Runes 101 - Runes in History - Runemasters

Earlier this month, I was doing some research looking for information around what a runemaster was and came across a quote that I had not seen before.  This quote turned up in a few places and it's as if the phrase and the wording around it were just copied and pasted onto multiple websites:

Let no man carve runes to cast a spell, save first he learn to read them well.

I couldn't find the original source, though every website where I found this quote credited a "viking poet".  I wanted some context for it.  While I recognize that many ancient authors (writers of all kinds) are unknown, what I was searching for was the rest of the poem or the item on which it was carved, anything that would offer more insight into this statement.

I was intrigued by the wording, because it appears to address what it meant to be a rune master - one must know how to read the runes well first.  Once they master that, then they may carve runes.  Perhaps the most interesting part is the bit about casting spells.  This implies that runemasters did spell work, but Wikipedia, for example, states that "a runemaster is someone who specializes in making runestones".  It did not include spell work or casting runes.

Who were the ancient runemasters?  Were they stonemasons, poets, spell casters, healers, readers of the Runes or some combination of these roles?

Were they men or women or both?  Many of the websites I investigated said that runemasters were usually women (but they provided no citation). Tacitus, on the other hand, claimed it was the local priest (chieftain) or the father of the family who read the runes, and other sites state that with few exceptions (e.g., seidr witches), men dominated rune magic.

The term runemaster seems to be a moderately new addition to our language, according to Webster's Dictionary, where a runemaster is defined as a maker of runes, a magician, with Odin being the greatest runemaster of the ancient Germanic world.  Webster also says that the first known use of the term was in 1869.

Confused?  Let me summarize what I believe to be the most accurate or likely interpretation.  If you read my blog with any regularity, you know that I lean strongly toward factual information when it comes to understanding the history in which Runes were used.  For that reason and because of my own research into what life was like before and during the Viking Age, I believe that men did dominate rune work/magic/runestones.  I don't believe they were called runemasters.  I'm not sure we can ever know who or what a runemaster really was or was called a thousand year ago.

This little foray into the term runemaster opens the door for more posts on the subject.  Look for one or two of those later this year.

Runes 301 - Making Your Own Runes - New Runes

I am not sure how many people have contacted me to say that someone has given them a set of Runes and they want to know how to make the Runes their own, but I know it's a lot.  In fact, it is one of the most common inquiries I receive.

Making new Runes your own is different from making your own Runes.  As we saw in some of the recent posts of sets of Runes that people made, each one of my friends had a very personal experience when making their own Runes, regardless of the material used - driftwood, ash keys, and chestnuts.

But what sort of experience do you need to have when you get Runes from someone else or even buy a set for yourself.  In short, how do you make new Runes your own?

Some people have shared very elaborate rituals with me and each one is fascinating and makes sense in its own way, though may not be right for everyone, because Runes are a very personal thing.  And truth be told, it is entirely up to you how you make them your own.  You can "cleanse" them in your own way.

Some rituals have involved the gods, usually Odin or Heimdall, but a few people have called on the disir.  Still others have focused on the four elements - earth, air, water, and fire - or stained their new set with their blood.  Others have simply washed them in a stream, passed incense over them or chanted over them.  There is also a large contingency that went through no ritual at all.  However, as I said, it is up to you.

In general, I make two recommendations for making new Runes your own, the second of which is the only one I really urge, because it does give you better results when you engage the Runes. 

First, you can choose to stain them with your own blood, which I have done with new Runes made of wood.  The blood doesn't really stay on other materials so well, because it can't soak into them.  I did wash some stone Runes in holy water with a few drops of my blood added to it.  At first it felt a little odd, because it was the first time I had done anything like that, but by the end, it felt right.

However, the second recommendation is the only one that I feel strongly about and every person with whom I've spoken, who uses Runes regularly, seems to agree with this idea - pose the first question or do the first reading with your new Runes for yourself.  This is an important energy exchange in making the Runes your own.   Take your time; ask as many questions as you need to or have a dialogue with the Runes for as long as it takes for you to feel like you understand what the Runes are telling you.  The comfort and understanding will come.

Runes 102 - Book Review - The Runes in 9 Minutes

Simple.  Inviting.  Easy to follow.  The Rune in 9 Minutes, by Eoghan Odinsson speaks to its readers in a friendly, comfortable tone.  When you begin, you feel almost like you're having a conversation with the author, which is especially important as the book is geared toward those just starting out with the Runes and provides a gentle introduction to them.

Besides it's friendly tone, there are many things to like about The Runes in 9 Minutes.  For starters, the author provides you with at way to make your own set of Elder Futhark Runes, in case you don't have one.  I smiled as I read his instructions, because they sounded very much like what I did last summer when I was traveling and forgot my Runes, so I made a temporary set.  He also suggests other ways to make a more permanent set.

In addition, Odinsson gives good overviews of some key aspects of the Runes.  He explains some basic or common lay outs for Rune casts.  I especially like his explanation for the three-Rune cast or draw, likening it to the Norns (from Norse Mythology, the Norns represent past, present, and future).  Although I've seen this spread before, I have not tried it, but I'm going to give it a shot now.  The Norn cast idea is a nice follow up to the chapter he writes on quantum physics and wyrd; wyrd is fate.  Odinsson does a nice job of applying the idea of quantum physics to wyrd and linking it to probabilities to demonstrate that, while wyrd shapes our lives, we have the ability to manipulate it through our choices and the probably of outcomes related to them.

Before concluding the book, Odinsson outlines the origins and evolution of the Elder, Younger, and Anglo-Saxon Futharks and offers some insight into books to use for further study - Northern Mysteries and Magick, by Freya Aswynn; The Rune Primer, by Sweyn Plowright, and Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic, by Edred Thorsson - with his providing the basic essentials to get you started.

However, the two most interesting aspects of this book are the unexpected Hafskjold Rune casting chapter, and his chapter on how to read Runes.  The former is a truly original experience with the Younger Futhark, taught to Odinsson by his Stav instructor.  Stav is a body, mind, and spirit system that uses Runes and Norse Mythology.  The Hafskjold cast requires repeating the sixteen-symbol futhark three times over twenty-four Runes, so that each Rune has two characters on it, one on top and one on bottom.  This is another Rune cast I am looking forward to trying soon.

The chapter on how to read the Runes, though, might be what makes this book most handy.  Whether you're a beginner or intermediate Rune user, The Runes in 9 Minutes provides a wonderful chapter with each Rune in the Elder Futhark having its own page dedicated to its image and meaning.   While the meanings are minimal, this is an aspect I like, because it allows the Rune user to develop their own personal interpretation of each Rune, based on the original meaning of the Rune.  And, at the bottom of each page, for each Rune, is the Anglo-Saxon Rune poem on which the meanings of the Elder Futhark Runes are created.

If you're just starting with the Runes and looking for a simple and welcoming book to help you get started, Odinsson's book is definitely one to consider.

Runes 102 - Book Review - The Rune Primer

Shortly after I started this blog, someone suggested that I get a book called The Rune Primer: A Down-to-Earth Guide to the Runes, by Sweyn Plowright.  Heeding this advice, I bought the book, because I had been relying on Blum's, Book of Runes.  However, I was already aware of the the issues with that book, but had not found another book that resonated with me.

This book was a pleasant surprise and suited me well, because it deals primarily with the facts about what we know about the Runes.  In fact, Plowright states flat out in his introduction that the purpose of the book is "to keep it brief and to the point, to stick to the known facts and established conventions, and to avoid unnecessary elaborations."  To that end, Plowright fulfilled his goal.

His approach worked well for me, because I sought a deeper understanding of individual Runes.  Moreover, I found that the simplicity of the book allowed me to more openly and confidently interpret the Runes in a way that felt comfortable and accurate and allowed me to grow with the way I understand them.  Plus, as someone whose life has been spent in academia and around academics and researchers, I connected with his focus on factual information without a bunch of detailed interpretations or or his own influences.

In fact,  I use his book as much more of a workbook or reference book, because of the contents.  It contains the Rune poems in two ways.  First, he lists all three together for each Rune.  In the "Resources"section of the book, he lists them again by location (Old English, Old Icelandic,and Old Norwegian).  In this section he includes the original text and the modern translation.  In addition, there is an interpretation section, but, even within that, the details do not overwhelm the reader, rather give broad strokes and allow the reader to development his/her own more detailed sense of each Rune.

Plowright is also what I would consider a purist.  This has both positive and negative connotations.  I appreciate his desire to be as historically accurate with Rune use and interpretation as possible.  As I undertake to make my first set of Runes (Runes 301 - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), I am trying to make them in the same historically accurate fashion, because it is important to me.  However, on some level, he scorns some of the modern day, new age, uses of Runes, because they are not based on known information or historical sources.  While I appreciate this, I think it is important for there to be some evolution in Rune interpretation to keep them relevant to today's lifestyle.

For example, Fehu translates literally as cattle, but it has evolved into the idea of wealth and, following on that, the reality that wealth has many forms beyond mere financial gains.  My guiding Rune is Jera; it represents the harvest, but for me, the harvest is simply the final stage in a long focused process and it is the process idea where I use Jera, because if we want to have a successful harvest, whether it is growing crops, writing a book or any other endeavor, we must acknowledge the process and work with it.

The Rune Primer is a great resource for those looking for a solid entrance into using Runes and I recommend it for that.  Even with his negative scrutiny of some modern authors and Rune users, Plowright does make some very important points - you should ask critical questions, understand where authors derive their information, and have a basic understanding of the history and origin of Runes - and I recommend it for that too.

Runes 102 - Book Review - The Book of Runes

Today, I begin a new series, Runes 102.  In this series, I will  review both books about Runes and the culture from which the Runes originated.  Before I begin today's book review of Ralph Blum's The Book of Runes, I ask that, if there is a book you would like to suggest for review, please add a comment to this post or contact me with your recommendations.  I will be reviewing books about Runes, the Viking Age, and Norse Mythology.

I chose to review Ralph Blum's book for a couple of reasons.  First, there are a number of controversies around this book, which adds to its intrigue.  Second, it was the first book about Runes that I used.  I'll begin with the latter, then move on to the more interesting first aspect.

While I was doing research for my novel (The Son of Nine Sisters), a couple of my sources referenced Blum's book, so I decided to take a look at it.  Now, it didn't hurt that the book came with its own set of ceramic Runes in a velvety gray pouch.  I bought the book and started to memorize the Runes and their meanings.  For me, this was a huge step into a new area, because I was never much of a believer in Tarot or things like that.  But, the Runes spoke to me.  Shortly after I launched this blog, people started to recommend other books to me, books that were more traditional in their Rune interpretations.  While I recognized immediately the differences, I also noticed some similarities and some complements in those interpretations.  That's the next step.

Yes, there are differences, which I will discuss next, but for now, I want to look at the similarities and complements.  Many of the meanings of individual Runes are the same in Blum's book as they are in traditional interpretations.  In fact, Blum states these one-word meanings first.  Although many of his detailed explanations for each Rune differs somewhat from the original meanings, I find that he has taken a specific idea and made it more abstract.  Perhaps this makes it easier for people today to relate to them?  For example, Hagalaz is the Rune of Hail, but he calls it elemental disruption.  Just as a hail storm can ruin a year's crop, the idea can be transferred to present day lives where, instead of hail destroying a crop, maybe an event happens that causes the loss of a job or the end of a relationship.  In this way, Blum makes each Rune more relatable to our times.

Don't get me wrong, I am not tooting his horn by any means.  Blum's book also has several issues, especially if you are looking for the true meaning of the Runes.  The biggest issues include the blank Rune, the order in which he places the Runes, and having meanings for the Rune in upright and reversed positions.  To me, these are the most obvious and biggest differences.  Let's look at them in order.

The Blank Rune.  The simple answer to this is that there isn't one.  There is absolutely no evidence pointing to the existence of a blank Rune.  It is probable that Blum made this up.  I think he did it, in part, due to the way he organized the letters.  He put them in rows of five, which means that he had an extra space in his last line.  So, he created the blank Rune to fill it and referred to it as Odin's Rune, the Rune of the unknowable.  If a Rune is related to Odin, it is Ansuz, not a newly created blank Rune.

Rune Order.  The Runic Alphabet is called the Futhark, because of the first six letters in the alphabet.  Blum's first letters are - MGAQUP.  He also lays them out from right to left.  While some Runestones are carved this way, many also read from left to right, while others are boustrophedon.  However, the standard or Elder Futhark comes in three aetts, three lines of eight.  As Blum himself says, he established his own order and, the final chapter of his book is an amusing, albeit self-serving, justification for it.  Nonetheless, his order does not follow the traditional order of the Futhark, rather ignores it.

Reversed Rune Position.  Another major factor differentiating Blum's study of Runes with the historic understanding of Runes is the idea that the Rune's interpretation changes based on whether it is upside right or upside down.  This is another one of his creations.  If for no other reason, this is called into question, because not every Rune has a reversed position.  Isa is Isa, either way, though Algiz does look different when it is upside down.  It creates an inconsistency.  Moreover, the Rune Poems, on which the meanings of the Runes are based, do not offer different poems for inverted Runes.

Given these blatant inconsistencies with the Rune Poems and the Futhark, am I suggesting that you not use or reference Blum?  No.  What I recommend instead is that, if you use his book for your readings, that it be part of a larger library of sources, because it will give you a fuller, richer picture of what the Runes are saying.  Don't let Blum serve as your only source for Runes.  I say this from experience.