HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

There is some evidence that, in addition to being a
writing system A writing system comprises a set of symbols, called a ''script'', as well as the rules by which the script represents a particular language. The earliest writing appeared during the late 4th millennium BC. Throughout history, each independen ...
,
runes Runes are the Letter (alphabet), letters in a set of related alphabets, known as runic rows, runic alphabets or futharks (also, see ''#Futharks, futhark'' vs ''#Runic alphabets, runic alphabet''), native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were ...
historically served purposes of magic. This is the case from the earliest epigraphic evidence of the
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
to the
Germanic Iron Age The archaeology of Northern Europe studies the prehistory of Scandinavian Peninsula, Scandinavia and the adjacent North European Plain, roughly corresponding to the territories of modern Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Northern Germany, Poland, the Net ...
, with non-linguistic inscriptions and the '' alu'' word. An '' erilaz'' appears to have been a person versed in runes, including their magic applications. In medieval sources, notably the
Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems in alliterative verse. It is distinct from the closely related ''Prose Edda'', although both works are seminal to the study of Old Norse ...
, the ''
Sigrdrífumál (also known as ) is the conventional title given to a section of the ''Poetic Edda'' text in . It follows without interruption, and it relates the meeting of Sigurðr with the valkyrie Brynhildr, here identified as ("driver to victory"). ...
'' mentions "victory runes" to be carved on a
sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...
, "some on the grasp and some on the inlay, and name Tyr twice." In the
early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...
and
modern history The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500, ...
, related
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
and
superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic (supernatural), magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly app ...
is recorded in the form of the Icelandic magical staves. In the early 20th century,
Germanic mysticism Ariosophy and Armanism are esoteric ideological systems that were largely developed by Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels and Guido von List, respectively, in Austria between 1890 and 1930. The term 'Ariosophy', which translates to ''wisdom of the Arya ...
coined new forms of "runic magic", some of which were continued or developed further by contemporary adherents of
Germanic Neopaganism Heathenry, also termed Heathenism, contemporary Germanic Paganism, or Germanic Neopaganism, is a modern pagan religion. Scholars of religious studies classify it as a new religious movement. Developed in Europe during the early 20th century ...
. Modern systems of runic divination are based on
Hermeticism Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical and religious tradition rooted in the teachings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretism, syncretic figure combining elements of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. This system e ...
, classical
occultism The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mystic ...
, and the ''
I Ching The ''I Ching'' or ''Yijing'' ( ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The ''I Ching'' was originally a divination manual in ...
''.


Historical evidence


Tacitus

Historically it is known that the
Germanic peoples The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...
used various forms of divination and means of reading omens.
Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...
(''
Germania Germania ( ; ), also more specifically called Magna Germania (English: ''Great Germania''), Germania Libera (English: ''Free Germania''), or Germanic Barbaricum to distinguish it from the Roman provinces of Germania Inferior and Germania Superio ...
'' 10) gives a detailed account (98AD):
They attach the highest importance to the taking of auspices and casting lots. Their usual procedure with the lot is simple. They cut off a branch from a nut-bearing tree and slice it into strips these they mark with different signs and throw them at random onto a white cloth. Then the state's priest, if it is an official consultation, or the father of the family, in a private one, offers prayer to the gods and looking up towards heaven picks up three strips, one at a time, and, according to which sign they have previously been marked with, makes his interpretation. If the lots forbid an undertaking, there is no deliberation that day about the matter in question. If they allow it, further confirmation is required by taking
auspice Augury was a Greco- Roman religious practice of observing the behavior of birds, to receive omens. When the individual, known as the augur, read these signs, it was referred to as "taking the auspices". "Auspices" () means "looking at birds". '' ...
s.Birley (1999:42).
It is often debated whether "signs" refers specifically to runes or to other marks; both interpretations are plausible and Tacitus does not give enough detail for a definite decision to be made.


Epigraphy

The Ansuz and Tiwaz runes in particular seem to have had magical significance in the early (
Elder Futhark The Elder Futhark (or Fuþark, ), also known as the Older Futhark, Old Futhark, or Germanic Futhark, is the oldest form of the runic alphabets. It was a writing system used by Germanic peoples for Northwest Germanic dialects in the Migration Per ...
) period. The ''Sigrdrífumál'' instruction of "name Tyr twice" is reminiscent of the double or triple "stacked Tyr"
bindrune A bind rune or bindrune () is a Migration Period Germanic typographic ligature, ligature of two or more Runic alphabet, runes. They are extremely rare in Viking Age inscriptions, but are common in earlier (Proto-Norse) and later (medieval) inscri ...
s found e.g. on Seeland-II-C or the Lindholm amulet in the ''aaaaaaaazzznnn-b- muttt'', sequence, which besides stacked Tyr involves multiple repetition of Ansuz, but also triple occurrence of
Algiz Algiz (also Elhaz) is the name conventionally given to the "''z''-rune" of the Elder Futhark runic alphabet. Its transliteration is ''z'', understood as a phoneme of the Proto-Germanic language, the terminal ''*z'' continuing Proto-Indo-Europe ...
and
Naudiz *Naudiz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic name of the ''n''-rune , meaning "need, distress". In the Anglo-Saxon runes, Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is continued as ''nyd'', in the Younger Futhark as , Icelandic language, ...
. Many inscriptions also have apparently meaningless utterances interpreted as magical chants, such as ''tuwatuwa'' (
Vadstena bracteate The Vadstena bracteate (Rundata Ög 178, IK 377.1) is a gold C-bracteate found in the ground at Vadstena, Sweden, in 1774.''Nordisk Familjebok'', Owl Edition, pp. 262–6/ref> Along with the bracteate was a gold ring and a piece of gold sheet: a ...
), ''aaduaaaliia'' (DR BR42) or ''g͡æg͡og͡æ'' ( Undley bracteate), ''g͡ag͡ag͡a '' ( Kragehul I). Alu is a charm word appearing on numerous artifacts found in Central and Northern Europe dating from the
Germanic Iron Age The archaeology of Northern Europe studies the prehistory of Scandinavian Peninsula, Scandinavia and the adjacent North European Plain, roughly corresponding to the territories of modern Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Northern Germany, Poland, the Net ...
. The word is the most common of the early runic charm words and can appear either alone or as part of an apparent formula. The origin and meaning of the word are matters of dispute, though a general agreement exists among scholars that the word either represents amulet magic or is a metaphor (or
metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "wikt:suit, suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such ...
) for it.Macleod and Mees (2006), 91-101. A few
Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...
rings with runic inscriptions of apparently magical nature were found, among them the Kingmoor Ring. The phrase "runes of power" is found on two
runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...
s in Sweden, DR 357 from Stentoften and DR 360 from Björketorp. Runestones with curses include DR 81 in Skjern, DR 83 in Sønder Vinge, DR 209 in Glavendrup, DR 230 from Tryggevælde, DR 338 in Glemminge, and Vg 67 in Saleby.


Medieval sources

The most prolific source for runic magic in the
Poetic Edda The ''Poetic Edda'' is the modern name for an untitled collection of Old Norse anonymous narrative poems in alliterative verse. It is distinct from the closely related ''Prose Edda'', although both works are seminal to the study of Old Norse ...
is the ''
Sigrdrífumál (also known as ) is the conventional title given to a section of the ''Poetic Edda'' text in . It follows without interruption, and it relates the meeting of Sigurðr with the valkyrie Brynhildr, here identified as ("driver to victory"). ...
'', where the valkyrie Sigrdrífa (
Brynhild Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( , , or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess and queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. In the Norse tradition, Brunhild is a shield ...
) presents
Sigurd Sigurd ( ) or Siegfried (Middle High German: ''Sîvrit'') is a legendary hero of Germanic heroic legend, who killed a dragon — known in Nordic tradition as Fafnir () — and who was later murdered. In the Nordic countries, he is referred t ...
with a memory-draught of ale that had been charmed with "gladness runes" (stanza 5): She goes on to give advice on the magical runes in seven further stanzas. In all instances, the runes are used for actual magic (
apotropaic Apotropaic magic (From ) or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superstition or out of tr ...
or ability-enhancing spells) rather than for divination: * "victory runes" to be carved on the sword hilt (stanza 6, presumably referring to the ''t'' rune named for TyrEnoksen, Lars Magnar. ''Runor: Historia, tydning, tolkning'' (1998) ), * ''ølrunar '' "
Ale Ale is a style of beer, brewed using a warm fermentation method. In medieval England, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative. Ale ...
-runes" (stanza 7, a protective spell against being bewitched by means of ale served by the host's wife;
naudiz *Naudiz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic name of the ''n''-rune , meaning "need, distress". In the Anglo-Saxon runes, Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is continued as ''nyd'', in the Younger Futhark as , Icelandic language, ...
is to be marked on one's fingernails, and laukaz on the cup), *''biargrunar'' "birth-runes" (stanza 8, a spell to facilitate
childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more Fetus, fetuses exits the Womb, internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section and becomes a newborn to ...
), *''brimrunar'' "wave-runes" (stanza 9, a spell for the protection of ships, with runes to be carved on the stem and on the rudder), *''limrunar'' "branch-runes" (stanza 10, a healing spell, the runes to be carved on trees "with boughs to the eastward bent"), *''malrunar'' "speech-runes" (stanza 11, the stanza is corrupt, but apparently referred to a spell to improve one's rhetorical ability at the thing), *''hugrunar'' "thought-runes" (stanza 12, the stanza is incomplete, but clearly discussed a spell to improve one's wit). The Poetic Edda also seems to corroborate the magical significance of the runes the ''
Hávamál ''Hávamál'' ( ; Old Norse: ''Hávamál'',Unnormalised spelling in the Codex Regius:''Title'': hava mal''Final stanza'': Nv ero Hava mál q''ve''ðin Háva hꜹ''l''lo i ..classical pron. , Modern Icelandic pron. , ‘Words of Hávi he H ...
'' where Odin mentions runes in contexts of divination, of healing and of necromancy (trans. Bellows):
Certain is that which is sought from runes / That the gods so great have made / And the Master-Poet painted (79) Of runes heard I words, nor were counsels wanting / At the hall of Hor (111) Grass cures the scab / and runes the sword-cut (137) Runes shalt thou find / and fateful signs (143) if high on a tree / I see a hanged man swing / So do I write and color the runes / That forth he fares / And to me talks. (158)
Other oft cited sources for the practice of runic divination are chapter 38 of Snorri Sturluson's Ynglinga Saga, where Granmar, the king of Södermanland, travels to the Temple at Uppsala for the seasonal blót. "There, the chips fell in a way that said that he would not live long" (''Féll honum þá svo spánn sem hann mundi eigi lengi lifa''). Another source is in the
Vita Ansgari The ''Vita Ansgarii'', also known as the ''Vita Anskarii'', is the hagiography of saint Ansgar, written by Rimbert, his successor as archbishop in the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen. The ''Vita'' is an important source not only in detailing Ansgar ...
, the biography of
Ansgar Ansgar (8 September 801 – 3 February 865), also known as Anskar, Saint Ansgar, Saint Anschar or Oscar, was Archbishopric of Bremen, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen in the northern part of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Ansgar became known as the ...
the
Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen This list records the bishops of the Archdiocese of Bremen, Roman Catholic diocese of Bremen (), supposedly a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Cologne, Archbishopric of Cologne, then of the bishops of Bremen, who were in personal union archbishops ...
, which was written by a monk named
Rimbert Saint Rimbert (or Rembert) (''c.'' 830 - 11 June 888 in Bremen) was archbishop of Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, Hamburg-Bremen, in the northern part of the East Francia, Kingdom of East Frankia from 865 until his death in 888. He most famously wr ...
. Rimbert details the custom of casting lots by the pagan Norse (chapters 26–30). The chips and the lots, however, can be explained respectively as a ''blótspánn'' (sacrificial chip) and a ''hlauttein'' (lot-twig), which according to Foote and Wilson Foote and Wilson (1970), 401. would be "marked, possibly with sacrificial blood, shaken and thrown down like dice, and their positive or negative significance then decided."
Egils Saga ''Egill's Saga'' or ''Egil's saga'' ( ; ) is an Icelandic saga (family saga) on the lives of the clan of Egill Skallagrímsson (Anglicised as Egill Skallagrimsson), an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald. The saga spans the years c. 850–1000 ...
features several incidents of runic magic. The most celebrated is the scene where Egil discovers (and destroys) a poisoned drink prepared for him, by cutting his hand and cutting runes on the drinking horn, and painting the runes with blood. While the motif of blood painted runes also appears in other examples of early Norse literature it is uncertain whether the practice of painting runes with blood is merely a literary invention or whether it had precedence in magical practice.


Modern systems

In the 17th century, Hermeticist and
Rosicrucian Rosicrucianism () is a spirituality, spiritual and cultural movement that arose in early modern Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts announcing to the world a new Western esotericism, esoteric order. Rosicruc ...
Johannes Bureus Johannes Thomae Bureus Agrivillensis (born Johan Bure; 1568–1652) was a Swedish polymath, antiquarian, mystic, royal librarian, poet, and tutor and adviser of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. He is a well-known exponent of Gothicism. Life ...
, having been inspired by visions, developed a Runic system based on the Kaballah and the Futhark which he called the ''Adulruna''. The
Armanen runes Armanen runes (or ''Armanen Futharkh'') are 18 pseudo-runes, inspired by the historic Younger Futhark runes, invented by Austrian mysticist and Germanic revivalist Guido von List during a state of temporary blindness in 1902, and described in ...
"revealed" to
Guido von List Guido Karl Anton List (5 October 1848 – 17 May 1919), better known as Guido von List, was an Austrian occultist, journalist, playwright, and novelist. He expounded a modern Pagan new religious movement known as Wotanism, which he claimed w ...
in 1902 were employed for magical purposes in
Germanic mysticism Ariosophy and Armanism are esoteric ideological systems that were largely developed by Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels and Guido von List, respectively, in Austria between 1890 and 1930. The term 'Ariosophy', which translates to ''wisdom of the Arya ...
by authors such as Friedrich Bernhard Marby and Siegfried Adolf Kummer, and after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in a reformed "pansophical" system by Karl Spiesberger. More recently, Stephen Flowers, Adolf Schleipfer, Larry E. Camp and others also build on List's system. Several modern systems of runic magic and runic divination were published from the 1980s onward. The first book on runic divination, written by Ralph Blum in 1982, led to the development of sets of runes designed for use in several such systems of
fortune telling Fortune telling is the spiritual practice of prediction, predicting information about a person's life.J. Gordon Melton, Melton, J. Gordon. (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena''. Visible Ink Press. pp. 115–116. The scope of for ...
, in which the runes are typically incised in clay, stone tiles, crystals, resin, glass, or polished stones, then either selected one-by-one from a closed bag or thrown down at random for reading. Later authors such as Diana L. Paxson and Freya Aswynn follow Blum (1989) in drawing a direct correlation between runic divination and
tarot divination Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy whereby practitioners use tarot cards to purportedly gain insight into the past, present or future. The process typically begins with formulation of a question, followed by drawing and interpreting cards ...
. They may discuss runes in the context of "spreads" and advocate the usage of "rune cards". Modern authors like Ralph Blum sometimes include a "blank rune" in their sets. Some were to replace a lost rune, but according to Ralph Blum this was the god
Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...
's rune, the rune of the beginning and the end, representing "the divine in all human transactions".


Ralph Blum

In 1982, a modern usage of the runes for answering life's questions was apparently originated by Ralph Blum in his
divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...
book ''The Book of Runes: A Handbook for the Use of an Ancient Oracle'', which was marketed with a small bag of round tiles with runes stamped on them. This book has remained in print since its first publication. The sources for Blum's divinatory interpretations, as he explained in ''The Book of Runes'' itself, drew heavily on then-current books describing the ancient ''I Ching'' divination system of China. Each of Blum's seven books on runic divination deals with a specialized area of life or a varied technique for reading runes: *''The Book of Runes: A Handbook for the Use of an Ancient Oracle: The Viking Runes'' (1982); revised 10th Anniversary Edition (1992); revised 25th Anniversary Edition (2007). * ''The Rune Cards: Sacred Play for Self Discovery'' (1989); reissued as ''The Rune Cards: Ancient Wisdom For the New Millennium'' (1997). Rather than rune stones, this book uses images of the runes printed on card stock, much like a set of
trading card A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing (fictional or real) and a short description of the picture, along with other t ...
s or
tarot Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play t ...
cards. * ''The Healing Runes'' with co-author Susan Loughan (1995) teaches methods for using runic divination in the context of health and personal integration. * ''Rune Play: A Method of Self Counseling and a Year-Round Rune Casting Record Book'' (1996) * ''The Serenity Runes: Five Keys to the Serenity Prayer'' with co-author Susan Loughan (1998); reissued as ''The Serenity Runes: Five Keys to Spiritual Recovery'' (2005) utilizes runic divination as a method for assisting
self-help Self-help or self-improvement is "a focus on self-guided, in contrast to professionally guided, efforts to cope with life problems" —economically, physically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. When ...
and recovery from addictions; the title is a reference to the well-known
Serenity prayer The Serenity Prayer is an prayer, invocation by the petitioner for wisdom to understand the difference between circumstances ("things") that can and cannot be changed, asking courage to take action in the case of the former, and serenity to accep ...
widely used in the 12-step program of
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
. * ''Ralph H. Blum's Little Book of Runic Wisdom'' (2002). * ''The Relationship Runes: A Compass for the Heart'' with co-author Bronwyn Jones (2003) shows how to use runic divination in matters of love and friendship. Blum has also written books on the ''
Tao Te Ching The ''Tao Te Ching'' () or ''Laozi'' is a Chinese classic text and foundational work of Taoism traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, though the text's authorship and date of composition and compilation are debated. The oldest excavated por ...
'',
Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...
Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, and UFOs.


Stephen Flowers

In the wake of a 1984 dissertation on "Runes and Magic", Stephen Flowers published a series of books under the pen-name "Edred Thorsson" which detailed his own original method of runic divination and magic, "odianism", which he said was loosely based on historical sources and modern European
hermeticism Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical and religious tradition rooted in the teachings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretism, syncretic figure combining elements of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. This system e ...
. These books were: * ''Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic'' (1984) * ''Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology'' (1987) * ''At The Well of Wyrd'' (1988) which was later reprinted under the title ''Runecaster’s Handbook: The Well of Wyrd.'' * ''Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism'' (2002). Runic divination is a component of Flowers' "esoteric runology" course offered to members of his Rune-Gild, as detailed in ''The Nine Doors of Midgard: A Curriculum of Rune-Work.'' Besides runic divination, Flowers also advocated the "runic gymnastics" (''Runengymnastik'') developed in the 1920s by Friedrich Marby, under the name of "Rune-Yoga" (also "Runic Yoga", "Stadhagaldr").


Stephan Grundy

In 1990,
Stephan Grundy Stephan Scott Grundy (June 28, 1967 – September 29, 2021),
''The Wild Hunt'', October 5, 20 ...
, a.k.a. Kveldulf Gundarsson, described runic magic as the active principle as opposed to passive interpretations based on runic divination. He held that runic magic is more active than the allegedly
shamanic Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spiri ...
practice of seid practiced by the Seiðkona. Runic magic, he states, uses the runes to affect the world outside based on the
archetype The concept of an archetype ( ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, philosophy and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main mo ...
s they represent. Most of Gundarsson's runic magic entails being in possession of a physical entity that is engraved with any or all of the individual runes or "staves", so as to practically work with their energies. The individual runes are reddened with either blood, dyes, or paints. The act of possessing the stave in its final form serves the purpose of affecting the world of form with "the rune might" of that particular stave. After use, the staves are discarded or destroyed. Gundarsson holds that each rune has a certain sound to it, to be chanted or sung; the sound has in common the phonetic value by which it is represented. This act of singing or chanting is supposed to have more or less the same effect of using the staves in their physical form.


Other

*Nigel Pennick proposes "Germanic Runic Astrology" in publications such as ''Runic Astrology: Starcraft and Timekeeping in the Northern Tradition'' (1995), . * Freya Aswynn has published interpretations of the runes based on her own meditations in ''Leaves of
Yggdrasil Yggdrasil () is an immense and central sacred tree in Norse cosmology. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds. Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and in t ...
: Runes, Gods, Magic, Feminine Mysteries, and Folklore'' Llewellyn Worldwide (1990), and ''Northern Mysteries and Magick: Runes, Gods & Feminine Powers'' (1998),
Llewellyn Worldwide Llewellyn Worldwide (formerly Llewellyn Publications) is a New Age publishing, publisher based in Woodbury, Minnesota. Llewellyn's mission is to "serve the trade and consumers worldwide with options and tools for exploring new worlds of mind & sp ...
. *Adam Byrn Tritt, in ''Runic Divination in the Welsh Tradition'' (2011) presents a system based on a 10-stone set, including nine symbols which are unrelated to the historical runes, plus a blank stone, which represents the querent (inquirer). * Diana L. Paxson deals with the subject of runic divination and the use of the runes in magical spell-casting in her book ''Taking Up The Runes: A Complete Guide To Using Runes In Spells, Rituals, Divination, And Magic'' (2005). *Wendy Christine Duke in ''Spiral of Life'' (2008)''Spiral of Life - A Guidebook For Your Journey'' (2008) Cloud Haven Studio Incorporated, . presents a divination system based on organizing a set of 41 "revealed images" based on the runic letters. * A. D. Mercer, ''Runen - The Wisdom of the Runes'' (2016) reintroduces the
Armanen Runes Armanen runes (or ''Armanen Futharkh'') are 18 pseudo-runes, inspired by the historic Younger Futhark runes, invented by Austrian mysticist and Germanic revivalist Guido von List during a state of temporary blindness in 1902, and described in ...
. * Saemarr þorsgoði (Peter Seymour), Produced during the 1980s, a tape recording "Runes" giving advice on the use and divination practice of runes, including theoretical Galdrar (chanting) of the rune names of the Elder Futhark for ritual use.


See also

*
Galdr A (plural ') or (plural ) refers to a spell or incantation in Old Norse and Old English respectively; these were usually performed in combination with certain rites.The article ''Galder'' in ''Nationalencyklopedin'' (1992) Etymology and or ...
*
Germanic neopaganism Heathenry, also termed Heathenism, contemporary Germanic Paganism, or Germanic Neopaganism, is a modern pagan religion. Scholars of religious studies classify it as a new religious movement. Developed in Europe during the early 20th century ...
* Icelandic magical staves *
List of runestones There are about 3,000 runestones in Scandinavia (out of a total of about 6,000 runic inscriptions). p. 38. The runestones are unevenly distributed in Scandinavia: The majority are found in Sweden, estimated at between 1,700 and 2,500 (depending ...
* Runic Gymnastics * Uthark theory


References


Sources

* Birley, A. R. (Trans.) (1999). ''Agricola and Germany''.
Oxford World's Classics Oxford World's Classics is an imprint of Oxford University Press. First established in 1901 by Grant Richards and purchased by OUP in 1906, this imprint publishes primarily dramatic and classic literature for students and the general public. ...
. * Blum, Ralph (1993). ''The Book of Runes : A Handbook for the Use of an Ancient Oracle: The Viking Runes with Stones'', St. Martin's Press; 10th anniversary ed. . * Flowers, Stephen (1986), ''Runes and magic: magical formulaic elements in the older runic tradition'', vol. 53 of American university studies: Germanic languages and literatures, P. Lang, . * —, as Thorsson, Edred (1983). ''A Handbook of Rune Magic'', Weiser Books. * —, as Thorsson, Edred (1987). ''A Handbook of Esoteric Runology''. Weiser Books, * Fries, Jan, ''Helrunar: A Manual of Rune Magick'', Second Edition, Mandrake of Oxford (2002), * Foote, Peter G., and Wilson, D. M. (1970). ''The Viking Achievement'', Sidgwick & Jackson: London, UK. * * * Meadows, Kenneth (1996). ''Rune Power: The Secret Knowledge of the Wise Ones.'' Milton, Brisbane: Element Books Limited. * Plowright, Sweyn (2006). ''The Rune Primer''. Lulu Press. * Tritt, Adam Byrn (2011), ''Tellstones: Runic Divination in the Welsh Tradition''. Smithcraft Press.


External links


Mystic Uses of the Runes
bibliography
Magic RunesOn line readings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Runic Magic Magic Germanic paganism Germanic neopaganism Magic Divination Language and mysticism Magic (supernatural) 1980s in modern paganism sv:Runor#Armanenrunor och modern runmagi