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 - 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 Mythology - The Norns

Wyrd Sisters
Image courtesy of Bifrost and Beyond

We know the Norns' basic story as signifying past, present, and future and that Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld are responsible for our wyrd or fate.

While their names are readily applied linguistically to define them (Urd=past, Verdandi=present, Skuld=future), their story in the Norse Mythology makes them much more interesting and complex.

Urd represents the past, but that past is not just our life.  It means everything that happened leading up to the present state of our life.  In other words, our life is shaped by our choices and the influence others have had on it through time.  It also includes our ancestry and the ways in which our heritage or cultural background place us in the world.  A huge infrastructure, of good and bad, worked to make us who we are.

Of course, Urd, representing all of that past experience, brings us to Verdandi, the present or, more specifically, what is happening now.  Just as everything we've done to this moment has made us who we are now, in the current moment, we make choices that affect who we are and which direction we will go as the future arrives.

A very interesting thing occurs at this point in Völuspà , verse 20, where the Norns are introduced. The line immediately following "the second Verdandi" does not introduce Skuld, rather refers to "they" carve on  sticks or cut Runes - Skáru á skiði.  To me, this implies that Urd and Verdanadi cut Runes, which result in Skuld.

The message that I take from this is that our past (all of the parts of the past mentioned above) made us who we are today and that, in turn, will guide us into the future.  Still, Skuld isn't exactly or simply future, rather relates to should or shall be.  Of course, the only things we can know for certain are those things that have happened already and which are happening now.  The future is a mystery.  So, mysterious Skuld may represent what "should be", but as we move into the future, we still have the option to change that path or direction through our choices.  Although the Norns hold our ultimate destiny in their hands, how we arrive there is up to us through our choices and the experiences we make for ourselves.

Going back to "skáru á skiði", think of it like this.  We know our Urd; it has been carved.  We live in our Verdandi; it is being carved.  Although our Skuld is a mystery, our past and present will carve it.

Runes 101 - Runes in Mythology 9 - Ramsund Runestone

When we think of Runestones, we envision large, erect boulders, etched with runic inscriptions and generally also ornately decorated.  However, there is one Runestone that does not quite fit this image.  It has a runic inscription and is quite ornately carved, but it is not carved into a large boulder, rather into a slab of rock, an outcrop, if you will, in Sweden.  I refer, of course, to the Ramsund stone.

While there are no shortages of Runestones about which I could write, more than 1,700 in Sweden alone, there are at least three aspects of this stone that are of particular interest.  First is the fact that it is carved into a rock outcrop rather than on a standing stone.  For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the Ramsund carving, instead of stone.  Looking at the image to the left, all that is visible on the rock are the glacial striations (scratch lines in the rock) from the Fennoscandia ice sheet that covered the region during the last ice age.

Upon closer look, we see reason number two why this Runestone is so interesting - the runic carving itself.  A woman named Sigurd Ormsdottir (daughter of Orm), had the "bridge" made for her husband Holmgeirr's soul.  It is likely that the bridge relates to Christian influence and the idea of a bridge to heaven or to the next life.  Vikings believed in a next life as evidenced by many Viking ship burials that include all of the things that the person buried would need in his or her next life.  Therefore, they may have found the idea of being able to build a bridge to it quite satisfying.

However, the third reason for writing about this Runestone may be the most intriguing - the imagery that accompanies the inscription.  It shows scenes from the story of Sigurd the dragon slayer.  I won't tell you the details of the story, rather I will point out what each image depicts, and you can consider it enticement for reading the Saga of the Volsungs: the Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer.  The translation this link takes you to was done by my former Old Norse professor at UCLA, Jesse Byock.

Although the scenes from Sigrud's story do not appear in order on the carving, I will go through them from left to right.  The first image shows Reginn, Sigurd's foster father, decapitated among his smithing tools. Above that image and looking a bit like a dog, is Otr, Reginn's brother; he is a shape shifter.  In the third scene, Sigurd is roasting the dragon's heart over a spit.  The horse in the next image belongs to Reginn and it is carrying treasure.  In the tree in the next scene, two birds warn Sigurd that Reginn will betray their reconciliation.  Finally, there is an image, under the runic inscription, actually stabbing it from below.  That is Sigurd killing Fafnir, Reginn and Otr's brother.

The Ramsund stone (or carving) is one of the coolest Runestones I've come across so far.  Which one is your favorite?  If there is one you'd like me to write about, let me know.

Runes 101 - Runes in Mythology 8

Well, it's done; I've published my first novel, The Son of Nine Sisters.  Having enjoyed writing it so much, I have moved, full throttle, into writing the sequel and, through my initial research for the second book, I had an interesting "Rune" siting, which I wanted to share with you.

Finnask æsir
á Iðavelli
ok um moldþinur
mátkan dœma
ok minnask þar
á megindóma
ok á Fimbultýs
fornar rúnar

This verse, from Völuspá (The Prophecy of the Seeress), talks about what happens after Ragnarök, when Magni and Módi, Baldr and Höðr, and Hoenir come together at Ida Plain.  While there, they reflect on the past, the things that happened before.  However, it is the last few words that caught my eye not only because they mention Runes, but because they are translated in a variety of ways.

"Fimbultýs fornar rúnar" translates into "Odin's ancient Runes".  Fimbultýr is considered another name for Odin.  (Týr's name is in the word, and, in Old Norse, "fimbul" means great.  So, I am unsure as to why Fimbultýr is not Týr, as he was a great god, but that's a research project for another day.)  Of the four sources I checked, only one had this exact translation - Odin's ancient Runes.  In the Prose Edda (English translation), Snorri claims that they called to mind "their ancient wisdom", wisdom being supplanted for the word "Runes".  However, the word "rúnar" is written in the Old Norse version I reviewed, but it was not in conjunction with the other two words from the Poetic Edda - Fimbultýs fornar.

Retelling the myths, Kevin Crossley-Holland omits completely anything relating to ancient Runes or wisdom, rather talks about the assembled gods calling up memories; in my mind, this means reminiscing.  However, he does allude to something "magical" by stating that these memories they share are known only to them.  This could be the secret of the Runes.

It is the fourth interpretation that struck me the most, by its sheer implication of word choice.  Lee M. Hollander refers to the Runes as "unfathomed" Runes, instead of ancient.  This opens up the meaning of the phrase to numerous interpretations.  Is he implying that the gods are talking about something that Odin did not consider in his planning?  Or that Odin did not fully understand the extent of the power of the Runes he was casting?  Is he perhaps suggesting that the Runes are unfathomed only by humans or by the gathered gods?  He interprets the previous line as "going over the great world doom".  Perhaps he is implying that the current gods are attempting to learn from the mistakes of the prior gods, while still recognizing and appreciating their greatness and accomplishments.

I wish I had more than one semester of Old Norse under my belt, but I have to say this verse is open to many interpretations that range from the gods gathered at Ida Plain simply reminiscing and remembering the past, perhaps to find or share a common ground, to considering what happened in the past and learning from its lessons.  What do you think?

Runes 301 - Making Your Own Runes

Welcome to Runes 301!  In this series, I am going to share with you the process through which I travel to make my own set of Runes, based on my understanding of what Runes were during the Viking Age and before, and in the world of Norse Mythology.

I have started the process of making my own Runes with a ritual that I "created".  While there are some basic rules for making your own wooden Rune staves, the process also has many individualized steps too.  I decided that I wanted to cleanse the tools I'm going to use to make the Runes with "holy" water.  For me, that means rain.  Luckily in these modern times, we know when to expect rain.  Rain was forecast for us one day last week, so I got a metal bucket, washed it, faced west (northwest-ish) and made my request to Freyr the morning the rain was going to start.  Let me reiterate that this is my ritual.  It is not a requirement, but you are welcome to use it, modify it or create your own.

I chose Freyr to receive my request, because he is the Norse god of fertility.  There are goddesses (Sif, Freyja and Frigg, for example) and other gods (Njörd) associated with fertility and even Thor is associated with weather, storms and rain.  You can choose whichever god you prefer.  It doesn't have to be any of those listed.  It simply has to be a god you believe in.  For me, Freyr felt right.

I faced west/northwest holding the bucket.  This direction was purely of my own choosing, because I knew the storm was coming from that direction.  Holding the bucket out in front of me, I looked into the approaching clouds and said the following incantation, then set down the bucket to receive Freyr's nourishment.

"I believe in the power of Freyr to provide fertility to the planet, to nourish the Earth and all things that live here."

The catch is that you have to believe what you say.

By the end of the day, the bucket had just over a centimeter of water in it.  I put it in a glass jar, closed and saved it for the cleansing ritual, which I will do after I acquire the tools I'll use to cut and carve the wood and etch out the Runes.

The next ritual will be the cleansing of the tools, followed by cutting the wood within the next couple of weeks.  I hope you will stay tuned and, if you have gone through this process, that you will share your experience with us.

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.

Runes 101 – Runes in Mythology 6

Last week, one of the runes I drew was Ingwaz – the Rune of the god Freyr and I mentioned that Freyr surrendered his sword to his friend and servant Skínir so that Skínir would get the giantess Gerðr and bring her to Freyr to be his wife.  What I didn’t tell you was how exactly Skínir accomplished that ask.  He used Runes.  Today, in the sixth installment of my Runes in Mythology series, I will, because it shows how Rune magic was perceived in the mythology.

You see, one day, although he wasn’t supposed to, Freyr sat in Hlidskjálf, Odin’s high seat in his hall Valaskjálf.  From this seat, Odin can see everything in the nine worlds.  As Freyr sat in Odin’s seat, he looked to the north and spotted a great hall in Jotunheim, a hall which belonged to Gymir.  Coming out of the hall was a beautiful maiden – Gerðr.  Immediately, he was love struck and Skínir, at the request of Freyr’s father Njörd and step-mother Skadi (also a giantess) got Freyr to confess the reason for his mood.

Freyr told him about spying Gerðr and then asked Skínir to go to her and convince her to meet with him.  He agreed to give Skínir his sword and the horse that that would carry him through the darkness and over magical, flickering flames.  With these items in hand, Skínir set off on his journey.

When he arrived at Gerðr’s hall, two hounds stood guard at the gates.  Skínir asked a local herdsman how to get past the dogs, but the man was unwilling to help him.  Determined and realizing his fate was set long ago, he rode to the hall, set his horse to graze and Gerðr, hearing all the noise of the barking dogs and the yelling between Skínir, told her servant to invite him in.

Once inside, he presented her with eleven apples of gold and told her of Fryer’s desire for her.  She refused the apples and assured him she would never settle down with Freyr.

Next, Skínir gave her Daupnir, the magical arm ring.  Eight rings, just like it, dropped from it every ninth night.  Again she refused Skínir’s offering.

When gifts didn’t work, he resorted to coercion.  Brandishing the sword from Freyr, he threatened to slit her throat with it if she didn’t agree to meet Freyr.  She didn’t cave to his threat of force against her.

Skínir set down Freyr’s sword, grabbed his own magical staff and began to cast Rune spells on her.  He told her he would tame her, she would go to a high tower where no man will ever see her again and just sit there looking through bars out over the world.  All food would seem vile to her.  Unbearable desire, rage, and longing would torture her.  No matter what she did, she wouldn’t be able to escape her fate.  Spiteful spirits would pick at her.  Then, she would creep through the halls of the frost giants without choice, her body would shake as she cried and she would be very sad.  She would spend her life with a three-headed giant and never sleep with a man.  She would be driven crazy by her unfulfilled lust and sadness and then cast away like a thistle at the end of the harvest.

Skínir told her how he traveled into the forest to get a potent branch to fashion a wand and showed it to her as he proclaimed that Odin and Thor were mad at her and Freyr would hate her; she had unleashed the gods’ fury.  He began to chant to the frost giants and forbid them from pleasuring Gerðr.  Hrimgrimnir was the giant who would have her near the gates of Hel and she would have only goat urine to drink.  Then, he carved three Runes on her – unbearable desire, loathing and raving.  Once the Runes were carved, Skínir told her he could erase them if she gave him a valid reason for doing so.

By this point, Gerðr was trembling with fear and conceded.  She offered Skínir mead and assured him that she would meet Freyr at the forest called Barri in nine nights and give herself to him then.