RUNES "A Gift from Odin"

WHAT ARE RUNES?

In folklore, the runes were given to humankind by the central God of Norse mythology ODIN, who hung himself upside down on the World Tree - or Yggdrasil - in a self sacrificing ritual. After nine nights of suffering upon the tree, Odin died and passed on to the realm of the afterlife where he gained wisdom and was then reborn. Odin passed on his newly acquired wisdom to his people in the form of Runes.

Runes are an alphabetic script used by the people of Northern Europe from the first century c.e. until well into the Middle Ages when they fell into disuse as the Roman alphabet became the preferred script of most of Europe, however their forms and meanings have been preserved in inscriptions and manuscripts.

The word 'Rune' means 'mystery' or 'secret wisdom' and had magical significance serving as a system of symbols used to create magical spells and fortell the future. Today runes have been rediscovered as a symbolic system gaining immense popularity as a means of divination, however, much more than a curious alternative to Tarot cards for telling fortunes they provide a key to understanding the lives and beliefs of the ancient people who created them, and have much to teach us about a way of life that was perhaps more intimately connected to the natural world, and to the realm of spirit, than our own.

HISTORY OF THE RUNES

What we now know as the runic alphabet seems to have developed from two distinct sources - one magical, one literate. Pre-runic symbols or hällristningar have been found in various Bronze Age rock carvings, primarily in Sweden. Some of these symbols are readily identifiable in the later alphabets, while others represent ideas and concepts, which were incorporated into the names of runes (sun, horse, etc.). The exact meanings of these sigils are now lost to us, as is their original purpose, but they are believed have been used for divination or lot casting, and it is fairly certain that they contributed to the magical function of the later runic alphabets.

The name "futhark", like the word "alphabet", is derived from the first few letters in the runic sequence. The futhark originally consisted of 24 letters, beginning with F and ending with O, and was used by the northern Germanic tribes of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Northern Germany. This form of the runes is known as the Elder, or Germanic Futhark.

Runes remained in common use until well into the 17th Century. Even the common knew simple runic spells, and the runes were frequently consulted on matters of both public and private interest. Unfortunately, with the magical arts, they were officially banned in 1639 as part of the Church's efforts to "drive the devil out of with Europe". The rune masters were either executed or went underground, and the knowledge of the runes may well have died with them. Some had the knowledge passed on in secret, but it is almost impossible to separate ancient traditions from more modern esoteric philosophies in such cases.

THE RUNIC REVIVAL

Perhaps the darkest period in the history of runic studies was their revival by German scholars connected with the Nazi movement in the 20's and 30's. What began as a legitimate folkloric resurgence unfortunately became so tainted by Nazi ideology and racism that the research from this period was rendered all but useless to any serious student of runic lore?

After the Second World War, the runes fell into disfavour as a result of their association with Nazism, and very little was written about them until the fifties and sixties. It was not until the mid-eighties, with the widespread appeal of the "New Age" movement and revival of Pagan religions (especially the Asatru movement) that the runes regained their popularity as both a divinatory system and a tool for self-awareness.

Sources: There are several historical runic inscriptions, found on everything from swords to stones to bronze pendants, which list the entire runic alphabet in order. One of the oldest and most complete of these is the Kylver stone, found in Gotland, Sweden and dating from the fifth century c.e. Others are less complete, but show a remarkable continuity in the order in which the runes until are listed. The only surviving written accounts of the actual names and meanings of the runes, however, were not recorded until the advent of the Christian era. Some of these manuscripts, which date from the 9th Century until well into 12th, are known as rune poems. These poems have a verse for each rune, each of which begins with the rune itself and its name. Some of these poems are more Pagan than others, particularly those from Iceland, where Christianity was not yet as widespread as it was in the Anglo-Saxon regions.

The rune names themselves appear to have been passed down relatively intact, and although no manuscript exists listing the names of the older, Germanic runes, the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian rune poems agree to such an extent that their common origin can be deduced. These names are probably our best clue as to what the individual runes actually meant to the people that used them.

Interpretation: The unique order of the fuþark and its traditional division into three 'aetts' (a word meaning 'families' or 'groups') may be of significance in deciphering the complex interrelationships between the runes. Several authors have noted certain pairings and groupings within the order but so far the meaning of the overall pattern has remained a mystery.

It should be noted that the interpretations of the runes listed on this site while firmly founded in historical evidence and understanding of the Norse culture, are at least partially speculative and should not be taken as the "True and Original Meanings of the Runes". To make things a little clearer, I have tried to distinguish hard fact from speculation wherever possible.