Runic magic

There is some evidence^{[citation needed]}that, in addition to being awriting system,runeshistorically served purposes ofmagic.This is the case from the earliest epigraphic evidence of theRomanto theGermanic Iron Age,with non-linguistic inscriptions and thealuword. Anerilazappears to have been a person versed in runes, including their magic applications.

In medieval sources, notably thePoetic Edda,theSigrdrífumálmentions "victory runes" to be carved on asword,"some on the grasp and some on the inlay, and nameTyrtwice. "

In theearly modern periodandmodern history,relatedfolkloreandsuperstitionis recorded in the form of theIcelandic magical staves.In the early 20th century,Germanic mysticismcoined new forms of "runic magic",some of which were continued or developed further by contemporary adherents ofGermanic Neopaganism.Modern systems ofrunic divinationare based onHermeticism,classicaloccultism,and theI Ching.

Historical evidence

BracteateG 205 (c.5th to 7th century), bearing the inscriptionalu

Tacitus

Historically it is known that theGermanic peoplesused various forms of divination and means of reading omens.Tacitus(Germania10) gives a detailed account (98AD):

They attach the highest importance to the taking of auspices and casting lots. Their usual procedure with the lot is simple. They cut off a branch from a nut-bearing tree and slice it into strips these they mark with different signs and throw them at random onto a white cloth. Then the state's priest, if it is an official consultation, or the father of the family, in a private one, offers prayer to the gods and looking up towards heaven picks up three strips, one at a time, and, according to which sign they have previously been marked with, makes his interpretation. If the lots forbid an undertaking, there is no deliberation that day about the matter in question. If they allow it, further confirmation is required by takingauspices.^[1]

It is often debated whether "signs" refers specifically to runes or to other marks; both interpretations are plausible and Tacitus does not give enough detail for a definite decision to be made.^[2]

Epigraphy

The inscription on theKylver stoneends with a stackedbind runecombining sixTiwaz runesused to invoke the godTyrand fourAnsuz runesto invoke theÆsir.^[3]

TheAnsuzandTiwazrunes in particular seem to have had magical significance in the early (Elder Futhark) period.^{[citation needed]}TheSigrdrífumálinstruction of "name Tyr twice" is reminiscent of the double or triple "stacked Tyr"bindrunesfound e.g. onSeeland-II-Cor theLindholm amuletin theaaaaaaaazzznnn-b- muttt,sequence, which besides stacked Tyr involves multiple repetition of Ansuz, but also triple occurrence ofAlgizandNaudiz.

Many inscriptions also have apparently meaningless utterances interpreted as magical chants, such astuwatuwa(Vadstena bracteate),aaduaaaliia(DR BR42) org͡æg͡og͡æ(Undley bracteate),g͡ag͡ag͡a(Kragehul I).

Aluis a charm word appearing on numerous artifacts found in Central and Northern Europe dating from theGermanic Iron Age.The word is the most common of the early runic charm words and can appear either alone or as part of an apparent formula. The origin and meaning of the word are matters of dispute, though a general agreement exists among scholars that the word either represents amulet magic or is a metaphor (ormetonym) for it.^[4]

A fewViking Age ringswith runic inscriptions of apparently magical nature were found, among them theKingmoor Ring.The phrase "runes of power" is found on tworunestonesin Sweden,DR 357from Stentoften andDR 360from Björketorp. Runestones with curses includeDR 81in Skjern,DR 83in Sønder Vinge,DR 209in Glavendrup,DR 230from Tryggevælde,DR 338in Glemminge, andVg 67in Saleby.^[5]

Medieval sources

The most prolific source for runic magic in thePoetic Eddais theSigrdrífumál,where the valkyrie Sigrdrífa (Brynhild) presentsSigurdwith amemory-draughtof ale that had been charmed with "gladness runes" (stanza 5),

Biór fori ec þer / brynþings apaldr!

magni blandinn / oc megintíri;

fullr er hann lioþa / oc licnstafa,

godra galdra / oc gamanruna.

"Beer I bring thee, tree of battle,

Mingled of strength and mighty fame;

Charms it holds and healing signs,

Spells full good, and gladness-runes. "^[6]

She goes on to give advice on the magical runes in seven further stanzas. In all instances, the runes are used for actualmagic(apotropaicor ability-enhancing spells) rather than for divination:

"victory runes" to be carved on the sword hilt (stanza 6, presumably referring to thetrunenamed forTyr^[7]),
ølrunar"Ale-runes "(stanza 7, a protective spell against being bewitched by means of ale served by the host's wife;naudizis to be marked on one's fingernails, andlaukazon the cup),
biargrunar"birth-runes" (stanza 8, a spell to facilitatechildbirth),
brimrunar"wave-runes" (stanza 9, a spell for the protection of ships, with runes to be carved on the stem and on the rudder),
limrunar"branch-runes" (stanza 10, a healing spell, the runes to be carved on trees "with boughs to the eastward bent" ),^[8]
malrunar"speech-runes" (stanza 11, the stanza is corrupt, but apparently referred to a spell to improve one's rhetorical ability at thething),
hugrunar"thought-runes" (stanza 12, the stanza is incomplete, but clearly discussed a spell to improve one's wit).^[9]

The Poetic Edda also seems to corroborate the magical significance of the runes theHávamálwhereOdinmentions runes in contexts of divination,^{[dubious–discuss]}of healing and of necromancy (trans. Bellows):

"Certain is that which is sought from runes / That the gods so great have made / And the Master-Poet painted" (79)

"Of runes heard I words, nor were counsels wanting / At the hall of Hor" (111)

"Grass cures the scab / and runes the sword-cut" (137)

"Runes shalt thou find / and fateful signs" (143)

"if high on a tree / I see a hanged man swing / So do I write and color the runes / That forth he fares / And to me talks." (158)

Other oft cited sources for the practice of runic^{[dubious–discuss]}divination are chapter 38 ofSnorri Sturluson'sYnglinga Saga,whereGranmar,the king ofSödermanland,travels to theTemple at Uppsalafor the seasonalblót."There, the chips fell in a way that said that he would not live long" (Féll honum þá svo spánn sem hann mundi eigi lengi lifa).^[10]

Another source is in theVita Ansgari,the biography ofAnsgartheArchbishop of Hamburg-Bremen,which was written by a monk namedRimbert.Rimbert details the custom ofcasting lotsby the pagan Norse (chapters 26–30).^[11]The chips and the lots, however, can be explained respectively as ablótspánn(sacrificial chip) and ahlauttein(lot-twig), which according to Foote and Wilson^[12]would be "marked, possibly with sacrificial blood, shaken and thrown down like dice, and their positive or negative significance then decided."

Egils Sagafeatures several incidents of runic magic. The most celebrated is the scene where Egil discovers (and destroys) a poisoned drink prepared for him, by cutting his hand and cutting runes on the drinking horn, and painting the runes with blood. While the motif of blood painted runes also appears in other examples of early Norse literature it is uncertain whether the practice of painting runes with blood is merely a literary invention or whether it had precedence in magical practice.^[13]

Modern systems

Runic divination using ceramic tiles

In the 17th century,HermeticistandRosicrucian Johannes Bureus,having been inspired by visions, developed a Runic system based on theKaballahand the Futhark which he called theAdulruna.^[14]

TheArmanen runes"revealed" toGuido von Listin 1902 were employed for magical purposes inGermanic mysticismby authors such asFriedrich Bernhard MarbyandSiegfried Adolf Kummer,and afterWorld War IIin a reformed "pansophical" system byKarl Spiesberger.More recently,Stephen Flowers,Adolf Schleipfer,Larry E. Campand others also build on List's system.^{[citation needed]}

Several modern systems of runic magic and runic divination were published from the 1980s onward. The first book on runic divination, written by Ralph Blum in 1982, led to the development of sets of runes designed for use in several such systems offortune telling,in which the runes are typically incised in clay, stone tiles, crystals, resin, glass, or polished stones, then either selected one-by-one from a closed bag or thrown down at random for reading.

Later authors such asDiana L. PaxsonandFreya Aswynnfollow Blum (1989) in drawing a direct correlation between runic divination andtarot divination.They may discuss runes in the context of "spreads" and advocate the usage of "rune cards".

Modern authors like Ralph Blum sometimes include a "blank rune" in their sets. Some were to replace a lost rune, but according to Ralph Blum this was the godOdin's rune, the rune of the beginning and the end, representing "the divine in all human transactions".^[15]

Ralph Blum

In 1982, a modern usage of the runes for answering life's questions was apparently originated byRalph Blumin hisdivinationbookThe Book of Runes: A Handbook for the Use of an Ancient Oracle,which was marketed with a small bag of round tiles with runes stamped on them. This book has remained in print since its first publication. The sources for Blum's divinatory interpretations, as he explained inThe Book of Runesitself, drew heavily on then-current books describing the ancientI Chingdivinationsystem of China.

Each of Blum's seven books on runic divination deals with a specialized area of life or a varied technique for reading runes:

The Book of Runes: A Handbook for the Use of an Ancient Oracle: The Viking Runes(1982); revised 10th Anniversary Edition (1992); revised 25th Anniversary Edition (2007).
The Rune Cards: Sacred Play for Self Discovery(1989); reissued asThe Rune Cards: Ancient Wisdom For the New Millennium(1997). Rather than rune stones, this book uses images of the runes printed on card stock, much like a set oftrading cardsortarotcards.
The Healing Runeswith co-author Susan Loughan (1995) teaches methods for using runic divination in the context of health and personal integration.
Rune Play: A Method of Self Counseling and a Year-Round Rune Casting Record Book(1996)
The Serenity Runes: Five Keys to the Serenity Prayerwith co-author Susan Loughan (1998); reissued asThe Serenity Runes: Five Keys to Spiritual Recovery(2005) utilizes runic divination as a method for assistingself-helpand recovery from addictions; the title is a reference to the well-knownSerenity prayerwidely used in the12-step programofAlcoholics Anonymous.
Ralph H. Blum's Little Book of Runic Wisdom(2002).
The Relationship Runes: A Compass for the Heartwith co-author Bronwyn Jones (2003) shows how to use runic divination in matters of love and friendship.

Blum has also written books on theTao Te Ching,Zen Buddhism,andUFOs.

Stephen Flowers

In the wake of a 1984 dissertation on "Runes and Magic",Stephen Flowerspublished a series of books under the pen-name "Edred Thorsson" which detailed his own original method of runic divination and magic, "odianism",^[16]which he said was loosely based on historical sources and modern Europeanhermeticism.These books were:

Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic^[17](1984)
Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology(1987)
At The Well of Wyrd(1988) which was later reprinted under the titleRunecaster’s Handbook: The Well of Wyrd.
Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism(2002).

Runic divination is a component of Flowers' "esoteric runology" course offered to members of his Rune-Gild, as detailed inThe Nine Doors of Midgard: A Curriculum of Rune-Work. Besides runic divination, Flowers also advocated the "runic gymnastics" (Runengymnastik) developed in the 1920s byFriedrich Marby,under the name of "Rune-Yoga" (also "Runic Yoga", "Stadhagaldr" ).^[18]

Stephan Grundy

In 1990,Stephan Grundy,a.k.a. Kveldulf Gundarsson, described runic magic as the active principle as opposed to passive interpretations based on runic divination. He held that runic magic is more active than the allegedlyshamanicpractice ofseidpracticed by theSeiðkona.Runic magic, he states, uses the runes to affect the world outside based on thearchetypesthey represent.^[19]

Most of Gundarsson's runic magic entails being in possession of a physical entity that is engraved with any or all of the individual runes or "staves", so as to practically work with their energies. The individual runes are reddened with either blood, dyes, or paints. The act of possessing the stave in its final form serves the purpose of affecting the world of form with "the rune might" of that particular stave. After use, the staves are discarded or destroyed.^[20]

Gundarsson holds that each rune has a certain sound to it, to be chanted or sung; the sound has in common the phonetic value by which it is represented.^[21]This act of singing or chanting is supposed to have more or less the same effect of using the staves in their physical form.^[22]

Other

Nigel Pennick proposes "Germanic Runic Astrology" in publications such asRunic Astrology: Starcraft and Timekeeping in the Northern Tradition(1995),ISBN 1-898307-45-8.
Freya Aswynnhas published interpretations of the runes based on her own meditations inLeaves ofYggdrasil:Runes, Gods, Magic, Feminine Mysteries, and FolkloreLlewellyn Worldwide (1990),ISBN 0-87542-024-9andNorthern Mysteries and Magick: Runes, Gods & Feminine Powers(1998),Llewellyn WorldwideISBN 1-56718-047-7.
Adam Byrn Tritt, inRunic Divination in the Welsh Tradition(2011)^[23]presents a system based on a 10-stone set, including nine symbols which are unrelated to the historical runes, plus a blank stone, which represents the querent (inquirer).
Diana L. Paxsondeals with the subject of runic divination and the use of the runes in magical spell-casting in her bookTaking Up The Runes: A Complete Guide To Using Runes In Spells, Rituals, Divination, And Magic(2005).^[24]
Wendy Christine Duke inSpiral of Life(2008)^[25]presents a divination system based on organizing a set of 41 "revealed images" based on the runic letters.
A. D. Mercer,Runen - The Wisdom of the Runes(2016) reintroduces theArmanen Runes.
Saemarr þorsgoði (Peter Seymour), Produced during the 1980s, a tape recording "Runes" giving advice on the use and divination practice of runes, including theoretical Galdrar (chanting) of the rune names of the Elder Futhark for ritual use.

References

^Birley (1999:42).
^J. B. Rives,Germania By Cornelius Tacitus,Oxford University Press p. 166
^Spurkland, Terje (2005).Norwegian Runes and Runic Inscriptions.Boydell Press. p. 16.ISBN 1-84383-186-4.
^Macleod and Mees (2006), 91-101.
^Nielsen, M. L. (1998). "Glavendrup". In Hoops, Johannes; Beck, Heinrich (eds.).Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde.Vol. 12. Walter de Gruyter. p. 198.ISBN 3-11-016227-X.
^translation and numbering of stanzas after the edition byHenry Adams Bellows(1936).
^Enoksen, Lars Magnar.Runor: Historia, tydning, tolkning(1998)ISBN 91-88930-32-7
^"Such runes were believed to transfer sickness from the invalid to the tree. Some editors, however, have changedlimrunar( "branch runes" ) tolifrunar( "life-runes" ) "Bellows (1936), p. 392.
^"Here the list of runes breaks off, though the manuscript indicates no gap, and three short passages of a different type, though all dealing with runes, follow." Bellows (1936) p. 393.
^[1]Archived2007-07-29 at theWayback Machine
^"Internet History Sourcebooks".
^Foote and Wilson (1970), 401.
^MacLeod and Mees (2006), 235.
^Susanna, Åkerman (1998),Rose Cross over the Baltic: the Spread of Rosicrucianism in Northern Europe,Brill, pp. 34-35, 61-62ISBN 90-04-11030-5
^Blum, Ralph (2000).The Book of Runes: 20th Anniversary Edition.Eddison Sadd. pp. 133–134.ISBN 1-85906-042-0.
^Thorsson, Edred (1987),Runelore; A Handbook of Esoteric Runology.
Unfortunately, Thorsson's work is highly speculative and he has noted ties to the AFA (Asatru Folk Assembly) which impact his credibility.
^Thorsson, Edred (1984),Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic.Weiser Books.ISBN 0-87728-548-9
^ Edred Thorsson,Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic,Weiser Books, 1984, p. 15.
Edred Thorsson,Rune Might: Secret Practices of the German Rune Magicians,Llewellyn's Teutonic Magick series, 1989.
Edred Thorsson,The Truth About Teutonic Magick,Llewellyn's vanguard series, 1994.
Later also: L. E. Camp,A Handbook of Armanen Runic-Wisdom: History, World-View, Rune-Yoga, Divination, the Sidereal Pendulum and the Runic-Zodiac,2005.
Criticized by Sweyn Plowright,The Rune Primer,2006 (esp. pp. 137-139).
^Gundarsson (1990), 27; 211; 211-212.
^Gundarsson (1990), 33; 34; 27.
^Gundarsson (1990), 37-156.
^Gundarsson (1990), 31-32.
^ISBN 978-0-9793935-1-8.
^Paxson, Diana L. (20 April 2005).Taking up the Runes: A Complete Guide to Using Runes in Spells, Rituals, Divination, and Magic.Weiser Books.ISBN 978-1-57863-325-8.
^Spiral of Life - A Guidebook For Your Journey(2008) Cloud Haven Studio Incorporated,ISBN 978-0-9818693-0-8.

Sources

Birley, A. R. (Trans.) (1999).Agricola and Germany.Oxford World's Classics.ISBN 978-0-19-283300-6
Blum, Ralph (1993).The Book of Runes: A Handbook for the Use of an Ancient Oracle: The Viking Runes with Stones,St. Martin's Press; 10th anniversary ed.ISBN 0-312-09758-1.
Flowers, Stephen(1986),Runes and magic: magical formulaic elements in the older runic tradition,vol. 53 of American university studies: Germanic languages and literatures, P. Lang,ISBN 978-0-8204-0333-5.
—, as Thorsson, Edred (1983).A Handbook of Rune Magic,Weiser Books.ISBN 0-87728-548-9
—, as Thorsson, Edred (1987).A Handbook of Esoteric Runology.Weiser Books,ISBN 0-87728-667-1
Fries, Jan,Helrunar: A Manual of Rune Magick,Second Edition, Mandrake of Oxford (2002),ISBN 978-1-869928-38-4
Foote, Peter G.,and Wilson, D. M. (1970).The Viking Achievement,Sidgwick & Jackson: London, UK.ISBN 0-283-97926-7
Gundarsson, Kveldulf(1990).Teutonic Magic.St. Paul, MN:Llewellyn Publications, Inc.ISBN 0-87542-291-8.
MacLeod, Mindy; Mees, Bernard (2006).Runic Amulets and Magic Objects.Boydell Press.ISBN 1-84383-205-4.
Meadows, Kenneth (1996).Rune Power: The Secret Knowledge of the Wise Ones.Milton, Brisbane: Element Books Limited.ISBN 1-85230-706-4
Plowright, Sweyn (2006).The Rune Primer.Lulu Press.ISBN 1-84728-246-6
Tritt, Adam Byrn (2011),Tellstones: Runic Divination in the Welsh Tradition.Smithcraft Press.ISBN 978-0-9793935-1-8

External links

[BIRLEY-42-1] Birley (1999:42).

[2] J. B. Rives,Germania By Cornelius Tacitus,Oxford University Press p. 166

[3] Spurkland, Terje (2005).Norwegian Runes and Runic Inscriptions.Boydell Press. p. 16.ISBN 1-84383-186-4.

[MACLEODMEES24-4] Macleod and Mees (2006), 91-101.

[5] Nielsen, M. L. (1998). "Glavendrup". In Hoops, Johannes; Beck, Heinrich (eds.).Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde.Vol. 12. Walter de Gruyter. p. 198.ISBN 3-11-016227-X.

[6] translation and numbering of stanzas after the edition byHenry Adams Bellows(1936).

[Enoksen1-7] Enoksen, Lars Magnar.Runor: Historia, tydning, tolkning(1998)ISBN 91-88930-32-7

[8] "Such runes were believed to transfer sickness from the invalid to the tree. Some editors, however, have changedlimrunar( "branch runes" ) tolifrunar( "life-runes" ) "Bellows (1936), p. 392.

[9] "Here the list of runes breaks off, though the manuscript indicates no gap, and three short passages of a different type, though all dealing with runes, follow." Bellows (1936) p. 393.

[10] [1]Archived2007-07-29 at theWayback Machine

[11] "Internet History Sourcebooks".

[PAGE401-12] Foote and Wilson (1970), 401.

[13] MacLeod and Mees (2006), 235.

[14] Susanna, Åkerman (1998),Rose Cross over the Baltic: the Spread of Rosicrucianism in Northern Europe,Brill, pp. 34-35, 61-62ISBN 90-04-11030-5

[15] Blum, Ralph (2000).The Book of Runes: 20th Anniversary Edition.Eddison Sadd. pp. 133–134.ISBN 1-85906-042-0.

[16] Thorsson, Edred (1987),Runelore; A Handbook of Esoteric Runology.
Unfortunately, Thorsson's work is highly speculative and he has noted ties to the AFA (Asatru Folk Assembly) which impact his credibility.

[17] Thorsson, Edred (1984),Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic.Weiser Books.ISBN 0-87728-548-9

[18] Edred Thorsson,Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic,Weiser Books, 1984, p. 15.
Edred Thorsson,Rune Might: Secret Practices of the German Rune Magicians,Llewellyn's Teutonic Magick series, 1989.
Edred Thorsson,The Truth About Teutonic Magick,Llewellyn's vanguard series, 1994.
Later also: L. E. Camp,A Handbook of Armanen Runic-Wisdom: History, World-View, Rune-Yoga, Divination, the Sidereal Pendulum and the Runic-Zodiac,2005.
Criticized by Sweyn Plowright,The Rune Primer,2006 (esp. pp. 137-139).

[19] Gundarsson (1990), 27; 211; 211-212.

[20] Gundarsson (1990), 33; 34; 27.

[21] Gundarsson (1990), 37-156.

[22] Gundarsson (1990), 31-32.

[23] ISBN 978-0-9793935-1-8.

[24] Paxson, Diana L. (20 April 2005).Taking up the Runes: A Complete Guide to Using Runes in Spells, Rituals, Divination, and Magic.Weiser Books.ISBN 978-1-57863-325-8.

[25] Spiral of Life - A Guidebook For Your Journey(2008) Cloud Haven Studio Incorporated,ISBN 978-0-9818693-0-8.

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