Runes 301 - Making Your Own Runes - Ash Keys

Ask-Key Runes

 "Crying out loud, I grasped the Runes." She heard these words from Havamal during a seidr trance.  At the same time, she saw Odin hanging from Yggdrasil.  As he hung there, he reached out for bunches of ash keys from the branches of the great tree.  On each key, a Rune was marked, glowing red, like coals.

This seidr trance image and words from Havamal, inspired my friend, Polly, to make this shimmering set of ash-key Runes, which she says are not as fragile as they look.  She keeps them safe in a special box, but pulls out three Runes as she needs them.

For those of you wondering or unsure, ash keys are the winged seed of an ash tree.  In the US, the maple key is probably the most familiar kind of key.  When I was a kid, we called them helicopters; others called them whirlybirds.  How ever you identify them, if I saw Polly's ash keys floating to the ground, etched with Runes, I'd scoop them up straight away.

Polly's experience and success in making these Runes has inspired me to attempt making another set of Runes for myself.  I love lilacs and love the leaves on lilac bushes almost as much as I love the flowers and their fresh, spring time smell.  The shape and rich color of the leaves have captivated me.  So, this spring, I will pick some lilac leaves off the bush in my yard, dry them and paint them with the Runes.  I will let you know how it goes.

Polly told me to dry them on a paper towel on a cookie sheet, turning them each day, so that the towel doesn't get damp.  She was worried her ash keys would crumble, but, as the picture above shows, they clearly did not.  In fact, though not red like coals, her ash-key Runes do almost glow.

If you'd like to learn more about the Runes and Heathen history from Polly, you can 'like' her facebook page, Seidkona's Hearth.  She also writes a blog of the same name with lots of interesting history of England, including articles she submits to magazines.  That link is here.

And, if you have a set of Runes that you'd like to share, please post them in a comment below or email them to me with the subject - Runes to share.