Runes 101 - Runes in History - The Blank Rune

Occasionally, I am asked about the blank Rune.  Is it a thing?  What does it mean?  Should I use it?

The simple answer to the latter question in my view is no, but the real answer is more complex than that and has to do with historical facts, which I can explain by addressing the other two questions.

Is the blank Rune a thing?  Yes and no.  Yes the blank Rune is a thing, but only since the 1970s at the earliest.  Is the blank Rune a thing in the Elder Futhark or any of the other furtharks?  No.  There is no evidence in the eddas, sagas or any other relative historical documents that even suggest that such a thing existed.

The first mention of a blank Rune comes in Ralph Blume's 1982, "The Book of Runes".  This is where the controversy around the blank Rune begins.  So, let's talk about Blum's take on it.

Blum refers to the blank Rune as "the unknowable", "the Divine, Odin, the Allfather".  Both of these descriptions are entirely inaccurate.

The unknowable.  The whole point of Odin sacrificing himself to himself was to gain the knowledge of the Runes.  So, the idea that there would be a Rune that represents the unknowable goes against Odin's actions.

Old Icelandic Rune Poem for Óss

The Divine, Odin, the Allfather.  All Runes are linked to Odin, because of his sacrifice to gain their knowledge.  If there is a single Rune associated with him, it would be Ansuz, and I say that only because the Old Icelandic Rune Poem refers to Óss (the Younger Futhark) as god (Odin) is progenitor, Asgard's chief, and Valhalla's lord.

I won't even venture into his detailed explanation of the meaning of the blank Rune, where he gives no less than eight different things that it represents.  It further demonstrates his lack of understanding of the cultural history in which the original use of Runes formed.

For those of you who aren't so concerned about the blank Rune's complete disregard for the historical and mythological contexts, consider this simple point.  The Runes are an alphabet.  The term "Futhark" is literally the word formed by the first six letters:

To suggest that an alphabet would have a blank in it is ridiculous.  It would be a non-letter.

So, yes the blank Rune is a thing, a very recent thing.  Should it be used when seeking guidance from the Runes as an oracle?  No.

Runes 301 - Making Your Own Runes - Shells

The Runes I have been using for several years were not intended to be a permanent set even though I stained them with my blood as part of the ritual.  I made them after the original staves I had been working on were ruined.  They have served me well, but I always planned to make another set and, this year, I committed to making at least three new sets of Runes.  Last week, I finished the first one.  Shells.

I have a strong connection to water and live near a lake.  Earlier this summer, I collected the shells while visiting a friend's cottage on the lake.  When I got home, I washed the shells to clean them so that I could write the Runes on them.  Though I wasn't considering this part of the ritual, I certainly felt Freyr's energy while I was doing it.

With the shells clean and dry, I painted a Rune on each one, going in order of the Elder Futhark.  I applied two coats and let them dry for several days.  I was waiting for the right moment to complete the ritual - a blessing on them.  This also got to be tricky, because I wasn't using my own blood.  When I mixed it with the paint, it changed the color.  Some say a drop of blood will suffice and that may be true, but I prefer a drop for each Rune.  Instead, I decided to take them back to the lake and rinse them in the lake water, but I had to wait for the right moment.

One morning last week, it was raining and I realized this was the moment I needed.  I put the Runes in a pouch and stopped by the lake on my way to work.  As the rain fell on that cool, misty morning, I emptied the Runes into the sand right where the water was lapping onto the shore.  It gently washed over them as I took each one separately and swirled it in the water before wrapping it into a cloth.

Although I called on Njord for a blessing, it was Freyr who presented himself more prominently.  Njord was there, but took a secondary position.  I know that neither god is associated with the Runes like Odin and Heimdall, but I requested Njord as a god with a connection to the sea.  I sometimes sense him along the shore and around marinas, so it felt right.  Still, it was Freyr who stood behind me to the left and watched as I completed my ritual.  I take his presence to mean that this was a good time, a fertile time, for me to bless the Runes and make them my own.  Even though my blood wasn't used, the water from the lake and the rain served to create that bond.

When I got home from work, I drew three Runes for myself to make them my own.  Eihwaz, Jera, and Sowilo.  These are three powerful Runes for me.  Eihwaz has become an important Rune for me when I need to be strong or calm - focused.  Jera is my guiding Rune; whenever it shows up in a draw, it is powerful.  And Sowilo is my Rune for the year, reminding me of feminine energy (to balance last year's Rune - Thurisaz).  I think this sets a good precedence for this set of Runes and the connection between them and me.

 

Runes 102 - Book Reviews - Runes: Ancient Scripts

I came to the Runes through academic channels, which may be why Martin Findell's book, Runes: Ancient Scripts, caught my eye.  Though it's short, Findell provides a reasonable overview of the Runes as an alphabet, which is the primary goal of his book.

There are a number of aspects of this book that I like.  First, for those who are new to Runes, the writing isn't too dense; it does a good job of providing background on the Runes as a form of writing and communication.  And, although most of you who read my blog are engaged with Runes as an oracle, we should understand both sides of this coin.  Findell explains what Runes are in terms of a writing vehicle; he follows a chronology as the Runes changed and split from the original Futhark to the Anglo Saxon Futhorc and the Younger Futhark used in Scandinavia during the Viking Age.  I like the fact that he suggests there may have been more than a single original version of the Futhark.  There is some truth behind it if for no other reason than the existing examples of the Runic writing are scarce and there are inconsistencies in form.  It is similar to different dialects in language.

In his chapter on Rune names, Findell shows us one of the most interesting images in the entire book.  It is an 18th century copy "of an earlier late 10th-/11th-century manuscript [that] preserves the earliest [copy] of the rune-poems from which we can learn about the tradition of runes-names." The picture is from a book by George Hickes, an English Divine (church clergy) and scholar who lived from 1642-1715.  Some researchers believe that the Rune Poems were used as a way of remembering the letters of the Futharks.  I can see that given the ABC songs we are taught as children.  In modern times, we have adopted the meanings named in the poems to serve as the foundation for using Runes as an oracle.

The other insightful piece of Findell's book is his chapter on the work of Runologists.  From an academic and historical perspective, his explanation begins to lend an eye to the depth of work that has transpired to develop our understanding of runic writing and the cultures and environments in which runic inscriptions were made.  Runology, while being its own area of academic study, incorporates work in numerous disciplines - linguistics, archeology, art history, literary history, and cultural history.  I could also see anthropology and geography fitting into that mix.  Findell shares some of the challenges with interpreting inscriptions as well as the processes used to gain a full understanding of each object and not simply figuring out what is carved on it.

In his final chapter, Findell includes a nod to MR James and JRR Tolkien, but claims that there is seldom any connection between "fantasy Runes" (those developed by James and Tolkien in their books) and real Runes.  I would amend that slightly to suggest that the mistake is that some readers take James and Tolkien at face value and consider their fantasy Runes to be the real ones.  Next, he touches on the Nazi misappropriation of Runes, something that still taints the Runes and their surrounding culture.

Where I feel Findell goes astray is near the end when he seems to condemn modern uses of Runes for divination, stating that new age or pagan magic is perhaps the most prevalent present-day use of Runes.  While that remark is true, the tone of his writing changes and he seems to denounce it, stating, "Most pagan books or websites will mention the historical use of Runes as writing, but this is treated as something secondary to their symbolic and oracular function."  He further suggests that the Runes are viewed primarily as magical symbols and function as a writing vehicle "only secondarily and incidentally".  I largely disagree with this, for while Findell points out that most "pagan books and websites" present the Runes as an alphabet secondarily, that is because their primary purpose is to present them as an oracle, just as Findell presents them primarily as a written language and discusses modern uses secondarily.

I am sure there are some people who see the Runes as nothing more than a divination tool.  However, my experience has been that those who take Runes seriously and are dedicated to them as an oracle give equal credence to their history, historical culture, and role as a writing form.  This is actually why I reviewed this book; not to correct his assumptions about the Runes as an oracle, but rather to share information about the Runes as a writing vehicle, which we come to understand through the complex and multi-faceted approach that academics, like Findell, take in their work to unravel the mystery and history of the Runes and the cultural of which they were a part.

Runes 302 - Interviews - Kelley Harrell

I am especially pleased to share with you an interview with Kelley Harrell, owner of Soul Intent Arts.  Kelley has been sharing her rune work with me (and many of you) for at least five years, though her practice extends well beyond that.  I hope you enjoy getting to know her a little bit better.  I know I did.

How did you discover the Runes?
I read about them in 8th grade literature, like so many of my generation did.  I was introduced to the Elder Futhark as living items of power by a friend when I was 19.  It was love at first cast.

How long have you been working with them?  How do you use them?
I started working with the Elder Futhark enthusiastically at 19 years old.  I worked with the runes for years, though the resources that were available were very limited and very limiting.  I felt connected to the staves, though not to any interpretation of them that I read.  I thought that meant I was doing something wrong, so I walked away form them as a formal study for a few years.  They popped up in my mind and life, continually, so when I decided to commit to the staves and forgo texts on them, everything came alive.  I'm so glad there are better resources of them now.

What is your favorite way to connect with the Runes?
My path is animistic and shamanic, so asking the spirit of the stave I'm working with to step into my form is very powerful.  I find that embodying them is more sustaining and informing on personal needs than using them in a more traditional divinatory way.  For me, divination isn't about predicting outcomes, rather it's about gathering as much insight as possible about present dynamics, so I can make more informed decisions about how I go forward.  When I hold an intention in mind and embody the stave, I feel its counsel on how to hold my awareness.  It gives me a focus to sustain throughout whatever I need.

How do you use the Rues in your everyday life?  For guidance?  To guide others?
I find that I use them differently for self, as opposed to using them on behalf of others.  For personal use, I connect with them best through galdr, one at a time, and shapeshifting with them as I noted before (in the previous question).  When I work with another person, I ask Heimdallr to oversee the session and give him and the runes access to my awareness, so that when I draw runes for the person, I feel the needed connection to each one as I touch it.  I see the story it wants to relate to the intention that was set forward.  The hardest part of working with others using runes is that they don't sugar coat anything and they are more about giving a perspective on the intention, rather than dictating how to go forward in the intention.

Is there one experience that you've had with the Runes that was especially rewarding, engaging, moving or unexpected?  Will you share it with us?
It wasn't a singular experience, rather a life dynamic that persisted about a year and a half.  I worked with the runes frequently to understand the various currents that were happening during this really difficult time.  I asked them for insight about the true intentions, the best focus I could hold at specific points of the progression, the best focus to take into various meetings, the best way to deal with specific people involved.  Prior to this dynamic, I went tot he runes for insight about diverse needs, usually immediate in timing and short-lived involvements.  There was no longevity to watch how the insights would play out.  This particular dynamic lasted so long and provided such detailed insights over a continuum, I came away even ore convinced of the power of the runes.

The runes were frank, as they always are, though they warned me about hidden motives, things that weren't at all evident in the face-to-face interactions, but became evident as things progressed.  They informed me that the direction was going away from the intended focus of the dynamic.  I truly felt more informed going into meetings because of what the runes taught me along the way.  I sustained my relationship with them as part of a difficult time and they helped me stand in my power throughout it.  They didn't change the outcome; they changed me and how I interacted with the whole ordeal.

What else would you like to share with us about your work with the Runes?
I undervalued the runes for a long time.  Though they spoke to me immediately upon meeting them, I didn't realize their value through everyday life until I committed to them, so to speak.  In shamanism, everything is about direct relationship and that been no less true about the runes.  I really do take them everywhere with me.

Thank you, Kelley, for taking the time to share with us.

Kelley's Bio
Kelley is the author of Teen Spirit Guide to Modern Shamanism, Gift of the Dreamtime, and several other books.  Her shamanic practice is Soul Intent Arts, through which she mentors others on the path of modern shaman.  She has written The Weekly Rune, since 2012.

Runes 101 - Runes in History - The Anglo-Saxon Futhorc

Anglo-Saxon Futhorc

The Anglo-Saxon Futhorc (ASF) possess some distinct characteristics that differentiate it from its predecessor, the Elder Futhark (EF).  Without leaping into the debate about its place of origin, I want to look at its characters (letters) and Rune poem instead.  (I should also say that the ASF names evolved and changed, but I use the EF names, unless I am referring to one of the additional ASF Runes.)

Where the EF has 24 characters, the ASF has 33.  The additional characters were created to accommodate different sounds, such as the 'ior' Rune to make the ia or io sound.  The table below compares the characters of the first 24 letters of the two futharks and shows how some of the characters in the ASF took on different shapes.  The additional ASF letters are presented in the image directly following the table.  We'll get to those shortly.  For now, let's look at the table.  The EF is presented in the lighter colored rows and the characters that have taken on different shapes in the ASF are highlighted in light squares.  Some changes are subtle, such as the slope in Uruz, which can also be depicted as a straight, slanted line; and Sowilo, where the character becomes more vertical than slanted.   Ansuz, Hagalaz, Ingwaz, and Dagaz add lines to their shapes, but the biggest changes are to Kenaz and Jera.  One other note, although I did not do it here, I've seen instances with the ASF where Dagaz and Othala switch places.  In other words, Othala comes before Dagaz.  Although I've seen them listed in this order in the EF, it seems to be a more dominate occurrence in the ASF.

Elder Futhark (light lines) and Anglo-Saxon Futhorc (dark lines)

Of course, the ASF has 9 additional Runes, beyond the 24 shown in the table.  They are depicted like this:

The additional letters of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc

Although the EF derives it meanings from the Anglo-Saxon Rune poem, the poem itself has 29 verses. Still, this means that the final four Runes in the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc have no poem verse.  Even with the four additional verses, some of the corresponding Rune meanings are still unclear.

Notice that the second of these additional Runes is identical to the EF version of Ansuz in its shape.  Despite this, it is the newer shape that has the older meaning from the poem.  It is named os and means god.  The 'new' Rune, aesc, means ash.

I listed the meaning of yr as unclear.  This is because I found it interpreted as bow, saddle, a yew, and one source left it named yr.  The final line of its verse has been interpreted in at least three different ways too, calling it war gear, army gear, and reliable equipment for a journey.  If I had to pick one, I would likely go with saddle, though I'd still be unsure.

Also unclear is cweord.  One source listed it as fire, another as a variation of Perthro, whose meaning is not entirely clear either.  Unlike yr, however, cweord does not have a Rune poem verse to aid in understanding its meaning.

It was interesting that ior is interpreted as eel, snake, and beaver by the different sources I found.  Based on the Rune poem verse, I believe beaver is the closest to the verse's meaning, but eel seems to be the most commonly used interpretation.

There is one other Rune in the image at the top of this page.  I am not sure if this is another form of chalice or spear, though it may be a regional variation.  I found it referred to as both and omitted completely from another source.  Again, there is no verse to help explain what it means.

As you can tell from every other post on this blog, I use the Elder Futhark.  Therefore, I am not entirely familiar with the ASF.  What I have attempted to give you here is the briefest of overviews of it to help distinguish some of the different characters and the simplest interpretation of their meanings.  I encourage those of you who have greater knowledge of this Futhark than I do to share your comments on this post.


Anglo-Saxon Futhorc image credit: Copyright: azzardo / 123RF Stock Photo

Runes 101 - Runes in Mythology - The Adventures of Merlin

Last week, I started watching a British fantasy show on Netflix, called The Adventures of Merlin.  Broadly based on King Arthur and Camelot, this show depicts Merlin and Prince Arthur as youth (Late teens, early twenties) and, even though Arthur's father, King Uther, has outlawed magic by penalty of death, there is still plenty of magic and mythology around, which is why this is a Runes in Mythology post.

In season 1, episode 6, a sorcerer comes to Camelot.  While I won't give away the plot, I will say this: he has a small box with him that's full of beetles which he can 'bring to life' and 'freeze' by chanting.  However, what makes the box interesting is that it has four Runes inscribed on it and looks roughly like this:

The first glance of the box caught my eye immediately and I can't tell you how many times I had to hit pause to capture just the right image of it to inspect the Runes.  Once I got it, a few realizations came to mind.

First, Othala is inverted.  Second, like Othala, the third Rune is also an 'o' Rune reversed and, as near as I can tell, from a Futhark called the Latinized or Medieval Futhark (which according to the source I found was used primarily for decoration and not actually for inscription).  Last, the first and last Runes are not etched exactly like the Elder Futhark Runes.

In fact, the 'f' Rune (Fehu) is curved and seems to derive from one of the Younger Futhark versions, while Jera is etched similar to the Elder Futhark, but not exactly, having more of a diamond shape to it, than the interlocked aspect it actually has.

I struggle with Rune usage such as this.  One one hand, I am happy to see the Runes being used and love that family and friends consult me immediately whenever they see anything the suspect is a Rune.  On the other, it bugs me that they are so confused and misrepresented, deriving from different futharks - Fehu from a younger Futhark;  Othala the Elder, but inverted; the third is an 'o' Rune from a medieval futhark; and Jera's similar depiction of the Elder, with a slightly off diamond shape.

Perhaps what struck me as being the most odd about these Runes is that they appeared in a show about Merlin and King Arthur.  I mean these tales are from England, so I would expect the Runes they use in the show to be from the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc.

Maybe I shouldn't dwell on such small details, but I can't help but feel like, in anything, if you're going to do it, you should do it as correctly as possible and this clearly isn't.  So, I'm torn - happy to see the Runes and to be able to recognize the short comings of their presentation, but disappointed in those same presentation errors.

Runes 101 - Runes in History - Bergen Fire

Bergen, Norway

Over the weekend, I finally got around to reading an article I found quite a while back about some runic inscriptions from Bergen, Norway.  Well,  these were no ordinary inscriptions.  In fact, nearly 700 of them were discovered after a huge fire broke out in 1955. During the 14th century, the area had been home to a group of German merchants, called the Hanse or Hanseatic League, which controlled much of the northern European trade along the coast, including Bergen's fish trade.  The 1955 fire, which began when lightning struck the nearby wharf, burned through four large building complexes.

Two amazing discoveries were made as a result of this fire.  First, it was not the first fire in the area.  In fact,  "German Bryggen" (The German Bergen) has burned at least seven times since the late twelfth century.  What these past fires provide archeologists and other researchers with is a tool to date artifacts found in the area.  When a large fire like this occurs, basically, it leaves a charcoal line in the strata.  Because researchers know the dates of the fires, and thus the charcoal layers, they can determine the age of the artifacts in the surrounding layers.

The other aspect to this fire and the aspect which is relevant to this post is the findings of the archeological research that ensued following the burn.  As I mentioned above, archeologists found nearly 700 runic inscriptions in the area.  Some of the inscriptions occur as late as the 14th century, which surprised me, because I had assumed that the use of Runes had died out shortly after Christianity took over.  Apparently, many other people thought that it had ceased by the end of the 12th century as well.

The really cool thing about these inscriptions is that, not only do they give us a glimpse of daily life in Bergen over a number of centuries, but they are quite varied.  Occurring primarily on wooden sticks, the carvings range from simple labels that could be affixed to other items to declare ownership, to letters dealing with finances and other business matters, in addition to poems, quotes from mythology, biblical quotes or prayers, and even proclamations of love and romance, and a letter from a crown prince, who was seeking ships to build a naval force.  A few wooden sticks also included charms and spells.

I'm not sure which of these inscriptions I find the most interesting.  The fact that people carved complete letters into wood is pretty cool and the love poems are fun, but I may have to go with either the contrasting mythological and biblical quotes, demonstrating a potential culture clash, or the sticks with spells and charms - a.k.a. magic.  According to the article I read, more than 100 of the runic inscriptions are related to magic and about half of those use the Futhark as their magic.  That is to say the writer would inscribe something (such as a wish or a warning) on one side of the stick and, on the other, would carve out the entire Futhark.  What was interesting to me is that this is claimed to be an "immensely old" form of sorcery, yet the Futhark used (in the images I saw) was the Scandinavian and Younger Furthark which contains only 16 letters, whereas the Elder Futhark, from which this and the Anglo Saxon Younger Futhark derive, contains 24 (see my earlier post Runes 101 - Runes in History).  I would have expected that the Elder Futhark would have been used, but this represents regional variations of the Futhark that developed with time and distance.

This is a fascinating topic, one I feel I could spend years researching.  However, what I will do instead is add to this brief introduction a few links to information about the Bergen fire runic inscriptions and the article on the subject from 1966 that I read.

For those of you interested in learning more, please read on...

Links:

http://www.nb.no/baser/runer/eindex.html

http://www.nb.no/baser/runer/ribwww/english/runeindex.html

http://www.nb.no/baser/runer/drh98.html

Article:

The Runes of Bergen: Voices from the Middle Ages

Image credit: 123RF Stock Photo

Runes 101 - Runes in History 6

In the last installment of the Runes in History, I posted a table of the Runes, their names and meanings.  However, it has been brought to my attention that the Runes did not appear as their correct symbols, rather were Roman letters (a b c and so on).  I've saved the table as an image, so the Rune symbols should be visible now.  (If not, please let me know.)  Here's the updated table:

As I mentioned in Runes in History 3,  this list is based on the Elder Futhark and, once the alphabet "split" (was used in England and northern Europe), the Futhark was adapted.  In Scandinavia, for example, it was reduced to sixteen letters, while in England, it jumped to thirty-two.  There were a number of localized or regional symbols as well.

Next week, I will be cutting the wood for my Runes (see Taking the Next Step with Runes and Runes 301- Making Your Own Runes) and will post the details of that process.  Until then, have a wonderful week!

Runes 101 - Runes in History 5

As I mentioned in my earlier Runes 101 post, Runes in History 3, at least three versions of ancient Rune Poems exist.  These poems were used to determine the meanings of each Rune.  Remember, the Runes aren't just an ancient alphabet; they each have their own meaning.  We cannot say how they were used in the past with real certainty, but today, those meanings have turned Runes into a cultural oracle. 

If I show you the Runes and give you only an overview of the historical meaning for each, based on those poems, which one would you choose as most representative of your current situation?

Rune	Name	Meaning
f	Fehu	Wealth, money, cattle
u	Uruz	Wild Ox, Auroch, courage, strength
x	Thurisaz	Giant, thorn, focused power
a	Ansuz	Communication, a god
r	Raido	Journey, riding
k	Kenaz	Torch, fire, light
G	Gebo	Gift
w	Wunjo	Joy, pleasure
h	Hagalaz	Hail disruption, destructive and creative forces
n	Nauthiz	Need, necessity, constraint
i	Isa	Ice, standstill
J	Jera	Harvest, process, gain and growth
Y	Eihwaz	Yew tree, toughness, stability
p	Perthro	Board game, friendly competition, initiation
z	Algiz	Self-defense, protection
S	Sowilo	The sun, good fortune
t	Tiwaz	The god Týr, self-sacrifice, justice
b	Berkana	Birch, birth, beginnings
e	Ehwaz	Horse, loyalty, pilgrimage
m	Mannaz	The self, humanity, culture
l	Laguz	Sea, lake, flow
Q	Ingwaz	The god Freyr, fertility, peace and plenty
d	Dagaz	Day, clarity, revelation
o	Othala	Inheritance, home

Jera, as usual is for me.  Today, however, it is of particular importance, because it serves as a reminder to me that I am in the middle of many processes right now.  I must stay focused on the task at hand and not try to jump ahead.  Let me know if I can help you interpret your Rune for this week.

Runes 101 - Runes In History 3

It's back to business today and our focus is on Rune Poems.  If you are not familiar with these, let me assure you that these are not poems written in Runes, rather are poems written about the meaning of the Runes of the Elder Futhark.  Remember that, there was an increase in the number of Runes in the British Isles (from 24 to 33), while there was a reduction in Scandinavia (to 16) over time.  These poems return us, as close as we can get, to the original meaning of the original twenty-four letters.

These poems are important historical writings, but they serve a contemporary purpose too, as they have been used to determine the meaning of each Rune for the purposes of "reading" them.  With that, it's important to realize two things.

First, there are three "versions" of the Rune Poems, in Old English (OE), Old Icelandic (OI), and Old Norwegian (ON).  What's truly fascinating about these poems is their general agreement around the meaning of the Rune, with minor exceptions.  Let's use my favorite Rune, Jera, as an example.  The following is quoted from Sweyn Plowright's book, "The Rune Primer".  The Old English version is also available in Stephen Pollington's, "Rudiments of Runelore".

OE – Year/harvest is men's hope, when god, holy heaven's king, let's the earth give shining fruit to the warriors and the poor.

OI – Harvest is men’s bounty and a good summer and a full grown field.

ON – Harvest is men’s bounty.  I guess that generous was Fródhi.

One quick note, in the Old Norwegian version, it is believed that the second lines are largely irrelevant to the Rune's meaning and are there for rhyming purposes.

Second, some books of Rune interpretations and Rune readers do not use these poems for their basis, while others begin with them and build or add additional information around the main idea of the poem's meaning.

When I began doing Rune readings for friends and family, I relied on Ralph Blum's interpretation of them.  While he has ignored some key aspects of the historical information around Runes, such as their order, most of his explanations are fairly accurate.  Here is what he has to say about Jera.

It is the Rune of the Harvest, Fertile Season, One Year.

Following the idea of the process of the harvest, Blum expands on this Rune's interpretation.  He warns that no immediate results can be expected when this Rune is drawn, that the issue has a process through which it must go and you cannot make it move any faster than is required for it to be completed properly, in its own time.  In support of this, he tells the story of the farmer who tried to pull up the shoots of his plants to make them grow faster and reminds us that no one can push a river.  He stresses patience if you draw this Rune.  Although Blum's interpretation drifts away from the specific goal of harvest and bounty, it remains true to the process involved in achieving a good harvest and bounty.

In contrast, the Rune Kano or Kenaz holds a greater mystery.  This is one instance where the poems do not agree.  The OE version calls it a light or lamp, while the OI and ON refer to it as a children's sore.  Blum calls Kano the Rune of openings, but also uses fire and torch to describe it.  Again he diverges, but approaches it from the perspective of renewed clarity and dispelling of darkness, which light does; it allows us to see things we couldn't see before.

I will probably do more on Rune Poems in the not too distant future, but for now, if any of you have an example of an interpretation that is not drawn from the Rune Poems, please let me know.

Runes 101 - Runes in History

There are many facets to the Runes.  Through this Runes 101 series, I have focused on the Runes in Mythology and, even within that, there arise questions about how humans came to have the Runes.  Odin's acquisition of the Runes is a popular myth, the way he hung on the Yggdrasil tree in sacrifice to himself and looking into the depths, spied the Runes, reached down, grabbed them and fell back.  However, according to Rigsthula, Heimdall teaches the Runes to his human son, Jarl.

Shifting gears from Norse mythology to human history, Runes of some form, date back to as early as the introduction of Christianity.  Sadly, because Runes were carved largely into items such as wood, bone and antlers, the earliest examples of Runes in history are not found until around 200 AD.  Additionally, although the runic alphabets share many similarities with each other, their form (or shape) varies from country to country and their numbers do as well.  Runic alphabets have been found in Scandinavia, England and Germany, and in eastern Europe (Russia, Poland and Hungary).  There is an original runic alphabet referred to as the Elder Futhark, based on the first six letters in it - F-U-th-A-R-K.  It consists of twenty-four letters, but through time and across geographical separations, the number of Runes changed.  For example, in Scandinavia around the time of the Viking Age, the inhabitants there had narrowed the number to sixteen, while in England, the Anglo-Saxons expanded it to thirty-three.  Call it regional variations.

These are but a couple of the complications around discerning the meanings and uses of Runes in history.  The truth is we really don't know how Runes were used, who exactly used them or what they may have meant from a "magical" perspective.  Even in writing, aside from the differences in shapes and numbers, inscriptions could be written left to right or right to left.  As RI Page (Reading the Past, 1987) points out, sometimes "they could even be boustrophedon", which means that the written lines would alternate directions - the first one would read left to right, but the second one would read right to left and so on.

These are some of the challenges involved with trying to understand the Runes from an historical perspective.  There is more to come, so I hope you will stayed tuned to the Runes 101 series (and my regular posts).  If you have additional insight to offer, please leave a comment or send me an email.  I want to make sure that the information I am presenting is as accurate as possible, despite the challenges.