thus if you look around the book shelves you

may well be able to find a book which includes a set of rune cards or rune stones

&ail OrderInternet

There are any number of specialist retailers who sell runes and related material via

the internet or by mail order :etails of some of these can be found on the $esources pages

of the $une 2chool web site The chief problem with buying long-distance is that you

cannot be sure of the reliability of the supplier or the quality of the goods There are

reputable suppliers out there but you need to check out your intended vendor beforecommitting your money 2ome suppliers will permit much the same levels of

personali'ation as local craftsperson 8urchasing in this way extends your range of options

since you no longer have to be contented with what is available locally, you can search the

net until you find precisely the set of runes you want

&AT%RIAL, 'OR R!N%,

Traditionally runes were made out of bone or wood and some traditionalists believe

you should stick to these owever nowadays we have access to a wide range of materials

that the ancients did not ence today we can buy clay tablet runes, glass runes and rune

cards among others There are even plastic runes available ;ou should chose a materialthat is within your price range and which you feel comfortable using %f a particular type of

tree has special associations for you then it may be a good idea to have runes from the

wood of that tree ;ew and Ash are particularly common because both these trees have

direct links with the runes but there is no reason why you shouldn&t use a different wood if

you prefer

R!N% 8ARD,

9ost people will buy rune stones but should you decide to purchase rune cards there

are a number of other issues to consider 5hoose the design carefully ;ou want the rune

glyph to be clear and in a prominent position aving an abstract symmetrical design on

the back is best, that way if you use the idea of reversed runes, you mind cannot be


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influenced into avoiding picking reversed rune cards which can happen all too easily when

decks which enable you to tell the orientation of the card

Lesson 1# - Rune A$uisition 2 - &a4in0

aving previously looked at the option of purchasing your runes, we now move on

to the other alternative - making your own 5ertainly historically it would have been partof the training of any runemaster to learn how to make a set of runes The only runes

available to an ancient 1iking would have been ones he made himself !or this reason

many traditionalists will only recogni'e self-made runes

Actually the manufacture of runes is not a difficult process and most people, even

those with little practical skills, can usually find a medium in which they can successfully

make runes %t is not something which can be done on the spur of the moment however

;ou will need to plan what you will do in some detail, as well as ensuring you have access

to the required tools and adequate supplies of the material from which your runes will be

madeThe idea of making your own runes is one that instantly appeals to many 2ome

books though make it sound like a two minute hassle-free process hile it may be fairly

easy, this doesn&t mean that it is quick, straightforward or without dangers .ne reason that

serious commercial rune makers often have quite high fees for their products is because,

done properly rune making is time-consuming and hard work %t is however also very

rewarding but there are a number of questions you will face

!rom what will you make your runes/

ow will you acquire this/

ow will you make the rune glyphs/ ow long will the process take/

hat ritual elements will you include/

ow will you "fix" the rune glyphs in place/

&aterial for Runes

Though traditionally runes were made of bone or wood, that was because these

materials were readily available to the ancients, and had they access to the same range of

options that we do today, there is no reason to think that they would not have utili'ed other

materials #ust some of the extra things runes are made out of today include ceramics,glass, sea-shells, various types of stone including semi-precious, most metals, card and

leather hichever material you choose should ideally be naturally occurring and

workable with the tools which you have available .ne of the pleasures of rune casting is

the tactile sensation of handling the runes, the feeling of reassuring solidity they offer

ence in choosing your raw material, you should give thought also to the feel and weight

of your finished runes

A$uisition

3nless you already have the raw materials from which to make your runes, you will

have to obtain it before you can begin There are three main approaches you can take,

collection, removal or purchase hich of these you adopt will depend both on your

circumstances and your beliefs


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8olle$tion

9ost pagans, new-agers and rune casters today are very environmentally aware

They do not waste precious resources and recycle when they can Also key is the notion

that *ust as the runes themselves can be seen as a gift from the gods, so too should the

material from which they are made ence there is a belief that runes are best made from

things found lying around - that nature has provided directly !or wooden runes, this

means windfall wood which has come down in bad weather owever as normal forestryoften involves the cutting back of branches, the use of wood removed for the good of the

trees is also acceptable ith respect to stones for runes, the beachsea shore or river bed

are obvious sources

.ne other point that should be made is that runes are extra-ordinary everyday

ob*ects This is of course paradoxical but is easily explained To most rune casters, runes

are something that are always with you or close at hand 7ven if you don&t use them every

day you would no more think of going any great distance or away for any length of time

without a set of runes than you would without a wrist watch %n that sense they are

mundane ob*ects, yet we know how wondrous and mystical they also are This paradoxcan cause problems for some novice rune makers who feel that the special nature of runes

means they should be made out of something unusual ence they believe they must create

their runes from some particularly ancient oak tree or from stones collected from an

especially holy river .f course in paganism the whole world is spiritual and your primary

concern should be seeking a source with which you have a connection ence stones

collected from your garden or the park you played in as a child will be more meaningful to

you than those from some famous national monument

Re3o*al

%f the raw material for your runes is not readily to hand, then another alternative is

to seek it out and bring it back with you ence quarrying your own rock or cutting your

own branches 9any people feel uncomfortable with the idea of cutting living wood with

which to make runes owever while you should not make a habit of this, as a one-off it is

acceptable There are a few things you should ensure you do though 7xplain to the tree

what you are doing and why its sacrifice is necessary Ask its permission 2econdly take

no more than you need and ensure you do no permanent damage to the tree astly

remember that "a gift demands a gift" and do something for the environment to repay the

tree&s sacrifice

:ur$hase

2ome may disapprove of buying the raw materials for their runes, but it is the

finished runes that have to be personal to you, not necessarily what they are made from

There is no reason why you shouldn&t buy the things you need for your runes and it will

probably give you access to a wider range of materials owever don&t haggle about price

&a4in0 the Rune Gl+phs

.bviously the marking of the rune designs is the most crucial stage and needs

careful preparation The first step is securing your rune stonestablets so that you can mark

them olding them in a vise IviceJ or monkey-wrench is one favored way owever sinceyou don&t want to scratch or damage the side of your runes you may want to make some


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form of padding, either for the metal *aws or maybe something to hold the runes

themselves

ith respect to the marking of the glyphs, the exact method will depend upon the

material you are working on but there are three main types, painting, branding or incising

:aintin0

.f the available types this one is the only non-invasive one, in that no indentation ismade in the raw material, instead the rune design is painted onto the surface 7ither

household or model paints can be used This technique can be used with most raw

materials but not all surfaces respond equally well to paint so you should test first

randin0

This involves the use of heatfire to burn the rune glyph onto the tablet %t can be

done in various ways such as with a magnifying lens to direct sunlight, with a set of pre-

made metal shapes that are heated up and then pressed onto the rune tablets, or with a tool

the end of which can be heated

In$isin0

ith this method the rune glyph is cut into the rune tablet using a tool such as a

chisel, file, engraving tool or electric drill bit

!or stone, incising is the preferred method, but for wood and some other materials,

both methods can be applied hichever technique you choose, you should to a few

practice runs before you make any runes for real

;ou should not attempt to produce your glyphs free-hand ;our runes should look

like a consistent script rather than a mass of characters of random height and width ;ou

should find a way to mark the outline of the glyph on the rune tablet to use as a guide-line

Len0th of &anufa$ture

0ack in esson E we saw the importance of patterns in the runes and the

significance of their ordering This applies also to making them 0efore you begin you

need to have some idea of how much work you will do in a single session ;ou wouldn&t

want to end up producing a number resulting purely from chance, such as runes .ne

way would be to produce an Aett at a time 2ome other acceptable possibilities would be

an Aett a day, a rune a day and one over an hour over the course of a day

Ritual

As we have established many lessons ago, the runes are magic in their own right

ence making runes requires more than *ust physical manufacture %t is necessary to

accompany the construction process with a ritual acknowledging and emphasi'ing their

magical nature This will make connecting with the runes easier

owever there appears to be no definitive ritual for this, with each rune maker

creating their own 2ome common elements however appear to be

atmosphere - 3sing a combination of incensesmudging and

soundmusic, an appropriate environment is created

and a state of mind induced

dedication -The gods, particular .din, are thanked and greetedThe blank rune tablets are offered to .din to bless and

fill with the power of the runes


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naming - There is power in the name of each rune Therefore as

the runes are created their names should be spoken

aloud 2ome people like to read also the relevant verse

from the Anglo-2axon $une 8oem though since some

of its meanings are different from the 7lder !uthark, it

is probably better to write your own lines describing

the runes'iin0

.bviously having as clear a rune glyph as possible is desirable, and hence having

marked out the basic shape, many people further emphasi'e it with a little color $ed is

traditional but blue for .din works too .f course, having marked the rune designs you do

not want them to rub off and therefore you need to "fix" them in place There are various

ways of doing this, but with wooden runes the easiest way is simply to varnish them

owever some people have more inventive solutions such as mixing egg into the "paint"

Traditionally runes were "reddened" using blood and many people insist on this,

pointing back to the shedding of .din&s blood on ;ggdrasil to first gain the power of the

runes hile this might have been normal in a warrior society hundreds of years ago, does

not mean that it is today $eligious and cultural beliefs have change 0y all means use

blood if you want to, but do not feel compelled to if you are not comfortable with the idea

,afet+

The deliberate shedding of blood during rune making is one thing, but you should

never forget it can also occur accidentally 2afety should be a primary concern in planning

how you will make runes All the ways of producing runes potentially involve danger

whether it is from blades, drills, branding irons etc Any of these could cause a seriousin*ury 0e sensible and take precautions to avoid coming to harm, including goggles or

other safety clothing, and have a first aid kit close to hand, *ust in case

Lesson 1) - asi$ :rin$iples of Di*ination

%n the popular imagination there is a confusion between the processes of divination

and fortune-telling hile rune-casting includes a predictive element it consists of much

more than *ust this

!.$T3+7 T7%+6 - This is the accurate prediction of future events !or fortunetelling to be possible, future events must be pre-ordained

:%1%+AT%.+ - This uses an oracle, such as the runes, to provide a commentary on

events past, present and on possible futures The oracle advises, warns and guides

owever in divination the future is not fixed but influenced by how the querent acts

after the reading

%n a fixed future what an individual does is irrelevant There is no point for someone

to strive because whether she or he succeeds has been pre-decided %n a pre-ordained

future therefore the individual is disimpowered

The purpose then of divination is to empower someone by providing himher withinformation which shehe can use in order to make a decision about hisher situation %n

divination the individual is made to understand the options and possible consequences but

how heshe then acts is herhis choice :ivination is not then an easy route to anything


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because responsibility remains with the querent :ivinatory use of the runes requires

study, dedication, belief and courage

According to the 0ible the practice of divination is forbidden and hence anyone

practicing this art can expect to receive some criticism and probably be exposed at some

point to religious pre*udice The rune reader must accept that many religions, 5hristianity

included, have prohibitions against divination %t is not our place to try to change other

people&s deeply held religious views, even if we consider them wrong, and in most cases itwould be a futile exercise anyway e must *ust accept the difference of opinion and

remember that for some divination is classed as a demonic activity 6reat care should

therefore be taken to whom you talk about your divinatory practices and how and where

you conduct them

:ivination itself can take various forms, includingC degree rotation, and

therefore look different when rotated %n this example you can see the %sa (%s) rune in the

first diagram does not rotate, but the !ehu (!eoh) rune in the second diagram does

A rotated rune is referred to as a "reversed rune", or sometimes as a "merk stave",

though whether or not reversed runes have any special meaning is a matter of debate

%n Tarot, cards have different meanings when they fall reversed compared to those

they have normally 2ince Tarot cards have asymmetrical designs, all E> cards have a

normal and a reversed position This is not the case though with the runes, where only *ust

over half are reversible %t raises the question then why these runes should be any differentto the others in the 7lder !uthark

%s then the concept of reversal something which has been inherited from Tarot, and

as such is of modern origin/ .r is there a historical precedent/ hile there is no

historicalliterary material to suggest ancient runecaster paid attention to reversed runes,

equally there is nothing to prove they did not 2ince the rune glyphs are designs with

symbolic and magical importance in their own right, it would arguably be strange if they

gave absolutely no import to a rune displaying the opposite to its normal shape

hether or not to use reversed runes is a decision for the individual runecaster to

make and something which is only an issue with respect to divinatory usage of the runesowever while this issue is one that often provokes sharp polari'ation of views, there is no

reason why this should be the case The mistake is never the use of reversed runes, but

rather, seeing reversed and upright meanings are binary oppositions The runes are always

multi-facetted and though we may not be able to see all the possible meanings at any given

time, it does not mean they are not still there

et&s demonstrate this with a simple example using the first rune, !ehu (!eoh) ere

are six possible meanings of this rune

@ ealth and profit

= oss and poverty

B !ertility and pregnancy

D 7lemental fire and expansionist forces

2haring with others


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F 5attle

%f we label the sides of a die with these meanings, and then roll it, we might see the

following

;ou will note that "ealth and 8rofit" is facing us and so dominates, but "oss" is

nowhere to be seen though it is still there, *ust out of sight %ndeed since all the meanings

are related, it is reflected, at least partially, in "2haring with .thers" since both apply to

reduction to funds owever one is voluntary and advised, the other is involuntary and

undesirableowever rolling the die again, we produce the following, which may at first glance

appear to be totally different

;et if wealth results from the fertility (breeding) of cattle, it is precarious !irstly

money needs to be reinvested to keep the farm functioning, so buildings need to be

maintained, chemicals purchased for cattle dips etc (sharing) 5attle age, sicken and die %t

is thus an uncertain venture to put ones money into and hence we return to the threat of

sudden poverty (loss) again hat we are seeing when we rotate the die is not a change in

meaningbut in emphasis This is what occurs with upright and reversed runes

Though reversed runes are normally thought of as more negative, this is an over-

simplification The agala' (aegl) rune does not reverse yet its normal meaning is not

one that is usually embraced with much enthusiasm %t is not correct then to make anupright L good, reversedLbad division 7ach rune has a little of everything within it, both

positive and negative %n truth it depends too upon viewpoint :isruption of our nice

ordered lives as agala' (aegl) threatens, is normally seen as unwelcome ;et if that

disruption clears space for new opportunities and new growth, is it really so bad/

5oming to the runes we have to rid ourselves of simplistic goodbad concepts and

accept that much of our lives are cyclical There will be both periods of summer and

winter in our lives and both serve a purpose %f you decide to use reversed runes, do not

see them as negative in character but rather as giving more of a warning #ust think of rune

reversal as a kind of underlining The runes are simply working harder to bring somethingto your attention


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:ositionin0

%nexperience rune casters tend to look at each rune in a spread in isolation and this

therefore means there is a whole level of information offered by the runes which they may

miss

There can be a degree of interaction between runes in a spread e will come to

deeper patterns shortly, however for now we will look at the

Rune School

Documents

Transcript of Rune School