Runes 101 - Runes in Mythology - The Saga of the Volsungs

Two weeks ago, I reviewed Jesse Byock's translation of The Saga of the Volsungs and I promised to come back to it to talk about the appearance of Runes in the story.  The Runes actually play two important parts in the story, though their first mention is merely the statement that Regin, Sigurd's foster father, taught Sigurd the Runes.

However, I note this not only because it is the first time we see the Runes in the story, but also because Byock points out (reminds us) in his own notes in the book that Runes "had both practical and magical uses."  In fact, this story presents both aspects of the Runes and that is where I want to focus.

In chapter 21, Brynhild shares her knowledge of the Runes with Sigurd.  She recites 14 verses that include at least six types of Runes as noted in the list to the right.

Brynhild's expression of the Runes presents their magical side and talks of spells and how to use them properly.  Aid Runes, for instance, are used to help with child birth and she claims that they are to be cut into the mother's hand and then the Rune carver must take her hand into his/hers and "bid the Disir not to fail".

In another verse, she mentions Tyr when speaking of victory Runes and even says that they should be cut on the sword's hilt on the blade's center ridge.  She never calls this Rune Tiwaz, yet we know that Tiwaz was carved on many swords and is Tyr's Rune.  To be sure, one of the enigma's that surround the Runes is that they are not mentioned by name in many instances.

There is an exception to that in Brynhild's Rune knowledge though.  When discussing ale Runes and the goal of keeping a neighbor's wife at bay, she states that ale Runes are to be carved on your horn and the back of your hand... and Naud (Nauthiz - the need Rune) on your fingernail.  This is one of the few places where a Rune is actually named, even then, she may just be saying "the need rune", but we know that is Naud (Nauthiz).

Using the Runes for "practical" purposes, as opposed to the implied magic of Brynhild's Runes, Gudrun carves a message in Runes to warn her brothers that her husband, King Atli, plans to take Sigurd's treasure from them.  The king's messenger reads the message and changes the Runes to make it appear as though Gudrun wants her brothers to accept her husband's invitation.  With the letter Gudrun sends a ring tied with wolf's hair, which her brother, Hogni, initially sees as a warning until the messenger gives him Gudrun's note, which he altered.  Although Hogni does not recognize the changes, his wife, Kostbera does.  She can tell the Gudrun's message has been falsified.

Interestingly, the story says that Kostbera uses her wisdom to discern what the Runes truly said.  When she figures it out, she wakes her husband to tell him not to go on the trip to see King Atli.  She says:

"You cannot be very skilled at reading runes if you think your sister has asked you to come at this time.  I read the runes and wondered how so wise a woman could have carved them so confusedly.  Yet, it seems that your death is indicated underneath.  Either Gudrun missed a letter or someone else has falsified the runes."

The Saga of the Volsungs is not a happy one, but it does offer concrete examples of both uses of the Runes, along with dragon slaying, great battles, and great deceit.

Runes 101 - Runes in Mythology 7

The Lay of Sigdrifa is an interesting myth, as it pertains to Runes, for a few reasons.  For starters, the conversation around Runes was omitted from Snorri's Prose Edda version of this myth.  Couple this with Lee M. Hollander's comment in his translation of the myth that the stanzas pertaining to the Runes may have been derived from another source and inserted into this poem.  Suddenly, these stanzas are even more interesting.  It is, of course, these stanzas that are the reason I write about this myth today.

In the Prose Edda, Snorri Sturluson includes the beginning of the story, when Sigurdr rides to the castle/house on the hill and finds someone asleep, wearing armor.  He removes the helmet and sees that the "guard" is a woman, whose byrnie (chain mail) appears to have grown onto her body.  Using his sword, he cuts it away.  She wakes up and tells him her name and that Odin pricked her with a sleeping thorn as punishment, because she slayed a great warrior to whom Odin had promised victory in battle.  After that, Sigurdr rides away for his next adventure.
 
It is due to this, perhaps, that Hollander alludes to the possibility that the Runes stanzas were inserted later or from another source.  This is a viable conclusion given that the poem would have been known to Snorri, who omitted these stanzas completely.  One other note, in "Brynhild in Legend and Literature" (Gildersleeve, 1909), the author refers to these verses, when Sigdrifa is giving advice to Sigurdr, and states that,  "These 'runes' seem to be generally admitted to be a later interpolation."
 
The question of their origin aside, at least ten different Runes are mentioned in this poem.  They are not Runes named Uruz or Algiz or after any of the other letters in the Elder Futhark.  Instead, these consist of Joyful Runes, Victory Runes, Ale Runes, Helping Runes, Sea Runes, Limb Runes, Speech Runes, Mind Runes, Book Runes and valuable Runes of Power.
 
In the poetic version, once Sigdrifa is awake, she sings praises to day, night, the Aesir, and fertile Earth.  After her praises, she begins to tell Sigurdr about the Runes, by giving him ale (or beer) that is mixed with magic, spells and songs, and joyful Runes.  While I am not going to go through each verse, there are a couple I'd like to mention, starting with Victory Runes.  This is one where I have seen examples of Tiwaz carved on the hilt or blade of Viking swords.

Tiwaz, the Rune of

Týr, the Warrior God

 

In fact, the poem says they are to be carved on the hilt of a sword to ensure victory and Týr should be invoked twice.
 
The other Runes are less clear.  For example, there are Sea Runes that must be burned into a ship's oars, and scratched on to the rudder and bow.  This will ensure that you and your ship return home safely.  What Runes would constitute Sea Runes?  Laguz?

 

What about the mind Runes?  Are they linked to Mimir or the mead of poetry?  Which Rune or Runes are mind Runes?  The same question can be asked of all the other types of Runes as well - joyful Runes (Wunjo?) ale Runes, limb Runes, speech Runes, book Runes and Runes of Power.  The poem doesn't say, doesn't name the Runes.  Instead, we are left wondering which Rune or combination of Runes might constitute Sigdrifa's list.  I'll keep researching this to find out if we have any way of knowing the answer.  Until then, here is a last bit of trivia about this myth.

 
The Lay of Sigrdrifa may pose the beginnings of the fairytale we know today as Sleeping Beauty.  The Valkyrie is put to sleep by a sleeping thorn, put inside a castle with a shield around it, her beauty preserved through time and she will fall in love with the warrior who wakes her.