Runes 102 - Book Reviews - Runes Plain & Simple

I struggle with books that are trying to teach the reader something, but have no reference section.  Such is the case with Runes Plain & Simple, by Kim Farnell.  The biggest issue I have with this book relative to not having any citations comes at the back in Tables 1 and 2.  These are magical correspondence tables, where Farnell has likened Runes to everything from specific gods and goddesses to colors, stones, trees, herbs, flowers, and more.  I have no faith in these tables without references and no explanation as to how they were derived.

I also struggled with the errors in her historical references.  Although I can't go into many, I can pick out a few.  The most egregious for me is claiming that Heimdall led the Vanir with Freyja and Freyr in the war against the Aesir.  Another one of her claims is that the Vanir beheaded Hoenir, when, in fact, they beheaded Mimir.  According to the text, Loki created a set of arrows, not the single dart that he actually created, and gave them to Hödr to kill Baldr.  When I began my journey with Runes, three Rune masters told me that I had to understand the culture and mythology from which the Runes came.  I spent years studying both and still recognize that there is far more for me to learn that I already know.

She does offer a chapter on making your own Runes, which is okay.  Some of what she says strikes me as fluff, and some of her "statements" strike me as personal preference more than actually being necessary.  She does offer information about different types of wood/trees, which is interesting, but I still struggle with it (and this is me personally), because she doesn't give any citations about the source from which she derived this information.  Within this chapter, she also has a section called "Consecrating Your Runes".  I would like this section better if her statements were suggestions, because there is no standard practice for how to make your Runes your own.  The same holds true with her comments on "activating" your Runes.  She claims that you should hold each Rune in your left hand, close your hand around it like a cylinder, and blow into it.  What?  There is nothing plain or simple about the processes she describes.

Although this book is called Plain & Simple, I would not recommend it to beginners.  Only someone with some level of expertise could spot the errors and questionable information in this book, and be able to discern the few pieces worth taking away from it.

Runes 301 - Making Your Own Runes 4

This morning, I cut the wood staves for my Runes.  The picture above shows the cherry wood branches that I cut this spring from the cherry tree in my yard, the water from Freyr to cleanse the tools for making the Rune staves, the organic cotton cloth I used to dry the tools, and the gardening shears (or pruning shears) for the cutting.  I also had a small saw, which I used on a few of the thicker pieces of wood.

For the shears, I dipped them into the jar of water and requested a sharp blade for a clean cut, reciting this incantation:

"Please provide me with a sharp blade, so that I may make a clean cut.  I do not wish to waste Freyr's gift to me."

When I needed the saw, I put my fingers in the water, then ran the water along the blade of the saw, reciting the same incantation.

Remember, I chose to say these things.  You may use them, but you can also say what feels right to you.

Once the blessing was complete, I marked the staves with a single dot from a marker at four inch (10cm) intervals.  I struggled a bit with determining the length, because, in Norse Mythology, the number nine is a commonly used number, as are three and six.  I measured out strips of paper at three, four, and six inches (nine was clearly too long) and examined them for a long time, before deciding that four inches was the best length for me.  Four is the right length and, although it is not a special number in Norse Mythology, it has special meaning to me, personally.  Since these are my Runes (or will be my Runes), I feel I have to put as much of myself as possible into each one.  You may find slightly shorter or longer staves feel right for your needs.

My four-inch wooded Rune staves, trying to look like logs, just waiting to be carved, stained and varnished.

 As I was cutting the staves, I realized a couple of things.  First, the staves, while all the same length, are not the same width.  In fact, they range from under half an inch to more than three-quarters of an inch (about 1-2.5cm).  In a moment of true personal growth, this made me smile.  The staves, my staves, are not going to be uniform.  Each will have its own distinct look, feel, and width, along with the Rune carved into it.  As someone with a strong 'type A' personality, this should bug me.  They should all be the same length, width, and so on.  Instead, I find myself pleased with these distinctions.  I must, however, confess that I believe the "perfect" stave size is somewhere around half an inch (1.5-1.7cm).

Next week, I will resume my carving practice for a few days, before beginning on my actual staves.  On that, I have two quick things to point out.  Due to the different stave widths, I will be carving specific Runes into the thick versus thin staves, because, like the staves, some Runes are wider than others.  Simply look at Dagaz and Isa as an example.  The other point I want to make is that the wood is drying out a bit and I am afraid I may lose some or all of the bark on the staves.  I tell you this, so that you can plan to make your Runes in a shorter time frame.  That way, they can be carved before the wood gets to dry and then varnished to protect them from drying out.

Look for more Runes 301 in a few weeks.  Until then, stay tuned for more about Runes, their meanings and their role in mythology and history.

Wonderful Surprises

This post diverts from the Runes this week, but sticks with one of the origins of the Runes magic - Norse Mythology.  You see, earlier this year, I entered a poem in the poetry contest of the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba (Islendingadagurinn).   On Friday, I received a letter (and prize) from the contest coordinator telling me that my poem took first place in the contest.

It may not seem like a very big contest to win, but for me it is huge.  More than fifteen years ago, I fell in love with Iceland and have spent much of my time since learning about every aspect of it that I can absorb (and I have only scratched the surface so far).  So, to have my poem, a poem that combines the country's physical history with its mythological one, recognized by that community is a great honor for me and I am very appreciative of this recognition.

This week, rather than share the Runes with you, I would like to share the poem.

Surtsey and the Battle Against the Fertility God

Born of explosions

Quaking ground

Njord floats all-around

His seas swelling

Rushing to a non-existent shore

The water boils

Heated by rage and fury

Fire, ash, lava

Shooting through the watery gate

Arise Surtr from the depths

Giant fire

You destroy fertility

In your wake

Nature, not violence

And, in time,

You fire dies

And you lie there

Frigid seas rolling

Around your waste

No life

Only rocks and ash

Life delivered by life

Seeds sprouting

Growing small, but green

And purple petals too

Surtr, you killed Freyr

But now, he is reborn

And grows

On your corpse

– Karen Paquin

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.

Runes 101 - Runes in Mythology 5

I am very excited that, in a few days, I will add three new books to my Norse Mythology library that were recommended by people who have read my blog and the books are all about the Runes.  I look forward to the added insight they may provide me about the Runes.  I admit that I am a relative newcomer to the world of Runes, but I am cautious and careful with the things I say about them and, especially, when I 'read' them.

That brings me to this week's post.  A few years ago, I bought a book of Norse myths, which I have read and, many myths I have reread several times.  Each time, I notice some new aspect about them and, most recently, I have noticed a couple of uses of Runes that I questioned.  You see, because I am limited to the English translations of the Prose and Poetic Edda, I have learned the importance of cross-checking questionable terms in particular.

One of the myths in this book of Norse myths is The Lay of Vafthrudnir.  In this myth, Odin, who is always seeking knowledge, goes to visit the giant Vafthrudnir, because he hears this giant has no equal among the other giants.  Odin wants to challenge him to a battle of wits.  In the end, he tricks the giant to win the contest by asking him a question he cannot possibly answer.  However, when Odin asks the giant how he knows so much about the gods, this author translates or implies that Vafthrudnir can read the Runes.  He suggests that Odin recognizes this ability in Vafthrudnir and that Vafthrudnir concurs and says that he can, in fact, read the Runes of the gods and giants.  Reading this now, as opposed to almost two years ago when I understood little about the Runes, I halt.  The more appropriate term, in my opinion, is that he knows the fates of the gods and giants.  I have two versions of the Poetic Edda, so I checked both books and neither gives any indication of the giant claiming to know the Runes.  I could be wrong on this, but what I am saying is that the use of the term "Runes" in this instant seemed out of place.  I happily welcome clarification of this point in the story.

The second instance is the myth of Idunn and her apples and how Loki tricked her into leaving Asgard so that the giant Thjazi, in his eagle's cloak, could capture her.  Of course, Loki did this to save his own life.  Once the gods realize what's happened, they threaten Loki with torture and death if he doesn't find Idunn and her apples and bring them back.  You see, without Idunn's apples, the gods begin to grow old.  Loki uses Freyja's falcon cloak to travel to Thjazi's hall in Jotunheim and get Idunn and bring her back to Asgard.  He transform her into a nut so that he can carry her easily in his claws.  Thjazi chases Loki back to Asgard in his eagle suit.  When Loki lands safely within the walls of Asgard, he transforms Idunn back into herself.  Here's the part that seems wrong to me.  When Loki transforms Idunn into a nut, the author says that "Loki murmurs the Runes, says the magic words".  When he transforms her back into herself, the author says that Loki "softly spoke the Runes".  This stood out to me as I have found no other indication that Loki knows the Runes.  When I checked my copy of the Prose Edda (Skaldskaparmal), all it says is that Loki turned Idunn into a nut.  Obviously, she was turned back int o herself, but there is no mention of that at all in the actual prose and no mention of Runes.  That Loki possessed some sort of magic there is no doubt, but the Runes?  I say no.

Am I wrong about these instances?  Or am I on the right track?

Runes 101 - Runes in Mythology 4

In my last installment of Runes 101- Runes in Mythology, I mentioned Rigsthula.  In this myth, Heimdall is credited with establishing the three classes of humans - serfs, freemen, and nobility.  However, this myth tells an important story about the Runes too.  In the myth, after Heimdall, going by the name Rigr, establishes the classes, he goes a step further with his nobly-born son, Jarl.  Stepping out of the woods one day where Jarl is, Heimdall greets him as his father and teaches Jarl the Runes.  Then Rigr tells Jarl that, by his birthright, he is entitled to primogeniture lands.

Heeding this knowledge, Jarl goes to battle and, victorious, rules over eighteen estates.  After a time, Jarl marries a woman named Erna and they have eleven children.  Of those children, it is Kon the Young, the youngest child, who learns the Runes from his father Jarl.

Here is where this story gets interesting, not only in the mythology, but in the etymology as well.  Let's do the latter first.  Rig has its origins in Irish/Celtic culture and means "king".  In Old Norse, konr and ungr, which are Kon and Young, together make konungr, the Old Norse word for "king".

Given the boy's name, he is destined to be king.  The important thing to point out here is that he becomes king because of his knowledge of the Runes.  This returns us to the mythology.  As the story goes, after some time Kon's skill with the Runes comes to rival his father's.  He learns life-Runes, birth-Runes, fate-Runes, how to dull sword blades, calm the sea, talk to birds, put out fires, ease sorrow, and he possesses the strength of eight men.  One day, Kon's Runic wisdom surpasses his father's, earning him the title of Rigr or King.

So, why am I telling you this?   For a couple of reasons.  First, it's a great story.  If you haven't read Rigsthula and the other Norse myths you should.  Second, it shows the importance of Runes in Old Norse society.  They were more than letters; each one held magical powers.  Moreover, it is the nobility that receives the gift of the Runic secrets from the gods.

Although I offer free readings to people, I can assure you that I am not of noble blood.  Maybe that is why the readings I do never have anything to do with dulling swords or calming seas, at least not literally.

Runes 101 - Runes in Mythology 3

Welcome back to Runes 101.  Who, in Norse Mythology, knows the Runes?  We know that, for the Aesir at least, Odin grabbed the Runes and learned them.  The poem "The Sayings of Har", also called  "The Sayings of the High One", tells us this.  What happens once Odin has the Runes and gains insight and knowledge from them?  Does he share this information with the chiefs of the other kingdoms in the world of Norse Mythology or do they acquire the knowledge in some other way?  The former seems unlikely to me; Odin does not strike me as wanting to share knowledge with other chiefs.  After all, he was willing to sacrifice his eye so that he alone would have the knowledge held within Mimir's Well of Wisdom.  The latter option - the other chiefs learning the magic of the Runes in another way - remains a mystery.  We don't know how they came to understand the Runes; we know only who they are.

In verse 143 of the same poem, it says that Odin among the Aesir, Dain for the elves, Dvalin for the dwarfs, and Alvith/Asvid for the giants.  These lines suggest that these are the "Rune Readers" for each of these kingdoms.  The last line of this verse says basically, "I carved some for myself."  Based on the other references to "I" in the poem, it appears as though this is Odin saying he carved his own Runes.  There is no mention of how the other three gain their knowledge of the Runes.  Interestingly, no Vanir (the other kingdom of gods) is mentioned as having this ability.

The Vanir are defined, typically, as fertility gods, gods/goddesses who have the ability of seidr (a form of witchcraft and trances).  They can see the future.  Can they, too, read the Runes?  This is a question I cannot answer, but I can offer some food for thought.  Some scholars and researchers suggest that Heimdall may have been part of the Vanir kingdom.  We know that Heimdall knows the Runes, because the Rigsthula myth tells us how he comes out of the forest and greets Jarl, his son.  Rig, who is Heimdall, teaches Jarl the Runes.  So, could Heimdall be the Vanirs' Rune Reader?  One last bit of fodder for those of you who don't know Rigsthula - Jarl is a human, a king.  Who gets credit for giving the knowledge of the Runes to humans then?  Heimdall or Odin?