The Uthark theory about the runes holds that the ''rune row'' is a
cipher
In cryptography, a cipher (or cypher) is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption—a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is ''encipherment''. To encipher or encode i ...
, and that one can understand its meaning by placing the first rune, "F", last, resulting in an ”Uthark” instead of the traditional "Futhark" order. It originated in the 1930s with the work of philologist
Sigurd Agrell
Per Sigurd Agrell (16 January 1881 in Värmland – 19 April 1937 in Lund) was a Sweden, Swedish poet, translator, Runology, runologist and professor of Slavic languages at Lund University.
Biography
Agrell's parents were Frans Vilhelm Agrell (18 ...
(1881–1937), a professor at
Lund University
, motto = Ad utrumque
, mottoeng = Prepared for both
, established =
, type = Public research university
, budget = SEK 9 billion runic studies. But it has found proponents in
occult
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism ...
,
esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...
circles and in popular culture.
Agrell articulated the bulk of his theory in his 1932 book ''Die spätantike Alphabet-Mystik und die Runenreihe''
he Alphabet-mysticism of late antiquity and the sequence of the runes
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
Occultist Kenneth Meadows promoted it in his 1995 book ''Rune Power''.
Thomas Karlsson
Thomas Karlsson (born 1972) is a Swedish occultist and esoteric writer, with a PhD in the History of Religions from Stockholm University. (Thomas Karlsson's PhD thesis, in Swedish) In 1989 he founded Dragon Rouge, a Left-Hand Path initiatory o ...
, founder of the magical order
Dragon Rouge
Thomas Karlsson (born 1972) is a Swedish occultist and esoteric writer, with a PhD in the History of Religions from Stockholm University. (Thomas Karlsson's PhD thesis, in Swedish) In 1989 he founded Dragon Rouge, a Left-Hand Path initiatory o ...
, then published the first monograph dedicated to the subject after Agrell's work of 1932: ''Uthark: Nightside of the Runes'' in 2002.