Runespells: A Grimoire of Rune-Magick - Shade Vedhrfolnir 2008

Introduction

Runes and charms are very practical formulae designed to produce definite results, such as getting a cow out of a bog —The Music of Poetry, by T.S. Eliot

This work is based on my lifetime of esoteric study, and on an alphabet of twenty-four (or possibly thirty-two) numinous or sacred letters.

Magick is an Art, Witchcraft a Craft; somewhere perhaps there is a truly old religion, which is to say Pagan religion, for organized monotheism quite often seems to be manifesting itself as mental illness these days. Yet humans are perhaps at their best when becoming one with their most primal gods.

I have studied the runes, and used the runes, for a number of years. They embody the world-view of an ancient culture, which is perhaps in some ways more healthy than what we like to think of as modern culture. It has been pointed out that “...for 100,000 generations, humans were hunters and gatherers, while we have been agriculturalists for only 500 generations, industrialized for a mere 10 and computerized for only 1. In the late 20^th century we live in bodies adapted over the millennia to a way of life that no longer exists.” (p. 34, Smithsonian magazine, October 1988.) We thus may have many potential talents we no longer employ, and also the important option of continuing to evolve. Alchemy became chemistry, astrology became astronomy, and mythology became physics; it seems ridiculous to assume it all ends there. I am less concerned with glorifying the past than with creating a better future.

I have been writing here for an extremely select audience, for those who are involved in becoming awake, in doing their True Wills. I may assume some previous knowledge of magick and of pagan religions, and specifically of Norse mythology. I have therefore allowed myself a fairly condensed mode of expression, and the freedom of disciplined self-indulgence, of the artist to create within a tradition. This is not intended as a history book; this is a handbook for practicing sorcerers, firmly based in ancient Northern traditions reborn in the creative magicks of the contemporary self-willed human. Not every word I say is deadly serious; I have been rumored to have a sense of humor. I like

to think that survival requires this.

The Runes Of Odhinn

“Runes shalt thou find, and fateful signs,

That the king of singers colored,

And the mighty gods have made;

Full strong the signs, full mighty the signs That the ruler of the gods doth write. ” (Hovamol, v. 143)

The runes are an ancient alphabet used by the Germanic, Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon and Frisian peoples in slightly variant forms. According to some, they are also an encoding of their entire cosmological and mythological system, a magickal language similar in function to the Tarot, the I Ching, Ifa, or the Qabala in other cultures. The Neo-Pagan revival of this century has adopted all of these, but may still find deeper roots in the rediscovery of native forms such as the Norse runes or Celtic oghams. Wicca, the Craft of the Wise, more popularly known as Witchcraft, has attempted to revive mainly Celtic god-forms; various other groups have explored the many gods of Greece or Egypt or Asia; the more ceremonial or chaotic magicians have adventured indiscriminately through all cultures, picking out what suits them best in an eclecticism which, if not guided by an active intelligence, can degenerate into the generic gibberish spread under the New-Age brand-name.

The followers of Jung, Campbell and Eliade, all scholars of comparative religions, have done much to reveal the consistent patterns which underlie human experience; yet there are rewards in the revival of specific traditions, perhaps rooted in genetic memories or even in past lives, and worked with historical accuracy and scholarship, yet guided by a freely creative spirit. Such a potentially rich revival of ancient Pagan mysteries, freed of the narrow and soul-deadening monotheism of the judeo-christian-islamic tradition, allows for an adventurous experience of magickal individuation wherein each can find their True Self, the personal link to divinity. While most of Europe was overcome by the forces of the cross quite early, the Scandinavian countries (including Iceland, and to some extent the British Isles) managed to retain much of their cultural and spiritual integrity until

later in the era. It is thus to them that we may turn for a more effective personal experience of being. Members of new revivals such as the Ring of Troth and Asatru have elected to focus upon the mythos and ritual of the Norse gods, one of the liveliest and most complete Pagan cosmologies still available. While much has been lost to centuries of persecution, much was also preserved in the two volumes of the Poetic and Prose Eddas, and in their sagas and poetry; and now modern archeological methods and historical and folklore studies enable us to form a reasonably coherent conceptual framework and perhaps to devise a sacred calender. The most secret aspects of this revival are concealed in the runic alphabet, and revealed by the wisdom of constant study, personal intuition and divine inspiration. They advance beneath the raven banner of the ancient tribe of the Herulii, and are being studied under the aegis of groups like the Rune-Gild.

The word rune means “whispered secret” or “mystery”; said to have been won by the high god Odin or Odhinn, they are cryptic mystical ciphers governing the forces of the universe and encoding the mysteries of the Aesir and Vanir (or Wanes), the two major families or tribes of the Norse gods. While scholars disagree on the precise origins of this alphabet, the consensus seems to point to a merging of Northern Italic, Etruscan, or Latin letterforms (the Greek hypothesis being fairly discredited) with many indigenous Scandinavian sacred signs dating back to prehistoric rock-carvings. Used in magick and divination from the earliest times, carved on jewelry, weapons, coins, wands, tools, calenderstaves, burial-urns, inscriptions on memorial stones, perhaps dice, and no doubt in many other forms as well: the runic signs, simple yet primal, are richly evocative of ancient powers and primal forces. Composed of straight lines for ease of carving in wood, first codified into the futhark (a term derived from the alphabetic order of the first six letters: F U Th ARK) near the dawn of the Christian era and surviving quite brutal repression, the runes speak to the deepest levels of being.

It appears that the rune-masters (sometimes called Erulians) had a position of respect in some ways similar to that of the Druids among the Celts, although the two must not be confused; it may be this which enabled them to freely cross tribal boundaries in their travels. Some have maintained that they formed an initiatory society, gild or cult common to the warrior, ruling and priestly classes throughout

the Germanic and Scandinavian countries; certainly the Norse skald had some elements in common with the Celtic bard, as workers in poetry, magick, law, and myth. Certain elements of numerological coding and tree symbolism in the ogham script suggest parallels and possible contact with the holders of the runic tradition, and it must be remembered that the Germanic tribes were in frequent contact with the Celts, while later the Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons had considerable interplay with the peoples of the British Isles. Much of the surviving mythological lore of the ancient Norse religion was written down in Iceland, which was colonized by people from the British Isles as well as from northern lands (primarily Norwegians with Irish slaves, unfortunately) and of course the Anglo-Saxons and later the Normans (’northmen’) established themselves in large areas of Britain (as well as Normandy in France), which thus developed extensive runic traditions as well. The two distinct mythologies do contain many parallels.

At this distance in time it is difficult to determine the exact form of the elder schools of rune-lore, yet there were undoubtedly some masters teaching a unified tradition which proved remarkably stable over many generations, as shown by the regularity of the runic letterforms and division into an eight or aett-fold structure. These teachers may have first appeared in the wandering and evolving warrior-bands, trained in religio-mythological and poetic-skaldic techniques; their gilds may also have held the knowledge of important crafts such as blacksmithing, stone carving and shipbuilding. Or, at an even earlier time, the secrets of the runes may have first been taught in the context of tribal initiations and rites of passage.

Yet another theory of the origins of the runic cultus was put forth by Sigurd Agrell, who suggests that northern mercenaries in the legions of Rome became initiates in the Mysteries of the god Mithras and later developed a similar structure out of their own tribal traditions: a Mysteries of Odhinn. This is not as far-fetched as it may sound, for there is no doubt that such contact did take place; the Mithraic mysteries extended throughout the limits of the Roman empire. It is quite possible that there existed men trained in both systems, and perhaps significant that a Mithraeum on the empire’s border with the German tribes depicts the god on horseback with a spear; otherwise unknown as an image of Mithras, yet totally familiar

to worshippers of Odhinn.

In general early peoples had a much greater extent to their travels and to their exchange of ideas than most people today realize, and the Viking adventurers ranged as far as America, Africa and Asia, in the process colonizing much of Europe and Russia. One very humorous discovery in a Migration Period Swedish grave was a small statue of the Buddha from northern India; and as a very determined and practical people they were quick to learn the local customs and skills wherever they wandered. It has been pointed out that while people tend to be rather conservative in religious matters, they may also be quite willing to ascribe magickal powers to foreign peoples and to incorporate their arcane operative techniques. The Lapps and Finns were widely considered to be great magicians by the Norse, and their shamanic practices were also an influence on Norse sorcery as shown in later sagas.

In fact, we may assume the ancient runemasters to have been a fairly sophisticated group. They were clearly at least semi-literate at a time when this was very unusual, knowledgeable in the traditions of their people, and trained in a complex and allusive form of poetic composition. Many of the carvers of the great rune-stones had mastered the interlaced weavings of a complex and vigorous native artistic style, and the making of weapons and cult artifacts, jewelry and coinage, reveal that smith-craft maintained the magickal elements that this art has contained since the beginning. While not all workers in runes approached this high level of expertise, and there are many extremely crude surviving pieces of rune-work, it is clear that at their height the guardians of this knowledge may indeed have held a well-developed initiatory mystery system.

Yet the roots of the runes lie deep in the past, in the strange symbols carved in the stone petroglyphs of the Bronze Age, in the shadows cast by tree-branches in the forest which led the hunter to his prey, and in the primal patterns of matter and energy that form the worlds which the human mind interprets. To find deep meaning in these more-than-random conjunctions of reality is a rare talent of sorcerers, men and women of power. It is important to remember that runes as non-verbal symbols predate any form of alphabet: these ancient hieroglyphs (’sacred signs’) encode powers from the dawn of humanity and the very beginning of language. Odhinn is in one sense

considered as a deified mortal man, the actual inventor of the futhark, who later absorbed various divine aspects and attributes to become an extremely complex god-form and was eventually crowned king of the Aesir. He was perhaps a member of one of the Alpine German tribes which had contact with Rome or some other Northern Italic culture, and from the model of their alphabets merged with traditional signs used in the divinatory casting of lots may have created the runic system, which later spread across Northern Europe with the migratory expansion of the Germanic tribes to Scandinavia, the British Isles, Iceland and beyond.

It is not simple to clearly recreate the cultural context of runic practices. We may be considering centuries during which Scandinavian mythology evolved from primitive shamanistic worship to a sophisticated mythological system, from that of a hunting-and-gather-ing to an agricultural society, from “barbarians” on the fringe of the world to the ruling class of much of Europe; from prehistory to a time when the oppressive forces of organized Christianity were continuing the struggle to eliminate all other truths by their sadly traditional method of torture and bloodshed. Most of the Germanic material is long gone, and the Anglo-Saxon material heavily rewritten by monastic propagandists. Fortunately much of the Scandinavian poetic material was preserved in remote Iceland, the world’s oldest functioning democracy, which also has one of the longest traditions of literacy. While Norse myth never reached the level of complexity, codification and elaboration found in Greek or Roman or Hindu religion, the main divine figures are clear in their personalities and primary tales. In the Pagan world it was not uncommon for an individual to choose a personal deity whose nature and concerns matched their own, and by working out our tendencies in such a cosmological framework we can participate more fully in our world, in the rhythm of the seasons, and in what Jung termed the process of individuation, of becoming fully human, of realizing our full potential. Odhinn, in his ceaseless quest for wisdom and power, is a fitting symbol for this process among those who follow the paths of magick and mysticism.

It is unknown, in the final analysis, where and how and when the runic system originated. Scholarly debate continues, and in general a distinction is made between skeptical and imaginative runologists. The argument for a magickal theory of the runes has been presented

in ways ranging from the reasonable to the totally wild-eyed; so has the rationalistic argument against it. It is well to remember that early alphabets almost all have esoteric symbolisms; the Hebrew Qabala, the Tantric use of Sanskrit, the Egyptian hieroglyphs, all are filled with numinous power. If our beginning lies in the naming of things, then letters as the roots of words are the basis of creation itself.

In this recreation of a runic cosmology I have drawn on many sources, some more convincing that others. This would appear to place me firmly among the imaginative types, although I hope with slightly less bizarre leaps of fancy than some. I certainly can not claim that this is exactly how it was done or perceived centuries ago, only that this is a viable contemporary system based as closely as possible on what is known from the past. The basic meanings of the rune-names come from the Old English, Icelandic, and Norwegian Rune-poems, all of which are incorporated into my commentaries here. Additional information about their functions comes from the Eddas and the various sagas, from various classical sources, and from contemporary research. What I have done here is an attempt to weave this material into an explanation of Norse magick and cosmology arranged around the structure of the runic futhark itself. As a set of concepts and archetypes it is certainly no more arbitrary than the Tarot; as an esoteric layout of the northern mysteries it may be as coherent as possible. My primary assumption is that my readers will have or attempt to gain some familiarity with the basic gods and myths of the Norse, and any public library will have several books explaining them. Above all, I strongly recommend reading the Poetic Edda, a late compilation of the surviving sacred verses, and also the Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson, which is a manual of myths, kennings, and poetic techniques written early in the 13^th century as a guidebook for skalds. It is always best to begin with the primary sources. I have appended a rather extensive bibliography.

I was initially inspired by the Runic Trilogy of Edred Thorsson: FUTHARK:A Handbook of Rune Magic, Runelore, and At the Well of Wyrd, on which I have often drawn. I consider these to have been the major source for the revival of authentic traditional rune magic at this time, for most academic sources seemed too cautious, and many popular works too wildly improvisational. I have attempted to strike a balance, but if there is excess, then I may defer to the scholars,

yet keep a smile on my face as well. While Thorsson’s work really sparked the modern revival and has provided the foundation of my own understanding, and a study of his writing is extremely useful for the purposes of this present work, I have attempted to make this book accessible to anyone with a basic knowledge of the gods, goddesses and myths of the Norse. Another much more recent and quite excellent resource is Taking Up The Runes by Diana Paxson, which incorporates much of the lore which has arisen in the current circles of Asatru.

18

Rimespells

Nine Worlds of the Old Gods

Beneath a raven banner weaving the wild wind I find victory’s spear in the flow of song out of the mouth of the one-eyed god.

On the gallows-tree there hang nine worlds; made mad with mead of the eagle’s flight I drink in turn from Mimir’s well.

As I said earlier, the Norse traditions arise from the vigorous mythology of the folk generally known as Vikings, but more properly as the Germanic language group of the Indo-Europeans (which includes such diverse tongues as English, Greek and Sanskrit). They colonized much of Northern Europe, and while we usually think of them in terms of the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Denmark and Sweden) they also were the inhabitants of Germany, Holland, Anglo-Saxon England, Norman France, Iceland, and eventually America. The term ’Viking’ gives rise to a rather romantic image of wild barbarian warriors, but in fact they had a fairly high level of culture and artistic creativity, and they journeyed over much of the known world of their times, from Byzantium to Greenland, from Russia to India. Their voyages were for trade more often than for conquest, although the decision as to which was more advantageous may often have taken place from moment to moment.

Their traditional pantheon included two main families or tribes, the warlike Aesir who governed battle, law and kingship, and the usually more peaceful Vanir whose concerns lay more toward the erotic and the agricultural fertility of the earth. They were said to have fought a great war in the dawn of time, and after achieving a truce they lived together in harmony. Some have seen this as reflecting a merging of an earlier people’s cosmology with that of a later wave of

invaders, in the popular feminist matriarchy versus patriarchy model; but other scholars believe that the division may have always been an integral part of their culture.

The King of the Aesir was Odin, a mysterious deity with many names and complex aspects: he was warrior and magician, ruler and trickster, judge and priest, who guarded the rites of all the gods. Devious and passionate, he had many liaisons with goddesses, giantesses, and mortal women; thus he was father to many heroes and gods. With the Earth Mother Jord he parented the best-known protector of the northlands, Thor the god of thunder, who defended humankind against such forces of chaos as the giants of ice, fire and storm with his great hammer Mjolnir. Odin’s strange blood-brother was the trickster Loki, originally of giant birth, whose actions gave rise to many of the great tales of the myths and sagas. As the All-father, Odin was said to have many sons who were the great heroes of Asgard, the citadel of the gods, connected to the mortal world by the rainbow bridge Bifrost guarded by the god Heimdall. There were also many powerful goddesses as well, including their queen Frigga who had powers of prophecy, and Idunna who guarded the golden apples which gave the gods their immortal youth.

Perhaps the best-loved of the Asynyur or goddesses was Freya, the daughter of the Vanir sea-god Njord, who was a fair lady of love and passion as well as of sorcery and battle; she possessed a magical feather-cloak which enabled her to fly in falcon-form, and also the gold-and-amber necklace Brisingamein. Her brother was Freyr, a god of sunlight and fertility who also was a defender of the common folk. These twin siblings may well have been two of the major sources of the goddess and god of the witches in later times; their very names mean ’Lady’ and ’Lord’. Freya taught a strange and very shamanic system of magick called seidhr, full of prophecy, shape-shifting, out-of-body journeys, erotic enchantments and weather-workings.

The better-known school of Norse wizardry, however, is called gal-dra; this functions through songs of power and the strange letters of the runic futhark or alphabet which was won by Odin in a ritual of death and rebirth wherein he hung himself upon the World-Tree Yg-gdrasill, pierced with his own spear. These runes are the focus of a great revival in recent years, and are used both for divination and to bind magical effects into being in reality. Many of the tales of Odin

involve such quests for wisdom and power, such as his winning of the mystical mead of inspiration Odroerir that creates poets and skalds.

One reason for these quests involves the precarious nature of the harsh northern landscape and the mythology it inspired. For them creation was a perpetual battle, begun from the primordial clash of the powers of Fire and Ice at the dawn of time. The human world of Midgardh (Tolkien’s Middle-Earth) was formed from the body of the cosmic giant Ymir, slain by the gods: his blood became the seas, his bones the mountains. The forces of chaos ever strive to destroy the order of the universe, and eventually will bring about the end of all things at Ragnarok, when the dead shall rise, the frost-giants tear down the rainbow bridge, the fire-demon Surt slay the gods with his sword called Twilight, and gigantic wolves devour the moon and sun. Against the coming of this dark day the Valkyries choose the spirits of slain warriors to form the armies of the final conflict: half of them feast with Odin in Valhalla, and half with Freya in her hall Folkvang. One of Odin’s most ancient roles is that of lord of the slain and leader of the Wild Hunt, who rides the night-winds on his eight-legged horse Sleipnir.

To us today, this cosmic drama may be best known through Wagner’s great operas of the Ring Cycle. As Mark Twain once remarked, “Wagner’s music is not nearly as bad as it sounds.” However, I must emphasize that the true repositories of Norse myth are found in two books: the Poetic Edda, a collection of ancient poems; and the Prose Edda, a distillation of lore compiled by Iceland’s foremost man of letters, Snorri Sturluson. Indeed, the Norse colony of Iceland was one of the last bastions of European heathenism, and they formally converted to Christianity around the year 1,000 CE mainly for practical purposes of business and trade. In general the Scandinavian nations were forcibly converted much later than most of Europe, and the various sagas of early Iceland are among the limited surviving sources of our knowledge, as well as being very lively literature.

Not as much is known of the actual forms of religious practice, which appear to have been very family-based and included a strong reverence for the ancestors and the spirits of nature. There were certain great annual festivals based on the agricultural cycle, where sacrifices and feasting took place, as the herds which sustained life could not survive the long harsh winters. Much of the ceremonial of

our Yuletide celebrations is based upon northern traditions: the evergreen tree, the roasted boar sacred to the Vanir, the giving of gifts. Festive drinking was important, and one well-attested rite was called the sumbl, where a circle of feasters made rounds of toasts in turn.

In recent years there has been a widespread Neo-Pagan (or retro-heathen) revival of the northern mysteries, which includes a strong emphasis on self-reliance and family values. Among the major groups are the various branches of Asatru, the Ring of Troth and the Rune-Gild in America, and the British Odinic Rite.

A few brief words on the shadow which fell upon runic studies in the last century: the disease of Nazism. The bizarre fascism and racial intolerance which plunged the whole world into the horrors of war and genocide, the abomination of the Holocaust, the butchery of millions and the lunatic conception of a Master Race have become linked in many minds with the northern gods and the runes, in part due to the theft of the ancient symbol of the solar wheel to serve as the swastika of the “thousand-year Reich”. Unfortunately, there remain some very fringe elements in the revival of Germanic paganism who somehow seem to believe that all of this was a wonderful idea, and that the idea of a pure-blooded white-skinned Aryan supremacy is something other than pathetic idiocy designed to give racist red-necks and skinheads the sad delusion of adequacy.

It should be remembered that the Vikings were usually very practical folk who cheerfully intermarried with just about anyone (notably the Celts) and showed a remarkably un-christian tolerance for the beliefs of anyone honest. It should also be pointed out that Nazi Germany was one of the most Christian countries in Europe at the time of its genocidal and suicidal rampage, and that anti-Semitism has always been one of the favorite pastimes of the churches: a rousing pogrom was a wonderful way to take people’s minds off their misery and other important issues, and so is still popular today in Russia, France, and various other countries who should know better by now.

While I trust that my readership is highly unlikely to subscribe to these popular fallacies, I did feel compelled to mention that the layer of mytho-magickal thought discussed here long precedes any such twentieth century dementia. I might add that much of the New Age writing on runes is, like all too much of the New Age in general, rather fluffy, airy-fairy, and devoid of much genuine nourishment for

the soul.

Kether=Asgardhr Binah= Niflheimr

Chokmah= Muspellheimr Abyss=Ginnungagap Geburah= Jotunheimr Chesed=Vanaheimr Tiphareth=Bifrost Hod=Svartalfheimr Netzach=Alfheimr Yesod=Hel Malkuth=Midgardhr

Nine Worlds Riding

Nine worlds I rode on the eight-legged horse, where wisdom wide I won.

Nine worlds I made in primal time, born together from the churning void.

From fire & ice when silence spawned all life arising came;

out of the night & day ever turning the Norns have woven fate.

I rode the storm

on the eight-legged horse and Sleipnir bore me on secret ways.

From Asgardhr I came, the abode of the gods, great halls of gold where joy is sung, wide fields where mighty warriors meet yet shed no blood in the sacred place.

Here beyond the rainbow bridge are judgements made around Wyrd’s well; here we feast on meat and mead while golden apples make us young.

This is the gate to the highest heaven, holy above all.

out I rode

and valkyries followed; across the skies we rode to love and war.

In Niflheimr of ice and mist, the soul of darkness forms; living shadow walks the night.

In Muspellheimr of force and fire stars fly like sparks from the forge where the fate of days is hammered out.

In the yawning void charged with power nine worlds began their dance.

There was I in the beginning, there I slew Ymir and made the worlds, giving life and form from the slain giant’s flesh; at the heart of nothing giving birth to all.

Swift I rode over straight paths and four winds were my wings.

I have ridden to Vanaheimr where friends I found and foes, love’s magick from Freya learned. There all is green and growing, all trees bear fruit, all years fair harvest under a brilliant sun.

I have ridden to Jotunheimr to test my wisdom against giants,

grim titans of the elder race.

Amid rough mountains and storms of ice, where forces rage at the edge of the world have I seen destruction itself.

on Sleipnir I rode over wind and wave with nine worlds whirling beneath our feet.

I have been in Hel, the hidden place, raised up the dead and bade them speak. Nine days did I hang upon the world-tree, I am god of the hanged and they are mine; power of death and life have I.

on Sleipnir I rode in every realm with ravens and eagles and wolves of war.

I have soared above the earth on wind and cloud in abodes of light and danced on spiral rays with bright elves of Ljossalfheimr.

I have journeyed secret caverns, tunnels dark beneath mountains; from dwarven smiths won by trickery great weapons from Svartalfheimr.

I rode nine worlds

on the eight-legged horse while valkyries followed the wild hunt and the storm.

To Midgardhr I came and the sons of men, wide I wandered in deep disguise;

unknown I came in cloak and wide hat to work dire judgement and depart. I have found the secrets and the signs that lurk at the center of things.

I rode to battle with warrior maids to choose the slain for the heroes hall.

With spear have I come and mead for the skald, holding secret runes of blood and a nine-fold ring of gold. Black ravens about me, fierce wolves at my feet; enthroned on the high seat in the highest hall, watching nine worlds with a single eye, binding the cords of fate that weave the web of Wyrd; riding swift as a comet on the eight-legged horse.

Rune-Magick

Knowest how one shall write, knowest how one shall rede? Knowest how one shall tint, knowest how one makes trial? Knowest how one shall ask, knowest how one shall offer? Knowest how one shall send, knowest how one shall sacrifice?

(Hovamol, v. 14fi

As far as the evidence left to us will allow, the basic runic operative ritual may be summarized as: 1) the runic magician 2) carves the runic graphs, 3) colors them (with blood or other dye), 4) speaks an oral formula over the object (which may or may not correspond to the graphic form), and 5) perhaps performs some auxiliary operation in accordance with the purpose of the ritual. This last element may come before, during or after the performance of elements 1-4. Another definite operative element which may enter into an expanded formula is 6) scraping the runes off their medium in order to destroy them by fire or to mix them in a drink. Perhaps connected to this last element, but very ambiguous, is whatever is implied in the technical verb senda.

(from p. 161, Runes and Magic, Stephen E. Flowers; notes omitted.)

I due not intend to debate the objective reality of magick; suffice it to say that the vast majority of all human beings who have ever lived on this planet have engaged in magical thinking. Some have posited an evolutionary progression from magic to religion to science; I doubt that the process will end there. The subject here is practice, not theory.

The runes were associated with both passive divination and active operations of magickal power: cursing and curing, love and war, wisdom and protection. By their use the sorcerer could receive the

oracles, or could make his will manifest through the runic system of hidden symbols for communication with the otherworlds, or with the depths of his own mind, assuming that there is any difference. The Eddie poems speak in various riddles about the techniques of their use, and some sagas describe such uses. They can be applied to every sphere of human activity, and to the ongoing evolution of the individual soul. They govern and channel the forces of nature, they encode the mysteries of the gods and the mind, they are a language of imaginative communication between human (microcosm) and cosmos (macrocosm).

The traditional northern sources outline a number of operations in the use of the runes for magick:

Carving

The marking of the substance used is the first act. It seems that the steel blade by which man has changed this world is ultimately a magickal tool, essential to the formation and control of the universe. One should have functional implements and treat them with respect. A sharp woodworking knife, a pointed spike or other form of carver may work best; and practice in wood or clay or stone or whatever is recommended as a prelude to a formal working; however, many of the runic artifacts which have been discovered have the markings scratched in quite crudely To some extent this perhaps reflects variations in the skills of the individual rune-masters, but it has also been suggested that the very act of marking the sign was more important than its actual form. There seems no reason not to draw them in the air, or to mark them with ink or other liquids, or to draw them in earth or dust or chalk, or burn them into magickal or other equipment. One of the earliest uses of rune-like forms was the marking of personal possessions (notably weapons), and among the latest surviving were the marks of the stone-masons and cathedral-builders of Europe. Casting- and altar-cloths, as well as almost any form of garment, are open to the infinite possibilities of runic embroidery; the needle may also be seen as a blade, the thread as a source of color. Warriorbands often followed sacred raven-banners that gave victory, preferably made by the daughters of famous heroes; similar banners are suitable for the decoration of a pagan temple or hof, as a rallying point for groups or tribes; they provide a field for the display of pagan

symbolism. We may also remember the tapestries found in the famous treasure-trove of the Oseberg ship-burial, richly patterned with mythological themes, which suggest the importance of weaving in the spread of ideas and the adornment of temple or mead-hall.

The question of what particular kind of wood is best for arcane purposes is left to the individual; the lore of trees is both wide and ancient, in northern sources and the Celtic tree alphabet and ogham. It can be assumed from the forms of the runes that they were first codified for carving in wood, usually cut across the grain for clarity. Any tree associated with a particular rune is specially appropriate.

Coloring

Of the many runestones which survive, most originally seem to have been brightly painted over their carvings. Every culture and every individual has a rich body of emotional associations with the various hues of the spectrum, and one should employ these to charge the runes with appropriate energies. One of the oldest color-schemes used seems to have been that of white, black and red (using chalk, soot and red ocher, or plants including minimum or madder); this appears in several other traditions as well. However, the ultimate coloring agent for the runes has always been blood itself, and the word for this reddening is the same as that for the giving of magickal power. According to the sagas, the blood of the sorcerer was that employed:

Egil drew out his knife and stabbed the palm of his hand, then took the horn, carved runes on it and rubbed it with blood. After that he made this verse:

Carve runes on the horn, Rub them with red blood, With these words I bewitch The horn of the wild ox...

(Egil’s Saga, chapter 44, Palsson/Edwards trans.)

Disposable sterile lancets for the squeamish or diabetic are available in drug-stores for the purpose of drawing small amounts of blood, which has always been associated with the life-giving power itself. Sacrificial ritual played a major part in Scandinavian religion.

The oldest direct allusion to painted runes comes, however, from a source outside the Norse sphere. I refer to the well-known line by Venantius Fortunatus in a poem written towards the end of the sixth century: Barbara fraxineis pinga-tur runa tabellis. “The runes of the barbarians are painted on boards of ash. ”

(page 152, The Runes of Sweden by S.B.F. Jansson)

The symbolism of color is a complex one; red, of course, represents blood, life, fire, and magickal power, while green calls to mind plants and fertility. Black is the ultimate container of mystery, night and matter, while white portrays light and contains all the colors of the rainbow. Blue implies peace and healing, water and sky, magically containing all things in between; and yellow shows wealth and energy. Silver and gold are moon and sun, of course, and purple has long associations with power and imperial symbolism.

Hiding

By concealing the meaning of a runic command one increases its power. One can bind the signs into a single figure, a sigil; or bury them in the earth, or the sea, or place them in the branches of a tree, or carve them on its roots, or transform them with various numerical codes. They may be hidden on the backs of items of jewelry, concealed about the person, or marked in water or mead, which may later disappear. By thus projecting the meaning into the unconscious or the otherworld to gestate, the accomplished result re-emerges. The ultimate form of this hiding is burning with fire, which is often the final fate of most magickal devices and releases the energies bound within them to complete the working; one may then ritually drink the ashes. While a branch of a tree is customary material for most operations, the roots may be used for darker subterranean purposes; either should be taken from an appropriate direction off the body of the tree, and an offering to the tree should be left (a coin, ribbon or libation). Runes may also be buried where the person one desires to affect will pass, or concealed to protect the home.

In more modern terms the noted sorcerer Austin Osman Spare focussed his will and desires into figures called sigils, by expressing the intention into a short, simple sentence, eliminating all repeated

letters, and forming those remaining into a monogram or geometric figure containing the shapes of all. This figure, encoded beyond conscious meaning, was charged in various ways and then projected into the unconscious mind and deliberately forgotten; it there created an astral stress which worked itself out in the material world. This method is quite similar to the making of bindrunes, and in fact the simple and similar shapes of the runestaves readily lend themselves to the formation of such figures. The fascinating subject of Spare’s highly individual form of sorcery can be studied in the works of Kenneth Grant, Neville Drury, Gavin Semple, Peter Carroll and other authorities in the post-modern system called Chaos Magick, as well as in his own rare and frequently obscure writings. His concept of the Alphabet of Desire, and many other aspects of his system are useful for the modern runic adept.

Reading

This may refer to understanding the meanings of the individual runes in divination, or to proficiency in the codes already mentioned, or even to simple literacy in an age when this was an unusual talent. Runes were generally written left-to-right, although right-to-left sometimes occurs in the earlier inscriptions; occasionally also alternating rows like a plowed field in a pattern called boustrophedon (from the Greek: ’as the ox plows’). Sometimes alternate words were colored black and red to distinguish them, or a single dot was placed between words to divide them, with multiple dots used to indicate sentence breaks or point to a vital rune by numerical coding. Twin lines or borders can be drawn, which provide proper spacing and size for the staves. Adjacent double letters are seldom repeated in an inscription, even when they end and begin successive words; sometimes forms called bind-runes were used to link repeated letters, to use one stave for more than one letter, whether to save space or adjust a numerical count of figures. A key to English transliteration appears in the beginning of part II of this work. Considering the wide span of time and the area over which runic inscriptions appear, and the very wide variations in level of literacy and the development of various local dialects and languages, as well as the often obscure and archaic nature of magickal formulae, many academics have defined the First Law of Runic Studies as: ’Any runic inscription will have as many interpretations as there are

scholars studying it.” A number of runic inscriptions have been found which simply consist of the whole futhark. The writing of the entire alphabet serves as a powerful protective formula in several cultures, symbolizing as it does the complete universe in its proper order:

Informer times, when literacy was a rare thing, to write the entire alphabet somewhere was considered to be a magical, protective formula. This tradition survives in the Christian church, where, during consecrations carried out according to full ritual form, the letters of the Roman and Greek alphabets are written by the bishop with his pastoral stajfin ashes forming a cross on the floor of the new church. Although it is rationalized as being symbolic of Christ, who is described as the A (alpha) and Z (omega), the beginning and the end; in Greek alphabet lore, both characters have the meanings of riches and abundance. This rite is a survival of the divination conducted by the Pagan priesthood of ancient Rome when laying out a sacred site for a temple.

(Games of the Gods by Nigel Pennick, p. 74)

To read implies understanding, and also the primal act of Naming, by which things are created and controlled.

Sacrifice

This may also refer to the final burning, or to pouring a libation in thanks to the gods, or to some other offering or promised gift, or to an actual blood sacrifice as part of the ritual being worked. Animal sacrifice was traditional in many cultures, and it seems to me that making a ritual event out of the necessary slaughter at summer’s end is a virtue, not an abuse; an attitude somewhere between the reverence of primitive hunters towards the sacred animals and the relative depravity of our modern commercial slaughterhouses. For practical purposes in today’s world, however, the word on animal sacrifice is “kids, don’t try this at home”. The time for this is long past, the neighbors will start to talk, and you can get the same results through sex, drugs and rock & roll anyway. However, the pouring of libations, the giving of thanks, seems a matter of simple courtesy to the gods; and many offerings of weapons, vessels, and other forms of wealth have

been found submerged in sacred springs or in bogs all through the north, passed into the well of Wyrd and the hands of the gods. Nine coins in a well, spring or fountain might be an acceptable modern substitute, or the offering of a suitable clay model, poem, or other piece of art.

Galdrar

The general term galdra (pl. galdrar) for magickal incantations may derive from a word describing the croaking of ravens (birds of Odhinn) or the crowing of cocks (which are linked to Heimdall). The working of a runic spell appears to be activated by spoken verses expressing the sorcerer’s will; the ’sending’ process? Norse skaldic poetry was an elaborate art, filled with complex kennings (mythic references) which veiled the meaning of simple statements beneath a layer of evocative traditional symbolic terms; it also had several forms of verse. See The Skalds and the introduction to the Poetic Edda by Hollander. As in many other cultures, the poet was thought to have magickal powers and receive inspiration from the divine. Since northern magick appears to rely mainly on the expression of the individual will, rather than calling upon pantheons of deities or lesser spirits, what is vital is the clear expression of your desire in whatever poetic style is comfortable or, indeed, none at all. While some form of Old Norse would be an appropriate magickal language, still Modern English is one of its legitimate linguistic heirs in the stream of Germanic tongues.

Galdrastafir

In medieval Norse and Icelandic magick various sacred signs are used to hallow or charge various works of art; most famous are the sign of the hammer, the sun-wheel, or the swastika. Ancient rock-carvings include these and other images, such as ships, spears, men and animals, plows and wains, (see Chariot of the Sun by Gelling & Davidson) while the much later Icelandic Galdrabok (translated by Steven Flowers) contains combinations of runic signs in inscriptions with a certain number of staves or in more complex figures. Many are based upon the aegishelm or helm of awe, a protective sign based on variations of a star made by crossing 4 lines on a central point, making an 8-rayed figure, which terminates in trident or arrow forms; there are many variations.

Another is the so-called sleep-thorn, employed by Odhinn upon the valkyrie Sigrdrifa. Simple geometric figures such as the triangle, square, pentagram, or whatever holds an appropriate number of staves can also be employed as a basis for bind-runes, linking the bases of the staves with the tops of the figures extending outwards.

Stadha & Runestreams

Stadha or postures imitative of runic forms and channelling their powers were posited by the Armanen rune-masters of the last century in a form of “rune-yoga”, inspired in part by the elaborate figures engraved upon the famous golden Gallehus drinking horns (dating from about 400-500 CE); these were decorated with men, gods, animals, fish, serpents, weapons, runes and cosmic symbols of various kinds. Versions of these positions are given in Thorsson’s book Futhark. Hand-figures or mudras controlling runic forces are also possible, and Armanen versions appear in Rune Might by the same author. These late 19^th and early 20^th century writers of the Armanen school, who include von List, Marby, Kummer and others, devoted much thought to the streams of force governed by the runes; these include the subterranean or chthonic currents sought by dowsers and students of ley-lines and geomancy, the terrestrial streams that flow upon the surface of the earth, and the cosmic streams of solar, lunar and stellar energy that reach the earth from space, as well as the purely self-contained powers generated within the body of the rune master.

Candle Magic

Traditional folk magick often includes the burning of candles of various colors for various purposes, a tradition surviving in Catholicism, Wicca, Santaria and Voodoun, among others. This technique can easily be combined with runic magick; the name of the sorcerer or of the person to be affected is carved upon a candle of the correct hue along with appropriate formulae or bind-runes, and this is then burned with invocations over a series of nights. There are a number of variations possible; for example, to bring two lovers together a pair of candles may be named and moved closer together every night; or to curse someone a black candle may be impaled with pins or nails, dipped in foul herbs or noxious fluids, whipped, and burned. Many mail-order companies are now in the business of marking candles with bind

runes and selling them at an inflated price. Gee, America is a wonderful country!

Equipment

The major tools used in runic rites might include a blade, a drinking horn or cup, a wand or staff^- carved with the runes, and a bracteate broach or disk marked with them, worn by the rune-master; these might indeed roughly correspond with the sword, chalice, wand and pentacle/disk used by virtually all modern witches and ceremonial magicians and depicted in the four suits of the minor arcana of the Tarot, or to the sword, cauldron, spear and stone of Celtic myth. The blade may be used for carving runes in wood or holy signs in the air, and is a symbol of defense against evil. The wand or staff, like Odhinn’s spear, is an age-old symbol of invocation and authority, and perhaps of use in geomantic measure or astronomical observation as well. The horn is used in drinking toasts, pouring libations, and charging magickal eucharists or runic potions; mead is traditional as a vehicle for the poetry and wisdom of Odhinn, while beer, wine, water or milk may well be appropriate for other deities. The bracteate broach or disk was one of the ancient accoutrements of the rune-master, and a number of examples survive; these often include images of horse and rider, various birds and beasts, or Odhinn himself, as well as the entire futhark written out in full. These were stamped into metal disks and were both powerful protection and a reservoir of magickal energy.

The altar may be a table indoors or a stone slab in a grove. Other equipment might include a libation bowl (an evergreen branch may be used to sprinkle liquids and later returned to its tree), candles or torches, and a metal bowl for burning incense (although Norse evidence of this is limited, fire is a ritual necessity); also images of the gods as you can find or devise them. Raven or other feathers, crystals, stones, antlers or horns, or whatever else appeals to you can be included; and a metal arm-ring upon the altar is traditional, and was used in the swearing of oaths in ancient times. More specialised symbolic tools or weapons might include a spear for Odhinn, a hammer for Thor, an antler or horn for Frey, a necklace which represents Bris-ingamein for Freya, a spindle for Frigg, a sword for Heimdall or lyr, a harp for Bragi, bow & arrows for Ullr or Hod, etc. Sacraments might include almost any food feasted upon by the Vikings up to and includ

ing the Yuletide boar; the mead sacred to the high god Odhinn and golden apples of Idunna are most necessary.

Ritual dress should include a hooded cloak; otherwise simple Norse medieval garments are appropriate. Thorsson states that red pants are the traditional garb of runemasters, and suggests a white tunic and a white headband embroidered with the futhark in red. Bare feet and/ or ritual nudity are not uncommon, and outdoor sites are preferred. The usual orientation of runic rites is to the north.

While the magickal circle seems to be absent from Norse rites, sacred ninefold (9 squares) grids or lattice-forms are recorded, as in the act of necromancy described in the Faroe Islander’s Saga. There is also the holy mound or man-made square wooden platform where the volva or prophetess sits during the rites of the seidr-magick; examples of these rites appear in both Eirik’s Saga and Vatnsdaela Saga. The sacred seat of the Thul or rune master is also referred to in the Eddas and might be either a High Seat or throne, or a low three legged stool. All of these seats of power represent the center of the world, and the custom of sleeping out upon a burial mound to receive visions was well known.

The most powerful times of day are the four quarters of the Sun: dawn, noon, sunset and midnight. While astrological considerations seem largely absent from runic magick, one might take into account the season of the year and the phase of the Moon: waxing for workings of increase and blessing, waning for decrease and baleful charms.

It is virtually impossible to cover every aspect of Norse magic here, but there is a standard division between its two main forms: galdr and seidr. The first is Odhinn’s runic magick and works by incantations and magickal songs; while seidhr, more shamanistic, was taught by the Vanir Freyja and involved shapeshifting, erotic sorcery, prophecy and astral journey in a trance state. A third form, ergi, involved black magick, perversion, necromancy and cursing. I have not attempted to create an explicit system of practice here; the accomplished vitki (’wise one’ or sorcerer) will devise rites based upon the outlined operations here and in part III.

Banishing:

A fairly standard practice in all forms of magick, however, is to banish opposing forces and establish a sacred space. The following method

is based upon the Asatru banishing and the more elaborate version given by Thorsson in Futhark, p. 91):

At each of the four quarters, then above and below you, cut the sign of the hammer of Thor in the air with the blade or wand (or a hammer!) boldly saying:

Hamarr i Nordhri helga ve thetta ok hald vordh ok hindra alia illskal Hamarr iAustri helga ve thetta ok hald vordh ok hindra alia illskal Hamarr i Sudhri helga ve thetta ok hald vordh ok hindra alia illska” Hamarr i Vestri helga ve thetta ok hald vordh ok hindra alia illskal Hamarr yfir mer helga ve thetta ok hald vordh ok hindra alia illska Hamarr undir mer helga ve thetta ok hald vordh ok hindra alia illskal

In the center repeat:

Hamarr helga ve thetta ok hald vordh ok hindra alia illskal

This can be fairly literally translated as:

Hammer in the North, (East/ South/West/ Over me/ Under me) hallow this sacred enclosure and keep watch and hinder all evil!

Repeat this at the end or closing of the ritual.

A Brief Word to the Wise

Among the many methods of raising power employed by sorcerers, priests and shamans the world over are: chanting and words of power such as mantras; wild dancing; deep breathing exercises; blood sacrifice; trance; concentration, meditation and visualization; rhythmic drumming; prolonged fasting and sleeplessness; hypnosis; alcohol and drugs; sensory deprivation and bondage; strong emotional arousal; flagellation; yoga; sadism and/or masochism; complex symbolism; and of course SEX of every kind. Discretion is very much advised. With this information you should now be at liberty to express your will to the runic powers in a suitably aesthetic manner.

I opened this chapter with these traditional questions:

Knowest how one shall write,

knowest how one shall rede? Knowest how one shall tint, knowest how one makes trial? Knowest how one shall ask, knowest how one shall offer? Knowest how one shall send, knowest how one shall sacrifice?

(Hovamol, v 145)

This is my own answer:

I know how to call them, Primal powers Linked to signs

That bind Nine Worlds.

I know how to carve them, With blade of steel In wood or stone, In flesh or bone.

I know how to stain them, Filled with blood Red with power Burning in black night.

I know how to send them, Bound to branches Bending eastward Weaving in the wind.

I know how to hide them, Secret concealed

In code of number

Or buried deep in earth.

I know how to read them, With a single Eye

Twin ravens flight And wisdom wide.

I know how to offer them, Dissolved in flame Pure as white ash Dust on the wind.

I know how to sacrifice, With mead outpoured Nine sacred songs And Names of all the Gods.

I the Wise One mark the runes, Bright as Fire Dark as Ice

Upon the Tree where Odin hangs.

40

Rimespells

The Rune-Master Formula & The Words of Power

A king he was on carven throne

In many-pillared halls of stone

With golden roof and silver floor, And runes of power upon the door.

(from The Lord of the Rings, byf.R.R. Tolkien)

In many of the magickal inscriptions which have survived the spell is linked to a special formula which includes the name and expresses the command of the one who is creating it; perhaps a form of self-identification with the original discoverer of the runes, the god Odhinn himself, as well. There are also a number of technical terms pertaining to runic operations and certain magickal words of power. This chapter consists mainly of my notes on these phrases as drawn from several sources, primarily from the works of Edred Thorsson and from Runes and Magic by Stephen E. Flowers, neither of whom should be held responsible for my misuse of them. Old Norse may be an appropriate magickal language for runic operations, but I am no linguist; I have merely employed these terms as I understand them. As far as errors in grammar or syntax are concerned, I take comfort in the thought that such matters are frequently rather confused in the original inscriptions, as is to be expected from a society in the early stages of literacy, and that therefore my usage is entirely traditional.

There still survive in all Scandinavian and Germanic countries, and to a lesser extent in the British isles, hundreds of runestones carved with memorial and other inscriptions. Frequently the runes run along the winding serpentine bands forming the bodies of the interlaced “gripping beasts” of the vigorous native artistic tradition of the North, also known from their jewelry-work and wood-carving. Many show similarities and possible influence from Celtic interlace patterns. Any picture-book on the Vikings will include some of these, and The Runes of Sweden by S.B.F. Jansson shows dozens. A modern rune-master might draw upon these images for the form of a work of art, and inscribe them with his own message. For example, the runemaster formula might form a frame surrounding a sigilized bind-rune.

In almost every culture of the world an esoteric initiation is reflected in the giving of a new name, a magickal name, which is used in occult operations as a part of the psychological shift to an arcane reality. In many ways a magickal working is a ritual drama, an act of theatre, where the script (incantation), props (tools), role (name) and actions (operations) all work to create an altered state of consciousness, an inspired state where anything becomes possible. This emotional frenzy works to amplify the will and activate the imagination, and to create an alter ego outside of the mundane world whose function is magickal and whose power is not limited by pre-conceptions about the nature of reality. In virtually all forms of modem Wicca and the various Neo-Pagan revivals, as well as in modern ceremonial magick, the choosing of a new name is a vital part of a new life in a new realm of being. Frequently it reflects the culture whose god-forms one has chosen for devotion, or a historical link to a powerful figure of the past. There is evidence to suggest that the ancient rune-masters used many such names or titles, and may in fact have employed various forms in specific inscriptions for different purposes. It must also be remembered that Odhinn himself had many names and titles derived from his various exploits and journeys in disguise; called heiti or bynames, they reflect the many aspects and functions of a complex and multi-leveled godform, and are powerful when employed in invocations (see also part III).

Another major tenet of most magickal traditions is the knowledge that humans have two or more souls, one of which enlivens the physical body and forms the basis of everyday consciousness, and another which forms the bridge with the divine and is active in more exalted or altered states and in occult operations. Like the ancient Egyptians, the Norse knew and named many components of a multiple-soul complex; while I do not propose to enter into a prolonged discussion of this subject here, mention should be made of the fylgja or fetch, the “follower” or “second”, which appears in dreams and visions in many of the sagas as a protective spirit, in a human or symbolic animal form. This might even appear to correspond to this “Higher Self” or (in the more Crowleyan/G.’.D.’./Abra-melin terminology) to the “Knowledge & Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel”, which is a major goal in individual evolution. In Polynesia we hear of the “spark of life” and the “dream-walker”; in ancient Egypt the Ba and

the Ka, among others, appear. The true magickian will work to attain and utilize contact with this expanded level of the human potential.

Rune-Master Terms and Consecration Formulae:

EK VITKI RIST RUNAR (I the Magician {’wise one’} carved the runes)

EK ERILAR RIST RUNAR (I the Rune Master carved the runes)

RUNO FAHIDO (I color the runes)

RUNO WRITAN (I write the runes)

RUNO FELHEKA (I hide the runes)

HORNATAWIDO (I made the horn)

EK HRABANAR SATIDO STAINA (I the Raven set the stone)

GODHI (priest)

VE (sacred enclosure)

WIHAZ (sanctified);

WIHU (I consecrate);

EK WIWAR (I, the consecrator)

RUNAR RADH RETT RADH (runes rown right rede) sometimes used as a casting invocation in divination.

HOLTIJAR (man of the grove, heathen)

ERILAR (runemaster)

HAITE (am I called)

RUNA (rune)

IAH SATTA RUNAR RETT (I set the runes rightly)

Rune-Types:

HEIDHRUNAR (bright runes)

MYRKRUNAR (dark runes)

BLODGAR RUNAR (blood runes)

LIKNSTAFIR (healing staves)

MEGINRUNAR (might runes)

HELSTAFIR (deathstaves)

Words of Power

LAUKAR (leek; healing and male fertility)

LINA (linseed, flax; female fertility, wellbeing)

GROEDHINGA (growth, the growing one)

HEILL (holiness/wholeness)

GINA (charged with sacred potency)

HAMINGJA (magickal power, luck)

MADHR (man)

ORLOG (fate)

SIG (victory)

ALUGOD (good magick)

AUDR (wealth)

FRAMI (fame)

OND (vital breath)

SALU (sun kissed, health)

UNGANDIZ (unaffected by magical attack)

MATTR OK MEGIN (might and main, personal power)

WODIZ (inspired frenzy)

GANDR (wand or staff and its power)

ALU (ale or mead; magickal power/protective formula)

MEDU (mead)

ODRARIR (Odhroerir) (exciter of inspiration)

BODHN (container)

SON (atonement)

These last are the three containers of the sacred mead or hydromel. LATHU FUTH (I load {invoke} the futh {either futhark as a whole or perhaps fudh, vulva or womb} A formula for charging tools or whatever.

GIBU AUJA (give good luck, prosperity)

TAWO LATHODU (I perform a summons/invocation)

LATHU and GIBU can be paired with most of these words of power, or with single runes.

EM (I am) EK (I) OK (and)

These phrases can be combined at the discretion of the runeworker; it should be remembered that R final is the Z rune and that NG and TH are single letters.

This has all no doubt been extremely ungrammatical.

Every vitki should study the Eddas extensively for an understanding of the deities, magicks and poetic forms of the Norse. Many useful phrases for invocation can be drawn from it. Much runelore is

contained in the Hovamol and Sigrdrifumol, many secrets of the gods and worlds in the Alvismol and Grimnismol, key myths in Skirnismol and Rigsthula, creation and destruction in the brilliant and dramatic Voluspo and tragic Baldrs Draumar; humor in the Lokasenna and Harbarthsljoth. In this work I have for sentimental reasons quoted from the Poetic Edda as translated by Henry Adams Bellows, although technically that of Lee Hollander is undoubtedly better. All quotations from Snorri’s Prose Edda are from the Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur translation, which is more complete than that of Jean Young.

46

Rimespells

Runic Codes

A man is insane who writes a secret in any way other than one which will conceal it from the vulgar.

(Roger Bacon)

This was his last brush with higher education. Spurning that path to knowledge, he joined a group of Sufis and also got involved in the Gurdjiejf teachings... but he gave up on these as being “too complicated, too much work. ” He does still praise the Rosicrucians, but this is because he learned the lucrative mail-order-cult business from that fraternity. One secret doctrine that he admits having gleaned from these rival cults is that any numerical system works magic.

(The Book of the Sub-Genius, page 29.)

Hiding the runes appears to have been an essential part of many operations. Carved upon the backs of broaches, or on stones buried in graves, or on the roots of trees, they were physically concealed, perhaps as part of the sending procedure. However, various codes and riddling methods were also employed, in a physical counterpart to verbal kennings and turns of phrase; for skaldic poetry tended to encode a great amount of symbolic content and hidden layers of meaning in ways long regarded as magickal.

The most obvious way of simultaneously displaying and concealing information from the uninitiated is by a symbolic system requiring training to understand. The runes, or ogham, or hieroglyphics, or any magickal alphabet of your choice or own devising, provide such a basic system. A simple statement of desire written in runes is unintelligible to the general public yet easily deciphered by the powers that rule these realms. A rune may also be used to indicate its name (logo-graphically); such a single rune is sometimes used in the late manuscript tradition to indicate the word it represents; Man, or House, or whatever; this appears in certain Anglo-Saxon riddling poems and in the obscure Abecedarium Nordmanicum as well.

Another basic method of such coding is the bind-rune, which connects two or more runes into a single figure or monogram. One frequent example of this is the combining of the ON word for “I am” (em

or) into a single figure (). This is the “I” of the Rune-master formula, the esoteric or magickal self; combining the runes for Horse and Man it appears in many forms as horse and rider, Odhinn upon Sleipnir. Another frequently occurring form is ek ( into ), the ON “I”; so is the common grammatical ending AR (as ). For more on bind-runes see my previous comments on sigils in the chapter on magick. Runic forms also appear mingled in the staves of Icelandic magick, and in monograms and owner’s marks of various kinds and eras. A number of researchers have proposed theories of runic coding based upon the total number of figures in a given inscription, and suggested that such bind-runes were one way of adjusting the count. Whether or not such practices were common, there seems no reason why they should not be included in the expertise of the modern day runemaster, and the main source available for Northern numerology is again Thorsson (in Futhark p. 102 et seq.; Runelore chapter n).

Some early magickal inscriptions contain multiple repetitions of certain runes; it may be that these were written by workers who were not expert enough to use the runes as a written form of language, but who did understand them as symbolic powers and knew enough about sacred numerology to form spells based on appropriate numbers of figures. Major magickal numbers include 24 as an expression of the futhark as a whole, and later 16 and its multiples after the alphabet was shortened in the Scandinavian countries: 16, 32, 64, etc. Any number from 1 through 24 also expresses the power of that rune in action, and the number 9 (=3x3) is also powerful in Norse magick.

There are two main methods of numbering the runes: by a straight 1-24 count following the standard order of the futhark, or by the binary system of coding described at some length below. By the first method, a word such as ALU would be 4+21+2=27=3x9, for example. This is a useful method for analyzing words of power, although it becomes unwieldy with longer inscriptions. Its usage is similar to that of Gematria in the Hebrew Qabala or Greek Isosephy. An electronic calculator is sometimes useful for formulating the possible permutations of a runic formula.

There are other methods of coding the runes into pictorial figures known from both medieval manuscripts and runic carvings such as the famous early medieval Rok stone in Sweden. These various so-called runic codes are primarily based upon the three-fold division of

the aetts as follows:

#12345678

row I:

row II:

row III:

(my own optional row IV:)

Occasionally the order of the aetts may be reversed as an additional element of complication, thus I-II-III would become instead III-II-I.

Each rune can thus be indicated by a simple binary coding formula: In this method ALU would appear as 1,4: III,5; 1,2; and these can be expressed in various cunning ways. Some methods simply use large and small groups of a single rune to indicate this: isa -runes or laguz - runes were not uncommon (these two sets both express ALU or MNA):

or

Note the similarity to the Celtic ogham tree alphabet.

Other systems used pictorial images such as trees, fish or beards with minor details on either side to indicate given runes (ALU also):

Tent-runes are read clockwise from the top left, first the aett-num-ber and then the position in the row; each gives two runes.

This example expresses the ancient formula GIBU AUJA, which means “give good luck” and often appears abbreviated as the simple bindrune:

On the following two pages I present examples of bind-runes based on a dyadic and triadic division of the rune row. As well as serving to demonstrate again the technique of bind-runes, these divisions are expressions of various ways in which energy flows through the futhark and are useful for meditative purposes.

This brief outline may serve to suggest some of the many ways in

which spells may be concealed in apparently decorative aspects of your physical environment and runic regalia.

Oracles & Divination

For omens and the casting of lots they have the highest regard. Their procedure in casting lots is always the same. They cut ojfa branch of a nut-bearing tree and slice it into strips; these they mark with different signs and throw them completely at random onto a white cloth. Then the priest of the state, if the consultation is a public one, or the father of the family if it is private, offers a prayer to the gods, and looking up at the sky picks up three strips, one at a time, and reads their meaning from the signs previously scored on them. If the lots forbid an enterprise, there is no deliberation that day on the matter in question; if they allow it, confirmation by the taking of auspices is required.

(Tacitus, Germania, chapter io)

This account of divination practiced by the Germanic tribes is generally held to show that runic or proto-runic practices were widespread among them by the dawn of the so-called Christian era or before. There seems no particular reason to doubt this, and so this basic drawing of three signs would appear to be as traditional as possible, and is the best known form for a simple rune-casting. They have been described as “One for the venture, one to cross it, one tells all!”; that is to say, the first defines the problem or situation, the second shows the way to deal with it, and the third gives the final outcome. Superficially, this may be seen as a sequence depicting the past/present/fu-ture as well; but there is no set-in-stone sense of mere predestination implied. Rather, this method reveals the pattern of events as it falls into place at a given time; while it shows the best course to follow at that time, men’s choices and the unexpected occurrence can perhaps shift the pattern of fate in some way. While some sources state that these three runes should be laid right-to-left, it is the consistent usage of the individual practitioner which is vital.

III. II. I. (Three-fold Drawing)

Most importantly, these may be ascribed to the triple Norns, Urdh, Verdande and Skuld, discussed under the heading of the rune Perthro.

Another simple method is to cast the runes outwards and read those that fall closest to you as the past, centrally as the present and outermost as the future.

Various sources have proposed other set patterns, in much the same way as the various established Tarot spreads work; Longland & Osborne even use the Qabalistic Tree of Life as a format for rune-work. Of course, none of this can be considered even remotely traditional; however, two simple patterns I have found useful are drawn from work with the Tarot: the Pyramid and the Double-Helix spreads:

(Pyramid)

VI. Future

IV V Present

I. II. III. Past

The Pyramid is the more simple form and simply provides a straight-forward overview of current events. The Double-Helix, on the other hand, is based on the interweaving dark & bright strands of duality which reconcile in the final card of each triangle and is more useful for introspection and interior exploration (it was based on the form of the DNA molecule by its discoverer Frater Aion):

(Double-Helix)

IX.

Future

VII. VIII.

VI.

Present

V IV HI. Past I. II.

This also has some similarity to the Valknutr layout given by Thomson in At the Well of Wyrd, which contains a number of more elabo

rate methods than those presented here.

Certain other sources suggest the use of a casting-cloth marked in such a way that, when all the runes are cast upon it, they can be interpreted by the area they fall upon. In general there is a circle intersected by a simple cross; the circle in the center represents the present-becoming-future, while the outer areas go progressively further into the past layers of event which lead to this possible or probable outcome. The four quarters then are assigned to the four elements of being: fire, water, earth, air (or energy, liquid, solid, gas) which are the common heritage of the Indo-European esoteric tradition, although it is debatable to what extent the Norse classified their universe in this manner; Thorsson bases a method on the 9-worlds model instead.

Fire Air

Present/Future

Past

Earth Water

The runes are cast upon this field and read according to position; my own feeling is that those which fall face down can be removed or ignored, the main alternative being to simply read these by their darker meaning. This is as good a place as any to express my feelings on reading the runes as reversed or inverted; I tend to feel that giving an exaggerated importance to this is a concept borrowed from the Tarot, and that the original users of the runes were unlikely to have viewed them in this manner. While I have given a selection of both dark and bright meanings in my section on the Aetts, I feel that the intuition of the reader is the most important factor in determining what a given rune is saying in the context of a particular question.

Indeed, many of the runic glyphs can have no reversed position. They can, however, be affected by those that fall nearest to them in a casting.

While any rune has a certain range of implications, and a tendency to contain its own opposites, they remain a fairly straight-forward and

primal system of divination, and it seems to me unwise to complicate this. In this sense the most basic form of rune-divination is the pulling of a single rune from the pouch in answer to a simple query; it is possible to carry on an extended conversation with the runes in this manner, and this is one of the best ways to develop a feel for them in action. Whether or not divination actually has any ultimate meaning (and it is customary to throw the Jungian term “synchronicity” around here) must be decided by the individual; yet if one is open to insight where one can find it the idea of mere coincidence begins to wear thin. If one works with the runes for some time, one will see that they not infrequently defy mere random probability, and so serve their function as a means of communication between various realms. Again, I must emphasize that no system of divination portrays absolutes; they forecast trends and tendencies which enable the wise ones to take advantage of the tides of events. Choices have consequences, and “taking advantage of applied coincidence” is as good a definition of magick as any

Yet another source has this to say:

Rune divination or sortilege was calledHlautr. This word has roots in common with the modern English ’lot’, in the sense of drawinglots’. The generic term for the wood-pieces is hlautvid, of which there were two types. Hlaut-tein is usually translated ’sortilege-twig, and refers to a slip of green wood which has been cut and marked with runes for a one-time use in a query. Blot-span, on the other hand, were chips which had been put through a consecration ritual, and which one would keep to use over and over as the need for divination might arise. Blot is the word for sacrifice. The two parts of the fortune-telling process were the shaking (hrista) and the choosing (kiosa) of the hlaut-vid..

(J.M. Peterson, The Enchanted Alphabet, page 93)

I have also devised a set of runic dice from octahedral fluorite crystals with a rune marked on each face, thus one die per each aett; of course, this does affect the odds in casting somewhat, but they make a fine symbol (see perthro as dice-cup).

For divination one needs a set of the twenty-four runes to consult. Traditionally made of wood, they are now commercially available in many forms; I have seen them in wood, ceramic, metal, horn, crystal and stone forms (the most expensive were carved on disks of jade).

Recently at least four sets of tarot-like rune-decks have appeared; the Rune Magic Cards designed by Tyson & Wood are quite effective.

Runes may be found in your local occult supply store or bought through the internet, but in any case you should work to make them your own in some fashion: whether by simple consecration with fire, water, earth, air, and spirit in the manner of western or eastern traditions; or by recarving the signs and coloring them with your blood; or by naming each rune in turn by chanting one of the rune-poems over them; or by carrying them with you for a time, handling them frequently. In any case, the set you make with your own hands will be better.

In perhaps the simplest manner, you can take a branch of an appropriate wood, saw it into twenty-four disks, and mark them; or split a branch and cut it into slips, marking the center of the flat side. Or you can gather stones to carve and color, or acquire crystal disks at a local gem show, or mark suitable buttons, or shells, or pieces of leather, or (non-plastic) poker chips or checkers, or wood from a hobby-store, or file-cards, or clay, or bone (save those spare-ribs!), or coins, or whatever your own ingenuity can devise. I have no hesitation in suggesting modern methods such as the use of marking pens with glittering metallic inks, or engraving pencils, or my personal favorite, the electric wood-burning tool available in any hobby store. The vikings were practical craftsmen and would have enjoyed these tools.

The important thing is for the overall effect to be one of magickal power and artistic style which seems satisfactory and creative to you. In magick as in any other art, tradition must be balanced with individual skill and innovation. One last word on the final part of the operation of rune-casting as described by classical sources: the confirmation by auspices. The ancient world knew many methods of doing this; here we are probably speaking of observing the flight of birds or meteorological phenomena in a chosen quadrant of the sky. This science of omens, which interpreted the types, numbers and colors of birds and the activities at the eight points of the compass, was perhaps more useful in a society that had not done its best to destroy

everything natural in its surroundings, and much of this lore has been lost.

Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right. (Grateful Dead)

The Aetts

...runes were never a purely utilitarian script; right from their adoption into Germanic usage they served for the casting of lots, divination, and other rites. Communication among people remained a secondary function of runic writing throughout its long history; much more common was the use of runes to invoke higher powers to ajfect and influence the lives and fortunes of men.

...in considering the origin of the runes I propose to treat them separately: on the one hand the formal derivation of the characters themselves - runes as a script; on the other hand the magico-ritualistic significance of runes - the runic lore of the old Germanic world. The latter, I believe, had its origin in the pre-runicpictures andpictorial symbols carved into the rocks and stones of ancient Teutonic lands and closely linked with the religious beliefs and ritual practices of pagan Germanic antiquity. The symbolism of these primitive designs attached itself to alphabetic characters derived from quite another source, certain formal affinities facilitating he fusion. It was in this way that the runic alphabet’ came to be primarily an instrument of magic and the storehouse of pagan Germanic rite and religion.

(Runes: An Introduction by R. Elliott, p. 2)

The images called the Leaves From Yggdrasill are the seed from which this book has grown; in them I have attempted to code as many of the concepts associated with each rune as possible. Along the collage structure of this visual futhark I have attempted to distill all of my gathered wisdom of the runes as the poetic expression of a Norse magickal cosmology. In each section devoted to an individual rune-stave I give the various names of the rune, some diverse levels of meaning, phonetic and numerical values as I through XXXII in the futhark as a whole, and 1,1 through 3,8 or 4,8 in the coded sequence of the aetts. I open with the Anglo-Saxon Rune-Poem (ASRP) verse for each sign, and when it exists I also include the appropriate verse from the Old Icelandic Rune-Poem (OIRP) and the Old Norwegian Rune-Poem (ONRP) as well. For the translation of both the names

of the runes and of the poems themselves I am indebted to the works of Edred Thorsson of the Rune-Gild, whose writings I have drawn upon quite extensively. I am, of course, not the first to do so; but not everyone admits it. The names of the runes in the various applicable tongues are prefixed as follows: Germanic (GMC); Gothic (GO); Old English (OE); and Old Norse (ON).

Again, these follow Thorsson’s usage with an occasional additional meaning from some other source. I then discuss the implications of the names, the gods who might be associated with them, and the elements, trees and beasts linked to them. I may include quotations from the Eddas or other sources. I begin with the known traditional meanings of each rune and then expand on the concepts, drawing on contemporary popular sources as well as more academic or traditional ones. The divinatory meanings especially are drawn from a wide range of works.

What I am attempting to explore are the implications of a sacred cultic alphabet as it might have been understood by the noble men who followed the god Odhinn: kings and skalds, priests and sorcerers, wanderers and warriors, craftsmen and artists, berserkers and blacksmiths, shape-changers and men of wisdom; the masters of the runes of power. It should certainly be mentioned that this tradition also included women of power as well; priestesses, healers and seers of the future, witches, midwives and wisewomen; many of them the mistresses of seidhrmagick. The very important and influential role held by women among the Germanic tribes is mentioned by all the Classical sources, and female practitioners of sorcery often appear in the much later saga literature as well.

If the futhark is, in fact, potentially understood as a magickal and mythological system of communication and cosmology, then a fairly complex body of associations such as suggested here is not impossible. If we assume the growth of the runes as a written alphabet out of primitive ideographic symbols, and that the association of the letter correspondence with the runestave form later occurred acrophoneti-cally (based on the initial of the name associated with each form) then the idea of a god associated with each rune, which in earlier times might simply have been the god’s symbol, may also make some sense.

As to the structure of the futhark, the aett-fold division clearly extends far back in time. Meditation upon the various possible se

quences and combinations of the runes will always be rewarding, as will consideration of the relationships of their shapes. Just for illustration, I would like to suggest a possible interpretation of the meaning of the first four runes in the earliest possible terms, based upon the figures in Bronze Age rock carvings (see Chariot of the Sun by Gelling and Davidson). These show a deity of fertility portrayed among cattle and with a sword; a god of hunting with a bow; and sky-gods with ax or hammer and spear respectively While it is, of course, quite impossible to make absolute statements about symbols from so far in the past, it works for me to consider these ancient symbols as expressing the sequence of sword god, bow god, ax or hammer god, and spear god as Freyr, Ullr, Thor, Odhinn or F/U/Th/A.

This is not a primer of Norse mythology as such, and so many gods and myths are mentioned in passing rather than fully explored; the Eddas and my bibliography will provide further background. Because of the importance of the creation myth to understanding of the Nine Worlds and the elemental forces within them, however, I wish to quote Thorsson’s admirably concise summary before continuing:

“The best source for understanding the runic cosmology is found in the Eddas, where we read that before time began there was Ginnungagap, which literally means a “magically charged void. ” In the southern extreme of this void appeared a world of fire called Muspellheimr, and in the North arose Nifl-heimr or the “mist world. ”From Niflheimr came yeasty waves of ice until the northern region of Ginnungagap became filled with this icy rime and drizzle. At the same time the fire of Muspellheimr spewed forth sparks and glowing particles. But the center remained “mild as windless air.” When the forces of fire and ice met, the ice was melted and the yeast was quickened by the power ofMuspellheimr. This formed the primal giant, Tmir (“the roarer”), which indicates “primal vibration.” From this androgynous being sprang the races of rime-giants. Tmir was fed by the milk ofAudhumla, the cosmic cow, which was instantly formed from the dripping rime. She licked salty ice blocks and thereby formed the archetypal man, Buri, also an androgyne. From Buri sprang Borr who married Bestla, the daughter of a rime-giant. From this union Odhinn, Vili,

and Ve (masters of inspiration, will, and holiness, respectively) were born. They slew Tmir and fashioned and fitted the world with portions of his cosmic body. The sons ofBorr then fashioned the primal man and woman, calledAskr and Embla (“ash” and “elm’). The gods gave them a variety of “spiritual” gifts....”

(page 72, Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic, by Edred Thorsson)

This complex of magickal creative forces functions and is expressed by the ordered sequence of the sacred runes, which can thus be used to influence and govern the ongoing flow of human events. From this first creation based on the slaying of the Ice Giant Ymir, history proceeds eventually to the Ragnarok or Twilight of the Gods, when the final battle takes place between the forces of order and chaos. After considerable carnage the universe is destroyed by the Fire Giant Surtr; and later a new world arises from the ashes of the old, repopulated by a surviving human couple and a handful of surviving Aesir and Vanir, under the light of a new sun and moon.

F U,VTh A R K,C,Q G W,V

H N I J, Y Ei P Z,X S (if final, R)

TBEMLNgDO

(This fourth aett covers the later added letters and the actual sounds represented may remain controversial and uncertain:)

A,O Ae Y Io Ao,Ea Q C St

The futhark forms employed in this book are fairly straightforward and accurate to tradition. The so-called elder futhark consisted of 24 runes; in the Scandinavian countries this was later shortened to 16 with an accompanying loss of accuracy and flexibility, while in Anglo-Saxon areas additional runes were added at later dates to cover sounds not in the original order. My version is essentially this original 24-rune futhark with a brief commentary on the additional later runes; since

there were some regional variations in different eras I will defend my codification here as being as valid as any other, and designed to preserve as much as possible the original letter forms. Certain major alternate shapes are discussed under the headings of the individual runes later in part II. To minimize linguistic confusion I employ the original Germanic names of the runes, and usually refer to the more hypothetical final aett in modern English.

FEHU (F): Wealth, Cattle. A rune of golden energy, power, fertility, growth, expansion and success. Wealth in the form of both herds of cattle and of money. Linked to the Vanir (fertility gods).

Freyr Freyja Frigga the sword-god of fertility, Fenris

URUZ (U): Aurochs; Rain. This now-extinct wild ox was a symbol of wild animal power and phallic vitality, and also of life giving rain.

Ullr the bowgod of hunting and wild animal power; dark twin slayer

Vili, Ve, Vidar,Verdund, Urd

THURISAZ (TH): Giant; Thorn. The power of both attack and defense, linked to both the dangerous storm-giants and the protective thunder god Thor and his hammer. Also a phallic symbol.

or ax god defender from giants magickal weapon

Meteor

ANSUZ (A): Ancestral God, Aesir, Odhinn. The primary rune of magick and spells. Odin is king of the gods, speaker of poetry and wisdom, shamanic ecstasy. The Aesir are sky-gods.

spear-god speaker of wisdom magick power of runes Aegir

RAIDHO (R): Riding, Way; Wagon, Chariot. Represents the rhythmic course of life, and the sun-goddess. Linked to rhythm in ritual and music.

Rann

KENAZ (K, C, Q): Torch, fever. The primary rune of Fire, and the craft and skill of the blacksmith, shaman, warrior or lover. Lust.

controlled sun-fire

GEBO (G): Gift; Wedding. The grain-goddess as Giver: sacrificial offerings; the primary rune of love-magick.

Gefjon Gerd Gridr the giver grain-goddess offerings of sacrifice lovemagick the plow

WUNJO (W,V): Joy, pleasure, delight; meadow, pasture. Rune of joyful life, and the golden apples of the goddess Idunna which grant immortality.

Wyrd Wodan joy, ecstasy, frenzy rune-slips raven-banner

HAGALAZ (H): Hail, hailstone, world-egg. The seed or creative power of the storm, and the union of the primal powers of fire and ice.

Hailstone Heimdall Hermod Hod Hel

NAUTHIZ (N): Need, necessity, constraint; need-fire. The sacred fire annually rekindled; also the negative forces like hunger and cold, with which humans must constantly strive. The Forgotten Ones.

needfire sacred fire rekindled hunger and cold must be fed dark gods Njord Nornir Nerthus Nanna

ISA (I): Ice; bridge, jewel. Ice is the contracting and crystallizing power solidifying the universe (paired with expanding energy of fire). May be linked to rainbow bridge Bifrost.

world forming Ymir Idunna

JERA (J,Y): Year, good harvest; eagle. The cosmic cycle of the yearly

harvest completed in festival. Eagles and ravens are Odin’s birds.

cycle completed festival mythos Jord

Jormungund

EIHWAZ (El): Yew tree, Yggdrasill. The world-tree whose branches are over heaven and roots beneath the earth; and the shamanic journey between life and death.

dreamtime Ullr

PERTHRO (P): Lot box, dice cup, chesspiece. The rune of the Norns, triple goddesses who weave the web of fate, chance, and destiny. Symbolic grid and/or container of the runes.

ELHAZ (Z, X): Elk, swan, protection, eel-grass. A complex rune, symbolizing the fylgja or follower, a hereditary guardian or animal totemic spirit; also a protective shield or outspread hand; and other meanings.

amber

SOWILO (S): Sun; jewel, sail. Solar power, breath and light, the Sun goddess, health, energy and wholeness.

light sun-ship by night Sif Syr Sleipnir Skul

TIWAZ (T): Tyr; a star. The rune of victory. Tyr is a very old star and sky-god connected to both justice and war, and is called upon in single (judicial) combat.

BERKANO (B): Birch Tree, or Goddess. The main rune of the goddess Freya, patron of love and sorcery; and of spring and the fertility of plant life, the green rebirth of the earth. She is queen of the Vanir or earth-gods.

Baldur, Bragi

EHWAZ (E): Horse, or twin horses. Horses are the sacred steeds of

the sun and moon, and the way of riding and of power for humans. May be linked to Odin’s 8-legged steed Sleipnir.

MANNAZ (M): Man, Human Being. The human condition; perhaps also the moon, which is male in Norse myth. Also may be linked to the Hawk (Horus?) and to N’Aton, the collective human evolutionary genome.

Mani

LAGUZ (L): Water, Sea, Lake; Leek. The power of Water; waterfalls are sacred places. Also the sea, healing (often by herbs), dreams and fertility.

Loki

INGWAZ (NG): Ing (god or hero). Ing is a form of Frey, twin brother of the goddess Freya; he is a phallic, solar and harvest deity, linked to burial mounds, sacred bonfires, human heroes, and the wain or wagon representing the coursee of the sun by day.

DAGAZ (D): Day The magical or enlightened state of consciousness, cosmic paradox, and mystery; a rune of Odin.

OTHALA (O): Ancestral Property, Homeland. Inherited property; the house, homeland, tribe or gild. Completion.

In later times more forms were added to cover new sounds. While there are perhaps fewer mythic associations with these less traditional runestaves, hypothetical associations include:

Ae Oak tree ship acorn

A Ash world-tree Odin-spear

Y Bow gold rings

Io amphibian beast shape-shifter, bear walker

EA earth-grave, dust, burial mound

Q ritual fire of cremation or of solar regeneration

C libation cup

ST rune-stone

G Gungnir

66

Rimespells

Fehu

Wealth, Cattle.

’F’_; I; 1,3-

(Money) is a comfort to everybody although every man ought to deal it out freely if he wants to get approval from the lord. (ASRP)

Fehu is the rune of increase in wealth, the fertility of cattle, and primal energy. In all the languages the name has a double meaning: GMC fehu, GO faihu, OE foeh, and ON fe all originally mean ’cattle, livestock’ and later ’money’; in either case referring to wealth as mobile property. The various rune-names are also cognate to the modern english word ’fee’, an apt term for this play of economic forces. This wealth at the outer level is the activity and goal of most men, and the means of action in the physical world. Esoterically, however, it is the gold of energy, the creative fire, the magical force in the sorcerer’s being, and the light of the sun, the moon and the stars, which are said by the classical Roman sources to have been worshipped by the earliest Germanic tribes. It is the unstoppable natural power of the stampeding herd, or of wildfire in the forests. It is the flame which is present at the creation and at the destruction of the worlds.

Herds of livestock are among the first forms of wealth; in some tribal cultures humans were almost totally dependent for survival on cattle, who would draw the plow to till the soil. Meat, milk, hides, horns for drinking, the dowry for a bride, individual wealth and the inheritance of succeeding generations: all depended upon the fertility of the herds. Preliterate societies can often trace the line of their family descent back for many generations; in herding tribes the same is often true of the genealogy of cattle. One is also reminded of the heroic myths including great cattle thefts among the Celts, and of similar lively events in the Norse sagas.

It is significant that one of the first personified triads in Norse cosmology is the cow Audumla, who nourishes the androgynous giant Ymir and the father of all the gods, Buri; she is the primal goddess in a zoomorphic or animal form common to many cultures. See also the following rune, Uruz .

In later times the meaning expanded to cover other forms of wealth: gold and silver and jewels, ships and goods for trade. The gods themselves gain, hold and bestow various sacred treasures and boons. It is through use, trade, circulation, commerce and gifts that wealth increases and bonds between men are formed; cattle breed more cattle, and riches beget riches. The primary associated god-form is Frey, the phallic lord of this world, of fertility and increase. The earth holds the seeds of harvest as well as gold; Frey is linked to sun-light, and a tale is told in the sagas of one of his priests, whom he so loved that after his death no snow ever fell upon his burial mound. Frey himself was once the mortal king Frodhi, and during his reign peace and great plenty were known. Even after his death men poured offerings of gold into his mound; many early peoples thought of gold as sunlight crystallized within the earth. The steed of the god was Gullinbursti, an enchanted boar forged of gold who could fly over land and water, a symbol of the sun. The boar was also served at the Yule-tide feast, and warriors sometimes swore oaths upon it. Many northern battle-helms had boarcrests, for this wild beast is a mighty fighter. Frey, however, is mainly seen as a peaceful god; although he is destined to fight the firegiant Surtr at Ragnarok, still it is said that no blood was allowed to be shed in his temples or sacred fields, and during the time of his festival, all wars and feuds were suspended and no weapons were carried. The main myth linked to Frey is told in Skirnismol, and relates how he loved and wooed the giantess Gerd. This has been generally interpreted as an ancient agricultural myth of the union between sun-god (Frey) and the earth-goddess (Gerd), and there are small metal plates surviving which are believed to represent this holy couple and their sacred marriage (hieros gamos). In this courtship Frey gives away his sword, and at Ragnarok he must fight the malignant giant Surtr with only a horn or antler as a weapon. This pairing of Frey and Surtr again shows a link with the concept of primordial fire; and yet another form of the magickal fire in northern myth is that of the enchanted ring of flame surrounding the entranced valkyrie Brynhild who is won by Sigurdr. Such glowing rings of faerie fire also appear around burial mounds in Norse, and faerie-mounds or glass hills in Celtic, tales. Such places are known to contain both buried treasures and gateways to the other-worlds, including the realms of elves, gods, and the dead.

In this context I may also mention another aspect of this golden

force: in recent studies of ley lines, earth energies and geomancy it has been pointed out that many of the myths of treasure buried beneath mounds and standing stones may in fact refer to the currents of energy which they are intended to concentrate and direct.

While most sources seem to agree on Frey as ruling deity of this rune, another appropriate association might be with Niord, Vanir god of the sea, ships, and riches, who is the father of the twins Freya and Frey; an elder god from an earlier layer of mythology Frey, however, was in Viking times one of the major gods of the Norse peoples, while Niord was slipping into obscurity. Frey also seems to have been in many ways a lord of beasts as well, with strong links to the sacred boar and the horse as well as to cattle. He also spent much time among the light-elves, and is described as their king. Bellows also notes the custom of gilding the horns of sacrificial cattle, a linking of gold with animal energies:

A fane will I ask, and altars many, Gold-horned cattle the prince shall give me... (Helgakvitha Hjorvarthssonar, v. 4).

One of the obligations of the wealthier chieftains was that of providing bulls for the sacrificial feasts of the community. The shape of the rune itself may represent the horns of cattle, or the horns of a hart mentioned as Freyr’s weapon, or perhaps the extended arms of a man or the branches of a tree.

Ultimately the cosmic principal here is that of boundless energy, the first cause of things, the formative fire which conjoined with ice formed the worlds at their beginning. It is this same mingled force that gives life to men and is utilized by rune-masters.

(Money) is the (cause of) strife among kinsman and the fire of the flood-tide, and the path of the serpent.

’gold’ ’leader of the war-band’ (OIRP)

Like most of the runes, the principle of wealth has a double aspect; wealth is both blessing and curse, boon and bane, desired by friend or foe alike: a source of both power and peril.

If wealth a man has won for himself

let him never suffer in need;

Oft he saves for a foe what he plans for a friend,

For much goes worse than we wish.

“A man knows not, if nothing he knows,

That gold oft apes begets;

One man is wealthy and one is poor

Yet scorn for him none should know.

Among Fitjungs sons saw I well-stocked folds, -

Now bear they the beggar’s staff;

Wealth is as swift as a winking eye, Of friends the falsest it is.

Cattle die, and kinsmen die,

And so one dies one’s self;

One thing I know that never dies, The fame of a dead man’s deeds. (Hovamol)

(Money) causes strife among kinsmen; the wolf grows up in the woods. (ONRP)

Magickal uses: to increase wealth and prosperity; to increase personal power by drawing upon the light of the sun, moon and stars; to strengthen psychic power and foresight; to bless the community; to protect valuables; to project energy Thorsson links this rune to the hamingja, a form of magickal power or luck; heroes sent on great missions by kings were sometimes loaned the use of this royal luck for the duration.

Bright meanings: wealth, energy, fertility, creativity, nourishment, success, luck, property, ambition, increase, prosperity, profit, gain, resources, status, good fortune, favorable forces, opportunity, new beginnings, foresight, money, possessions, power, sharing, renewal, ownership, luxury, generosity, courage, expansion.

Dark meanings: poverty, failure, stagnation, loss, bad luck, infertility, wastefulness, greed, retreat, conflict, alienation, discord, burnout,

obstruction, atrophy, debt, cowardice, dullness, miserliness, slavery, hoarding, servility

Image: the god Frey sits before cattle and gold, the forms of wealth; the hands dealing out coins reflect the interplay of trade. Above, the stars emit stellar energy; the butterfly may symbolise the soul, life evolving from larva to winged beauty in constant metamorphosis.

“What call they the hall, encompassed here

With flickering magic flames?”

(Svipdagsmot)

72

Rimespells

Uruz

Aurochs; Rain.

’U,V’; II; i, 2.

(Aurochs) is fearless and greatly horned a very fierce beast, it fights with its horns, a famous roamer of the moor it is a courageous animal. (ASRP)

The GMC uruz, GO urus, and OE ur as the names of this rune all mean ’aurochs, an ox or bison’. ON ur gives an additional meaning of ’rain or drizzle’. It is a sign of strength and animal vitality, and also of the pattern which structures the universe. Where the first rune may in part refer to domesticated cattle, the aurochs is an extremely wild and savage animal, and in earlier times was highly regarded as a sacrificial offering among the Germanic tribes. It is the individual and organic expression of the golden power of fehu ; the bull is also often associated with the god of the sky in ancient carvings.

The aurochs is now extinct, but this breed of wild ox once roamed the forests of North Africa, Europe and south-western Asia. It is described by Julius Caesar. It became extinct in 1627, when the death in a hunt of the last known aurochs is recorded.

To give an idea of its size, the bulls could grow to six feet at the shoulder, and the horns, which were prized as drinking cups holding a gallon of liquid, could reach an individual length of six feet, making a total horn span of over twelve feet.

(Rune Games, Eongland & Osborn)

The classical reference to the aurochs mentioned above, from Caesar’s Gallic War, is also worth quoting at length:

These are somewhat smaller in size than elephants, and are like bulls in appearance, colour, and shape. Great is their strength and great is their speed, and once they have spied man or beast

they do not spare them. These the Germani capture skillfully in pits; and their young men harden themselves by such labour and exercise themselves by this kind of hunting And those who have slain most of the beasts bring the horns as evidence thereof to a public place and win great fame. The animals, even if caught very young cannot be tamed or accustomed to human beings. Their horns differ very much from those of our oxen in size and shape and kind. The Germani collect them eagerly, encase their edges in silver, and use them as beakers at their most magnificent banquets.

(translation from Elliott’s Runes: An Introduction, page yo)

It has been suggested that the hunting of this beast served as an initiation rite for the young warriors of the tribe, a marking of their coming-of-age by sacred ordeals and rites of passage. Clearly the sheer power and vitality of the aurochs indicate strength and health; from the earliest times beasts with horns were thought of as symbols of divine power and masculine potency, of virility and courage.

The famous horned helmets of the Vikings were never used in war; their depictions in art seem to show ritual dancers, frequently in combination with animal figures. Virtually all shamanic traditions have such masked dances in connection with their hunting-rites, as well as similar initiations of the young. In this context it may be that the horns symbolise the penetration by human consciousness of other worlds, by the assumption of bestial god-forms. It seems that the majority of pagan gods had sacred animals associated with them, and the Norse gods are no exception. The animals are among the oldest powers that man depended upon for his survival, and a sense of kinship with and respect for them is a gift we have largely lost in modern times. The magickal talent of speaking with beasts or birds (as did Sigurdr in the Norse or Taliesin in the Celtic tradition) is also regrettably no longer common.

The rune-poem repeats its reference to the horns, and so there may also be a number of other possible links with the ancient mystic artifact known as the Gjallerhorn, which appears in several contexts in Norse myth: Odhinn is said to drink the waters from Mimir’s well from it, and in its alternate form of a lurs-horn (there is perhaps some confusion of function here) Heimdall will sound it to signal the

coming of the Ragnarok; it is kept beneath the World-Tree Yggdrasil. Drinking horns were greatly prized and used in sacred as well as everyday feasting; they have been found in pairs in burial sites. Also, in his expedition to fish for the Midgard-Serpent, Thor uses the head of a great ox as bait (a popular theme in Viking art, with several surviving examples):

Swift to the wood the hero went,

Till before him an ox all black he found;

From the beast the slayer of giants broke

The fortress high of his double horns.

(Hymiskvitha, v. 19)

It is also emphasized that both the aurochs and the warriors who hunt it are fierce fighters, which implies that this is a rune both of battle and of protecting one’s own territory; nor can we forget the pre-mating combats of some animals in the rutting season.

Perhaps the god-form most linked to this rune is Audumla, the primal cow-goddess mentioned in the section on the previous rune. Formed at the time when the first beings were born from the union of Fire and Ice, from the glittering rime where these twin forces met, she symbolizes a primal pattern for the forming of the cosmos itself; a cosmos later given physical being from the body of the slain giant Ymir, her counterpart. This pattern is that of a living body, and thus of all organic systems. She nourishes the world and gives it fertility, a quality also imparted by rain; and as a bull is a source of virility and strength for the same purpose. We may also note the appearance of miraculous cows with inexhaustible supplies of milk in various folktales throughout the British Isles.

The shape of the rune may be that of the ox-yoke which places freedom and strength under the control of the will, or of the continual cycle of rising mist becoming falling rain, or simply the horns of the beast (pointing downwards), or the erect head of the phallus.

(Drizzle) is the weeping of clouds and the diminisher of the rim of ice and (an object) for the herdsman’s hate.

’shadow’ (should read ’imber’, shower?) ’leader’ (OIRP)

Rain and weather in general are matters of great concern in early agricultural groups, especially in lands as harsh as Scandinavia, and with the other forces of nature appear frequently in the futhark. Yet a third meaning for this rune is the ON ur, ’slag’:

(Slag) is from bad iron; oft runs the reindeer on the hard snow. (ONRP)

Slag is ash and cinder, formed in the smelting of metals or by volcanic eruptions. To understand the meaning of this we might consider the early vision of the blacksmith as a magickal figure, working with the basic forces of fire and water and iron to create strong swords and tools. The earliest swords were often forged from meteoric iron, fallen from the sky and considered sacred; weapons among the Vikings were frequently given names and handed down from the ancestors to their descendents. It is also significant that the Eddas reached their final form in Iceland, where actual volcanoes and glaciers on the edge of the known world showed creation from Fire and Ice in action. The reindeer would seem to have later taken the place of the extinct aurochs as a virile horned animal to be hunted.

It seems that there may also be a sense of cleansing and purification (the falling rain as water, the slag removed from bad iron by fire, the cow Audhumla freeing the original progenitor from the ice) leading to health and strength. We must also remember the holy well of Urdhr which sustains the universal tree of nine worlds and the fates of all those who dwell in them.

Finally, among the gods the letter U might suggest Ullr, archergod of hunting, a figure known mainly from Bronze Age stone-carvings and surviving place-names, who was largely forgotten in historical times:

One is called Ullr, son ofSif, stepson of Thor; he is so excellent a bowman, and so swift on snowshoes, that none may contend with him. He is also fair of aspect and has the accomplishments of a warrior; it is well to call on him in single combats.

(Prose Edda, p. 41)

Magickal Uses: Healing and increase in vitality, potency and strength; communication with animals; repairing damage to the

earth’s ecology; survival in the wilderness; use of earth currents and ley-lines; rites of passage; physical energy and magnetism; shaping the patterns of the will; good fortune and protection; wisdom gained from study of nature; penetration of other realms and communion with animal spirits; masked dancing; wisdom of primal archetypes; invoking Horned Gods.

Bright meanings: health, strength, vitality, bravery, manhood, womanhood, prowess, nature, physical power, sexuality, evolution, protection, harmony, the body, energy, growth, change, freedom, exuberance, wilderness, tenacity, pattern, force, luck, energy, defense, courage, action, challenges, agility, endurance, resolve, independence.

Dark meanings: weakness, illness, ordeals, danger, savagery, cruelty, harshness, impotence, laziness, inconsistency, obsession, misdirection, blockage, brutality, rage, violence, rape, sadism, heedlessness, rashness, animal behavior.

Image: the herd of great horned animals thunders over the land. The image of the aurochs is repeated on the mythic, archetypical level above; dust or ash like slag is trampled below.

78

Rimespells

Thurisaz

Giant; Thorn. ’TH’; III; 1,3.

(Thorn) is very sharp;

for every thane

who grasps it, it is harmful, and exceedingly cruel to every man

who lies upon them. (ASRP)

The primary exoteric meaning here is that of ’giant’. In GMC it is thurisaz, ’the strong one, giant’ and in ON thurs, ’giant’. In GO thiuth, ’the good one’, and in OE thorn, ’thorn’. Yet esoterically, virtually all sources agree on an identification with the god Thor as well; and while Thor had giant blood and giantess lovers, he is generally seen as the great defender of the Aesir against the hostile forces pen sonified as the giants. This unification of opposing forces is the function of the rune. The final meaning, from the ASRP, is that of’thorn’, which is generally thought to be a later Christian gloss; yet as with other similar forms I assume that this is reconcilable with the original pagan meanings.

First, the question of giants. Several types of these primal titans may be distinguished in Norse myth, including etins, thurses, jotuns, etc. They appear to represent the earliest personified forms of the various cosmic forces (such as ice, fire, storms) and are frequently intermarried with the gods; possibly they are the spirits of pre-Indo-European peoples, perhaps absorbed into a later pantheon in a similar manner to the Vanir. They are most usually portrayed as the enemies of the gods, and there are many accounts of Thor’s battles with them; yet Odhinn spends time learning wisdom from them, many of the goddesses are originally giantesses, and much of the blood of the gods comes from giant stock. Many human heroes are taught by giant foster-parents. They seem similar to the titans of Greek myth in some ways.

The other side of the meaning is Thor or Thunir, the god of thunder, the main defender of men and gods against the giant’s blind fury. In many ways he was in fact the primary deity of the Norwegians, as

Frey was in Sweden; Odhinn’s cult was more a concern of the nobility than of the common people. Thor was huge, strong, and red-bearded, very much like a giant himself; his tree was the oak; he helped in war, farming, sea-voyages, and was invoked to hallow marriages:

the giant’s leader: to hallow the bride;

let Mjollnir lie, ofVor* may bless.

Then loud spake Thrym, Bring in the hammer On the maiden’s knees That us both the hand *goddess of vows (Thrymskvitha, v. 30)

Small Thonhammers were worn around the neck of his worshippers, and drawing of the sign was used to bless drinks and such. His father was Odhinn, god of heaven, and his mother was Jord, goddess/ giantess of earth; as the storm that has both destructive and fertilizing powers he represents their union. His primary weapon is the hammer Mjollnir, ’Crusher’, that strikes with the power of lightning and always returns to his hand; he also possessed an enchanted belt which doubled his strength, and iron gauntlets for controlling this hammer. He rides in a chariot drawn by goats, which were his favoured sacrificial animals. In one tale he kills and eats his goats, and magically restores them to life in the morning; a similar goat provides meat for the warriors in Valhalla. It seems that the rune may well symbolise his weapon Mjolnir, perhaps in its more primitive form of an axe, typical of those borne by storm-gods in several other cultures as well. In Bronze Age rock-carvings this ax appears to be linked to the rites involving sun-disks, and thus to an early link to the god of the skies. This hammer is also the power of the lightning bolt that shatters great trees, or of the meteorite that smashes down from the sky. Many of the earliest iron weapons were made from meteoric deposits, and the hammer or ax thus appears as the symbol of the stormgod from prehistoric times onwards. Stone age axes have often been found in Scandinavia as votive offerings.

A late saga records Thor’s challenging of Jesus Christ to a wrestling match; unsurprisingly, Thor won.

In the ASRP the rune means ’thorn’. Like the apparently hostile natural forces represented by the giants, wild thorns are a source of

discomfort to men; at the same time they are the protector of plant life. This points to some of its negative meanings in divination, such as troubles, strife, and the resistance of powerful natural forces; as well as to its dual nature as a sign of protective weaponry as well. It is said that barbed wands of blackthorn were used by Celtic sorcerers for purposes of blasting and cursing, and there is also mention of the svefnthorn or ’sleep-thorn’ in the Eddas (a form of primitive sedative hypodermic needle). The Eddie poem Skirnismol contains a long, threatening curse which is triggered by triple thurs runes; along with the setting up of the scorn pole in Eigil’s Saga, this provides one of the clearest surviving examples of malefic galdrar. The ’scorn pole’ would apparently be buried in the earth (to draw upon subterranean or telluric currents) and aimed at the victim’s house, and topped with a real or carved horse’s head and carved with malefic runes; a rather nasty bit of sorcery

(Thurs) causes the sickness of women; few are cheerful from misfortune. (ONRP)

(Thurs) is the torment of women, and the dweller in the rocks, and the husband of a giantess.

’Saturn’ ’ruler of the ’thing’,’ ’peace-maker’ (OIRP)

The lines about a ’dweller in the rocks’ and the ’husband of a giantess’ may well refer to Thor and his exploits (his bride was Sif). As for the odd lines about the ’sickness of women’, it has been suggested that they may refer to the travails of childbirth. Both Thor and the giants may have phallic aspects, and the symbol of the hammer was passed over the bride and groom to hallow a wedding. The rune itself may represent a man with an erect phallus. The storm is a power of fertility as well as destruction (see Hagalaz ). In shape the rune is a thorn on a stem; the hammer or earlier axe; or again, a standing figure with a phallic extension; in any case representing a unified force projecting from the poles of two extremes, whether protective or destructive. The hammer is both destroyer and life-giver, in the cycle of death and birth. Thunder brings rain, thus life.

One final figure about whom little is known is Odhinn’s grandfa

ther Bolthorn, father of his mother Bestla and perhaps his uncle Mi-mir. The hammer also recalls the blacksmith as a figure of power.

Magickal uses: rites of protection, defense and banishing; or of blasting and cursing; focussing the will; sex magick; summoning storms and lightning; victory in combat; order brought out of chaos.

Bright meanings: defense, power, force, awakening, phallus, will, child-birth, protection, potency, tests, eroticism, regeneration, might, action, reaction, catharsis, catalyst, libido, travails of childbirth, energy

Dark meanings: danger, trouble, pain, ordeals, storms, annoyances, vulnerability, hassles, conflict, attack, insanity, accidents, bad news, deceit, delays, destruction, barriers, defenselessness, betrayal, spite, compulsion, irritation, hostility, dullness, malice, vengeance, envy, wilderness, petty annoyances, quarrels, black magick, torture.

Image: above the snowy mountains at the edge of the world appears an ancient image of the god Thor; his hammer emits bolts of lightning. Below are represented three of his primary symbols: the hammer Mjolnir, the iron gloves with which he controls it, and the magickal belt Megingjardar which increases his strength.

Recommended Reading: The Mighty Thor, monthly from Marvel Comics.

Ansuz

Ancestral God, Aesir, Odhinn. A’, later ’O’; IV; 1,4.

(God/Mouth) is the chieftain of all speech, the mainstay of wisdom and a comfort to the wise ones, for every noble warrior hope and happiness. (ASRP)

According (as usual) to Thorsson, all the names of this rune are defined as ’a god (ancestor or Aesir)’: GMC ansuz, GO ansus, ON ass, and OE os; the OE os also has the meaning of ’mouth’. As the letter A’, it is the primary rune of Odinn, king of the gods and father of men, the sign of the power of ecstasy and inspiration, and of its potent transmission through the spoken word, the magickal song, and the primal breath of life.

Odinn is an extremely complex mythological figure, having countless names and aspects, with a range of functions including war and sovereignty, law and healing, skald-craft and rune-lore, love-making and death, and above all wisdom, ecstasy, creation, and magick. As an original sky-god he rules wind, storm, and the Wild Hunt; in war he gives both victory and defeat, binds and looses the fetters of panic and of the berserker frenzy; as lord of death he guides souls and gathers heroes in the hall of the slain against the day of Ragnarok; as a sorcerer he is master of the runes and giver of shamanic visions; he is king of the gods and guards all their rites; with his brothers (who are perhaps his other forms) he was involved with the origin of man. He is the ruler of poetry and skald-craft, the making of songs of power; a trickster and shape-shifter; a wanderer involved in a ceaseless quest for wisdom and in amorous adventures with various goddesses, giantesses, and mortals; his sons are the gods of the Aesir. Many of his feats are involved with his ceaseless quest for wisdom: these include winning Odhroerir, the sacred mead of inspiration and poetry, away from the giants; trading one of his eyes for a drink giving wisdom from the well of Mimir; and an act of self-sacrifice, hanging himself upon the

world tree Yggdrasill, by which he won the secrets of the runes (and which many relate to the Tarot card of The hanged Man). In human terms, in fact, Odhinn can be seen as the deified man or ancestor who first created the futhark long ago. This entire book is essentially about Odhinn.

A vital component in this system is the concept of the sacred mead (a form of honey wine) which gives poetic inspiration and magickal ecstasy. This mead was made from the blood of Kvasir, an all-wise being formed from the mingled essences of the Aesir and Vanir at the time of their peace treaty after they fought the first war of the world. After Kvasir was slain, his blood was made into a drink containing all the wisdom of the gods, and this fell into the hands of the giants. It was rescued by Odhinn’s trickery: in the form of a serpent he entered the mountain cave where it was hidden, seduced the daughter of the giant who guarded it, and over the course of three nights drained each of the three vessels where it was contained: Odhroerir (“exciter of inspiration”), Bodhn (“container”), and Son (“atonement”). He then escaped in the form of an eagle and bore the mead back to Asgardhr. Odhroerir became the name of this mystic draught itself, and three interlocked drinking horns are a major symbol of Odhinn, as are the three interlocked triangles called the valknutr or knot of the slain, which shows his power of binding and loosening the panicfetter in battle. Other symbols include the spear Gungnir which always returns to his hand, the golden ring Draupnir which produces eight more rings on every ninth day, the High Seat where he sits and sees all the nine worlds with a single eye, his swift eight-legged horse Sleipnir, and the ravens and wolves, eagles and hawks (beasts of the battlefields) who are his familiars.

(Ase = Odhinn) is the olden-father (shaper) andAsgardhr’s chieftain, and the leader ofValholl.

’Jupiter’’point-leader’ (OIRP)

Ansuz thus encloses all magickal powers and gives them to the rune-master. The runes become a system of mystical communication between the worlds, which enable the sorcerer to bind and command the forces of nature, to enter the shamanic trance and attain the vi

sions of all realms of time and space. The power of breath, of life itself, is governed by the will expressed in the spoken word. Concentrated into a magickal verse they command the powers within man and in the outer cosmos. Oratory, the power of the word, is the method of control and persuasion used by kings, priests, and leaders since the beginning of humankind; the gift of spoken language separates us from the beasts. In penliterate societies the only means for the transmission of knowledge from generation to generation is by oral tradition, and poetry is a major means of preserving wisdom intact in the memory. Some early Norse images of Odinn show a mask with lines which may indicate breath or speech radiating from its mouth.

While the earliest meaning of the rune is ’God’, the ASRP also uses the term ’Mouth’ to define it; while this appears to be a Christian gloss, it must also have had an acceptable meaning in the context of the earlier pagan mythological system. It is the mouth that breathes, that speaks words of power that command or create, that can effect instant communication between the worlds by the medium of the runes. These are the powers of Odhinn, the expression of the true will.

Thorsson suggests that the shape of the rune maybe that of Odhinn wandering with his cloak blowing in the wind; I would also suggest the spear with a warstandard or raven banner flying from it, and it further resembles early tree-shaped protorunic forms. The genealogies of several early royal houses list Odhinn as an ancestor, and this rune can also symbolize all of the Aesir.

(The River Mouth) is the way of most journeys, but the sheath

is (that way for) swords. (ONRP)

The reference to a river mouth suggests the life giving qualities of water (see laguz).

Magickal uses: This rune governs and empowers all magickal operations and incantations; its major purposes include the gaining of wisdom, power and ecstasy; communication with other realms and orders of being; hypnosis and charismatic powers of suggestion; the mysteries of death and life; clairvoyance and astral vision; magickal or divine power received, contained and expressed; seership; self-trans-formation.

Bright meanings: magick, poetry, communication, wisdom, song, persuasiveness, inspiration, ecstasy, signals, messengers, oratory, initiation, insight, advice, elder lore, sacred knowledge, art, debate, eloquence, teachers, scholarship, learning, sorcery, writing, speech, awareness, synthesis, transformation, intellect, consciousness, understanding, language, harmony, instruction, truth, legend, ideas.

Dark meanings: tricksters, treachery, bad advice, warnings, lies, failure to communicate, ’black’ magick, delusion, misunderstanding, manipulation, gibberish, imitation, pomposity.

Image: Odhinn is enthroned upon the High Seat, holding the spear Gungnir, with his ravens and wolves. Upon a field of cosmic energy appears a runic invocation of some of his many names. The drinking horn symbolizes the mead of inspiration which gives the gifts of poetry, wisdom and magick; Sleipnir the eight-legged steed bears the wanderer through the nine worlds.

“Freki and Geri does Heerfather feed, The farfamed fighter of old;

But on wine alone does the weapon-decked god, Othin, forever live.

O’er Mithgarth Hugin and Munin both

Each day set forth to fly;

For Hugin I fear lest he come not home, But for Munin my care is more.” (Grimnismol)

“Now am I Othin, Ygg was I once, Ere that did they call me Thund:

Vak and Skilling, Vofuth and Hroptatyr, Gaut and Jalk midst the gods;

Ofnir and Svafnir, and all, methinks, Are names for none but me.” (Grimnismol)

“What call they the wind, that widest fares,

In each and every world?

’Wind’ do men call it, the gods ’The Waver’,

’The Neigher’ the holy ones high;

’The Wailer’ the giants, ’Roaring Wender’ the elves, In hell ’The Blustering Blast’.”

(Alvissmol)

88

Rimespells

Raidho

Riding, Way; Wagon, Chariot. ’R’;V;i,5,

(Riding) is in the hall to every warrior easy, but very hard for the one who sits up on a powerful horse over miles of road. (ASRP)

The R-rune refers to the right patterns of motion in the nine worlds. According to Thorsson, the names are in GMC raidho: ’wagon’; GO raidha:’wagon, ride’; OE radh: ’a riding, way’; ON reidh:’riding, chariot’. All of these imply travelling, and esoterically indicate the course of the sun in its sacred wagon or wain, following the path across the sky. These regular orbits in turn imply the regulating forces of cosmic order, and the sacred rituals of the year by which men attune to this natural law. Human lifetimes are linked to the turning of the solar wheel: sunrise and sunset, birth and death, waking and sleeping, beginning and ending, in an eternal cycle of being. By the traditional rites of passage we are linked to all previous generations; by the offerings to the gods, good harvests and fertile herds are assured. Everything moves in the proper pattern, in the evolutionary spiral.

(Riding) is a blessed sitting

and a swift journey and the toil of the horse, journey’ ’worthy man’ (OIRP)

Superficially, the verses contrast the easy life within the warm hall with the hard riding for miles over icy roads; this tension between the harsh natural world and the aspirations and needs of mankind frequently occurs in the text of the ASRP. It has also been suggested (by Longland & Osborn) that the word means ’raid’, an activity easy to boast of yet harder in practice; and one of the medieval glosses on rad is the Latinconsilium, ’good judgement’, another activity in the hall.

According to Tacitus, the Germanic tribes debated all major issues twice: once in a night of drunkeness, then sober the following day (not a bad idea!); ’rede’ may mean counsel. Page also suggests several other possible meanings:

“Some have discovered another type of antithesis depending on different senses of rad in the two parts of the verse. In the first, rad may mean the change and variety of tone of the musical instrument (as in the compound sweglrad, ’modulation, music¹) or perhaps is related to ON reidi, ’equipment’in some sense like furnishings’. It is this meaning of rad which is ’pleasant to all warriors in the hall’, whereas rad = ’horse-riding’ is strenuous.

If this interpretation is right, the rad verse has something of the

quality of an Anglo-Saxon riddle, misleading the hearer by dwelling on the various aspects of the one word. ”

(R.I. Page, An Introduction to English Runes)

Several sources suggest that the word refers to the equipment of the horse, the ’saddle’ and ’reins’; and a rune describing the course of the sun must also refer to the teams of horses that draw the sun and moon. The two runes ehwaz and mannaz are clearly linked to, and in, this process, as is sowilo. This travelling is man’s life and quest, in the physical world and on the astral roads to the otherworlds.

(Riding), it is said, is the worst for horses;

Reginn forged the best sword. (ONRP)

Esoterically, beyond the mundane activity of riding there are definite correlations to the journey made to Valhalla after death, or by the sorcerer in trance while in life. Frequently a horse (as well as other animals) was sacrificed at a funeral, and part or all of it buried with the dead. Indeed, the valkyries who choose the slain in battle rode great horses across the sky, to bear the hero on his last ride; these are originally goddesses of war, and later seem linked to the spirits who protect certain individuals and families. Also, there is the matter of Odhinn (or later his son Hermod, the messenger god) riding the eight-legged horse Sleipnir in journeys to the otherworld:

“Then Othin rose, And the saddle he laid Thence rode he down And the hound he met

the enchanter old, on Sleipnir’s back; to Niflhel deep, that came from hell.

Bloody he was on his breast before,

At the father of magic Forward rode Othin, Till the house so high

he howled from afar; the earth resounded ofHel he reached.

to the eastern door

was the wise woman’s grave;

Then Othin rode There, he knew well, Magic he spoke and mighty charms, Till spellbound she rose, and in death she spoke... (Baldrs Draumar, v. 2-f)

This also reminds us of the shamanic practices of the Siberians and Finns, who would sacrifice a horse and then enter a trance state wherein they would ride the horse’s spirit up the tree of life. The Norse had contact with both of these cultures, and the Lapps and Finns especially were seen as magicians. Nor should it be forgotten that Odhinn frequently wanders among men in disguise, and thus that the obligation of hospitality was virtually sacred among the Vikings.

One the most interesting associations is with the rhythm and harmony found in music, poetry and dance, and their ancient beginnings in religio-magickal rituals made effective by proper performance. The importance of correct measure, timing, and geometric proportion is also to be emphasized. Note also that the ship was the vehicle of

travel at sea as the horse and wagon were upon the land, and that both are used mythologically to symbolize the course of the sun; the wain by day, and the ship by night in the dark and hidden voyage of the soul after death. The ship is often called “the horse of the sea”. Various examples of these themes exist in art: the famous miniature chariot from Trondheim, drawn by horses and bearing the sun disk; or the even earlier stone carvings of sun wheels above ships.

In short this rune shows the journey of life and death in all its forms, and guards the hero in his ways. It is the symbol of both Norse

religion (Asatru) and the later Vehmic courts of law: of an idealized return to and recovery of the proper way of living, and thus of organizations, orders, gilds, tribes, and governments. Thorsson suggests that the shape of the rune may be that of a portion of a wheel projecting from beneath a chariot; the sun-wheel is one of the earliest pagan religious symbols, and the modern German rad means ’wheel’. One of the medieval glosses is also the Latiniter, ’wheel’; nor can we forget the internal wheels or centers of power called hvels in ON, or chakras in the Tantric traditions of India (’Indo-European’ is not just a pretty word!).

“Crooked and far is the road to a foe,

Though his house on the highway be;

But wide and straight is the way to a friend, Though far away he fare. ” (Hovamal, v. 34)

Magickal uses: protection on journeys; success in rituals; justice in trials; inner harmony; divination for wisdom; astral projection; attun-ement to cosmic and seasonal rhythms; music and dance.

Bright meanings: journeys, travel, motion, transportation, advice, rhythm, law, quest, experience, teaching, change, holiday, messages, strategy, safety, comfort, visitors, action, music, proportion, speed, movement, learning, vehicles, exploration, logic, instinct, evolution, justice, advice, growth, communication, preparation, rationality, relocation, promotion, vacation, search, renewal.

Dark meanings: delays, impedances, difficulties, raiding, escapism, blockage, failure, loss, being lost, confusion, crisis, entropy, mistakes, chaos, rigidity, stasis, injustice, boredom, imbalance, disruption, upheaval, wandering, flight, demotion, irrationality.

Image: the old straight track leads through the forest; the god rides upon the eight-legged horse to the dark underworld; the rolling wheels symbolise the course of the sun.

Recommended Reading: The Road To Hel by H.R.E. Davidson.

Kenaz

Torch, fever.

’K’; VI; 1,6.

(Torch) is to every livingperson

known by its fire;

it is clear and bright

it usually burns

when the noble men

rest inside the hall. (ASRP)

The GMC kenaz and OE cen both mean ’torch’; the GO kusma and ON kaun have the secondary meaning of ’swelling’ or ’sore, boil’, all are inflammations implying internal fire or physical heat and energy. Also, as the illumination of’noble men’ it is the light of the mind and spirit. OE ken means ’to know’, and skaldic verse employs countless kennings.

This is the rune of fire and flame in the hands of men. As such it is a sign of craft and cunning, of the skills of the craftsman’s hand and the blacksmith’s forge; god-forms might include the tricksterfigure of Loki, considered as a form of fire, as well as the Vanir goddess Gullveig, who was burned thrice by the Aesir in the course of becoming gold; she was perhaps a form of Freya, who as goddess of sexual passion has a definite affinity to this rune. It is this fire which transforms all. We must also remember the dwarf-smiths who forged varied magickal treasures for the gods, as well as the necklace Brisin-gamein for Freya; the goddess slept with four dwarves in turn to gain this jewel.

(Sore) is the bale of children,

and a scourge,

and the house of rotten flesh.

’whip’ ’king’ = descendant of good kin (OIRP)

In its darker form it appears as fevers and sickness, another peril of the natural world and bane of existence; as malignant spirits of death. Ultimately, of course, this may lead to the fire of the funeral-pyre;

cremation was customary among followers of Odhinn. Sacrificial

rites also involve fire, and land was claimed by bearing a torch around the boundaries. The shape of the rune may well be that of a flaming torch, often of pine-wood; the modern German kien means ’resinous pine-wood’. See also Fire-Bow in the final aett.

Fire is the force of transformation, whether of the spirit to another world on the pyre, or from the raw to the cooked at the hearth, or of creatively working at the forge. The huge bonfires made at sacred festivals also point to the magical use of flame, and great processions bearing torches to light these fires are still known today. In some places cattle were driven between two fires to insure their health and fertility in the coming year.

The mystery of fire was early man’s greatest protection from wild beasts, cold weather, and fear itself; and it is this mastery of fire, as it is often said, that ultimately separates human from animal life. The ring formed of firelight is the oldest manifestation of the protective magickal circle. In this sense flame aids in the control of beasts, as in the defense provided by a campfire and also the family center of the hearth-fire; control of flame itself is a power of the runic spell-caster:

“A seventh I know, if I see inflames

The hall o’er my comrades’ heads;

It burns not so wide that I will not quench it,

I know that song to sing ” (Hovamol)

In various cultures shamans, blacksmiths, magicians and warriors are all considered as masters of the fire in one way or another; the battle-madness of berserkers, for instance, involves heated rage, as when the Celtic hero Cuchulain had to be plunged into huge vats of water to cool his frenzy. In another context, the internal energies such as kundalini in Tantric yoga enable adepts to survive extremes of temperature, as well as attaining to the highest forms of enlightenment.

In the last analysis, fire is a most ancient symbol of the life-force and of light itself, the light of the mind and the spirit as well as of the celestial bodies; and so its dark shadow is sickness and death. Dissolution may be caused by fever, as fire consumes its fuel, as man’s life is consumed in time. Creation arises out of destruction. Sexual passion

is also rumored to involve a certain amount of heat.

(Sore) is the curse of children; grief makes a man pale. (ONRP)

One final suggestion in academic sources involves the OE kano or ’skiff’, a meaning alleged to relate to the ancient cult of Nerthus through the symbol of the ship. Frequently the Norse gods were represented with their symbols rather than in any personified form.

Magickal uses: gathering and directing energy; sex magick and workings of lust; creativity in art; healing (or causing) of fevers lustful and otherwise; love-magick; alchemy; to reveal truth and end falsehood; increase in abilities of various kinds; control over all animals; all workings of the elemental power of fire; good health, great strength, and bodily heat; spiritual illumination.

Bright meanings: energy, passion, regeneration, artistry, spontaneity, skill, ability, transformation, opening, enlightenment, clarity, heat, health, self-confidence, valuables, shaping, charisma, pride, sexuality, technology, inspiration, warmth, passion, truth, enthusiasm, optimism, courage, will-power, assurance, knowledge, illumination, insight, revelation, offspring, awakening, intelligence, boldness, revelation, regeneration, vitality

Dark meanings: darkness, inertness, dullness, arson, sickness, loss, rage, dissolution, falsehood, rumor, uncertainty, fear, dissipation, destruction, alcoholism, ulcers, sore points, injuries, confusion, anger, blindness, decay, exposure, break-ups, futility, limitations, suicide.

Image: before a sunset-reddened field of land, sea and sky appears the power of fire: in the form of torches in the hands of a juggler, and used by the skillful smith at his forge. The pattern of interlaced serpents to the side reappears later with the other main flame-rune of nyd-fire.

“What call they the fire, that flames for men, in each of all the worlds?

’Fire’ men call it, and ’Flame’ the gods,

By the Wanes is it ’Wildfire’ called;

’The Biter’ by giants, ’The Burner’ by dwarfs,

’The Swift’ in the house of hell.”

(Alvissmol)

Recommended Reading: The Forge & The Crucible by Mircea Eliade.

Gebo

Gift; Wedding.

’G’; VII; 1,7.

(Gift) is for every man a pride andpraise, help and worthiness;

and of every homeless adventurer it is the estate and substance for those who have nothing else. (ASRP)

The GMC gebo, GO giba, OE gyfu, and ON gipt all mean ’gift’, implying ’hospitality, generosity’; the ON has the additional meaning of ’wedding’ as well. Gifts represents the bond of relationships: of friendship and fealty among men, of love between man and woman, of sacrifice made to the gods and the blessings which they return. Two or many become one in ecstasy, exchanging energy.

To examine these concepts we will begin as usual with the most mundane and expand upon it. The obligation of hospitality is sacred to most early peoples, who lived in harsh conditions and could thus appreciate the need for the help of others. Between guest and host is a bond forever, formed by the sharing of food and drink. As farspread travellers, the Vikings might swear blood-brotherhood with guests from afar, and they would be guested in return on their own voyages, whether to trade or to war.

“If wealth a man has won for himself

Let him never suffer in need;

Oft he saves for a foe what he plans for a friend,

For much goes worse than we wish.

None so free with gifts or food have I found

That gladly he took not a gift,

Nor one who so widely scattered his wealth

That of recompense hatred he had.

Friends shall gladden each other with arms and garments, As each for himself can see;

Gift-givers’friendships are longest found,

If fair their fates may be. ” (Hovamol)

Great lords would give weapons to their warriors or golden rings to reward a skald or poet for his song, and in return for their board these men would then owe loyalty on the battlefield. Men might hold their lands in tenancy, and a frequent custom was for young boys to go and live in the halls of fosterparents to be raised and taught, forming links between families. By such exchanges between men are the bonds which form society made, and harmony in families maintained.

Another major link is marriage, or love between men and women. The shape of the rune shows two principles uniting, like two beams crossing in a building; it also recalls the posture of a person standing with arms and legs spread wide as in impending embrace. This rune is traditionally used in the magick of love and sexuality, in joining two or more people together. The joining of the hero Sigurdhr with the valkyrie Brynhildr or Sigrdrifa produced both a child and initiation into the runic mysteries; the sagas contain other references to heroes taught the arts of love and magick by giantess or supernatural lovers. Far to the other end of the Indo-European spectrum we learn of Tantric adepts taught secrets by divine dakinis in a similar manner.

The final extension of the meaning of gebo is to the act of sacrifice, central to many of the rites of the gods. This forms the link between human and divine, where the gods give the gifts of strength and riches, good harvests and large herds, and men share their bounty in return. It maintains the order of the cosmos, the offering of blood giving life and fertility to the earth. This sign may have been used to mark objects or animals destined to become offerings. To sacrifice is “to make sacred”.

The letter G also suggests a link with the Mother Earth, as the goddess/giantess Gerd who is wed to Freyr, or Gefjon who created Zealand by plowing the island away from Denmark. Yet another interpretation of the shape of the rune might be a plow, a symbol which appears often in Bronze Age stone-carvings; the first furrow plowed in the field in the spring was accompanied by various rites.

Thorsson points to the ON godh , or “god”, as a word originally neuter in gender, becoming masculine only in Christian times. We may also remember the various gifts and treasures gathered by the Aesir,

often forged by the dwarves, such as Odhinn’s spear and ring, Thor’s hammer, Freya’s necklace, Freyr’s ship and boar, etc., as well as the gifts of life, breath, and sensation bestowed upon humans when the gods created them.

One of the most common magickal runic inscriptions was the ON gibu auja, “give good luck”, a useful phrase for encoded charms to gain prosperity

Magickal uses: love magick, finding a mate, gaining good things, preservation of the world’s ecology, sexual or mystical ecstasy, sacrifice, initiation, harmony, increase in magickal wisdom and power, exchange of vital forces, good fortune, equilibrium, wisdom.

Bright meanings: gift or given, giver or receiver, union, sharing, relationship, exchange, sacrifice, partnership, generosity, marital bliss, rewards, balance, fair dealing, friendship, concord, hospitality, prosperity, gratitude, charity, honour, credit, inheritance, donation, salary, obligation, award, offering, ecstasy, reciprocity, joining together.

Dark meanings: loss, theft, selfishness, separation, divorce, sadness, greed, dependence, poverty, debt, loneliness, taxes.

Image: before a sacred waterfall, the first man and woman (Askr and Embla, “ash” and “elm”) embrace as lovers, having received the gift of life. Below, a memorial rune-stone balances the image of a godhi or priest making sacrificial offerings to the gods.

“Then from the throng did three come forth, From the home of the gods, the mighty and gracious;

Two without fate Ask and Embla,

on the land they found, empty of might.

Soul they had not, Heat nor motion, Soul gave Othin, Heat gave Lothur (Voluspo)

sense they had not, nor goodly hue; sense gave Honir, and goodly hue.”

Recommended Reading: The Gift: Forms and Functions of Ex-

change in Archaic Societies, by Marcel Mauss

Wunjo

Joy, pleasure, delight; meadow, pasture. ’W’; VIII; 1,8.

(Joy) is bad

by the one who knows few troubles pains and sorrows, and to him who himself has power and blessedness, and a good enough house. (ASRP)

The names of this rune are as follows: the GMC wunjo and OE wynn both mean ’joy, pleasure, delight’. The ON vend has the added meaning of ’hope’ as well. In GO winja and OHG wunna mean ’meadow, pasture’; and the GMC wulthuz, referring to ’splendor, glory, the god Ullr’, has also been suggested. Some have related the rune to ’light’, others to ’a fruit-bearing branch’ or to the ’glory-twigs’ or ’wands’ used by Odhinn in an OE charm. Still another source has related it to Vol-und or Waylund the Smith, another mythic figure of legendary skill.

This range of meanings are all clearly arranged around a central concept of harmony and pleasure, an attitude of joy and wonder. Many traditional societies, not yet poisoned by the guilt and fear of modern civilization, are idealized as existing in a state of health and innocence alien to Christian times. This is not to imply life in a harmless garden; people living in pre-modern societies face adversities far beyond those we do. However, they often seem to do so with fewer neuroses and less alienation. In a life in touch with nature, we are more in touch with ourselves; nor is there any particular reason why life should be faced as misery rather than with bliss, why consciousness should not be ecstasy. Most forms of true religion and mysticism point in this direction; and where there is no artificial distinction between human, god, and nature, harmony becomes the normal state and everything living can be seen as our kin.

This rune is thus seen as an element providing unity, binding many disparate elements into a whole. There is a similarity to the basic solidarity shared by a family, clan or tribe, united in strength against the challenges of the world.

The actual shape of the rune has been compared to that of the banner which goes before the warband who defend their people. The other meaning of’meadow, pasture’ points to the sense of growth and fertility so important to the Norse peoples in their harsh and beautiful land, to the summer sunlight that leads to the harvest and the times of peace during the sacred festivals when feuds were set aside and no weapons could be drawn. The original meaning of’holiness’ is ’wholeness’.

There are a number of mythic figures associated with this rune. One is the god Ullr, a deity of hunting and archery (who is also linked to uruz & eihwaz) about whom little is known; however, his mother appears to be the goddess Sif, who perhaps was the harvest of golden grain from the meadow (fields sacred to the various gods are still recalled in ancient place-names). In one of many tales of Loki’s evil pranks, the trickster god cuts off the hair of Sif as she sleeps, and is forced by her husband Thor to replace it with dwarf-forged hair of gold which grew as though alive; perhaps this was the grain of the field’s harvest. Returning to the ’fruit-bearing branch’, still another major image from Norse myth is that of the magickal golden apples of the goddess Idunna, which gave to the Aesir their immortality and perpetual youth; the female aspect of the divine as the giver of life and rejuvenation, the maintainer of cosmic harmony which is necessary to health and survival. These golden apples were also once stolen and recovered by Loki the trickster. The related meaning of ’glory, splendor’ reminds us that for the warrior the undying fame of his name was vital:

“Cattle die, and kinsmen die, And so one dies one’s self;

But a noble name will never die,

If good renown one gets. ” (Hovamol)

The reference to a ’fruit-bearing branch’ raises other possible connections. The wood of fruit-trees was said to be used in the making of rune-wands for casting in divination, perhaps remembered in the ’glory-twigs’ used by Odinn for magick in the healing-charm mentioned above. Odhinn is the god of the exalted emotional state, of the inspiration of the skald, the trance of the sorcerer, the frenzy of the

berserker; this rune may indicate wild ecstasy as the divine intoxication drawn from the sacred mead of wisdom. It is also powerful in drawing together various forces in bind-runes.

Another link is with Volund or Wayland the Smith, a magickal figure who is the hero of various folktales, a smith of surpassing skill. Indeed, the blacksmith is a supernatural being in most early cultures, a worker with fire and steel, with primal forces and the bones of the earth. This gives the rune a divinatory connection to works of skill and craft and the joy that results. We must note that Wayland’s bride was a valkyrie, a personal form of the goddess.

Magickal uses: induces solidarity, harmony, fellowship, happiness; strengthens links of friendship or marriage; binds opposing forces together; aids the ecology; protection; induces joy, ends alienation.

Bright meanings: joy, bliss, happiness, relationship, attraction, honour, harmony, freedom, glory, light, comfort, ideals, skill, craft, enthusiasm, well-being, energy, fellowship, good will, restoration, exuberance, success, truth, pleasure, popularity, laughter, merriment, satisfaction, intoxication, ecstasy, trance, wonder, ideals, gains, delight, honor, exultation, organization, good health and cheer, innocence, gladness.

Dark meanings: sadness, despair, alienation, disgrace, sorrow, doubt, anxiety, crisis, betrayal, misery, folly, falsity, madness, hysteria, delusion, mania, delirium, hopelessness, loss of identity.

Image: above a meadow stands the goddess Idunna, while Loki in falcon-form considers carrying her away. Above, the fruit-bearing branch holds the apples of eternal youth and joy.

“What call they the ale, that is quaffed by men, In each and every world?

Ale’ among men, ’Beer’ the gods among, In the world of the Wanes ’The Foaming’;

’Bright Draught’ with giants, ’Mead’ with dwellers in hell, ’The Feast-Draught’ with Sutting’s sons.” (Alvissmol)

“Beer I bring thee, Mingled of strength Charms it holds Spells full good, (Sigrdrifumol)

tree of battle, and mighty fame; and healing signs, and gladness-runes.”

Hagalaz

Hail, hailstone, world-egg.

’H’; IX; 2,1.

(Hail) is the whitest of grains it comes from high in heaven showers of wind hurl it, then it turns to water. (ASRP)

The GMC hagalaz, GO hagl, OE haegl and ON hagall all mean ’hail’. The exoteric meaning of this involves the power of chaotic natural forces of wind and storm, rain and ice, sleet and hail, that whirl about in the northern lands and affect the lives of men. Esoterically, however, these are the primal formative forces of the multiverse, that create the nine worlds and give them vitality and fertility; another example of superficially harmful energies that are found to be an essential part of the cosmic order when viewed from a higher perspective.

(Hail) is a cold grain, and a shower of sleet, and the sickness (destroyer) of snakes, ’hail’ ’battle-leader’ (OIRP)

In primitive agriculture, and in sea-faring and travelling and life in an often harsh land in general, the weather is a matter affecting physical survival: the forces of rain and storm can either raise or destroy the crops, can drive a ship swiftly or wreck it completely. These powers may be seen as in the control of the gods, or part of the attack of the giants; as warring forces of order and chaos, or simply as the nature of the world. Thor as protector of men, ruler of the weather and god of the thunderstorm may have some links to this aspect of the sign; as the offspring of Heaven (Odhinn) and Earth (Jord) this storm unites the two in creative turmoil. The shape of the rune is that of one or two crosspieces uniting two polar opposites, a very basic form in building. Yet in it is also the hostile nature of the giants of snow and ice, the powers opposed in a more controlled and focussed

form by the Thorn-rune, a weapon wielded by Thor as the protector of cosmic order. This may suggest that the gods have not created the world; they merely guide and shape the development of natural forces. Battle is also often compared with a storm in kennings.

(Hail) is the coldest of grains;

Christ* shaped the world in ancient times. (ONRP)

* Originally, Hroptr’ (the Hidden One, =Odhinn).

The hidden meaning of haegl, however, relates it to the most primal creative forces of the universe and its birth from fire and ice. Creation opens with the slaying of the Ice giant Ymir and closes with Surtr, the Fire giant who brings on the Ragnarok and slays the gods in turn; personified reflections of the powers of Niflheimr & Muspelheimr.

The two staves of the rune are these two powers, and the crosspiece represents their union, thus forming the primal egg or hailstone that is the seed from which all grows, that holds the pattern of physical manifestation. Ice is the primal matter of Norse cosmology, and the lightning or spark of fire is the life-energy. There is also the main alternative form of the rune as a snowflake pattern (*) which may in fact be both an earlier and a later form; when enclosed it is said to be the mother rune, a pattern which holds all the other rune-forms within it. This is an extremely ancient holy sign, predating the establishment of the futhark as an alphabet. Thorsson also suggests “egg” as an alternate translation of the GMC name as well; and both egg and the references to grain or seed mark the concept of fertility, of the beginning of new life. This seed holds the coded pattern of the World-Tree; the snowflake form may depict the cosmic axis uniting zenith and nadir, intersecting the crossing-point of the four quarters; the sacred geometry which underlies manifestation.

It is also highly significant that this is the ninth rune, opening the second aett, for the number nine is vital in Norse cosmology and magick: there are nine realms in the World-Tree, for example. The letter H also may lead us to the god Heimdall, said to have had nine mothers; and Heimdall (who is perhaps a form of Odhinn, or may even be one of the Vanir according to some sources) is also associated with the guardianship of Bifrost the Rainbow Bridge and the Tree Yggdrasill itself, as well as with the creation of the human race. In the

Eddie poem Rigsthula it is told how he walked the earth and visited three couples, who later gave birth to the three classes of men, the thrall, freeman, and nobleman. His nine mothers may have been the daughters of the sea-god Aegir, and there is a saying that every ninth wave is larger than the others, symbolized as the ram, which is one of Heimdall’s zoomorphic forms; he also took the shape of a seal to do battle with Loki on the occasion when the trickster stole Freya’s necklace Brisingamein, which provides another link to the sea.

In Celtic myth he is paralleled by Mannanan, yet in Indo-European Hindu tradition he has many of the same attributes as the firegod Agni; Branston devotes discussion to Heimdall as controlled or sacred fire, opposing Loki as wild or harmful fire. The two are said to slay one another at the Ragnarok. While “hail is the whitest of grains”, Heimdall is “the whitest of gods”. In short, this is a complex and mysterious god-form (see also the rune mannaz, in whose Image I have depicted him); the Prose Edda says:

Heimdallr is the name of one: he is called the White God. He is great and holy; nine maids, all sisters, bore him for a son. He is also called Hallinskidi (Ram) and Gullintanni (Golden Teeth); his teeth were of gold, and his horse is called Gold Top. He dwells in the place called Himinbjorg (Heaven Tells), hard by Bifrost: he is the warder of the gods, and sits there by heaven’s end to guard the bridge from the Hill Giants. He needs less sleep than a bird; he sees equally well night and day a hundred leagues from him, and hears how grass grows on the earth or wool on sheep, and everything that has a louder sound. He has that trumpet which is called Gjallar Horn, and its blast is heard throughout all worlds. Heimdallr’s sword is called Head. ” (p. 40)

Magickal workings: control of the weather; causing of chaos or of fertility; balance of opposing forces; evolution and change of a situation; gaining and use of elemental powers; protection of the ecology; blasting; disruption and confusion of foes; aids creativity.

Bright meanings: creation (and creative chaos), evolution, patterns, storm, hail, birth, liberation, awakening, abundance, freedom,

sudden change, surprise, fertility, potential, progress, opportunity, flux, change, harmony, the strengthening power of ordeals, transformation, new beginnings, creativity, growth, breaking free.

Dark meanings: negative chaos, disruption, dangerous natural forces, battle, setbacks, problems, illness, delays, damage, clouds, shocks, loss, interruption, risk, struggle, conflict, crisis, affliction, disaster, hardship, adversity, contradiction, cataclysm.

Image: above a storm-lashed landscape, the god Thor rides the clouds in his goat-drawn chariot, brandishing his hammer which emits bolts of lightning and wearing his iron gloves and belt of strength; the rolling wheels and striking hooves give the sound of thunder. Below is the world-egg, formed by the twisting body of a serpent, energized by the divine forces and giving birth to the nine worlds. The serpent of the OIRP may provide the sacred animal of this rune.

“What call they the clouds, that keep the rains, In each and every world?

’Clouds’ men name them, ’Rain-Hope’ gods call them, The Wanes call them ’Kites of the Wind’;

’Water-Hope’ giants, ’WeatherMight’ elves, ’The Helmet of Secrets’ in Hel.”

(Alvissmol)

Nauthiz

Need, necessity, constraint; need-fire. ’N’; X; 2, 2.

(Need) is constricting on the chest

although to the children of men it often becomes a help and salvation nevertheless if they heed it in time. (ASRP)

This rune appears at first to be a negative or restrictive force, yet its inner meaning provides the means to overcome opposition. As a symbol of such troubles it has affinities with thorn and haegl, although it is perhaps more abstract. According to Thorsson, the names are as follows: GMC naudhiz, ’need, compulsion’; GO nauths, ’necessity, need’; OE nyd, ’need, distress’; ON naudhr, ’distress, need, constraint’. All of these point to the laws of nature and necessity which guide and form the course of life; the need to control hunger, to have shelter from harsh weather and dangers such as war, slavery, famine, and sickness, and of course to perpetuate the species. Ultimately we come to the Nornir, the triple Fates who shape the laws of nature and the destiny of human-kind (see the rune perthro for further discussion). Note that it is the activities of the Norns that preserve the World-Tree from destruction by the hostile forces that daily beset it; recognizing the peril, they act to correct it.

(Need/servitude) is the grief of the bondmaid, and a hard condition to be in, and toilsome work.

’trouble, hard work’ ’descendant of the dead’ (OIRP)

To some extent, these extremes are part of the human condition and cannot be avoided. At the same time, if these forces are recognized and dealt with one emerges stronger and wiser. A cosmological system such as the runes must contain all possibilities, both positive and negative; unlike the Christians, we do not dwell in a schizophrenic universe where everything nice is god’s will and all the nasty stuff is the work of the devil. The original meaning of holiness is wholeness; the creation of the gods is not divided. Also consider the fabled strength

of desperation, which enables humans to accomplish remarkable and heroic feats at moments of crisis.

(Need) makes for a difficult situation; the naked freeze in the frost. (ONRP)

If the naked freeze in the frost, the implied solution is warmth. Many of the modern runic sources agree in linking Need to fire; it is said that the shape of the rune is that of a fire-bow, which makes flame by friction. Fire is sacred, as the most precious and powerful discovery of primitive man; and the kindling of the fire is a magickal act. At certain times the hearths of the community were allowed to go cold, and a bonfire ceremonially relit by (naked) celebrants. This need-fire is then taken around the boundaries of the settlement and through the fields, and used to relight the fires in every home. Such fire protects against malignant sorcery and diseases. Fire also appears on the funeral-pyre, to bear the souls of the dead to the otherworld; and it has always had a strong connection with sexuality, passion and lust as well. It is said that this rune is used in Icelandic love-magick. Fire, of course, consumes what it burns.

An apt animal form for this rune might be a starving pack of wolves, like Odhinn’s own wolves Geri and Freki; or the two wolves who pursue the moon and sun, or the bound Fenris-wolf himself. Supernatural beings might include the starving denizens of Niflheimr, the icy land of the dead; note in the OIRP the term “descendent of the dead”, the ON niflungr. Of the dark goddess Hel the Prose Edda has this to say:

“Hel he cast into Niflheim, and gave to her power over nine worlds, to apportion all abodes among those that were sent to her: that is, men dead of sickness or of old age. She has great possessions there; her walls are exceedingly high and her gates great. Her hall is called Sleet-Cold; her dish, Hunger; Famine is her knife; Idler, her thrall; Sloven, her maidservant; Pit of Stumbling her threshold, by which one enters; Disease, her bed; Gleaming Bale, her bed-hangings. She is half blue-black and half flesh-color (by which she is easily recognized) and very lowering and fierce. ” (p. 42)

In general this is one of the darker runes, indicating the natural ordeals of life as an ongoing initiation. One recalls Nietzsche’s line: “That which does not kill me makes me stronger.” The form of fire here is more internal than the applied fire of Kenaz. This is a warning to restore natural balance for deliverance from distress.

Magickal uses: strengthening the individual will; overcoming distress; binding negative forces; creation of order; ritual naming; love magick; transformation of negativity; restoration of balance; bringing the dark side into conscious awareness; protection from harsh circumstances; necromancy and works relating to death and the dead (see also the Yew-rune).

Bright meanings: need, deliverance, resistance, friction, will, first causes, protection, warning, order, lessons, limitations, patience, decisions, restraint, stability, prudence, long-term goals, friction, tension, stability, caution, reserves of strength, innovation, endurance, hope, defiance, survival, persistence, growth, inner strength, release, necessity.

Dark meanings: compulsion, distress, constraint, poverty, strife, sorrow, hardships, troubles, pain, thralldom, addiction, shadows, famine, crisis, greed, disease, desperation, oppression, negativity, weakness, delay, struggle, ill-health, lack, stress, toil, risk, want, hunger, limitation, suffering, deprivation, failure, error, affliction, chronic problems, restriction.

Image: in the dark wood roams a starving wolf, like those which chase the moon and sun. Below writhe interlaced serpents like those which gnaw the roots of the World-Tree; above a burst of flame is kindled by the fire-bow shape of the rune; the fire of hunger, of lust. Born of ice, the nine worlds end in fire at the Ragnarok and are born anew.

“What call they the night, the daughter of Nor, In each and every world?

“Night’ men call it, ’Darkness’ gods name it,

’The Hood’ the holy ones high;

The giants ’The Lightless’, the elves ’Sleep’s Joy’,

The dwarfs ’The Weaver of Dreams’.” (Alvissmol)

Isa

Ice; bridge, jewel. ’I’; XI; 2,3.

(Ice) is very cold and exceedingly slippery; it glistens, clear as glass, very much like gems; a floor made of frost is fair to see. (ASRP)

The name of this rune in all tongues means ’ice’: in GMC isa, GO eis, OE is, and ON iss; and its shape is that of an icicle. This identifies it as one of the two primal cosmic forces of Fire and Ice: of expansion and contraction, energy and matter, dissolution and synthesis, light and darkness, future and past. It is the primal stream of world-ice flowing out of Niflheimr in the ultimate north at the time of the first creation, to meet with the fires of Muspellheimr in the south and give birth to the middle worlds.

(Ice) is the rind of the river,

and the roof of the waves, and a danger for fey men. ’ice’ ’one who wears the boar-helm’ (OIRP)

Ice contracts, solidifies, concentrates, focusses, materializes. The correspondences include the concepts of ’bridge’ and ’gems’. In the northern countries roads were primitive if not nonexistent; most goods travelled by river and sea. In the winter the frozen streams became highways, smooth and glittering and potentially treacherous.

(Ice), we call the broad bridge; the blind need to be led. (ONRP)

Ice then becomes the often perilous road we travel, the solidification of our experiences, the bridge of the past we walk over to the future. The line in the ONRP “the blind need to be led” reminds one of the blind god Hodr, whom Loki tricked into slaying Baldr with

an arrow of mistletoe. One prominent theory about this myth portrays Baldr as god of sun and summer, while Hodr represents darkness and winter; twin gods of the year in a ritual drama of combat, death and rebirth frequent in world mythology. Hodr, also a son of Odhinn, would thus be a fit guardian of the power of cosmic ice; in his murder of Baldr he opens the three years of Fimbulwinter that precede the Ragnarok.

The primal ice-giant Ymir, from whose slain body the world was formed, shows this rune as the first matter. These giants (etins or jo-tuns) symbolize the powers of primordial aeons, and the gods are at least partially descended from them: both Aesir and Vanir are depicted as marrying or descended from the daughters of the giant race, and the ancient Norns may also have come from them.

Crystals and gems have had a magickal as well as a monetary value in all cultures, and are currently enjoying a revival in our own. There are many sources available for the study of their symbolism and purported properties, as well as their historical uses in most forms of shamanism.

This force of crystallization and solidification is at the same time translucent; in its prismatic clarity shines the spectrum of all colors, the rainbow, which returns us again to the concept of the rainbow bridge, Bifrost, which links the worlds of gods and humanity.

Another bridge is that which is crossed in the journey to Hel; and there are records of Norse magickal charms designed to still the waves for sea-farers which may pertain to this rune’s power (the obscure Kingigtorssuaq runestone in Greenland, for example).

Magickal uses: materialization, concentration of the will, binding, control of active forces, stasis induction or breaking, weather magick in winter, overcoming of obstacles, halting of unwanted activity, use of gems and crystals for talismanic purposes.

Bright meanings: focus, stillness, concentration, ego, gravity, intellect, wintertime, contraction, prima materia, bonding, clarity, selfcontrol, unity, solidification, glamour, stealth, cessation, solidity.

Dark meanings: cold, paralysis, constriction, standstill, freezing, inertia, stasis, obstacles, isolation, impedance, blindness, lack of en

ergy or control, delay, frigidity, dullness, egomania, treachery, inability to act, illusions, obsession, infatuation, catatonia, autism.

Image: the mountains rise from an icy landscape; in the center appear the icicle-form of the rune and the face of Ymir, the primal androgynous giant whose slain body provided the material of the earth: his bones are stone, his blood the seas, his skull the vault of the sky. Above, like a gateway to other realms, a frozen river meets the rainbow bridge to the worlds of the gods; below, ’a floor like jewels is fair to see’.

“OfYmir’s flesh the earth was fashioned,

And of his sweat the sea;

Crags of his bones, trees of his hair, And of his skull the sky.

Then of his brows the blithe gods made

Midgard for sons of men;

And of his brain the bitter mooded

Clouds were all created.”

(Prose Edda, p. 21)

116

Rimespells

Jera

Year, good harvest; eagle.

’J’(often pronounced ’Y’); XII; 2,4.

(Harvest) is the hope of men, when god lets, holy king of heaven, the earth gives her bright fruits

to the noble ones and the needy. (ASRP)

The GMC jera, GO jer, OE ger, and ON ar all mean ’year, good harvest’. This marks the completion of the yearly cycle, as raidho and da-gaz indicate that of the daily round of the sun. Much of the rune-row is concerned with fertility, and harvest is the completion of agricultural activity. By extension this rune implies the bringing to fruition of any human activity, and of the ritual calendar as well; the festival wheel of the year. There may be a link to old stave-calendars traditional in parts of Scandinavia and the British Isles, or to the cycle of birth/life/death/rebirth. Harvest is the reward of correct action, and the half-way point at the center of the futhark.

(Good harvest) is the profit of all men, and a good summer, and a ripened field, ’year’ ’all-ruler’ (OIRP)

The god most closely linked to this rune is again Freyr, lord of the fruits of the earth, giver of fertility and peace. The shape of the rune is that of two interlocking forces in cyclic activity, whether of the passing of winter and summer, or the marriage of heaven and earth. It has been suggested that early forms of both the Ing-rune and Year-rune may have been circular and semi-circular.

(Good harvest) is the profit of men;

I say that Frodhi* was generous. (ONRP)

(*mythical early king with a reign of peace andplenty; probably an aspect of Freyr.)

Thorsson remarks: “The cosmic fertility aspect of this rune points to the Vanic god Freyr, who is invoked til ars ok fridhar (for good season {harvest} and peace).” (Futhark, page 42.)

The ON word ar, meaning ’year, good season’, is sometimes also associated with the ON ari, ’eagle’, a symbol of the sun and a common form of the shape-changing Odhinn, for example in the story of the stealing of the sacred mead from the giant’s daughter. Davidson has suggested that the early Germanic tribes came to associate the eagle with the king of the gods in part because it was the imperial symbol used by the legions of Rome, although many cultures have similar myths about this magnificent bird of prey.

Other mythic associations might include the Earth Goddess who gives life to the fields, perhaps as Sif who represents the harvest of grain with her golden hair.

Magickal uses: completion of projects or cycles of time; workings of peace, harmony, creativity; aiding fertility in humans, animals and crops; prosperity in business ventures; celebration of the seasons; success and luck; circulation of energy; re-balancing.

Bright meanings: harvest, reward, cycle, year, favorable outcomes, fruition, results, balance, gestation, pregnancy, abundance, plenty, celebration, fulfillment, marriage, generosity, tranquility, patience, good luck, transformation, good timing, prosperity, a period of time.

Dark meanings: failure, delay, bad karma, a pause, poverty, conflict, blockage, reversal, setback, disappointment, bad timing, crop failure.

Image: at the base of the picture appears the tilling and sowing of seed in the fields, flanked by a memorial runestone; at the top, a reaping of the harvest in spiral form, watched over by the solar eagle. In the center the spirits of the land gather to watch over the process of the cycle of the year.

“What call they the seed, that is sown by men, In each and every world?

Men call it ’Grain’, and ’Corn’ the gods,

’Growth’ in the world of the Wanes;

’The Eaten’ by giants, ’Drink-Stuff’ by elves, In hell ’The Slender Stem’.”

(Alvissmol)

120

Rimespells

Eihwaz

Yew tree, Yggdrasill.

’El’; XIII; 2,5.

(Tew) is on the outside

a rough tree

and hard, firm in the earth,

keeper of the fire,

supported by roots,

(it is a) joy on the estate. (ASRP)

The names of this rune all mean ’yew tree’: GMC eihwaz , OE eoh, GO eihwas, and ON ihwar. This is one of the most magickal of all runes; representing a rather uncertain sound and seldom used in the writing of inscriptions, it often appears as a magickal protective symbol on its own.

Esoterically it represents the World Tree Yggdrasill, the cosmic axis of the universe, which contains all the nine worlds in its roots (which are gnawed by serpents) and branches (where a great eagle nests). This serpent and eagle combination is reminiscent of the forms taken by Odhinn when he entered the mountain cave to make love to the giant’s daughter and steal away the sacred mead of wisdom.

The name Yggdrasill means ’steed of Ygg (the terrible one)’, which is a title of Odhinn; it commemorates the winning of the runes by the god’s impalement and hanging, which were the traditional methods of human and other sacrifice to him,well documented in the early heathen period. The gallows is the ’horse of the hanged’, and so of course is the eight-legged Sleipnir, Odhinn’s steed. There is a tradition that the psychedelic and possibly poisonous amanita mushrooms came from the foam of the bit of Sleipnir’s bridle.

“I know that I hung on the windy tree,

Hung therefor nights full nine;

With the spear I was wounded, and offered I was To Othin, myself to myself,

On the tree that none may ever know What root beneath it runs.

None made me happy with loaf or horn, And there below I looked;

I took up the runes, shrieking I took them, And forthwith back I fell.

Nine mighty songs I got from the son

Of Bolthorn, Bestla’s father;

And a drink I got of the goodly mead

Poured out from Othrorir.

Then began I to thrive, and wisdom to get, I grew and well I was;

Each word led me on to another word,

Each deed to another deed. ” (Hovamol)

This symbolic or shamanic encounter with death and resurrection shows the mystery of journey to the underworld and of communion with the spirits of the dead:

“A twelth I know, 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.”

(Hovamol)

The sacred tree or central column is in fact an archetypical presence in much of world mythology, and much of primitive shamanism deals with visions of travelling on this pathway to realms of the overworld and the underworld, the realms of the gods, the spirits and the dead.

As the ’tree of measure’, the world-axis of the ancients was more than an imaginary line in the universe, more than a conceptual extension of the point into the first dimension; it was not only the axis of rotation about which turn the outwardly visible stars of heaven, but the point of growth and origin of all appearing life in the polar images of microcosm and macrocosm, which were thought of according to a still basically flat

or two-dimensional scheme, and represented on three different planes: the bright, divine, spiritual upperworld (Asgard): the earthly, corporeal middleworld (Midgard): and the dark, demonic, ghostly underworld (Utgard).

(Joseph Heinsch quoted on p. 48 o f The Ancient Science o f Geomancy by Nigel Pennick; perhaps ’Utgard’ would more properly read ’Hel’.)

(Tew) is the greenest wood in the winter; there is usually, when it burns, singeing (i.e., it makes a hot fire). (ONRP)

This verse points to the frequent ascription of this rune to the element of fire; in this case, to magickal fire and energies of all kinds, especially those of transformation. In Hindu Tantra consciousness is transformed by the ascent of the fire of kundalini up the spinal column, which is yet another form of this cosmic axis. Trees are often kennings for humans in skaldic verse, pointing to the identity of macrocosm and microcosm, the universal and the human. The various types of trees show various aspects of the archetypical concept of The Tree; the Celtic ogham or tree alphabet is another magickal letter system based entirely upon such arboreal symbolism.

Several magickal staves and wands carved from yew wood have survived, and the wood of the yew and the presence of the tree itself are traditionally protective in folklore; it often grows in graveyards, showing its association with realms of death as well as life: a tree dark yet also evergreen, hermaphroditic, which can live as long as two thousand years. Elliott mentions a superstition from Brittany that a root from the graveyard yew enters the mouth of every corpse buried in the cemetery, and such graveyards may have been prechristian holy sites. He also suggests a number of parallels in Frisian runelore and in the Celtic use of wands of yew in divination with the ogham script, and recalls Shakespeare’s line concerning “slips of yew I slivered in the moon’s eclipse”, a suitably dark and arcane reference. Pieces of yew wood were often carried or placed in the home for protection, and the famous Britsum yew wand had this purpose; it has been translated:

“Always carry this yew! Therein lies virtue. ” (by Bugge) “Always carry this yew! Therein lies strength. ” (by Arntz)

“Always carry this yew in the host of battle. ” (by Burna)

This also serves to illustrate the first law of runological studies, that there are as many translations as translators.

“The yew (Taxus baccata) contains an alkaloid toxin that affects the central nervous system. Prepared properly, this is a powerful hallucinogen. A certain professor of medicine named Kukowka, at the University of Greiz in East Germany, discovered that on warm days the yew emits a gaseous toxin that lingers in the shade of the tree and may cause hallucinations for an individual under its branches. The importance of this discovery in the study of the shamanistic character of the 7g-gdrasill initiation should not be lost. ”

(Thorsson, Futhark, p. 45)

(Tew) is a strung bow, and brittle iron, and a giant of the arrow.

’bow, rainbow’ descendant ofTngvi’ (OIRP)

Yew as the wood of bows is also strongly associated with Ullr, who also has connections with death and the dark of the year:

“Tdalir* call they the place where Ullr

A hall for himself hath set... ” (*Tew-Dales)

(Grimnismol)

See also the rune Yew Bow in the final aett; note that the bow is, in fact, a dealer of death. Its shape is that of the cosmic axis, with the upper and lower projections indicating the branches and roots which interconnect all the worlds. It unites below and above, darkness and light, death and life. Evergreen in the cold barren winter, it shows life in the midst of death.

Magickal Uses: astral travel to all the nine worlds; discovery of the mysteries of death and life; all magickal operations and wisdom; a major form of protection charm; strengthens endurance and will; vision

quests; genetic memories and atavistic resurgence, drawing upon the powers of the many animal spirits who dwell in the branches of the tree of life; protection from haunting by the spirits of the dead; necromancy; establishment of an omphallos ; increase in vitality; making of runestaves; finding out of secrets and arcane knowledge; connection to heavenly, terrestrial and chthonic forces; altered states of consciousness.

Bright meanings: protection, endurance, long life, defense, avertive powers, immortality, journeys, the center of things, patience, vitality, secrets, wisdom, enlightenment, initiation, testing, strength, survival, caution, flexibility, toughness, discipline, inner strength, mysticism, tenacity, trustworthiness, faithfulness, reliability, guardian, truth, initiative, ascent, paradox, honesty, “yeoman” service.

Dark meanings: death and the dead, ordeals, hindrance, neurosis, paranoia, madness, insanity, dormancy, poison, drug addiction, decay, instability, confusion, weakness, burnout, inertia, subservience, blind faith, difficulty, self-destruction.

Image: around the central axis of the sacred tree orbit nine worlds. In the tree appear three forms of Odinn: at the roots which spring out of darkness and decay, the one-eyed, lolling-tongued mask of the hanged victim; at the crown the helmet of the warriorgod who strives through life towards light. In-between, inverted, reconciling the two poles, the god is hanged in the shamanic initiation of the winning of the runes; joyous, he learns the mystery of life from death and the secrets of magick.

“What call they the wood, In each and every world? Men call it ’The Wood’, ’Seaweed of Hills’ in hell; ’Flame-Food’ the giants,

’The Wand’ is it called by the Wanes. (Alvissmol)

that grows for mankind,

gods ’The Mane of the Field’,

’Fair-Limbed’ the elves,

Recommended Reading: Tree of Life: Image for the Cosmos by

Roger Cook. “Runes, Yews and Magic” by R.WV Elliott, Speculum vol. 32. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy by Mircea Eliade.

Perthro

Lot box, dice cup, chesspiece. ’P’; XIV; 2,6.

(Lot box) is always play and laughter among bold men, where the warriors sit in the beer-hall, happily together. (ASRP)

Much debate has taken place over the meaning of this rune; its names are: GMC perthro, lot box; GO pairthra, dice cup; and OE peordh, chess man. In essence this is the sign of the Norns who weave the patterns of fate and guard the Well of Wyrd, the waters of wisdom. No matter whether we see the meaning as lot-box or dice-cup (the sacred container of the rune-staves) or as a chessman, the link is clear to the concept of games of chance, which in their oldest forms have links with divination. The game board is seen as a metaphor for the world, and the play to the patterns of life itself, which may account for the popularity of chess as training in military strategy over the centuries. In both Norse sagas and Celtic myths magickal game boards, sometimes made of silver and gold, appear frequently; and skill in such pursuits was considered one of the essential accomplishments of the noble man. If the cosmic center is established by the axis of the World-Tree, the order of the world around it can by marked by the grid of the game-board, a mandala form establishing order in the midst of chaos. Equipment for all of the above mentioned games of chance has been found in grave sites, and so clearly had significance.

The ancient Norns are usually thought of as a northern version of the classical Fates of the Greeks; they survive in popular memory as the Wyrd Sisters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth or as the ’fairy godmothers’ who make prophecies and give gifts to the newborn child in folktales. The Germanic view of fate, however, was not one of simple bondage to predestination; rather, there was a sense that accumulated past action led to a future that was not set in stone, but simply a logical result of natural laws of cause and effect. The layers of past action

create the present situation.

An examination of the German concept of time provides illumination: the ancient Germanic time conception was one that admitted only to the independent reality of only two “times” - - the THEN and the NOW. If we want to form the future we have to bring in a “helping” verb (also in the present) such as “I will be”. In this understanding of time there is a Past, which is known and REAL. In it are the eternally true myths, precedents of law and other matters of eternally true lore. The great THEN is a vast field of meaning and being, complex and deep. The NOW is the thin edge of a sword blade - - always now and unendingly narrow - - the force and weight behind it is the great THEN as it cuts through the even greater sea of the unknown stretching out before us. This is really a more realistic view of time and human experience.

(Edred Thorsson, Idunna v. I, #4;p. f)

“An ash I know, Tggdrasil its name,

With water white is the great tree wet; Thence come the dews that fall in the dales, Green by Urth’s well does it ever grow.

Thence come the maidens mighty in wisdom, Three from the dwelling down ’neath the tree;

Urth is one named, Verthandi the next, -On the wood they scored, - and Skuld the third. Laws they made there, and life allotted

To the sons of men, and set their fates. ” (Voluspo)

The names of these three Norns mean “that which has become” (Urdhr), “that which is becoming” (Verdhandi), and “that which should become” (Skuld); although a more poetic version by Davidson described them as “Fate, Being, and Necessity”. Their association with the sacred well points to the Norse understanding of water as the source of life, and sacrificial offerings were frequently left in wells, including the occasional human sacrifice as well. There are also many Celtic tales of magickal wells and wise fish beneath sacred trees.

They are also associated with the Goddess as a spinner or weaver, long associated with the deciding of fate and the measure of man’s time in life; even valkyries were sometimes seen as weaving human guts with spears for shuttles on their looms. Weaving was a daily activity for the women of the north and thus contributed to their economic power. The three classical Greek Fates were also weavers.

“.. .a sub-theme of their play was the magic spells which people used to insure victory. The great expert on Chess and other board games, Daniel Willard Fiske, wrote of the occult spells known as Kotruvers connected with games:

There still exist in Icelandic old magical formulas to enable one to win at Kotra (Backgammon), just as there are others applicable to chess. One of them runs thus: ’If thou wishest to win at Backgammon, take a raven’s heart, dry it in a spot on which the sun does not shine, crush it, then rub it on the dice. ’ That these spells were of Pagan origin can be seen from the use of the raven, which was the oracular bird of Odin and the hero-god Bran of ancient Britain. ”

(p. 237, Games of the Gods: the origin of board games in divination and magic, by Nigel Pennick)

According to Tacitus, the Germanic tribes greatly loved gambling. It is interesting to note that in medieval times, when Odhinn had been firmly identified with Satan, that he was credited with the invention of dice; at least one surviving example of runic dice has been found, the Castorby-Norwich astragalus (a knucklebone from a roe deer) which was marked with the word raihan , which may mean “that which marks” or “set in line”; dice have been used in divination all over the world from the earliest times. The shape of the rune itself is that of a dice cup, lot box, pouch, or some other container for the runestaves; or perhaps shows the opening of the sacred well, or a harp in the hall, or the womb of the mother.

Other, more obscure suggested meanings include “tune”, “hearth”, “apple”, “pear”, and “phoenix”. Some writers connect it to all aspects of sexuality, which is one of the deepest and often most hidden aspects of human nature. As an apple or fruit tree it provides the wood for divinatory runestaves, as well as a link with Idunna’s golden apples

of immortal youth.

The animal spirits may be swans, who were said to swim in the Well ofWyrd (the Anglo-Saxon form of Urdhr).

Magickal uses: divination; good fortune; evolution; use of runic forces to affect fated events; mediumship; finding lost or stolen items; increase of organic life forces; naming of things; luck in games of chance or skill; second sight; ritual feasting; preserves mental health.

Bright meanings: fate, destiny, luck, chance, coincidence, laws, synchronicity, precedent, time, cause and effect, divination, games of chance, evolution, change, secrets, initiation, birth, life, mystery, hidden things, transformation, Lady Luck, occultism, causality, music, judgement, merriment, laughter, fellowship, the unexpected, material gains, wisdom, joy, luxury, abundance, pleasure, sensuality, feasting, games, birth and rebirth, skill.

Dark meanings: bad luck, gambling, unpleasant surprises, loss, crisis, chaos, blackmail, scandal, addiction, stagnation, indulgence, excess, drunkeness, perversions, decadence, decay, risks.

Image: the great Goddess in her triple form as the hooded Norns, spinning and measuring the fates of men. Above, the runes are cast, and the rune-shape recalls a dice-box or container.

Recommended reading: The Well and the Tree by Paul C. Baus-chatz.

Games of the Gods: the origin of board games in divination and magic, by Nigel Pennick.

Elhaz

Elk, swan, protection, eel-grass.

’Z, final R, later X’; XV; 2,7.

(Elk’s) sedge has its home most often in the fen, it waxes in the water and grimly wounds and reddens (burns) with blood any man who, in any way, tries to grasp it. (ASRP)

This rune is a sign of protection and of the link with the divine. It has perhaps the widest range of possible meanings of any in the futhark, which for our purposes link into a complex symbolism of power and meaning. The GMC elhaz means ’elk’, a primitive type of the sacred horned animal who in turn represents the horned god found in the myths of the earliest hunting tribes, whose shamans often danced in horned masks or head-gear (see also uruz). This beast may also appear in Norse myth in the form of the four harts who graze upon the foliage of the world-tree Yggdrasill, beasts sometimes linked with royalty and the god Freyr, who will do battle armed with the horn of a hart as a sword at the Ragnarok (having earlier traded his sword for a bride). The OE eolh also means ’elk’.

Another form of the name is the GMC algiz, ’protection’, which is linked to the GO alhs, ’sanctuary’ (in the sense of a sacred grove or religious enclosure, a place set apart where no blood could be spilled outside of formal sacrifice). In the somewhat precarious existence of the Vikings the protection of the gods was not taken lightly The rune also provides the form for the aegishalmar or helm of awe, a protective sign of various but similar forms, usually as eight tridents link at their bases to form an eight-rayed star which created an aura of awe and invincibility. This may be linked to the concept of a shield, a vital part of any warriors’ armament; as well as to possible magickal rites of battle in Odhinn’s cult of warriors, of which various decorated helmets and inscribed weapons survive.

There is also a suggested connection with the Twin deities called Alcis by Tacitus, who are also discussed under ehwaz, but who may appear as harts as well as horses; as I said, Freyr also is linked to the solar stag as a symbol of royalty Yet another layer of meaning is found in the GO algis, ’swan’; this brings in an association with the valkyries, battle-spirits or goddesses who followed Odhinn and were also frequently bonded to individual heroes or to families down through the generations. While often thought to ride horses, they were also known to take the form of swans by donning magickal white feathencloaks (as in the story of Volund the smith and his valkyrie-wife). These beings aided and protected their chosen, and were thought to welcome them to Valhalla, where they bring the mead to heroes in the hall. Thorsson suggests that these spirits may have become linked to actual swords or other weapons. Swans also swam in the well of the Norns, the youngest of whom is also named as a valkyrie.

The concept of the fylgja or fetch, a guardian spirit who sometimes took womanly or animal form, has similarities through many cultures, as well as to the archetypical Jungian figures of the psyche and the idea of a holy guardian angel in post-medieval ceremonial magick; such an ally or guardian was one goal of the shamanic vision quest.

The ASRP defines this rune as OE eolh-secg, ’eel-grass’ or ’elksedge’, a tough marsh plant most dangerous to the touch, with defensive aspects somewhat similar to those of thorns. Frigga’s hall was Fensalir, the ’sea-halls’, perhaps seen as the wildly beautiful and dangerous fens that teem with life; many large finds of sacrificial offerings and weapons have been located sunken in marshlands, beautiful but unstable realms in between earth and sea.

While this rune does not appear as such in the younger futhark (its form being used for the M-rune) there is an ON word ihwar, meaning ’yew, yew bow’, which further relates it to Yggdrasill (see the Final Aett). Its shape is in fact that of a tree-trunk with spreading branches, or when inverted shows the roots; a combined form may be one of the earliest glyphs of the tree and is common in ancient rock carvings.

We thus find many interpretations of the shape of this sign: the horns of the elk, the swan in flight, the hand of protection, the tree or the leaves of eel-grass, the claw of the hawk (such talons have been found in the burial mound of a Danish shaman), the great sigil of protection, the stone ax (GO aqizi) or the eel-fishing trident, and the

posture used in invocation or worship, standing with arms upraised. A simple magickal framing or bordering device for sigils is a tracing of the hand of the rune-master; a device for linking a runic charm to its user (other than with the writing of the persons name) is a fingerprint.

It may also be thought of as Bifrost, the Rainbow Bridge linking all realms; Heimdallr as guardian of the bridge and watchman of the gods may connect to this as well. As a solitary rune it is one of the most powerful protective glyphs and has often been found carved into weapons or over burial chambers, or incorporated into the timbers of houses in Scandinavia, Germany and the British Isles.

Yet another meaning is proposed by Mercer, the OE eolhx translated as ’healing pebble’; she suggests that this was amber, seen as a healing stone especially effective against eye diseases, and a popular item of trade and jewelry in the north from the earliest times. This shining fossilized resin may have been associated with the ’tears of gold’ wept by Freya as she searched for her lost husband, or with the jewels in her necklace Brisigamein.

Magickal uses: protection, defense, shielding; divine invocations; personal guardian spirits (the Norse fylgja or fetch, Latin genius or Greek damon ); communication with the otherworlds; increase in magickal power and luck (hamingja); warding off evil; banishing; success in hunting, especially of horned beasts; keeping the dead safely in their graves; invoking the Horned God of the Witches; vision quests; Knowledge & Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel.

Bright meanings: protection, defense, shielding, safety, sanctuary, connections, guardians, life, inner vision, healing, awakening, links, shields, watchfulness, assistance, allies, instincts, insight.

Darkmeanings: danger, hidden perils, separation from higher powers, alienation, warning, repulsion, forbidden fruits, denial, schizophrenia, over protectiveness.

Image: superimposed upon the triple realms of sea, land and sky (the underworld of the dead, middle world of men, and upper world of the gods) are the runic symbol paralleled by a human figure. Above, a divine being soars in a feathercloak. The runestone here is simply decorative.

134

Rimespells

Sowilo

Sun; jewel, sail. ’S’; XVI; 2,8.

(Sun) is by seamen always hoped for when they fare far away over the fishes’ bath until the brine-stallion they bring to land. (ASRP)

All the names of the rune mean ’sun’: the GMC sowilo; GO saugil; OE sigil; and ON sol. The worship of the sun and of the moon is one of the oldest religious impulses, and many of the runes relate to the sun: raidho to its course, ehwaz as its steed, dagaz and perhaps fehu as its light, jera as its cycle. Bronze age carvings are filled with solar symbols of sun-wheels and swastikas and ships, which clearly show the great age of this symbol. Like a number of other early systems, the Norse made the sun female and the moon male, which is a reversal of many beliefs. However, there are other elements in the mythology which would seem to portray Freyr (and in some sense Baldur) as sungods. Baldur as the son of Odhinn may in fact have been the central figure of initiatory cults for young warriors, heroes seen in part as incarnations of patron gods, whose lives and deaths thus took on a mythic dimension as the einherjar, the chosen champions of Odhinn. It has also been suggested that the killing of the beautiful god Baldur by the blind archer god Hodr is a myth of Summer being slain by the darkness and cold of winter.

Beyond such anthropomorphized conceptions, however, is the concept of the sun and its light as a pure cosmic force beyond such sexual distinctions. Tacitus observed of the early tribes that:

“The Germans do not think it in keeping with the divine majesty to confine gods within walls or to portray them in the likeness of any human countenance. Their holy places are woods and groves, and they apply the names of deities to that hidden presence which is seen only by the eye of reverence. ” (Germania, chapter 9)

(Sun) is the shield of the clouds and a shining glory, and the life-long sorrow (destroyer) of ice. ’wheel’ descendant of the victorious one’ (OIRP)

More abstract is the concept of the sun as a turning wheel (ON hvel) or bright shield, and ultimately as the circular symbol of wholeness and the Self or the Mandala forms of Tantric and other traditions. The name of this shield is Svalin (’The Cooling’):

“In front of the sun does Svalin stand,

The shield for the shining god;

Mountains and sea would be set inflames

If it fell from before the sun.”

(Grimnismot)

Other suggested meanings include the OE sigel, a ’jewel’ or ’sunstone’ (solarsteinn), which was a type of translucent calcite called Icelandic Spar whose crystalline structure polarized the light and turned opaque when held up to the segment of the sky where the invisible sun was even on the cloudiest of days; it was a secret used in navigation at sea.

There is also OE segel or ’sail’, which suggests a link with the ship of the sun and also catches the power of the winds.

The shape of the rune may be that of an isolated segment of a swastika or solar wheel; there are many varied forms of this sign, but all seem to be based upon various numbers of alternating wavy lines, and the jagged bolt oflightning which was thought to be the fiery weapon of the sun may be the primary inspiration here; or for that matter, the writhing bodies of serpents who represent the telluric powers beneath the surface of the earth. A suitable sacred animal might be Freyr’s golden boar, whose light shone in darkness.

(Sun) is the light of the lands; I bow to the holiness. (ONRP)

Magickal uses: illumination; centering; focussed magickal will; strengthening and circulating the inner energies in hvels or chakras;

protection from weapons or ill will; leadership; solar worship; self realization or individuation; healing; great energy and life force; creativity and artistry; finding of truth; healing.

Bright meanings: light, beauty, joy, wholeness, ecstasy, honor, victory, goals, success, enlightenment, triumph, energy, life force, health, happiness, power, invincibility, intelligence, clarity, hope, benevolence, regeneration, openness, vitality, individuation, the sun, confidence, consciousness, warmth, guidance, fair weather, beacon, good advice, cleansing fire, initiation, mandala.

Dark meanings: darkness, despair, murder, radiation, malignancy, false words, gullibility, worry, dishonor, confusion, destruction, vanity, doubt, guilt, sun-burn.

Image: the figure of the solar goddess bears the wheel of the sun; below, the symbol of the ship is linked to its daily and yearly journey, the sail catching the world’s winds. After the Ragnarok, the daughter of the sun will light a new world.

“What call they the sun, that all men see, In each and every world?

Men call it ’Sun’, gods ’Orb of the Sun’,

’The Deceiver of Dvalin’ the dwarfs;

The giants ’The Ever-Bright’, elves ’Fair Wheel’, All-Glowing’ the sons of the gods.” (Alvissmol)

“Fire for men is the fairest gift, And power to see the sun;

Health as well, if a man may have it, And a life not stained with sin.”

(Hovamol)

138

Rimespells

Tiwaz

Tyr; a star.

’T’; XVII; 3,1.

(Tir) is a star, it keeps faith well with noble men, always on its course over the mists of night, it never fails. (ASRP)

The GMC tiwaz, GO teiws, OE tir, and ON Tyr are all names of the god ’Tyr’; OE Tiw has the additional meaning of ’glory’. The ASRP also clearly establishes an identification of this god with a star, probably the North Star Polaris (although Sirius and some others have also been suggested), and we can extend this to the concept of stars in general.

(Tyr) is the one-handed god, and the leavings of the wolf, and the ruler of the temple. ’Mars’ ’director’ (OIRP)

The Aesir Tyr is thought to have been a major sky god in the far past, Tiwaz, many of whose functions were later taken over by Odhinn in his rise to supremacy. He was a god of the sky, of war and of justice, and was called upon in the taking of oaths, legal proceedings at the folk-gathering called the Althing, and by warriors in the midst of battle. His ’victory rune’ is found carved on many ancient weapons, as it is described in the Eddas (see verse quoted below under ’Image’). These two great gods extend far back in time:

“At the time of Tacitus the Germanic gods are believed to be Tiwaz and Wodan, called Mars and Mercury by the Romans.

Tiwaz appears to have been the supreme sky god, who also ruled the battlefield and established law among men. Wodan was the god of the dead, associated with magic and inspira-

tion. The Celts in Gaul also worshipped a supreme sky-god with more than one function, who might be equated with Mars, Jupiter or Mercury. We do not know at what point in the Roman period a conception of a god primarily connected with the field of battle emerged, but it seems as if both Celts and Germans began by worshipping all-powerful deities, and later developed separate gods with more specialized functions. The sudden change to burial with weapons in the Celtic Iron Age and the deliberate sacrifice of war equipment may mean that a deity primarily associated with battle was emergingfor the first time. It may be that Wodan, god of death, now became connected more particularly with war, and was worshipped by warrior leaders, so that the long enduring tradition of feasting and unending combat in the halls of Odin, his Northern counterpart, had its origin in this new development.” (H.R.E. Davidson, Pagan Scandinavia, p. 72)

“It is significant that Tiw’s most important appearance in mythology is in a matter of legal contract. With Woden, he forms a couple which is found elsewhere among the Indo-European peoples, the one-handed and the one-eyed, the man of law and the man of magical fury. ”

(New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, Teutonic Mythology by E. Tonnelat, p. 266)

(Tyr) is the one-handed among theAesir; the smith has to blow often. (ONRP)

The major myth recorded ofTyr is that of the binding of the Fenris-Wolf, who is destined to devour Odhinn at the time of Ragnarok and the destruction of the worlds. Fenris, a child of Loki, sibling of the Midgardh Serpent and the dark goddess Hela, dwelt at first with the gods in Asdgardh until his increasing size and savagery made him so dangerous that only Tyr dared to approach him. After two unsuccessful attempts to forge a chain capable of binding him, the gods turned to the dwarf-smiths, who made a supernatural chain out of nine things which do not exist. When presented with this as a test of his strength, the suspicious Fenris demanded that one of the gods place his sword

hand in the jaws of the wolf as a pledge of good faith. Only Tyr had the courage to do so, and though the wolf was bound the hand was lost. This explains many of the references in the rune-poems, including perhaps that to the smith. Tyr was strongly associated with the taking of oaths, and here appears in a situation quite familiar to Odhinn and the other gods: a conflict between the sacredness of the given word and the actions necessary to preserve the worlds, as well as a willingness to do what is necessary and face with courage the consequences. Tyr thus defends the proper order of things at the cost of sacrificing himself. This is sometimes called the most noble rune, and Tyr is the bravest of the gods. In its meaning of a star it shows the guidance of heaven in the lives of men, of wide-ranging travellers who could navigate by the night-sky’s patterns; the lore of astronomy by which the cycles of time are known and the tides of the seasons followed, in the increase of herds, the hunting of wild beasts, the returning schools of fish and the skills of agriculture necessary to survival; also the sacred holidays and feasts in the wheel of the year. It is the Pole Star or Lodestar, the central axis about which the constellations revolve.

Many legal disputes were settled by formal duels (known as holmgangs, or as going to an island, a not infrequent practice) in a tradition extending into law for several centuries after the Viking era, of formal ordeals and judicial trials by combat. Tyr as a god of the Thing or meeting-place had much to do with legal cases and matters of justice; and in older ways victory in battle is itself the judgement of the gods. Classical sources describe the Germanic custom of capturing an enemy warrior before a major battle and pitting him against a warrior of the tribe in an oracular test combat of sorts.

The shape of the rune recalls both the ancient weapon of the spear and the cosmic axis of the World Tree supporting the vault of the sky, as well as the standard astrological symbol for lyr’s Roman cognate, the war god Mars. It is similar in appearance to images of the Irmin-sul, a sacred pillar, tree or omphallos in use among the Saxons until it was cut down on the orders of the Christian emperor Charlemagne.

It is interesting to note that the 17^th rune is also the number of The Star in the Tarot deck.

Magickal uses: forging a link with the personal deity; victory in battles and conflicts; success in legal cases and in the affecting of leg

islation; study of the martial arts or of astrology/astronomy; strengthening of the will and personal courage; consecration of weapons magickal or otherwise; protection, especially in combat; use of stellar currents; spiritual guidance; recovery after injury

Bright meanings: victory, justice, glory, truth, self sacrifice, order, discipline, honour, courage, energy, vows, wisdom, military matters, stamina, power, skill, idealism, loyalty, faith, rationality, trust, vigilance, integrity, valor, competition.

Dark meanings: defeat, corruption, oathbreaking, conflicts, struggle, taking unnecessary risks, lack of faith, injustice, lying words, disputes,desertion, imbalance, arrogance.

Image: the central pillar or axis of the cosmos links heaven and earth, focussed on the central star. The richly ornamented helmet recalls the warrior aspect of the god lyr. The rune appears in two forms in accordance with the Eddie verse referring to victory runes:

“Winning runes learn, if thou longest to win,

And the runes on thy sword hilt write;

Some on the furrow, and some on the flat, And twice shalt thou call on lyr.” (Sigrdrifumol)

“What call they the heaven, beheld of the high one, In each and every world?

’Heaven’ men call it, ’The Height’ the gods, The Wanes ’The Weaver of Winds’;

Giants ’The Up-World’, elves ’The Fair Roof’, The dwarfs ’The Dripping Hall’.”

(Alvissmol)

“Then first I rede thee, that free of guilt

Toward kinsmen ever thou art;

No vengeance have, though they work thee harm, Reward after death thou shalt win.

Then second I rede thee, to swear no oath

If true thou knowest it not;

Bitter the fate of the breaker of troth, And poor is the wolf of his word.

Then third I rede thee, that thou at the Thing Shalt fight not in words with fools;

For the man unwise a worser word

Than he thinks doth utter oft.”

(Sigrdrifumol)

144

Rimespells

Berkano

Birch Tree, or Goddess. ’B’; XVIII; 3,2.

(Birch) is without fruit but just the same it bears limbs without fertile seed; it has beautiful branches, high on its crown it is finely covered, loaded with leaves, touching the sky. (ASRP)

The runic futhark seems to include more male- than female-oriented symbols; however, this is generally accepted as the major sign of the many-formed Goddess herself. The birch tree is associated with the fertility cult of the Vanir, whose Queen is the lady Freya, patron of love, sexuality and romance as well as sorcery. According to Thorsson, the names of the rune are as follows: in GMC berkano, ’birch goddess’; in GO bairkan, ’birch twig’; in OE beorc, ’birch tree’; and in ON bjarkan , ’runic birch goddess’. She rules the cycle of life symbolised by her sacred necklace: birth, puberty, marriage, death and rebirth; she is the container/sustainer, the womb of all life. Thorsson remarks: “Berkano takes seed substance, hides or conceals it in its enclosure, breaks the enclosure, and bears the transformed substance forth.” (Runelore, p. 128). New growth springs from old roots, and the earth is reborn in spring. Note 18 = 2x9.

(Birch-twig) is a leafy limb, and a little tree, and a youthful wood.

’silverfir’’protector’ (OIRP)

The rune poems for the most part are concerned with the symbol of the tree rather than the reality of the Goddess, which is perhaps to be expected in works written down in relatively late (post-christian) times. Certain sources have engaged in considerable debate as to the

exact species of tree described, probably birch as stated, yet perhaps the poplar. It is often used in the making of maypoles for spring rites, also in the old customs of ’beating the bounds’ and in flagellation for purposes of fertility or eroticism, or for that matter in the sauna.

(Birch-twig) is the limb greenest with leaves; Loki brought the luck of deceit. (ONRP)

Many of the early Bronze Age figures of the Goddess depict a youthful female figure with plaited hair, a short skirt, naked breasts and a necklace or neck-ring. This ancient symbol of a necklace is associated with Her in many of Her forms and as Brisingamein is a primary attribute of the goddess Freya. She is said to have gained this dwarf-forged treasure by spending one night with each of the four smiths (perhaps the same as the dwarves who hold up the dome of Ymir’s skull at the four corners of the sky?) and in one tale this is stolen by Loki and recovered by Heimdall after a shape-changing combat with each in the form of seals. Loki also features in the myth of Idunna’s kidnapping by the giants, again with the theme of a treasure stolen by hostile forces and then restored. This image of a goddess or some other treasure imperiled or captured by giants and recovered with the help of the trickster is a frequent motif in Norse legends.

Freya rides a chariot drawn by cats (presumably wildcats) which suggests an archetypical link to middle-eastern goddesses of love and war like Astarte and Sekhmet, who also had leonine aspects. She may also ride a golden boar (representing the sun?) who may be her twin brother Frey.

There are in fact many forms of the goddess described in Norse myth; while Freya is among the most active, we must also remember Odhinn’s wife Frigga, who ruled motherhood, marriage and domestic matters, as well as being a prophetic goddess with strong opinions of her own. Both may be more sophisticated forms of the ancient

Germanic earth mother Nerthus described by Tacitus. Comparing the goddesses to the gods of the Aesir, the Prose Edda says: “Not less holy are the Asynjur, the goddesses, and they are of no less authority.” (p. 33) Oddly enough, considering the barbaric image most people have of the Vikings, the status of women was quite high in ancient Germanic and Scandinavian society, and their legal rites were consid

erable when compared to that of Christian countries. If a man hit his wife, he was out the door.

“But Freyja is the most renowned of the goddesses; she has in heaven the dwelling called Folkvangr, and wheresoever she rides to the strife, she has one half of the kill, and Odin half....

........When she goes forth, she drives her cats and sits in a chariot; she is most conformable to man’s prayers, and from her name comes the name of honor, Fru, by which noblewomen are called. Songs of love are well pleasing to her; it is good to call on her for furtherance in love. ” (Prose Edda, p. 38)

The shape of the rune recalls the life giving breasts of the Mother Earth, or perhaps mountains or burial mounds raised to house the dead, or the peaked roofs of a house, or twin cauldrons of plenty, or the yoni.

Freya shares the slain of the battlefield with Odhinn, each receiving half; and her aspects of the goddess of sorcery and war must be remembered in addition to those of love and family. Freya was the great mistress of the seidhr, a form of shamanic magick which she taught to Odhinn; one aspect of this involved sleeping out on burial mounds to receive oracular dreams, and powers of prophecy, shape shifting, astral journeying and love magick may also be implied.

The frequent link between fertility and death in Norse myth has been discussed by H.R.E. Davidson; she suggests that agricultural peoples tend to perceive a link between the dead in the earth and the seed in the ground, which although seemingly inert yet rises again. The tomb is thus linked to the womb, deceased ancestors reborn in some ways among their descendents. Hel, the queen of the dead, is also divine.

The shape of berkano is that of perthro turned outwards, into the womb giving birth; the sounds of B and P are very close. The magickal circle or temple, like the womb, is also a sacred enclosure. A relatively late German form of the birch goddess is Mother Berchta.

With the letter B we must also briefly mention Odhinn’s sons Baldr (discussed under sowilo) and Bragi, god of poetry and skaldcraft; if he relates to this rune its shape may be that of a harp:

“One is called Bragi: he is renowned for wisdom, and most of all for fluency of speech and skill with words. He knows most of skaldship... His wife is Idunn: she guards in her chest of ash those apples which the gods must taste whensoever they grow old; and then they all become young and so it shall be even unto the Weird of the Gods.”

Prose Edda, p. 39.

Magickal uses: worship of the Goddess; aiding in birth and fertility; works of secrecy, concealment and invisibility; healing of nature; initiatory rites (including isolation in caves or tombs for visionary purposes); containing of diverse powers; rejuvenation; reincarnation; memory of past lives; nurturing good health; rites of spring and green magick; love charms; lunar rites.

Bright meanings: growth, fertility, containment, birth, marriage, beginnings, renewal, the female, womanhood, mothering, blossoming, ripening, generation, increase, nourishment, family, nurturing, safety, abundance, shelter, evolution, luck, pregnancy, beauty, arousal, love, vitality, purity, the waxing moon.

Dark meanings: sterility, confinement, death, stagnation, abortion, miscarriage, divorce, deceit, abandon, immaturity, the waning moon.

Image: on a field of the stars of night, a grove of birch trees rise above a cave holding the image of the fertile Mother Goddess and her child.

“Birth runes learn, if help thou wilt lend,

The babe from the mother to bring;

On thy palms shalt write them, and round thy joints, And ask the fates to aid.”

“Branch runes learn, if a healer wouldst be,

And cure for wounds wouldst work;

On the bark shalt thou write, and on trees that be

With boughs to the eastward bent.”

“Beech runes there are, birth runes there are, And all the runes of ale;

And the magic runes of might;

Who knows them rightly and reads them true, Has them himself to help;

Ever they aid,

Till the gods are gone.”

(Sigrdrifumol)

150

Rimespells

Ehwaz

Horse, or twin horses.

’E’; XIX; 3,3.

(Horse) is, in front of the warriors the joy of noble men, a charger proud on its hooves; when concerning it, heroes-wealthy men- on warhorses exchange speech, and it is to the restless

always a comfort. (ASRP)

Of the names of the rune as listed byThorsson (GMC ehwaz , GO aihws, OE eh, and ON ior) the meaning is the same in all tongues; it means ’horse, stallion, war-horse’. This sacred animal, and the concept of riding upon a steed which it implies, is tied to a wide assortment of both practical uses and mythic references in the Viking culture.

On the most practical level, the horse is a major means of transport in rough terrain and a remarkable advantage in primitive warfare. He multiplies the speed and strength of his rider; a mounted warrior is a much more formidable foe in battle. One of the favoured sports of the Norsemen, which may have had a cultic context as well, was the pitting of two young stallions against one another in a horse-fighting duel, a sport which remained popular for many years and is depicted in several sagas. Tacitus observes that:

“...they have also a special method of their own - to try to obtain warnings and omens from horses. These horses are kept at the public expense in the sacred woods and groves that I have mentioned; they are pure white and undefiled by any toil in the service of man. The priest and the king, or the chief of the state, yoke them to a sacred chariot and walk beside them, taking note of their neighs and snorts.

No kind of omen inspires greater trust, not only among the common people, but even among the nobles andpriests, who think that they themselves are but servants of the gods, whereas the

horses are privy to the gods’ counsels. ” (Germania, chapter io)

Esoterically, the horse or horses are the sacred steeds of the moon and the sun in their courses, and the steeds of the valkyries and of the gods as well. Ultimately we come to Sleipnir, Odhinn’s eight-legged steed who could run between the worlds and on the wind itself; a symbol of the shamanic trance journey, and also of four men bearing

a corpse on a bier (the dead hero may ride to Valhalla, and horses may also be sacrificed during funeral rites). Many runic bracteates broaches portray a horse and rider for protection and power, relating to the course of the sun. The physical body is also a vehicle for the soul to inhabit and to utilize, and it should be remembered that the ship is ’the horse of the sea’ in skaldic poetry.

A slightly alternate name of the rune is the GMC ehwo , ’the two horses’, and this rune is strongly associated with a pair of twin gods, great horsemen and sons of the sky god, who may also be the dancers depicted upon ancient decorative helmet plates. They are called the Alcis by Tacitus, and may also be reflected in semi-historical times by Hengist and Horsa (’Stallion’ and ’Horse’), the Saxon conquerors of Britain. Horses (and horse sacrifice) were often associated with king-ship as well as divination, in Celtic and Indo-European cultures. They are linked to Freyr as well as to Odhinn, which points to the frequent overlap between the cult of Odhinn and that of the Vanir in the sometimes chaotic Norse mythos.

The principle is that of two entities or forces linked and working together: a horse and rider, or a team of horses. The Prose Edda also lists the steeds of most of the major deities, which indicates both the importance of the beast and something of the nature of each god. The shape of the rune may indicate two horses facing one another, or two posts linked by beams, or the primitive bellows described as cooling the horses of the sun (see below), or even a symbol used by the Spartans in their worship of the twin gods Castor and Pollux.

“Arvak andAlsvith up shall drag

Weary the weight of the sun;

But an iron cool have the kindly gods

Of yore set under their yokes. ”

(Grimnismol)

Most importantly, Thorsson links this rune firmlyto the partnership of legal marriage, a meaning which should definitely be kept in mind. One final picturesque thought:

“A remarkable example of the survival in a remote area of a primitive cult is related in a tale called Volsathatir - ’the story ofVolsi’. The scene is a lonely farm in northern Norway on which lived the farmer and his wife, their son and daughter, and their thrall and his wife. Volsi is the name given to the penis of a horse, carefully preserved in herbs by the wife and kept wrapped in a linen cloth. Every night the six of them pass this object from hand to hand, addressing it in short verses while doing so. This ceremony becomes their nightly habit until St. Olaf and some travelling companions unexpectedly arrive on the scene, fling the pagan phallus to the dog and teach Christianity to the benightedfamily. Such a medley of sexuality and magic was no doubt far from exceptional among the primitive Scandinavian peasants.”

(p. 287, The Vikings, Johannes Brondsted)

Magickal uses: speed in travel or the gaining of a vehicle; trance journeys to other realms; unifying duality; creation of mutual loyalty and trust; divinatory rites; direction of magickal power; swiftness; astral projection.

Bright meanings: two forces unified, trust, loyalty, swiftness, duality, vehicles, motion, progress, travel, movement, change, strength, transitions, development, emigration, symbiosis, relationship, health, racing, transportation, teamwork, harmony, advancement, grace, combination, twins, bonds, relocation, extension of strength.

Dark meanings: blockage, delays, car trouble, duplication, betrayal, mistrust, domination by a stronger personality, recklessness, haste, precipitation, clumsiness.

Image: the twin horses appear in two contrasting forms: above, as an image of eight-legged Sleipnir, steed of Odhinn, ridden by gods and

heroes, on a dark field of night; below, as a physical horse who runs on a green field of day. This shows archetype reflected in reality, and vice versa.

Mannaz

Man, Human Being. ’M’; XX; 3,4.

(Man) is in his mirth

dear to his kinsman;

although each shall depart from the other; for the lord wants to commit, by his decree, that frail flesh to the earth. (ASRP)

The GMC mannaz, GO manna, OE mann, and ON madhr all mean simply ’man, human being’. Yet man is the measure of all things in the worlds, an image of the cosmos given physical form and awareness of self. Humanity is descended from the gods; the Eddas tell how Odhinn (in triple form) gave two trees life as man and woman, and later (as the god Heimdallr) travelled among humanity and gave form to the three classes of men as the thrall, free man, and noble, or in other terms the Provider, Warrior and Priest/King (see the Rigsthula for a fuller account). If the tree of worlds is the macrocosm, then man is seen as the microcosm, and the one can affect the other. This is the sign of the divine archetypical androgyne, who is both the progenitor of the human race and the image of what the perfected human may become.

Heimdallr is the primary godform here, symbol of the genetic link between men and gods; and we may also recall the god Mannus, the divine ancestor of the earlier Germanic tribes. This is the rune of the human race, and of the human condition as well. It also relates very strongly to the moon, called Mani, also an ancestor; which waxes and wanes even as the life of man, and rules the cycles of time and season (in Norse myth the Moon is usually male and the Sun female). It is also the power of the mind, of thought and memory; the shape of the rune might show Odhinn’s ravens Huginn and Munin (’thought’ and ’memory’) beak to beak; the elhaz rune is used in the younger row of 16.

(Man) is the joy of man, and the increase of dust, and the adornment of ships, ’human’’generous one’ (OIRP)

All the rune poem verses have a rather fatalistic ring to them, however; we are immortal souls in mortal bodies, doomed to die; and despite all these references to man, the rune pertains equally to woman, whose many links with the moon are well known.

(Man) is the increase of dust; mighty is the talon-span of the hawk. (ONRP)

Magickal uses: self-perfection; blood brotherhood; advancement of mankind; increase in wisdom, memory, and mental powers; opening the inner eye and the subconscious mind; lunar rites; Jungian individuation;

access to the group mind/archetypes in Mimir’s Well (memory).

Bright meanings: immortality, humanity, rationality, intelligence, memory, descendents, ancestors, culture, family, time, change, ego, objectivity, the self, goodwill of others, measuring, awareness, order, mankind, people, androgyny, imagination, logic, foresight, vision, invention, ideas, design, pattern, speech, interdependence.

Dark meanings: mortality, isolation, foolishness, inhumanity, depression, weakness, delusion, cunning, deception, slyness, fraud, manipulation, frailty, distrust, self-centeredness, mundane society

Image: beneath the moon, before the mountains, the figure of the archetypical man appears armored as a warrior. Upon his shield he bears the image of the world and the rune itself. He is Heimdallr, guardian of Bifrost, watchman of the gods.

“What call they the moon, that men behold, In each and every world?

’Moon’ with men, ’Flame’ the gods among,

’The Wheel’ in the house of hell;

’The Goer’ the giants, ’The Gleamer’ the dwarfs, The elves ’The Teller of Time’.

(Alvissmol)

158

Rimespells

Laguz

Water, Sea, Lake; Leek.

T; XXI; 3,5.

(Water) is to people seemingly unending if they should venture out on an unsteady ship and the sea-waves frighten them very much, and the brine-stallion does not heed its bridle. (ASRP)

GMC laguz, GO lagus, OE lagu, ON logr, are all names meaning ’water, sea’; and water is our original element and force of life itself, the source of all birth and fertility and the laws of being. The Vikings lived by the sea as well as the land; fishing provided much of their food, rivers were a major means of travel, and they voyaged in their longships beyond the very boundaries of the known world of their time, facing the many perils mentioned in the ASRP.

It is water in the form of rain that makes the crops grow, and water solidified into Ice that becomes seen as one of the two primal powers of creation. There are a number of other cultic associations as well, perhaps most importantly with the Norns, who water the Tree of Life Yggdrasill from the Well of Urd or Wyrd each day, enabling it to grow and thrive. It is the Norns who shape the fates of men as the future becomes the past, and newborn children were named with the pre-christian rite of vatni ausa (’sprinkling with water’), which integrated them into the life of family and tribe. At the end of life we find the custom of ship-burial, where a man or woman might be buried or burned in an actual boat, or at least have a ship-shaped ring of stones placed around their grave site.

We thus find water ruling the poles of life, from the waters of the womb that break at birth to the rivers one crosses in the journey to the lands of death. Odhinn himself is the guide on this journey, and appears as a ferry-man in the Eddie Harbarthsljoth. Waters have always symbolized rites of passage, as well as the dream-world of the subconscious mind. Ultimately the waters are the body of the Great

Mother herself; all life on earth spawned in the oceans, seen in Norse myth as encircled by the Midgardh-Serpent. The snake who devours his own tail is an ancient symbol for eternity, the Ouroboros.

(Wetness) is churning water, and a wide kettle, and the land offish.

’lake’ ’praise-worthy one’ (ONRP)

The kettle mentioned here may be that of the sea-god Aegir, which was said to be the only one large enough to serve at the feast of all the gods; miraculous kettles or vessels also appear in the tale of the brewing of the sacred mead which took the form of Kvasir, and an ever-filled cauldron serves the slain heroes in Valhalla. They are a frequent motif of rebirth and plenty in Celtic myth as well, as in the cauldrons of the Dagda or Ceridwen (in the tale of Taliesin).

(Water) is that, which falls from the mountain as a force; but gold objects are costly things. (OIRP)

It appears that the Norse considered waterfalls especially sacred and that religious rites were often performed near them. Offerings and the bodies of sacrifices were often dropped in wells or other bodies of water, in a transition to the realms of the gods. Additionally, the OIRP may refer to the myth of the Nibelungs, whose treasure-hoard of ’gold objects’ was concealed under the waterfall called Andvari’s Force. The sea-giant Aegir and his wife Ran must be included among the mythological associations of this rune, as must the Vanir Njord, the wealthy lord of ships. The ship, of course, is the vehicle of the sun through the night and the land of death, and in this sense the waters of the ocean become one with those of celestial space. Water in most cultures is regarded as a feminine aspect of the divine; the womb of the great mother is filled with amniotic fluid, the earth floats in sea. Nor can we forget the well of memory which is guarded by Mimir’s head. The mind also has its hidden depths, sometimes like the dark still mere where monsters dwell (like Grendel in Beowulf).

“The early pagans were quite fond of beer, and the sea-god Ae-

gir was a brewer as well as a devourer of ships. Though it may seem disgusting to us, in early times beer was apparently made to ferment by spitting into the vat. This made the making and drinking of a batch of beer an admirable basis of an oath. Those who spat and drank were bound together, and this image appears in the myths we have. It appears in the myth of the mead of poetry and again in the Lokasenna.

(J. Cooper, Using The Runes, p. yo)

The primary alternate meaning of the rune was suggested by Krause, as a symbol of pagan phallic fertility rites and healings. The GMC laukaz and ON laukr both mean leek, a green-growing herb which is a symbol of healing. By extension this rune rules the realm of herbal medicines and magick (ON lyf, OE lac-nunga, not uncommonly known as leechcraft or wortcunning), and the word runic NMAO MY is often found in magickal inscriptions, where it is thought to be a charm for health and fertility. The leek was also thought to neutralize poisons. The shape of the rune is that of a breaking wave, or of the growing green leaves of the leek. Water is the source and sustainer of all organic life, which perforce follows natural laws. Note that the temple of the goddess Nerthus was an island in a lake, and that the ship as a symbol of the Vanir represents the Lady as well as the Lord.

“Thou shalt bless the draught, and danger escape, And cast a leek in the cup;

(For so I know thou never shalt see

Thy mead with evil mixed.)”

“Wave-runes learn, if well thou wouldst shelter The sail-steeds out on the sea;

On the stem shalt thou write, and the steering-blade, And burn them into the oars;

Though high be the breakers, and black the waves, Thou shalt safe the harbor seek. ”

“Beer I bring thee, tree of battle,

Mingled of strength and mighty fame;

Charms it holdsand healing signs,

Spells full good, and gladness-runes. ” (Sigrdrifumol)

Magickal Uses: Increasing fertility, creativity, vitality and growth; healing and cleansing; use of magnetic or lunar currents (tides are ruled by the moon); dream-working and second sight; protection on journeys by sea or on rivers; rites by waterfalls; wisdom from the unconscious; love magick; gathering the flow of arcane energies; brewing; naming; initiation and rites of passage; the search for the Grail.

Bright meanings: water, life, fertility, women, growth, emotions, ebb & flow, love, passion, compassion, natural laws, oceans, intuitions, the unconscious, deep mystery, awareness, creativity, fishing, sailing, fluidity, psychism, passages, immersion, the mother, the womb, birth, cleansing, receptiveness, memory, sustaining, sexuality, unseen forces, fecundity, imagination, the source.

Dark meanings: dryness, drought, sterility, sickness, erosion, the unknown,turbulence, drowning, fear, hysteria, withering, temptation, dissipation, mutability, uncertainty.

Image: a waterfall plunges deep into a well, both forms of water sacred in the north. Gathered about this are the images of the Gundestrup cauldron, an ancient cult artifact; a green and growing shoot recalling the leek; and a fish, this being a form once taken by the trickster Loki when he was fleeing from the gods. As the animal spirit of this rune it reminds us of the Celtic salmon of wisdom, which swam in sacred wells.

“What call they the sea, whereon men sail, In each and every world?

’Sea’ men call it, gods ’The Smooth-Lying’,

’The Wave’ it is called by the Wanes;

’Eel-Home the giants, ’Drink-Stuff’ the elves, For the dwarfs its name is ’The Deep’.” (Alvissmol)

Recommended Reading: the Tao Teh Ching of Lao Tzu.

Ingwaz

Ing (god or hero).

’NG’; XXII: 3,6.

(Ing) was first,

among the East-Danes, seen by men

until he again eastward (or ’back)

went over the wave;

the wain followed on;

this is what the warriors

called the hero. (ASRP)

According to Thorsson, the names of the rune are in GMC ingwaz, GO enguz or iggws, OE Ing, and ON Ing or Yngvi, all referring to Ing, an early Germanic fertility god or human hero who seems to be later identified or associated with Freyr. The annual ritual in which the image of this deity is placed in a sacred wagon and led about the boundaries of the community in a celebratory processional seems to be of great antiquity. According to Tacitus:

“... they share a common worship ofNerthus, or Mother Earth. They believe that she takes part in human affairs, riding in a chariot among her people. On an island of the sea stands an inviolate grove, in which, veiled with a cloth, is a chariot that none but the priest may touch. The priest can feel the presence of the goddess in this holy of holies, and attends her with deepest reverence as her chariot is drawn along by cows. Then follow days of rejoicing and merry-making in every place that she condescends to visit and sojourn in.

No one goes to war, no one takes up arms; every iron object is locked away. Then, and then only, are peace and quiet known and welcomed, until the goddess, when she has had enough of the society of men, is restored to her sacred precinct by the priest. After that, the chariot, the vestments, and (believe it if you will) the goddess herself, are cleansed in a secluded lake. This service is performed by slaves who are immediately af

terwards drown in the lake. Thus mystery begets terror and a pious reluctance to ask what that sight can be which is seen only by men doomed to die. ”

(Germania, chapter 40)

While this early account of the Germanic tribes (the Ingvaeones, dwelling near the North Sea) refers to the Goddess as the rider in the cart, in later times the god (who was her consort) seems to have taken her place. The association with the Vanir deities of fertility and growth is retained, and it has been suggested that Frey’s father Njord is simply a masculinized form of the earth mother Nerthus, as gods superseded the Goddess in a number of cultures.

“In the Ing-Nerthus cult the female element consumes the male to replenish her powers after spending them giving fertility to the land andpeople. Here there are strong overtones of a Cybele-Attis type of cult. The myth of Frey r giving up his sword to gain Skadhi, or the Odinic name Gelding (castrated horse), may be illustrative here. The male element represents the selfreplenishing “cosmic food” of potential energy, which is held through winter by the goddess to be suddenly and violently released again in spring during the orgiastic processional ritual. ” (Thorsson, Futhark, p. 64)

Or to put it another way:

“Like Kali, Skadi had to be propitiated each year with an outpouring of male blood in primitive sacrificial rites. Her annual victim was assimilated to the god Loki, who became a “savior” by fertilizing Skadi with his blood. Loki’s genitals were attached by a rope to a goat, and a tug-of-war ensued, until Loki’s flesh gave way and he fell into Skadi’s lap, thus bathing her loins in his blood. The gods watched anxiously to see if Skadi smiled; and when she did, it meant spring could return once more to the land. ”

(B.G. Walker, Women’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, p.

94i)

Osborne and Longland have devoted extensive discussion to this rune. According to their argument, the name Ing means ’firebrand’ or ’beacon’, which links to the hilltop fires lit upon the festivals. They observe that “...the ingle-nook of a fireplace was dedicated to him and contained a phallic branch of wood which was both a firebrand and a fertility symbol. Sap is the fire within the natural world, and so Ing is also the god of the sap that rises in the spring. In this connection the shape of the rune could be interpreted as the spiralling motion of the sap as it rises in the branch.” (Rune Games, p. in) They also claim an astronomical meaning for Ing, in which they relate him to the constellation Bootes; and his wagon is Ursa Major, known to the Norse tribes as stori vagn, ’the great wagon’. This constellation rises in the eastern sky in the spring, presaging the time of fertility, and serves as a pointer to the north star, Polaris, linked to Tyr; the stars being other forms of beacons.

The linking of this sign to the sap which rises in the trees during spring, in human terms, might refer to the virile semen of men, another appropriate symbol for a fertility god. In essence this rune focusses and concentrates and contains this energy for purposes of self-transformation; it points to the need for men to become heroes, and heroes to become gods. It is a container and releaser of biological energy; its shape is that of a box or vessel, or of the male scrotum, or of a bag of seeds, or of two interwoven forces, of sap rising in spring and the spiral motion of life. It unifies the form of the rune jera: into or . The sign of footprints which often appear in prehistoric and Bronze Age stone carvings may show the presence of this divinity periodically hallowing the earth and making it fruitful.

A suitable animal spirit might be the golden boar of Freyr, which symbolised the sun and, by tearing at the earth with its tusks, the plow as well. This rune as a sign of planting and fertility may also relate to the rites involved with plowing the first furrow in spring.

Magickal uses: sexual and fertility rites; accumulation of power; meditation and centering; aids growth of crops; seasonal bonfires; inner development of the Self as a hero; protection of home & hearth; freedom and breaking of bonds.

Bright meanings: fertility, gestation, potential, strength, offspring,

fortitude, peace, conservation, release, fecundity, beginnings, travel, resting, development, growth, nourishment, treasure, withdrawal, transformation, return, creativity, awakening, consort, emergence, separation, patience, movement, gathering, increase, stability.

Dark meanings: impotence, scattering, strangers, self-absorbtion, disassociation, blockage, stasis, paralysis, toil, obsession, bondage.

Image: the fertilizing waters are contained by the earth. Ing in the form of Frey considers the shape of the rune, which is reflected in the interlaced beasts above.

Dagaz

Day ’D’; XXIII; 3,7.

(Day) is the lord’s messenger, dear to men, the ruler’s famous light; it is mirth and hope to rich andpoor and is useful for all. (ASRP)

According to Thorsson, the GMC dagaz, GO dags, OE daeg, and ON dagr all mean ’day’. It is a rune of light, both the physical brilliance of the divine sun and the enlightened human consciousness of the mystic. In its form it shows the union of opposites, the point of balance between extremes, of the paradox where polarity cancels itself into unity. It shows the stars of morning and evening, sunrise and sunset, the twilight time between the horizons of night and day, death and life, darkness and light; all of which are one. It is this twilight time which is the gate between the worlds; it is the shadow-power between moon and sun whereby the sorcerer weaves his spells. It has been suggested that the shape of the rune depicts the year’s twin equinoxes, the days in spring and in autumn when the period of night and day are exactly equal. Another source suggests that this rune on wooden calendarstaves marked the summer solstice, the brightest and longest day of the year. Dagaz and Othala are reversed in some late futharks; note in this context the 24 hours in a day. The shape of the rune suggests both ax and hourglass, not to mention the Moebius Strip and the figure-8 sign which symbolizes infinity in mathematics.

Esoterically, however, this is the sign of the flowering into the individual spirit of the wisdom of Odhinn and the gods; the self-transcendent state of cosmic consciousness, the intoxication of joy and inspiration drawn from the draught of the mystic mead Odroerir. It is the unification of left- and right-brain thinking. In magick it is used for the ultimate transformation and evolution of the soul, for the seeing of truth and of the entire universe, as Odhinn sees it by the flight of his twin ravens each day. It is a sign of blessing and of wisdom. It

may also indicate the alien non-time of the eclipse, a union or sacred marriage of the celestial bodies giving rise to shadows of mystery The primal, cosmic fire of fehu, mastered by men as kenaz and worshipped as sowilo, now reaches its full flowering in consciousness as dagaz. Davidson says of Odhinn that “fire was traditionally associated with his cult in Sweden, and according to Snorri his followers practiced cremation, and also buried hoards of gold in the earth in his honour.” (Pagan Scandinavia, p. 109)

This rune is similar to the moment of zen clarity or samadhi in Asian systems, or when a light-bulb goes off over someone’s head in the funny papers. The animal spirit might be the soaring, far-seeing hawk, or the cock Goldcomb whose crowing salutes the dawn from the branches of Yggdrasill.

Magickal uses: enlightenment, transcendence, ecstasy, the gaining of wisdom; control of the astral light; reconciliation of opposites; the mystical marriage; transformation; solar magick; communion with the Supreme Being; new beginnings.

Bright meanings: brilliance, awakening, light, polarity, synthesis, paradox, ecstasy, revelation, wisdom, clarity, rebirth, hope, prophecy, transcendence, breakthrough, change, consciousness, divinity, ideals, awareness, initiation, success, fruitfulness, foresight, inspiration, totality, unit of time, fulfillment, harmony.

Dark meanings: darkness, ignorance, dullness, intoxication, sleep, blindness, boredom, ending.

Image: an eclipse shows the union of moon and sun, of darkness and light, reflected in the form of the rune. Odhinn wanders with his ravens Hugin and Munin (Thought and Memory); on either side appear two famous runic artifacts: the Gallehus Horn (symbolizing the sacred mead of wisdom Odhroerir and the powers of Life) and the Dahmsdorf Spearhead (symbolizing Odhinn’s weapon Gungnir and the powers of Death). The whole design shows the paradoxical resolution of duality into unity into nothingness.

“What call they the calm, that quiet lies,

In each and every world?

’Calm’ men call it, ’The Quiet’ the gods, The Wanes ’The Hush of the Winds’;

’The Sultry’ the giants, elves ’Day’s Stillness’, The dwarfs ’The Shelter of Day’.

(Alvissmol)

170

Rimespells

Othala

Ancestral Property, Homeland. ’O’; XXIV; 3,8.

(Estate) is very dear to every man, if he can enjoy what is right and according to custom in his dwelling

most often in prosperity. (ASRP)

Here the primary sequence of the runes concludes. In GMC, the name othala means ’ancestral property’; GO othal, ’property’; OE ethel, ’homeland, property’; and ON odhal, ’nature, inborn quality, property’. It is apparent that the world-view of those who worked the runes depends greatly on the solidarity of kinship among the family, clan and tribe; on links to one’s fellow-warriors, as well as to common ancestors going back through time to the point where men are descended from the gods. In this unified world the gains made by a man are shared by his kin and community through the network of exchanged gifts and feasting. This relationship can be extended through marriage between two families, or through the extremely important ritual of blood-brotherhood, of which there are many accounts in the sagas. Such solidarity lends strength to a people, and is also the force which binds groups of all other kinds as well.

Fundamentally this is indeed the home-place, the center, the family fields, the fortress of the clan. It is also the shared blood of related humans, and the ancestral rights and powers one is heir to. It may symbolise Midhgardh itself, the ’middle enclosure’, the world of men, or the sacred ve or holy site where rituals were held; perhaps by a waterfall, stone circle, or in the sacred grove of trees so beloved of the Germanic tribes as so colorfully described by Tacitus:

At a set time, deputations from all the tribes of the same stock gather in a grove hallowed by the auguries of their ancestors and by immemorial awe. The sacrifice of a human victim in the name of all marks the grisly opening of their savage ritual.

The grove is the centre of their whole religion. It is regarded as the cradle of the race and the dwelling-place of the supreme god to whom all things are subject and obedient. ” (Germania, chapter 39)

This is a power of peace and prosperity; after passing through the initiatory journey of life in the nine worlds expressed by the sequence of the runes, one comes to fullness, completion, and home. In magick, runic inscriptions of 24 signs carry the force of the entire futhark. The primal energy of fehu (gold or mobile property) is earthed in the accumulation of othala (home or land, immobile property). Each generation receives the land from the ancestors and holds it in trust for their descendents. As the dwelling hall, it is a place of order and safety established in the chaotic world of nature, the inside versus the outside. In Germanic common law, odal rights referred to absolute family title over land; and all folk related in a common line of descent are thought to share certain spiritual as well as physical properties. In our own time it may be necessary to rediscover some sense of tribalism, in balance with the realization that all humanity shares one planet.

The shape of the rune is that of a house with peaked roof, or the enclosure of a field, or of bound stalks of grain when the land knows harvest, or the hilt of a sword: Mercer suggests that the name of the rune may actually be oethil or ’oath hilt’, commemorating the ancient custom of taking an oath of fealty to a lord with hands clasped upon the hilt of his sword. She strongly relates this sign to kingship and royal blood, and suggests that it helps form the names of several early British kings. Thorsson states that it is a monogram of Odhinn, which would also relate it to royalty in the form of the ruler of the Aesir.

Magickal uses: establishment and protection of the home or temple; acquisition of real estate; proper management of the land; ancestor worship; maintaining good fellowship in groups of all kinds; drawing power and wisdom from the past; political manipulation of patriotism; establishment of orders and organizations; gardening and farming; erecting protective barriers; making peace in the home.

Bright meanings: home, family, inheritance, property, boundaries, heredity, ancestors, nobility, prosperity, wealth, wellbeing, liberty,

house, tribe, estate, heritage, culture, tradition, native land, oaths, allegiance, talents, values, legacies, acquisition, benefits, background, birthright, heirlooms, work, careers, friendship, investments, trust, dynasties, obligations, wills, society, custom, hospitality, karma, inner nature, personality, retreat, stronghold, kin, homestead, order, genetics, unity.

Dark meanings: loss, dissipation, homelessness, poverty, slavery, miserliness, materialism, greed, possessiveness, outlaws, bigotry

Image: Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, links the land of the gods with the fields of home. Above, triple deities and the hilt of a sword; below, a house or hall and the image of blood-brothers drinking together.

“What call they the earth, that lies before all, In each and every world?

’Earth’ to men, ’Field’ to the gods it is,

’The Ways’ is it called by Wanes;

’Ever Green’ by the giants, ’The Grower’ by elves, ’The Moist’ by the holy ones high.” (Alvissmol)

“Better a house, though a hut it be,

A man is master at home;

A pair of goats and a patched-up roof

Are better far than begging.

Better a house, though a hut it be, A man is master at home;

His heart is bleeding who needs must beg, When food he fain would have.”

(Hovamol)

174

Rimespells

The Final Aett

“Casting lots they let them decree

Which should die first as food for the others.

With hellish acts and heathen rites

They cast the lots and counted them out. ”

(OEpoem Andreas, showing clearly the later Christian influence.)

While the Scandinavian countries shortened their alphabets to 16 letters around 600-800 ce, the Anglo-Saxons and Frisians extended theirs to include various new sounds, and later monastic writers have devised even more letters. These would appear to total a full additional Aett, although the ASRP gives verses for only five and other traditional sources are seriously limited. However, we can devise a hypothetical set of correspondences for these runes, although in general my feeling is that the 24 runes of the elder futhark form a perfectly satisfactory self-contained universe, and in some ways these later runes are rather redundant and synthetic.

The forms I have given here for the staves occasionally vary from the various other versions of the runes; since these final forms were never fully codified I feel free to defend my system on the grounds of clarity and coherence. While it appears that these runes can be interpreted as sacred elements of the Norse cosmos in the same way as the elder futhark, they grow more problematical in their context as we draw to the end of the alphabet. My comments are thus somewhat more brief and suggestive.

Ac

Oak Tree

A, O’; XXV; 4,1.

“(Oak) is on the earth for the children of men the nourishment of meat; it often fares over the gannet’s bath [= sea];

The sea finds out whether the oak keeps noble troth. ” (ASRP)

The oak is the most sacred tree of northern Europe, and is clearly dedicated to the god Thor, whose rites took place in oak groves. The Saxons held their national assemblies beneath oak trees; the Druids also held them sacred, and the mistletoe, which grows in its boughs, they reaped with a golden sickle. This is suggestive of a link with the myth of Baldur, whose dark twin Hodr slew him with an arrow of mistletoe in a sacred drama re-enacting the death of summer at the hands of winter. While I have made limited use of parallels with classical sources, it is worth noting that the Romans identified Thor with Jupiter (as they did Odhinn with Mercurius, and lyr with Mars) and that the oak is also Jupiter’s tree, as well as being an important letter of the ogham tree-alphabet.

The ASRP associates two functions with oak: that it provides acorns as fodder for swine, and timbers for the building of ships. I have spoken before of the boar as the sacred animal of Freyr and of Freyja, and among the Celts it was connected with both fertility and the underworld. The fecundity and prolific young of the sow made swine a symbol of increase from the earliest times, and it seems that acorns were the feed that made possible a herd of pigs for fresh meat during the winter months. The boar was the traditional food for the feast of Yule, and oaths were sometimes taken upon it.

The ship was in many ways the crowning achievement of Viking technology, making possible the long voyages of exploration, trade and conquest. The sea tests the wood of the ship, as it does the skill and courage of the sailor. The ship is also the vehicle of the sun’s nightly journey through the underworld, as the wagon or horse drew it by day, and it appears in ritual stone-carvings from the earliest times in Scandinavia. It has also been suggested that rituals were held on board ship in some early periods, and since the survival of the people of the north depended upon fishing as well as hunting and farming we may assume a body of rites dedicated to the fertility of the sea as well as that of the land. There are several place-names suggesting locations dedicated to Njordr, lord of ships and giver of wealth, the father of the twins Freyr and Freyja.

However, ship-symbolism aside, the pre-eminence of the oak as the sacred tree of Thor clearly shows the divine rulership of this rune. Thor hallowed marriages, and the custom of ceremonies held under holy “wedding oaks” survived quite late in European village life. The “acorn-harvest” is also a kenning for heads taken in combat, and “oak of battle” is a term describing a warrior.

Aesc

Ash tree.

AE’; XXVI; 4,2.

“(Ash) is very tall,

[and] very dear to men firm on its base, it holds its place rightly although it is attacked by many men. ” (ASRP)

The ASRP suggests various associations with the ash as a sacred tree and as a spear. Mythologically the main links are to Yggdrasill the world-tree, said by a number of sources to be an ash, and to the creation myth where the gods form man and woman from an ash and an elm. During the Ragnarok, the surviving human couple destined to repopulate the world is sheltered in the world-tree, which also survives. Esoterically, the idea that the world-tree is an ash and the first man was made from an ash point to an identity between the human being and the cosmos itself, between microcosm and macrocosm.

The other form of ash as spear reminds us that the spear Gungnir is the main weapon of Odhinn, as it was the symbol of protection by the sky-god from prehistoric times. Among the Anglo-Saxons tiny spears were worn as his amulets, as well as the better known hammers of Thor. The spear was among the most common personal weapons of early times, long preceding the technology of the sword.

Yr

Yew-bow, gold ornament.

’Y’; XXVII; 4,3.

“(Tew Bow) is for noblemen and warrior alike a joy and sign of worth, it is excellent on a horse, steadfast on an expeditionhit] is a piece of war-gear.” (ASRP)

The meaning of this late rune is obscure; the two main attributions are Yew-bow, which shows an affinity to the god Ullr and to the main rune of yew, eihwaz; the alternate meaning refers to a gold ornament or ring, such as princes gave to their chief warriors and finest skalds. A sacred ring was also kept in temples, and oaths were taken upon it; mythologically this would relate to Odhinn’s treasure Draupnir, a dwarf-forged magickal arm-ring from which nine more of equal weight in gold dropped every nine days. This he placed upon Baldur’s pyre when he was burned in a ship, and Hermod later returned it from the underworld.

Both gold and the wood of the yew are natural substances, which can be shaped by the hand and skill of man. As well as being an instrument of death, the bow also sometimes served as a tool of divination, important sites being located where an oracular arrow fell.

“How should Ullr be periphrased? By calling him Son of Sif Stepson of Thor, God of the Snowshoe, God of the Bow, Hunting God, God of the Shield. ”

(Prose Edda, p. 114)

lor

Serpent, riverfish (eel or otter). ’IO’; XXVIII; 4,4.

“(Serpent) is a river-fish although it always takes food on land, it has a fair abode surrounded by water, where it lives in joy. ” (ASRP)

Various ideas have been put forward as to the identity of the animal described in this verse, including the eel (as the serpent most evident in the futhark; see also the fifteenth rune as eel-grass) and the beaver. My own suggestion would be the otter, whose habits are similar to those of the beaver, but who incorporates an additional layer of mythological meaning as well. Otters as shape-changers, who may in fact be humans dressed in magickal skins, appear frequently in Norse tales, as do the swan-maidens discussed earlier. They parallel the Germanic werewolf (which was perhaps a development from old folk memories of berserkers) and the Celtic seal-maidens as well. In general the concept of an amphibian, equally at home both in water and on land, has magickal associations with transformative abilities. If the meaning is serpent, however, we must remember lormungandr, the Midgardh serpent who encircles the world and fought with Thor. Dragons were also known to inhabit both water and earth; in general a dweller in two worlds is thought of as highly adaptive.

My section on the aetts opened with a discussion of the first four runes as those of the gods of sword, bow & arrow, hammer or ax, and spear. Perhaps we may close with a suggestion that the final four runes of this additional Aett reflect funeral practices; the grave or burial mound, pyre of cremation, funeral libation or hehshoes, stone as guardian or memorial. See The Road to Hel by H.R.E. Davidson for a complete study of the Norse conceptions of the afterlife.

Ear

Earth-grave, dust.

AO, EA; XXIX; 4,5.

“(Grave) is hateful to every warrior when steadily the flesh begins, the corpse, to become cold, to choose the earth palely as a bed-mate;

fruits fall joys pass away,

bonds of faith dissolve. (ASRP)

Norse myth is filled with lore about the dead in the burial mound, and of the undead draugr who rises from it. Many of the oldest runic stones found in graves appear to have been protective spells designed to keep the dead from walking. At the same time, the ancient mounds were also holy places, platforms between heaven and earth, which unified the twin realms of the overworld and the underworld, the twin states of life and death. Kings and poets are often depicted as having dreams or visions upon them, and there is frequently some confusion between the endless battles and feasting of the heroes in Valhalla and similar occurrences within the mound.

In Celtic myth, of course, such mounds also appear as gateways to the otherworld, as the glass castles of the fairy-folk or sidhe. The whole question of the lore of fairies in Norse and Celtic myth, which reflect extremely ancient myths (and have very little to do with the Walt Disney versions) cannot be adequately dealt with here; however, it should be mentioned that the Vanir have clear links to the Alfar, and that both have links to mounds and to the dead. “Sea” has also been suggested as a possible meaning. Death ultimately crowns life.

Cweorp

Fire-twirl.

’Q’; XXX; 4,6.

Ritual fire, cremation fire? In the famous account of a Viking ship-funeral by Arab traveler Ibn Fahlan the pyre is lit by the closest kinsman of the dead, naked, walking backwards, as a fit way to draw near to contact with the land of the dead. The archeology of ancient Scandinavia shows that the fashion of cremation and inhumation, or some combination thereof, changed in many ways over the course of the centuries, and that the pyre was generally associated with the cult of Odhinn. The elaborate description in the Eddas of the funeral of Balder is depicted in several surviving Norse works of art.

To briefly recapitulate some of the other elements of fire (better covered under the rune kenaz): several of the sacred festivals over the course of the year involve great bonfires; sometimes the herds of cattle are driven between them to insure their fertility, sometimes

human couples leap over them hand-in-hand for the same purpose. Sometimes all of the hearth-fires in an area are extinguished and rekindled from a ritually lit common source. The cooking of offerings at the sacrificial feasts is no doubt important; and the entire concept of flame as a transcendent transformer, and of the curious link between death and fertility (life) seems to run all through religion.

Calc

Chalice, chalk, shoe.

C’; XXXI; 4,7.

There is little real information on this rune; the name has been translated as chalice or beaker, chalk, or shoe or sandal. A chalice or cup could represent a sacred container encompassing the power of water or of some more intoxicating sacramental liquid such as mead or ale; perhaps poured out as a libation to the gods. Chalk suggests mainly a substance useful for the drawing of runes, or perhaps the famous chalk turf-carvings of the Heme Giant or the White Horse in a Celtic context.

Shoes in Norse myth suggest mainly the hel-shoes said to be bound the feet of the dead for their journey, or the great leather boot the silent god of forests Vidar wears on the day of Ragnarok, when he rends the jaws of the Fenris-wolf to avenge his father Odhinn (or perhaps to release him, to dwell in the new world under his old name of Hoenir).

Stan

Stone.

’ST’; XXXII; 4,8.

Stone is the primal and ultimate form of solidified matter. The bones of the giant Ymir with which the gods made the world were stone, and it is told of some trolls and etins that they were turned to stone by the light of day. In the mines and caverns below us dwell the dwarves, and ever downwards and northwards lies Hel, the land of the dead. The earliest tools were of stone, and the ancient stone ax that was symbol of the sun-god’s cult evolved into the hammer of Thor. Of stone was the fire-pit on the hearths of the earliest men, and of un

hewn stone the primal altars of the gods, and the mountains surrounding the world. The oldest known surviving runic inscriptions are mainly on stone; many were placed in graves and burial mounds, with curses against looters and words of power to insure that the dead would stay in their place and not walks. This points to the power of stone for magickal protection in general. Later memorial stones are raised, perhaps marking the grave, or raised for one lost at sea or in a far off land; perhaps marking the boundaries of inherited farms, or outlining a gathering place made for the Thing (a law-making and judicial assembly) or for ritual purposes, or by bridges or roads made for public benefit and in the memory of one deceased. Such stones still stand throughout the north, although Christians destroyed some during the hash process of forcible conversion. Later, of course, appear a large number of Christian rune stones in churchyards, as runic fonts and in scriptural inscriptions, and other reflections of the survival of the futhark into the middle ages. In a Swedish context Jansson quotes an inscription from the choir-wall of a church in Oland to the effect that “...the pastor of the parish should know how to read runes and write them...” (p. 166, Runes of Sweden). Finally, monoliths and stone circles have long been thought to play a part in the transmission of geomantic or telluric earth energies.

Gar

Spear.

’G’; XXXIII; 0,0.

One final rune, probably a purely literary creation, represents Gungnir the spear of Odhinn. Bronze age carvings of a god with a spear show the extreme antiquity of both the weapon and the deity who controls it; in historical times Gungnir was one of the great treasures of the Aesir, always striking its mark and then returning to Odhinn’s hand when cast. The custom of flinging a spear over an opposing host to sacrificially dedicate them at the opening of combat is recorded in the Voluspo:

“On the host his spear Then in the world The wall that girdled

did Othin hurl, did war first come; the gods was broken,

And the field by the warlike Wanes was trodden. ”

On a practical level, however:

’Away from his arms in the open field

A man should fare not afoot;

For never he knows when the need for a spear

Shall arise on a distant road. ”

(Hovamol)

This rune may serve as a sort of central axis for the four aetts described here as a whole, as its shape reflects their division: an axle for the runic wheel.

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Rimespells

Some Songs of Power

Each sorcerer should devise his own rites, and call upon the gods with his own words. However, such arts can also be shared. This is a brief selection of my ritual works, which may be combined with your own operations. The purposes included are:

Masks of Odhinn: some speculation

Heimdall’s Casting: a sanctification of sacred space

Opening Call: a summons of Aesir (Odhinn) and Vanir (Freyja)

Making a Rune-stave: for consecrating bind-runes

Horn-Rite: for charging the sacred mead of wisdom

Callings of Odhinn: an invocation

36 Names of Odinn: a chant

Nine Worlds Riding: an Odhinnic meditation on the spheres

I. to IV several short poetic works

Nine Secret Songs: a general charging for tools or talismans.

Hrafnsgaldrar: a verse for each rune, to be used individually in the marking of words of power

A New Rune Poem: an expression of my futhark

Clearly, the god-form most emphasized here is Odhinn, as the lord of runes and magick. This hardly does justice to the diversity of goddesses and gods in the Norse pantheon, nor to Odhinn’s original position as guardian of the rites of all the deities.

However, a more complete presentation of Norse religion is beyond the scope of the present work, and may appear at some future date. For the moment it should be suggested that you call upon the gods who clearly rule the sphere of your own operations and best express your own tendencies.

Eet me once again mention the traditional (and there are often good reasons for traditions) advisability of banishing before and after magickal operations, and of keeping a thorough and honest magical record.

Mead water Aesir Vanir steel horn

fire ice

sun moon

southern equator northern arctic tree hanging rite well of wyrd rite coloring rite Mimir’s head rite aettcircle rite Odhroerir rite

Heimdall guarding ve

• I.

In the world’s first battle he hurled his spear over the heads of the foe

the raven-god mighty in war and magick who binds in secret knots strands of fate the Norns have woven victorious in conflict wielder of frenzy the helmet-hooded masked one of the all-seeing single eye

Odinn I invoke.

• II.

Darkly cloaked rapt in the night clouds about my head like a wide hat I sit in the High Seat above the nine worlds see the fate of the gods with a single eye the song of the skald spills from my lips like sacred mead from the eagle’s beak my words are true for my tongue with runes is carved my will is done for my blood has colored my desire

nine days did I hang

on the tree of worlds

I drank deep of wisdom from the Well of Wyrd

I have spoken with all the living and the dead from ancient Norns and Mimir’s head have I gained what I sought

• III.

Feathers black as night and searching eyes claws to tear dead warriors

Huginn and Muninn ride the winds

Ravens soaring above nine worlds Odinn’s all-seeing companions on wings swift as thought returning memories of all times perch on my shoulders your secrets to tell whisper the sacred runes to me

In the High seat I wait for the day’s new wisdom throwing flesh to the wolves

drunk on mystic mead.

• IV

I have left an eye in the well of Wyrd

price of the draught of Mimir’s knowing

By this eye in the ocean of night

I see all space and time

I send twin ravens flying

I wander wide with wolves

I see the ways of beasts and men and spirits above and below the earth

as an eagle in the highest place

I gaze out beyond all limit

as I hang on the tree at the center, whose branches hold nine worlds.

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Rimespells

I know how to call them, primal powers linked to signs that bind nine worlds.

I know how to carve them, with blade of steel in wood or stone, in flesh or bone.

I know how to stain them, red with blood filled with power burning in black night.

I know how to send them, bound to branches bending eastward weaving in the wind.

I know how to hide them, symbols concealed in code of number or buried deep in earth.

I know how to read them, with a single eye twin ravens flight and wisdom wide.

I know how to offer them, dissolved in flame pure as white ash dust in the wind.

I know how to sacrifice, with mead outpoured nine secret songs

red blood to all the gods.

I the Master write the runes, bright as fire dark as ice

that form the tree where Odin hangs.

Opening Call:

By the Well at the roots of the Tree whose branches hold nine worlds

by runes of fire carved in ice I invoke the primal powers.

by the single eye pledged for Mimir’s draught the ancient companion of Norns I call: who was serpent and eagle to steal away mead, who was hanged nine days between death and life; with raven and wolf on the field of battle, swift rider upon the eight-legged horse.

Odhinn the king of the Aesir I call master of the galdr-power and the company of the sons of morning.

of the lady of beauty immortal I sing, who knows all fates as heaven’s light, who is lover of all upon the green earth. Bright as the sun she wanders in her chariot drawn by cats, she sorrows with tears of gold. Freyja the queen of the Vanir I call mistress of the seidr-magick and the gathering of night’s daughters.

By the Well at the roots of the Tree whose branches hold nine worlds

by runes of fire carved in ice I invoke the primal powers.

(here declare your will and the purpose of your ritual.)

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Rimespells

Making a Runestave

To make a stave formulate your desire into a sigilized bind-rune. Prepare the ritual area and materials, banish dross and invoke the gods.

If working in wood, bone or clay carve, or if in parchment pencil in your design and your (or another’s) magickal name carefully, saying:

with blade of steel

I carve the runes to work my will I mark the signs.

Color the runes with properly prepared paints and a raven’s-feather quill, perhaps adding some of your blood; or ink the symbol in a color appropriate to the purpose of the rite, saying:

with crimson blood

I color them

with life and power

I redden them.

If you are using some word of power, chant it as you work. Name each rune used by vibrating its sound or its name: or with a verse of a rune-poem (the Hrafnsgaldrar is one example); or with verses of your own written for this specific purpose, saying:

with secret names

I bind them by breath and word I send them

Drink to the gods and pour out a libation to give thanks: made wild with mead, to work my will

I have called twin ravens with Hroptyr’s voice, may the winds go forth

to bear my word, may the hidden signs bear golden fruit.

Close the rite and banish. Carry the talisman with you, or keep it hidden near you or near the subject of the rite.

Heimdall’s Casting

(Begin with the hammer-banishing, then mark the boundaries of the circle with the wand or staff, or by carrying fire around it.)

I spin the wheel about the center, around the tree of nine worlds.

I link all realms with the rainbow bridge that the bright god guards with his sword. Heimdall the son of nine mothers I call, who watches at Asgardh’s gate to ward with fire this sacred place made strong against all evil.

By Gungnir, Odhinn’s spear by Mjolnir the hammer of Thor by Freyr with the horn of a hart is this place of power made strong; that Aesir and Vanir may gather and the sacred songs be sung, near the well at the roots of the tree where the runes of the Norns give judgement.

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Rimespells

A Calling of Odinn

Odin I invoke, the king of the gods, wanderer in the whirling winds, master of magick, maker of men.

lord of Asgard, who feasts in Valhalla, grants mead to heroes in the hall;

who sits in the High Seat over nine worlds, all-seeing with a single eye;

who wanders wide in dark disguise and burns in the poet’s blood;

god of warriors, who is friend of ravens and companion of wolves, masked one, rider on the eight-legged horse.

lord of the Aesir, friend of the Vanir, lover of all the Asynjyr;

who rides with the Valkyries, speaks with the Norns, rules the spirits of the lands above and below the earth and makes war against giants and demons;

who hung nine days upon the world-tree, stole away mead in an eagle’s form, who has drunk from the Well of Wyrd and left an eye to Mimir’s head;

who holds Gungnir the spear of victory and death, and Draupnir the golden ring of increase, pours out the mead Odhroerir in the breath and voice of the skald;

whose ravens are Hugin and Munin, whose wolves are Geri and Freki, whose horse is Sleipnir eight-legged;

whose forms are many and hidden: the eagle and the snake and the hawk and the one-eyed man.

I invoke by your nine sons, the Aesir:

Thor & Heimdall & Bragi,

Vidar & Vali & Tyr, Baldur & Hermod & Hod.

I invoke by your allies, the Vanir: Nerthus & Njord, Freya & Frey.

I invoke by the Goddess manifold: Frigga & Freya, Jord, Rind & Grid, Sif & Idunna, and nine daughters of the wave.

I invoke by the triple Norns: Urd, Verdand & Skuld;

By Vettir and Valkyrie and Disir I call, by all of the gods I invoke:

Odin, whose hands hold fire and ice, who is wrapped in the cloak of the night; who rides wind and wave on the eight-legged horse, where the storm and the wild hunt follow.

Lord of sorcerers, skalds and kings, strange wanderer in nine worlds, who can bid the dead on the gallows to speak, who commands both heaven and hell, whose crimsoned runes have bound the fates until the end of time;

whose way is wisdom , whose words are poetry, who is glad with weapons, giver of joy, teller of truth.

I kindle the secret flame to you, and pour out the mead of ecstasy. Send your ravens to whisper secrets, show me the pattern the Norns decree, the winding web of woven wyrd.

You who fly cloaked with eagle’s wings, above the tree Yggdrasil;

Odin, I invoke you.

—Vethrfolnir

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Rimespells

Masks of Odhinn

The quest of Odhinn is the search for wisdom, and each human must seek the secrets of their own Self. The runes are clues; they appear in the world around us in shadows and tree branches, in cracks in the sidewalk and graffiti on alley walls, in trademarks and book or record covers, in jewelry or on UFOs pictured in the National Enquirer. The true sorcerer finds omens everywhere.

Few of us have any interest in plucking out our own eyes, but many of the myths of Odhinn can be re-enacted in symbolic form. The Hanging in the World-Tree need not last nine days. To climb a tree, to spend time in its branches in meditation, gazing upon the shadows of its interlaced branches, is to return to an arboreal world where our remotest ancestors dwelled and to speak with the powers they knew. The World-tree appears as the axis of the universe and the link between heaven and earth in nearly every ancient culture. To become one with it is to share its life and growth.

Drinking from the Well of Wyrd is a communion with the female side of the divine which can be experienced in its essence by any body of water, spring or stream or fountain or the great sea itself.

Wandering in Disguise is an action we accomplish merely by our reincarnation; but one should always seek new experiences and ways of understanding. What we most love and desire, what we most fear and loathe, may be equally revealing.

The Descent to Hel, the questioning of the Dead Sybil or of the hanged man at the crossroads, can be the same as the remembering of our nightly dreams (a regular record of these can be enlightening) or deliberate trance-working and astral projection, with the runes used as gateways.

To feast with the heroes in the Hall of the Slain is to commune with the spirits of the mighty dead, to draw upon the strength and wisdom of generations of ancestors. Conversation with Mimir’s head also draws upon the atavistic and genetic memories of humanity.

The Stealing of the Sacred Mead resembles a descent (in serpent form) to the subconscious mind, a communion with the anima (the giant’s daughter) and subsequent ascent (in eagle form) with the gifts of wisdom/insight (the mead itself).

In the ancient myths of our ancestors lie the mysteries of our own

beings. Self-knowledge is never wasted. See also my comments on se-idhr in the chapter on magick.

Odhinn’s quest for knowledge was endless and indiscriminate and as unstoppable as the growth of the Tree of Life itself. To expand the limits of potential is to participate fully in the adventure of being.

36 Names

(This invocation consists of 36 of the many names and aspects of the god Odin, and is effective when roared or whispered or sung. Attention to rhythm of breath multiplies its force.

The english consists of various translator’s interpretations of the names, drawing on several editions of the Prose and Poetic Eddas. It is not to be vocalized, but strokes upon a bell or drum in between the names can be experimented with.)

ALLFOD all-father

VOFUTH wanderer, wayfarer

HAPTAGUD god of the gods

BIEEYG one-eyed

GAGNRATH gain-counsellor

FARMAGUD god of cargoes

VIDRIR ruler of weather

THUND thunderer

HANGAGUDgod of the hanged

SIGFOD father of battle, of victory

HERJAN leader of hosts, lord, ruler,

war god, raider, warrior

FIMBUETYR awesome god

HJAEMBERI helm-bearer, helmeted one

BAEEYG flame-eyed one, fiery-eyed

FARMATYR ship-lord, cargo-god

HNIKAR

BIFLINDI

YAK

overthrower, spear-thruster, abaser, spear-lord

spear-shaker, he that puts armies to flight

wakeful, alert one

GALDRSFADHIR father of incantation, or of magick

HROPTATYR hidden god, crier of the gods, god of gods

FJOLSVID wide of wisdom, very wise one, lore-master

OSKI god of wishes, fulfiller of desire

FJOLNIR many-shaped, much-knowing,

concealer, hider, knower of many things

OMI shouter, one whose speech resounds,fanspeaking one

GONDLIR wand-bearer, bearer of the magick staff

SATH truth, the truthful

SANNGETALL truth-teller, one who guesses right, truth-finder

GRIMNIR

the masked one

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Rimespells

Fehu: Draupnir Rite of Increasing Wealth

Uruz: Rite of Strength & Vitality Thurisaz: Rite of Striking the Enemy

Ansuz: Rite of Inspiration

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Rimespells

Drinking-horn Rite

Pour mead into the horn and raise it to the North saying:

Odhroerir! Bodn! Son!

I call upon Odhinn for the mead outpoured, for the wisdom of Kvasir’s blood, of Aesir and Vanir blended.

I call honeyed mead of wisdom like gold, outpoured in the song of the skald that binds the primal powers.

By the delving of the serpent and flight of the eagle

I drink from the vessel of inspiration.

Alu medu!

Alternatively, for divination by the Norns, fill the horn with water:

Urdh! Verdand! Skuld!

I call upon the triple Norns who write the judgement in runes of law.

I call the powers of time and fate by the swans that sail in the sacred Well.

I call by the roots of the Tree, where the gods are gathered at each day’s dawn.

Urdh! Verdand! Skuld!”

Drink all of the draught save what is poured out as a libation. It may be mixed with the ashes of burnt sigils, which may also be drawn in chalk and washed away; or magickal herbs may be added. Beer, wine and milk are also used at times. Edda verses may be read.

Raidho: Rite of Protection While Travelling

Kenaz: Rite of Fire

Gebo: Rite of Love

Wunjo: Rite of

Hagalaz: Rite of

Nauthiz: Rite of

Isa: Rite of

Jera: Rite of

Eihwaz: Rite of

Perthro: Rite of Casting the Runes

Elhaz: Rite of

Sowilo: Rite of

Tiwaz: Rite of

Berkano: Rite of Healing

Ehwaz: : Rite of

Mannaz: Rite of the Ancestors

Laguz: Rite of Healing

Ingwaz: Rite of Fertility

Dagaz: Rite of Odhinn

Othala: Rite of Protecting the Home

214

Runespells

Hrafnsgaldrar

A Raven-Song OfThe Triple Aetts, The Secret Names OfThe Elder Runes

—Shade Vedhrfolnir

Beneath a raven banner Weaving in wild winds I find victory’s spear In the flow of song Runes from the mouth Of the one-eyed god.

On the gallows-tree

I hang nine days Made mad with mead Of the eagle’s flight I drink in turn From Mimir’s well.

The first I call Power of Wealth Glitter of gold Wild fires, flood tides.

The second I call the Wild Bull Strength of the beast Iron of the forge.

The third I call Sharp Thorn Th under-Ham mer of Thor The storm-giant’s foe.

The fourth I call God’s Mouth When Odin speaks wisdom Breath works the Will.

The fifth I call Long Journey Where wheels the Sun’s wain A ship sails dark seas.

The sixth I call Pine-Torch Fire of the making Skills of the smith.

The seventh is Gift Freely-given Where all are joined In Love’s embrace.

The eighth I call Joy’s Laughter A tree of golden apples That gives immortal youth.

Eight and one I call Hail-Stone Birthed in the storm Making fruitful the earth.

Eight and two I call Need-Fire That binds and sets free Flame of hunger reborn.

Eight and three I call Ice-Bridge Bifrost the rainbow Caught in clear crystal.

Eight and four I call Year’s Harvest The wheel returning Grows golden grain.

Eight and five I call World-Yew That holds nine worlds Where Sleipnir rides.

Eight and six I call Lot-Box Casting Fate’s fortunes The Norns have decreed.

Eight and seven I call Elk-Sedge Shield of the hand High horns of the hart.

Twice eight I call Sun-Stone Golden brightness of sky Speed in the sailing.

Third and one I call Tyr-Star Binding honor and oath Granting victory in battle.

Third and two I call Birch-Tree White goddess in green leaves Jeweled with Brisingamen bright.

Third and three I call Twin Horses That draw moon and sun That turn day and night.

Third and four I call Man-Child Who rides with the Hawk To wander the worlds.

Third and five I call Water Fall Life-giver, herb-healer Force of the flow.

Third and six I call Ing’s Wain Frey’s peace on the land Beacon blazing on the mound.

Third and seven I call Day’s Light

Opening of eyes by Odhroerir’s blood-mead.

Thrice eight I call Home’s Hearth Center of things Where roads end.

Hrafnsgaldrar (Raven’s Song)

The first I call Power of Wealth glitter of gold wild-fire’s tide.

The second I call the Wild Ox strength of the beast iron of the forge.

The third I call Sharp Thorn hammer of Thor the giant’s foe.

The fourth I call God’s Mouth when Odhinn speaks runes winds work the will.

The fifth I call Long Journey where wheels the Sun’s wain and the ship sails dark seas.

The sixth I call Pine-Torch fire of the maker skill of the smith.

The seventh is Gift Freely-given by which all are joined into lover’s embrace.

The eighth I call Joy’s Laughter a branch of golden apples that give immortal youth.

Eight and one I call Hail-Stone birthed in the storm making fruitful the earth.

Eight and two I call Need-Fire that binds and sets free flame of hunger reborn.

Eight and three I call Ice-Bridge Bifrost the rainbow runes caught in crystal.

Eight and four I call Year’s Harvest wheel returning growing grain.

Eight and five I call World-Yew that holds nine worlds where Sleipnir rides.

Eight and six I call Lot-Box that deals out the fates the Norns have decreed.

Eight and seven I call Elk-Sedge shield of the hand horns of the hart.

Twice eight I call Sun-Stone brightness of sky wind in the sail.

Third and one I call TyrStar binding honor and oath giving victory in battle.

Third and two I call Birch-Tree white goddess in green with Brisingamein bright.

Third and three I call Twin Horses that draw moon and sun

that turn day and night.

Third and four I call Man-Child that rides with the hawk to wander the worlds.

Third and five I call Water Fall life-giver, herb-healer, force of the flow.

Third and six I call Ing’s Wain Frey’s peace on the land beacon on the mound.

Third and seven I call Day’s Light wisdom of runes

Odhroerir’s mead.

Thrice eight I call Home’s Hearth center of things where roads end.

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Rimespells

A New Runepoem

(These verses cover four families of aett (32) in the Anglo-Saxon alphabet as I work it, and also the runes of Wodan and Wyrd. I also sometimes use a blank stone and one with the secret symbol of my Self,for a total of 36. While not strictly traditional, there is enough variation among different futharks that I feel my forms here are defensible. I have drawn on all three ancient rune-poems without being bound to any of them, and have tried to include as wide a range of meanings as possible.)

Wealth of gold rich herds of cattle a field of energy dancing, transforming to work the will awakening

the Ox is strength unceasing power whose great horns rise high over the land gentle rain, and ash of the forge

hammer of Thor

against frost-giant’s power sharp the Thorn that protects the flower deep the thrusting of the phallus

Odinn is king

of the gods in Asgard the Mouth speaks words to weave fate’s web

and turn men’s minds in battle

hard is the Riding

over strange roadways

swift is the journey that goes with the sun eight legs has Odinn’s steed

Torch is the pine’s fire and the blacksmith’s craft, passion of love-making, art in the hall of kings; light burns in the heart of fire

the Gift of the gods is given to men blood sacrifice rises when freely made; in love man and woman are linked

in Joy we go immortal riding with hawks on our hands in the light of sun, moon and stars the fruit-bearing branch holds youth in golden apples

Hailstone hard is seed of ice the storm makes fertile earth; from destruction is creation born

Need-fire flames like hunger within necessity drives us yet constraint sets us free

Ice is the bridge of swift rivers crystal and jewel are seeds without form nine worlds are void, where glacier and volcano meet

the first gods rise from fire and ice

the Year’s wheel turns to golden harvest the cycle complete brings rich reward the hidden god knows season’s change

dark paths we dream

between heaven and hell

the roots and branches of the Yew have linked the living and the dead in the hanged god upon Yggdrasill

hearth-fire, horn of wisdom’s mead, fate woven by Norns and mystery from the Lot-box are cast red glory-runes carved in the hall rises music like the phoenix

the high-horned Elk

is guardian-spirit

the Valkyries soar

in swan-wing cloaks of white

the hand may not grasp sharp Eel-grass

in jewelled crystal capture

guiding light of the Sun with fair winds in the sail the wave-steed glides in golden shining to the world’s edge and beyond

bright is the Polestar pillar of the sky still-point amid turning heavens Tyr the god of war and justice gave oath and hand to bind the wolf

Birch silverbarked and straight is the tree of the Goddess green are her leaves when fertile springtime comes young couples dancing about the tall maypole

Horse is man’s friend to bear him swift on Odinn’s steed the messenger rides to the otherworld realm and back

Man is the child of eternal gods Man is born to die like the moon we change we rise and fall forever

Water flows in rain, in mist and sea giving life from the primal well where rivers run to the roots; the noble leek is a healing-herb

Ing is a god who goes in a wain circles the boundaries makes sacred, gives life, in the reign of Frey were years of peace

Day and night touch like two hands joining nothing exists that does not reflect at the equinox time stands still

House is a strong hall the place of ancient power

home and family, tribe and clan make us what we are

at the going forth and returning of life

Oak is holy

grove of the gods ship of the sea seed of the sun

strong is the spear in battle

Ash-tree, world-tree, Yggdrasill! hawk and eagle soar above dragon gnaws the roots and three gods wandering formed man’s flesh and woman’s also

the Bow of yew fine-crafted, well-made speeds the arrow to the heart ornamented with gold nobles ride to the hunt

Otter is a river-beast dweller in two worlds spirit-skin wrapped about the changeling soul midgard-serpent encircles the world

Dust is the grave awaiting man Dust the abyss the soul must cross

Dust is sorrow turned to joy

sacred Fire, funeral pyre flame of will or sacrifice the sword is tempered that is forged

in this heat are all things changed

the Grail we seek of sacred mead fair maiden sings love’s song unceasing in chalk mark runes on hilltop stones

Stone is earth hearth first altar body strong and garden green in a sacred manner we walk

the Spear of Odinn is the true will victory and destiny drawn to a single point where the one-eyed god guides passage

the web of fate is woven on the planet’s spinning wheels the triple Norns have measured and know when the strand is cut no man his wyrd escapes.

I my Self

have walked nine worlds

had many names led many lives found joy in constant change

it has no name its soul is silence it cannot be encompassed it is the way of the going the whole transcending the parts

here ends the song of the runes I have sung

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A Heretical New Aeon & Qabalistic View of the Runes

There is great danger in me; for who doth not understand these runes shall make a great miss. He shall fall down into the pit called Because, and there he shallperish with the dogs of Reason. (The Book of the Law, chap. II, v. 27)

Here I take immense cross-cultural liberties in redefining elements of the traditional runes of the elder futhark entirely from my own viewpoint as based on all I know of both eastern and western systems of magick and myth, as well as the Double Current expressed in the works of Fra ter Perdurabo (Crowley) and Soror Nema. To anyone who is unfamiliar with the terminology of Qabala as used in post- Golden Dawn ceremonial magic, or with the archetypical alphabet of the Tarot trumps, or Tantra, orThelema, or the fusion of Chaos magick,it will appear that I have lapsed into another language, one composed entirely of barbarous names in dead languages and bastardized concepts from many lands. So it goes. The only good civilization is a dead civilization.

A word on the progression of aeons, or cycles of time, in modern esoteric tradition. This assumes that over periods of about two thousand years we pass, through the procession of equinoxes, from the influence of one zodiac sign to the next. Most people are aware that we have just entered the so-called Age of Aquarius, also known as the Aeon of Horus, with a resultant upswing in personal liberty and spiritual self-exploration. For the past two thousand years, the Piscean Age, we experienced the dominance of sorrowful monotheisms such as Buddhism, Judaism and Islam (coinciding with the so-called “Christian era”) and known as the Aeon of Osirus.

Prior to this was the Aeon of Isis, a pagan era practising the worship of the Great Goddess, and then the primal aeons identified with the animal-headed deities and shamanic rites of man’s earliest evolution. The Aeon of Horus, according to this conceptual if not strictly historical framework, began with the reception of The Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley in Cairo in 1904; the world was symbolically destroyed by fire, balancing the previous destruction by water recorded in Mesopotamian myth, later plagiarized in the biblical ac-

count of the great Flood. In another two thousand years this will give way to the Aeon of Maat, the goddess of truth and justice, and an entirely new phase of human evolution. This sequence of Egyptian godnames, Isis: Osirus: Horus: Maat, reflects the influences of mother: father: son: daughter in human mythology In the world-view of the Double Current adept, we have access to the powers of all these currents at will.

Most of the terminology used here was based upon the work of Crowley, in part as explained by Kenneth Grant; and as a Thelemite I have an interest in incorporating all mythologies into a new aeon framework. The Book of the Law is a short work of three chapters, each the words of the three major god-forms ruling this age: Nuit, Hadit, Ra-HoonKhuit, who are also depicted on the ancient Egyptian Stele of Revealing. Upon this basis Crowley devised a major synthesis of both eastern and western magick which has had a fanreaching influence on modern occultism. Containing elements of qabala and hermeticism, tantra and yoga, astrology and alchemy, psychology and physics, it was a valiant attempt to reconcile the world’s myth and magick which made possible the current fusion called Chaos Magick, which also draws upon the works of Spare, Jung, Lao-Tzu and others. Notable also are the works of Soror Nema, who has a direct line to the Aeon of Maat, a subject even more recondite.

At the end of the Eddie Voluspo (The Wise-Woman’s Prophecy) there is a rather controversial reference to the future coming of a mighty godhead who shall lay down laws and rule over a golden age. This has been sometimes rumored to be Christ; I prefer to believe that it is Horus. If we accept this Thelemic cosmology, and it’s claim to be a way to reconcile all world mythology, we might fit rune-magick and the survival of pagan Norse god-forms in as follows: the destruction of the world by fire is the same event foreseen by the Norse as the Ragnarok, or Doom of the Gods, when the old order would fall and new gods reign (see also the biblical Revelations). If we attempt to link the god-forms on an archetypical level, it is clear that there is an essential correspondence between Hadit, the great magician and central core of being, and the sorcerous Odhinn with his single eye. Nuit, the universal body of the star goddess, is thus his consort Frija or Frigg, also a lady of heaven and earth and eternal knower of fate. Horus, as the twins Ra-Hoor-Khuit (the Avenger) and Hoorpankraat

(the Silent god), appears as the light and dark sons of their union, perhaps Vali (the Avenger) and Vidar (the Silent) who return to reign after Ragnarok, or perhaps Thor and Frey, or Baldur and Hod. The ecstatic harlot Babaion meets her match in the erotic adventures of Freya, and Maat as symbol of cosmic order may be linked to Wyrd. Aiwass, the presiding spirit, might be seen as Heimdall, the body of the Tree, whether it is seen as the qabalistic Tree of Life or the World-Ash Yggdrasill. If we attempt to brutally reconcile these two forms of the World-Tree, we might map them as follows:

These are Norse gods: i. Odin, Tiwaz 2. Bragi, Forseti 3. Frigga, Wyrd o. Hodr, Hel 4. Njord, Vidar 5. Tyr, Thor, Vali 6. Baldur, Frey, Sunna 7. Freya, Gerd 8. Loki, Hermod 9. Heimdall, Mani 10. Jord, Sif, Gefn

As a Norse addendum, this is my brutal reconciliation of the Nine Realms of the fabled World-Tree called Yggdrasil with the Hebrew qabala, which serves to show the overall flexibility of the system: 1. Kether is Asgardh, Kingdom of the Aesir or Sky Gods 2. Chokmah is Muspelheim, the realm of Light, Fire and Energy 3. Binah is Niflheim, the realm of Darkness, Ice and Matter o. Daath is Ginnungagap, ’the yawning void’ full of magical energy 4. Chesed is Vanaheim, land of the Vanir, Earth Gods or fertility deities

• 5. Geburah is Jotunheim, land of Giants similar to the early Greek Titans

• 6. Tiphareth is Bifrost, radiant Rainbow Bridge linking human and divine worlds

• 7. Netzach is Alfheim, home of the aerial bright elves (angels?) 8. Hod is Svartalfheim, dwelling of subterranean dwarves & kobolds

(demons?)

9. liesod is Hel, misty realm of the Dead

10. Malkuth is Midgardh, the ’middle garden’ or human world, which is better known to us all as Professor Tolkien’s famous Middle Earth.

No doubt this all sounds like complete gibberish to most. However, any divinatory language will develop personal associations unique to the individual seer, and these are some of mine. I have dealt with a more traditional view of the runes previously, and can take comfort in the fact that these correspondences are (in my humble opinion) no more goofy than anything and everything ever written about, for example, the so-called Armanen or even the New Age runes.

In a sense, I have thus utilized the runes as an Alphabet of Desire, a concept from the writings of the late Austin Osman Spare and his Zos Kia Cultus. I also will discuss some hypothetical parallels with the Greater Arcana of the Tarot trumps, which are still the symbolic system par exellance for most modern magicians and Witches. A number of recent writers have attempted to establish astrological as well as tarot attributions for the runes, but while this is no doubt possible in theory I do not believe any of them are fully satisfactory The runic universe represents tides of power in a constant state of flow and transformation, and any insights of this kind can only be transitory. ATU here refers to the Greater Arcana of the Tarot trumps.

Wealth: gold is the goal of the Great Work of the alchemists, the transformation of the first material into this solar metal being a symbol for the ascent of human consciousness into solar or transcendent consciousness. This is energy in its original form, the power of the will, the astral light. Atu: Frey = Fool?

Aurochs: is the great wild beast, Pan or To Mega Therion; the power of animal strength, vitality and lust.

Thorn: is the power of the focussed will or of the magickal weapon, whether the hammer of Thor, the wand or blasting rod of the sorcerer, the athame of the witch, the vajra or dorje of the tantric.

God, mouth: the power of the magickal language or formula, of breath and pranayama, of life itself. Mercury; ATU: Magus. Note the primary Maatian power-word IPSOS, translated as “by that same mouth”; a bold declaration of the unity of the microcosm and macrocosm. The element of air.

Riding: this is the Way of the Tao taught by Lao-Tzu; the proper way of the going of things.

Torch: the elemental power of fire, the heat of sexuality, the art of candle magick.

Gift: the interrelatedness of a unified cosmos. Macrocosm linked to microcosm. ATU: Lovers.

Joy: ecstasy, bliss, the inspired state of power in which the sorcerer exists, the attitude of “Love under WiU” among Thelemites. ATU: Aeon.

Hailstone: the union of heaven and earth in a creative ferment that is the living body of the Tree.

Need-fire: the Forgotten Ones of the Maatian system, the deep powers of hunger, lust, anger, tribal solidarity and the survival instincts.

Ice: the force of solidification and synthesis, the second half of the alchemical formula “solve et coagula”.

Year: the cyclic nature of the cosmos; Abraxas 365

Yew: the sacred Tree of the shaman’s astral journey; the place between life and death. ATU: Hanged Man (XII) or Death (XIII)

Dice-dox: the power of fate, governing luck and chance, probability and synchronicity, destiny and choice.

Shield: the sign of protection, whether seen as the trident of Siva or the claw of the (Horus) Hawk or the Hand.

Sun: the visible object of worship.

Star: “Every man and every woman is a star.” (Book of the Law, 1,3)

Birch: the mark of the goddess, whether Babaion or Freya or Ishtar.

Horse: the vehicle of power, the body of the spirit; in Voudon, when possession takes place, the entranced person is considered the horse or steed of the loa or gods.

Man: the microcosm.

Water: the elemental power

Ing: fertility

Day: paradox

Home: house. Beth.

Dedication:

I would like to dedicate this work to Edred Thorsson,

Yrmin-Drighten of the Rune-Gild, and to Stephen E. Flowers, Ph.D., in hopes that these two giants in the field of runological studies may someday meet.

Acknowledgements:

I would like to thank Edred Thorsson and the Rune-Gild, Diana Paxson and all at the Ring of Troth, the Grove of the Star & the Snake, the Coven of the Children of Branwen of the Welsh Tradition, Lady Setara and the Ravens of Ravenna Coven of the Windblown Tradition, and the many other friends and teachers I have had in my years of pursuing the Great Work, including the Pagan Way, the Horus/ Maat Lodge, Q.B.L.H., the London O.T.O., the Church of All Worlds, and even Amherst College; as well as all those whose studies of the runes have somehow contributed to this book.

While I’m at it, a tip of the horned helmet to James Chisholm, Alice Loptwyn, David James, Bjoern-Erik Hartsfvang.

Illustrations:

In addition I would like to acknowledge the countless books, magazines and other sources which I have cannibalized in the making of the Leaves From Yggdrasill collages and other figures which illustrate this work.

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Recommended Reading

By now it will have become readily apparent that I rely most upon the works of Edred Thorsson in matters runic; however, there are many other useful works in the field of Norse studies.

For basic historical background there are a number of accounts of Scandinavian history leading up to Viking times:

Another volume I have found useful is Everyday Life In Viking Times by Simpson.

For mythological background the best sources are E.O.G. Turville Petre’s Myth & Religion and the works of H.R.E. Davidson, such as Scandinavian Mythology, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe, and Pagan Scandinavia. Her early study of conceptions of the afterlife, The Road To Hel, is also helpful, as is her most recent work, Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe, which discusses Celtic and other parallel influences. Dumezil’s Gods of the Northmen should be read as well. Somewhat less precise but still readable are the writings of Bran-ston and Crossley Holland.

The Prose and Poetic Eddas are essential reading and both exist in several translations; for the Poetic Edda the Hollander translation is currently the best.

Academic works on runelore in English are limited, but Elliott’s exellent Runes: An Introduction has just come back into print, and R.I. Page’s somewhat more sceptical books are also available. If you can find it, Stephen Flowers Rune and Magic is an amazing storehouse of information.

The best practical studies are Thorsson’s Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic and Runelore: A Manual of Esoteric Runology, which are essential to the modern student. Peterson’s The Enchanted Alphabet andd Tyson’s Rune Magic also have good points, as does Cooper’s Using The Runes.

For divination Thorsson’s At the Well of Wyrd is best, and Rune Games by Longland & Osborn contains a great deal of useful and suggestive information. Two recent works by Nigel Pennick, Games of the Gods and Practical Magic in the Northern Tradition contain food for thought as well; so do his several works on geomancy

There are currently a large number of semirunical works of the standard fortunetelling type, ranging from those with at least some

historical information to ouija board communications from the spirit of Elvis Presley. If I don’t mention names I probably have reasons.

In the field of the current Norse religious revival Thorsson’s A Book of Troth is again the most authentic work. McNallen’s system of rites is available through Asatru; two other attempts are The Rites of Odin by Fitch and The Tree: the Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft.

For those intrested in the later Armanen runes Thorsson’s Rune Might and Flower’s translation of Guido von Fist’s Secrets of the Runes are about the only sources in English.

I have limited my suggestions here to works in English which are more or less available, in larger libraries if not occult bookstores and mail order operations. Further publishing information appears in the complete bibliography at the conclusion of this work.

Some Suggested Reading

Runes:

Books by Edred Thorsson:

Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic

Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology

At the Well of Wyrd: A Handbook of Runic Divination

Rune-Might

A Book of Troth

R.W V Elliott

Runes: An Introduction

R.I. Page:

An Introduction to English Runes

Runes (Reading the Past)

Marijane Osborn & Stella Longland:

Rune Games

Pennick, Nigel:

Games of the Gods

Practical Magic in the Northern Tradition

Donald Tyson:

Rune Magic

Rune Magic Cards (art by Robin Wood)

James M. Peterson:

The Enchanted Alphabet

Norse Mythology:

Poetic Edda or Elder Edda (various translations, LM. Hollander is suggested)

Younger or Prose Edda (various translations, J.I. Young is available) H.R.E. Davidson:

Gods and Myths of Northern Europe

Scandinavian Mythology

Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe

E.O.G. Turville-Petre:

Myth and Religion of the North

Brian Branston:

Gods of the North

The Lost Gods of England

This bibliography includes many, but by no means all, of the works which influenced this writing. It is most complete in terms of runic literature (although limited to english) and includes both academic sources as well as most of the recent popular works, although the latter may vary somewhat in quality. Some items of unredeemable silliness have been carefully omitted,and the preceding pages should give one some idea of who I do take seriously. There is also a medley of sources from other areas of modern magick, witchcraft, psychology and anthropology which have influenced me and which I think others may also find useful.

I would like to thank the Rune-Gild and the Ring of Troth for access to a number of unpublished manuscripts.

Adler, Margot. Drawing Down the Moon. Beacon Press, 1979.

Auden, WH. & Taylor, Paul B. Norse Poems (The Elder Eddda).Ath-lone Press Ltd. 1981.

Bates, Brian. The Way Of Wyrd. Harper & Row, 1983.

Bauschatz, Paul C, The Well and the Tree: World and Time in Early Germanic Culture. University of Massachusetts, 1982.

Bellows, Henry Adams, trans. The Poetic Edda. American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1923.

Bleakley, Alan. Fruits of the Moon Tree. Gateway Books, 1984.

Blum, Ralph. The Book of Runes. St. Martin’s Press, 1982.

Blum, Ralph. Rune Play. St. Martin’s Press, 1985.

*Blum, Ralph. The Book of RuneCards. St. Martin’s Press, 1989.

Bonewits, Isaac. Real Magic. Samuel Weiser, 1989 (revised edition).

Bord, Janet & Colin. The Secret Country. Warner Books, 1976.

Boyle, Sean O. Ogam: The Poet’s Secret. Gilbert Dalton Ltd. 1980.

Branston, Brian. Lost Gods of England. Thames & Hudson, 1974.

Branston, Brian. Gods of the North. Thames & Hudson, 1980.

Branston, Brian. Gods & Heroes from Viking Mythology

Schocken Books,1982.

Brondsted, Johannes. The Vikings. Penguin Books, 1960/80.

Buckland, Raymond. The Tree: the Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft. Samuel Weiser Inc. 1974.

Buckland, Raymond. Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft. Llewellyn Publications, 1986.

Buzan, Tony. Use Both Sides Of Your Brain. E.P. Dutton, Inc. 1983. Campbell, Joseph. Your choice of the complete works, and the PBS-TV

interview series with Bill Moyers, available on video.

Carroll, Peter J. Liber Null & Psychonaut, Samuel Weiser Inc. 1987. Chisholm, James Allen. The Grove and the Gallows. Rune-Gild. Cooper, D. Jason. Using the Runes. Aquarian Press, 1986.

Crowley, Aleister. The complete works, especially The Book of the Law,The Holy Books, The Book ofThoth, The Book of Lies, The Vision & the Voice, and all four parts of Magick in Theory & Practice. Davidson, Hilda Ellis. The Road to Hel. Cambridge University, 1943. Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Penguin Books, 1964.

Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Pagan Scandinavia. Thames & Hudson, 1967.

Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Scandinavian Mythology. Paul Hamlyn, 1969.

Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe.

Syracuse University, 1988.

Davidson, Hilda Ellis. “The Germanic World” in Oracles and Divination,

edited by Loewe, Michael and Blacker, Carmen. Shambhala, 1981. Davidson, Hilda Ellis. “Shape-changing in the Old Norse Sagas” in A Lycanthropy Reader: Werewolves in Western Culture. Syracuse University, 1986.

de la Saussaye, P.D Chantepie. The Religion of the Teutons. Ginn &

Co./Athenaeum Press, 1902.

Dickins, Bruce. Runic and Heroic Poems of the Old Teutonic Peoples. Cambridge University Press, 1915.

Dolphin, Deon. Rune Magic. Newcastle Publishing Co. 1987.

Dumezil, Georges. Gods of the Ancient Northmen. University of California, 1973.

Ekstrand, F.E. The Ancient Norwegian Calendar Stick. Welcome Press.

Eliade, Mircea, the complete works, especially The Forge and the Crucible and Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy.

Elliot, Ralph WV Runes: An Introduction. Greenwood Press 1959/81. Elliot, Ralph WV “Runes, Yews and Magic”. Speculum vol. 32,1957.

Flowers, Stephen E. Runes and Magic: Magical Formulaic Elements in the Older Runic Tradition. Peter Lang Publishing, 1986.

Flowers, Stephen E. The Galdrabok: An Icelandic Grimoire. Samuel Weiser, 1989.

Gelling, Peter & Davidson, Hilda Ellis. The Chariot of the Sun and Other Rites and Symbols of the Northern Bronze Age. Frederick A. Praeger, 1969.

Glob, PV The Bog People. Faber and Faber Ltd. 1969.

Glob, PV The Mound People. Faber and Faber Ltd. 1974.

Grant, Kenneth, the complete works, especially the Typhonian Trilogy and Images & Oracles of Austin Osman Spare.

Graves, Robert. The White Goddess. Vintage Books, i960.

Halsall, Maureen. The Old English Rune-Poem: a critical edition. University of Toronto, 1981.

Harner, Michael. The Way of the Shaman. Harper & Row, 1980.

Hoeller, Stephan A. The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead. Quest Books, 1982.

Hollander, Lee M. trans. The Poetic Edda. University of Texas, 1962.

Hollander, Lee M. The Skalds. University of Michigan, 1968.

Howard, Michael A. The Runes and other magical alphabets. Aquarian Press,1978.

Howard, Michael A. The Magic of the Runes. Samuel Weiser Inc. 1980.

Hunt, D. August. The Road of the Sun & What Odin Whispered In Balder’s Ear. Labyrinthos, 1987.

Huson, Paul. Mastering Witchcraft. GP Putnam’s Sons, 1970.

Huson, Paul. Mastering Herbalism. Stein & Day, 1974.

Huson, Paul. The Devil’s Picture-Book. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1971. Jansson, Sven B.F. The Runes Of Sweden, trans. Foote, Peter G. Bedminster Press, 1962.

Jansson, Sven B. Swedish Vikings In England: The Evidence of the Rune Stones. H.K. Lewis & Co. Ltd. 1965.

Jung, Carl G. The complete works; begin with Man & His Symbols or his autobiography Memories, Dreams, Reflections.

Kummer, Siegfried Adolf. Rune Magic, trans. Du Wayne Fish. Rune-Gild.

Line, David & Julia. Fortune-Telling by Runes. Aquarian Press, 1984. List, Guido von. The Secret of the Runes, trans. Stephen E. Flowers. Destiny Books, 1988.

Littleton, C. Scott. The New Comparitive Mythology. University of California Press, 1973.

Magnusson, Magnus. Viking: Hammer of the North. Galahad Books, 1980.

Man, Myth & Magic Encylopedia. BCP Publishing Ltd. 1970.

Marah. Rune Magic, self-published, no date.

Martin, John Stanley. Ragnarok: An investigation into Old Norse Concepts of the Fate of the Gods. Royal VanGorcum Ltd. 1972. McNallen, Stephen A. Rituals of Asatru (3 volumes.) undated. *Mercer, Beryl (Text & Research) & Bramwell, Tricia (Artwork). The Anglo-Saxon Runes. Phoenix Runes, 1983. Pamphlet and cards. Michigan Germanic Studies VII: Proceedings of the First International

Symposium on Runes and Runic Inscriptions. 1981.

Munch, Peter Andreas. Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes.

Revised by Olsen, Magnus; trans. Hustvedt, Sigurd B. AMS Press,1970. **Murray, Liz & Colin. The Celtic Tree Oracle: A System of Divination.

Art by Card, Vanessa. St. Martin’s Press, 1988.

New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, Prometheus Press, 1973. Osborn, Maryjane & Longland, Stella. Rune Games. Routledge & Ke-gan Paul, 1982.

Owen, Gale R. Rites and Religons of the Anglo-Saxons. Barnes & Noble Books, 1981.

Page, R.I. An Introduction to English Runes. Methuen & Co. 1973.

Page, R.I. Runes. University of California Press/British Museum, 1987.

Pennick, Nigel. Games of the Gods. Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1989.

Pennick, Nigel. Practical Magic in the Northern Tradition. Aquarian Press, 1989.

Pennick, Nigel. Hitler’s Secret Sciences. Neville Spearman, 1981.

Pennick, Nigel. The Ancient Science of Geomancy CRCS Pub., 1987.

Peschel, Lisa. A Practical Guide to the Runes. Llewellyn, 1989.

Peterson, James M. The Enchanted Alphabet. Aquarian Press, 1988.

Proctor, George L. Ancient Scandinavia. John Day Company, 1965.

Ragan, Michael. The Runes of Ancient Ireland. Runestone Publications.

Roberts, Anthony & Gilbertson, Geoff. The Dark Gods.

Rider/Hutchison, 1980.

Savage, Adrian. An Introduction to Chaos Magick. Magickal Childe, 1988.

Simon. The Runes: A Short Lexicon. Magickal Childe, 1973.

Simpson, Jacqueline. Everyday Life in the Viking Age. Dorset, 1967.

Storms, Dr. G. Anglo-Saxon Magic. Gordon Press, 1948/74.

Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda, trans. Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur.

American-Scandinavian Eoundation, 1929.

Sturluson, Snorri. The Prose Edda, trans. Jean I. Young, University of California, 1954.

Sturluson, Snorri. Heimskringla (History of the Kings of Norway), trans. Lee M. Hollander. University of Texas, 1964.

Tacitus. The Agricola & The Germania, trans. H. Mattingly, revised by S.A. Handford. Penguin Books, 1948/73.

Taylor, Isaac. Greeks and Goths: A Study on the Runes. Macmillan and Co. 1879.

Terry, Patricia. Poems Of The Vikings: The Elder Edda. Bobbs-Mer-rill, 1969.

Thompson, Clairborne W Studies In Upplandic Runography University of Texas Press, 1975.

Thompson, Lawrence S. edit. Norse Mythology: The Elder Edda in Prose Translation. Archon Books, 1974.

Thorsson, Edred. FUTHARK: A Handbook of Rune Magic. Samuel Weiser Inc. 1984.

Thorsson, Edred. Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology.

Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1987.

Thorsson, Edred. At the Well ofWyrd: A Handbook of Runic Divination. Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1988.

Thorsson, Edred. Rune Might. Llewellyn Publications, 1989.

Thorsson, Edred. A Book of Troth. Llewellyn Publications, 1989.

Thorsson, Edred. The Runic Magic of the Armanen. Rune-Gild, 1985. Tolstoy, Nikolai, The Quest for Merlin. Little, Brown & Co. 1985.

Turville-Petre, E.O.G. Myth And Religion of the North. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964.

Tyson, Donald. Rune Magic. Llewellyn Publications, 1988.

*Tyson, Donald. Rune Magic Cards. Art: Robin Wood. Llewellyn, 1988.

Valiente, Dorene. The complete works.

Vanggard, Thorkil. Phallos: A Symbol And Its History In The Male World. International Universities Press, Inc. 1972.

Walker, Barbara G. The Women’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. Harper & Row, 1983.

Wardle, Thorolf. Rune Lore, self-published, no date.

Weiz, Karl. Introduction to Rune Magic, privately published, no date. Willis, Tony The Runic Workbook. Aquarian Press, 1986.

*Willis, Tony and Clark, Anthony. The Rune User’s Handbook (edited from Workbook) and the Aquarian Rune Pack. Aquarian Press, 1987.

Wilson, David. The Vikings and their Origins. Thames & Hudson, 1970.

Wilson, Robert Anton. The complete works, especially Cosmic Trigger and Prometheus Rising, and in fiction the Illuminatus! trilogy. Zoller, Robert. Skaldic Number Lore. Rune-Gild, 1985.

Zoller, Robert. Towards A Germanic Esoteric Astronomy. Rune-Gild, 1985.

indicates a tarot-like deck of rune-cards.

**indicates an ogham/tree alphabet set of cards.

Sagas used in whole or part include:

Egil’s Saga, Njal’s Saga, Hrafnkel’s Saga &Other Stories, Seven Viking Romances,The Vinland Sagas,Eirik the Red,Volsunga Saga,Grettir’s Saga, Laxdaela Saga, Orkneyinga Saga,Saga of the Jomsvikings,Saga of Hord & the Holm-dwellers,Saga of Hallfred Troublesome-

Skald,Eyrbiggja Saga,Gongu-Hrolf’s Saga,Saga of Gisli,Gautrek’s Saga & Others,The Faroe Islanders Saga, Ynglinga Saga,Viga-Glum’s Saga,Saga of Gunnlaug,King Harald’s Saga, and others.

Other publications include Idunna, Northways, Asyjur and Godismal, as well as a large number of academic journals.

Select Bibliography

248

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“One, two, three!” yelled a voice. A tremendous chorus started up:

“Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday, Lord of the Ha-anged,

Happy birthday to you!”

The torches came back on again. Odin rose tearfully from his seat, staring down at the huge birthday-cake, studded with several million candles, that had been laid on the table before him.

“I just don’t know what to say,” he began after a while. “This is really quite a surprise.” He dabbled at his single eye.

“Blow out the candles!” clamored a thousand voices.

He drew himself up to his full height; the ravens fluttered on his shoulders, ashes cascading from their cigars. Leaning forward, he blew. The candles winked out like stars on doomsday, all in one shot.

The god lyr strode up next to Odin, weaving a bit under the influence, proffering a gift-wrapped package with the prosthetic claw that had replaced his Fenris-eaten right hand.

“We passed the hat around the other day,” lyr said. “Took up a little collection.”

Odin covered his face with his hand. “You shouldn’t have.”

’Ah, go on,” Tyr urged.

“Well, why not?” Odin said, suddenly greedy.

He grabbed the package, ripped it open. His face lit with delight when he saw what was inside. He took out a piece of paper and waved it. “A gift certificate from Walden’s!”

“The one in Niflheim Mall,” Tyr said. “We figured you’d get a big kick out of it, with your boundless thirst for wisdom and all. This way you won’t have to go hanging on any more trees or popping your eyes out. For a while at least.”

“Thanks a bunch,” Odin said. He waved to the throng of heroes and deities, beaming. “Thanks a whole lot, guys!”

“Don’t mention it,” they cried.

He laughed and sat back down. The entertainment resumed.”

(from Adventures of Samurai Cat, by Mark E. Rogers)

250

Rimespells

F Freyr Freyja Frigga the sword-god of fertility, herds of cattle and gold Fenris

U Ullr the bowgod of hunting and wild animal power; dark twin slayer Vili, Ve, Vidar,Verdund, Urd

TH Thor hammer or ax god defender from giants magickal weapon meteor

A Odhinn spear-god speaker of wisdom magick power of runes Aegir R the course of the sun and associated rites Rann

K controlled sun-fire craft and skill of blacksmith/shaman/warrior

G Gefjon Gerd Gridr the giver grain-goddess offerings of sacrifice love-magick the plow

W Wyrd Wodan joy, ecstasy, frenzy apples of Idunna rune-slips ravenbanner

H Hailstone Heimdall Hermod Hod Hel power of storm union of fire and ice

N needfire sacred fire rekindled hunger and cold must be fed dark gods

Njord Nornir Nerthus Nanna

I ice world forming Ymir bridge Bifrost Idunna

J year’s harvest a complete cycle completed festival mythos Jord Jormungund

Y yew world-tree of life and death shamanic journey branches over heaven roots underearth dreamtime Ullr

P fates chance destiny triple goddess symbolic grid

Z fylgja follower,guardian; totem shield hand amber

S the Sun wholeness light sun-ship by night Sif Syr Sleipnir Skul

Tlyr star sky-god justice and war sky

B birchtree spring-goddess Freya green birthing earth Baldur, Bragi

E horse sacred steeds of sun and moon and man Sleipnir

M man human condition woman moon hawk Mani

L waterfall places the sea healing herbs dreams Loki

NG Ing beacon bonfire human hero wain sun by day

D cosmic paradox enlightened state of consciousness house homeland tribe gild Odin

In later times more forms were added to cover new sounds. While there are perhaps fewer mythic associations with these less traditional rune-staves, hypothetical associations include:

Ae Oak tree ship acorn

A Ash world-tree Odin-spear

Y Bow gold rings

Io amphibian beast shape-shifter, bear walker

EA earth-grave, dust, burial mound

Q ritual fire of cremation or of solar regeneration

C libation cup

ST rune-stone

G Gungnir

On the following two pages appear drawings of the famous lost horns from Gallehus, Denmark, which may date as early as 400 ce. Many attempts have been made to interpret these mysterious pagan figures, and I will make none here; however, they are useful as an illustration of runic forces and mythical archetypes, and the postures depicted inspired to some extent the concept of stadhagaldr, a form of Northern yoga where the body itself is used to form the shapes and transmit the energies of various runes. These horns were used for both drinking and music, and thus recall the mythic artefact called the Gjallerhorn possessed by the Aesir.

“Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.”

(Aleister Crowley, Magick In Theory & Practice)

“The Self is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.”

(hermetic aphorism quoted by C.G Jung)