Ancient Runes Made Easy
By Niniel Sanders
Introduction
Runes is a big and complex subject, and for many it can become difficult to keep everything straight. That is what this book hopes to be able to help with.
Enough books have been written containing detailed descriptions of the various runes and their Ætt, therefore that will not be this book’s primary outlook. Rather the focus will be placed on the use and history of the runes and the texts they were used to write as well as the texts written about the people who used the runes.
The reason for this is that Runes are not only letters, but a highly magical set of symbols and what many students fail to understand is that the reason the runes will not work for them, is that they do not understand the meaning behind them properly. By exploring this subject, the runes will become significantly easier to work with as you will not only be able to recognize each symbol but also the meaning behind it
First we will look at the myth about how the runes came into being and why that is significant for the understanding of the runes’ magical properties.
We shall then look at what was written in Latin letters about the people using the runes and their religion as that was closely related to the runes and their magical properties and it makes no sense trying to understand the runes and their development before understanding this which is exactly where most books go wrong.
Once we have this basic knowledge, we will move on to look at the various runic alphabets as they developed over time. We will look back at how culture and religion defined them, and how these lines will be crystal clear for the reader.
Then, we will explore what the runes were used to write, and why the runes might have been preferred over Latin letters for such tasks - even in times when the Latin alphabet was known to the people using the runic alphabet.
It is my hope that once the students of the runes and their secrets have read this book, they will be better prepared to understand and work with runes, and to further their education on this fascinating subject that many witches and wizards have spent lifetimes expanding.
Mythology – Selfhanging
Translation and commentary
The most prominent source to mythological knowledge of Runes and where they originate from is an edda poem called Hávamál, or translated into English “the speech of the tall one”. The people who created these types of poems were skilled poets and very fond of showing their vast knowledge about the word by creating alternative terms. This is one of the less complicated instances where this is only one. The tall one is another name for Óðinn who is described in various other sources as being tall, one eyed, wearing a hat and a large black or dark blue cloak.
Hávamál is for the most part narrated by Óðinn himself and a small part of it speaks of when he discovered the runes.
In order to properly speak about this piece of the poem I will bring my own translation of the part in question here, starting with the two first verses and the two following in the next chapter
I know that I hung in a windblown tree
For nine entire nights
Wounded by spear and given to Óðinn
My self from myself to myself
In that tree, of whom no one knows
Where his root stems
They did not gift me with bread, nor with any horn
I searched below
I took up the runes, screaming I took them
After that I fell down
The windblown tree is another name for Yggdrasil, the tree that is the center of the Nordic cosmos, standing in the middle of the home of the God’s, which again is situated as the center of the world with the world of humans in a ring around it and the world of the giants in a circle around that again.
The number nine is significant because to the people who originally created and listened to this nine signified completeness. The fact that Óðinn hung on the tree for nine nights means that he completed the transformation. Also it is noteworthy that time is counted in nights rather than days, which is typical of this people. They also counted winters rather than summers. Presumably because these times were border-areas with a danger to them that did not exist at their lighter counterparts.
The fact that Óðinn is wounded by a spear and then in the paragraph directly after said to be given by himself to himself is also interesting and stems from the notion that the spear was Óðinn’s special weapon just as the hammer was Thor’s. Hanging is also associated with Óðinn, because he is said to sit under hanging trees to learn secrets from the dead hanging above.
The tree that is mentioned in the next line is again Yggdrasil and refers to the vertical axis it also represents. As it was mentioned before Yggdrasil is the center of the world on a horizontal axis, but this is also true for the vertical axis where it starts in the underworld where the dead are and reach up through the world of the giants, humans and gods and into the sky. The underworld is a mysterious place and so no one knows there Yggdrasil has it’s roots.
The horn mentioned in the second verse is a drinking horn and the customary way of drinking at the time. So it means nothing more or less than that in the time he hung upon the tree he starved and thirsted.
It is significant that the runes come from below and not from above as might have been expected of something that brings enlightenment, but given a little more thought it makes perfect sense. In Nordic mythology the underworld is a place that is shrouded in mystery and most of the time a place where people do not return from, but when they do they possess an added knowledge that is extraordinary and only attainable through death. The nine days and the completeness then comes to tell us that Óðinn did indeed complete his cycle from life to death and did indeed die upon the tree.
It is no small feat to take the runes up and return to life and this is represented in the outcry he gives, but then it is completed and he falls down from the tree, entering again the normal sphere.
Translation and commentary
After the acquisition of the runes, the poem explains what is gained by having these, because obviously having given such a sacrifice; the mightiest of all the gods, literally the greatest possible sacrifice, something important and grand must have been gained.
Again this is my own translation of the original text and other versions may be found elsewhere with different word-choices and indeed different meanings. This is because a translation is always in essence an interpretation. Most words have more than one meaning and in poetry this is amplified in the extreme. So bear in mind that this is an interpretation, albeit one that, to the best of my knowledge, is accurate in representing the meaning behind the verse.
Nine mighty songs I learned from the renowned son
Of Bölþór, Bestla’s father
And I enjoyed a drink of the valuable mead
From Óðreri
Then I took up being fertile and be wise
And grow and thrive well
Word led from word to other words
Deed led from deed to other deeds
Again nine is mentioned, a sacred number that signifies completeness and signifies that Óðinn learned the complete number of mighty songs. Now one may wonder what a mighty song is, but it probably leads to the magic of the norse religion. Here a lot of magic was carried out as song in something called galdr and it looks as if a certain kind of singing has been involved in seiðr also. Both will be spoken of in greater detail later. What is important however is that Óðinn knows them fully, for to be able to function it is necessary for him to always gain more knowledge and a lot of the magic has to do with that exactly: Gaining knowledge.
Bestla is Óðinn’s mother, and so Bölþór is Óðinn’s grandfather. Bölþór’s renowned son must therefore be Óðinn’s uncle, but who this character is, is unknown as no one is ever mentioned.
Óðreri is the name of a vessel holding mead made from Kvasir’s blood, a myth told in the prose edda. The short version is that in one of his never-ending quests for more knowledge Óðinn went in search of the mead made of the blood of Kvasir, a very wise being, and Óðinn brought it home to the realm of the gods. Whoever drinks of it receives skills as a poet, which at that time was rather the same as being wise. The mead therefore represents wisdom and the ability to create poetry which was a highly appreciated art. These vessels containing the mead were named and Óðreri means “The one who stirs the mind”
When the word fertile is used it is not in the sense that a plant will now start growing out of him or that he will be able to have many children, but in the sense that he is able to create much, but on an intellectual level. It is by words and symbols that he creates. The runes apparently makes him more so as well as wiser than he already is; quite a feat as Óðinn is already described as the wisest of all.
What is started with the acquisition of the runes is also not something that stops creating more knowledge, for as one word springs from him it inspires another one, which again inspires another. The same with deeds. This must naturally be understood as magical where both the words spoken and the deeds done have another meaning than their face-value.
The People - The Goddess of Love
It does not make sense to try to understand the writing system of a people without knowing anything about who they were and how they lived. Much less so when you try to understand a system as complex as that of the runes, which are at the same time an alphabet and magical objects.
In the following we will therefore turn away from the runes for a moment and focus on the people that created them, so that we may gain a more grounded understanding of the runes when we discuss them in more depth later.
The Viking age is typically said to have lasted from 793 AD when the abbey on Lindisfarne in England was raided by Vikings, to 1066 AD where William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings.
However, the image many people have of red bearded warriors with horned helmets is a not altogether correct image. For while that was the image most of Europe got to see, that was not the image of the average Viking.
Most of them were farmers who worshiped gods such as Frey and his sister Freyja; both fertility gods although Freyja had some special associations such as love and beauty, but perhaps most importantly for our purpose Freyja was also strongly associated with seiðr or as we know it today; magic. In one of the sagas it is directly said that Freyja was the first to acquaint the gods with magic which they had not previously known, but which had been custom among Freyja’s people. For Frey and Freyja were of a different people than the majority of the gods, but had after a great war between the two families of gods been sent with their father to live with their former enemies to ensure continued peace.
So although it might be difficult to see why the goddess of love and fertility would play such a great part in the religion of a people who is known for being fierce warriors, it is not too difficult to see the reasons once you dig a little deeper and realize that in fact most people were farmers and needed the harvest to be plentiful more than they needed help in battle. And for those who did fight, she was still vitally important, for without her the gods would be without a great power.
Óðinn himself is said to practice seiðr although it is in the same breath said to be unbecoming a man and be woman’s work. Other types of magic are more suitable for men. But Óðinn appears to disregard that fact and use it regardless, because he needs to and would rather risk being thought unmanly than be without the great powers seiðr offers him.
The Runes
unes are an ancient Germanic alphabet, used for writing, divination and magic. They were used throughout northern Europe, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Iceland from about 100 B.C.E. to 1600 C.E. Runic inscriptions of great age have even been found in North America, supporting stories that the Vikings arrived in the Americas long before Columbus.
Runes are an oracle from which one seeks advice. They work best if you detail your current circumstances and then ask a specific question. Rune readings are sometimes obscure. They hint toward answers, but you have to figure out the details. This is when the rune casters intuition becomes paramount. Some times the Runes “sing” to me, and their meaning becomes instantly clear.
Runic divination or “rune casting” is not “fortunetelling” in the sense that one actually sees the future. Instead, runes give one a means of analyzing the path that one is on and a likely outcome. The future is not fixed. It changes with everything one does. If one does not like the prediction, one can always change paths.
Since ancient times, runes have been used for divination and magic, in addition to writing. The word “rune” actually means mystery, secret or whisper. Each rune has esoteric meanings and properties associated with it, beyond its mundane meaning and phonetic value. Each translates into a word or a phrase signifying concepts important to the early peoples who used them, representing the forces of nature and mind. Each rune has a story attached to it, a relationship to a Norse God.
Odin, the Norse High God of the Aesir, hung from the world tree, Yggdrasil, impaled on his own spear, for nine days and nights in order to gain the knowledge of runes. When the runes appeared below him, he reached down and took them up, and the runic knowledge gave him power . He later passed on this knowledge to the Vanir goddess Freya. She, in turn, taught him the magic of seidr. Heimdall, the god who guarded the Rainbow Bridge, taught the runes to mankind.
Runic alphabets first appeared among German tribes in central and eastern Europe. Some runes symbols are likely to have been acquired from other alphabets, such as the Greek, Etruscan, and the Early Roman. The runes were made of straight lines to make the characters suitable for cutting into wood or stone. The earliest runic inscriptions on stone are dated to the late 3rd century AD, although it is probable that runic alphabets had been in use for some centuries before.
The Old Germanic Runic alphabet or “Elder Futhark” contains 24 runes. The first six runes of the alphabet spell out the word “FUTHARK”. As the runes spread northwards into Scandinavia, some rune symbols were dropped and the alphabet was reduced to only 16 runes. Between 400 and 600 AD, three Germanic tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, invaded Britain. They brought the runes with them. The forms of several of the runes changed, notably the runes for A/O, C/K, H, J, S, and Ng. Also, changes in the language led to nine runes being added to the alphabet to compensate for the extra sounds, and several runes were given different corresponding letters. This alphabet, expanded to 33 symbols, has become known as the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. The rune names themselves have been passed down relatively intact. 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.
Fehu (F: Domestic cattle, wealth.) Possessions won or earned, earned income, luck. Abundance, financial strength in the present or near future. Sign of hope and plenty, success and happiness. Social success. Energy, foresight, fertility, creation/destruction (becoming). Fehu Reversed or Merkstave: Loss of personal property, esteem, or something that you put in effort to keep. It indicates some sort of failure. Greed, burnout, atrophy, discord. Cowardice, stupidity, dullness, poverty, slavery, bondage.
Uruz: (U: Auroch, a wild ox.) Physical strength and speed, untamed potential. A time of great energy and health. Freedom, energy, action, courage, strength, tenacity, understanding, wisdom. Sudden or unexpected changes (usually for the better). Sexual desire, masculine potency. The shaping of power and pattern, formulation of the self. Uruz Reversed or Merkstave: Weakness, obsession, misdirected force, domination by others. Sickness, inconsistency, ignorance. Lust, brutality, rashness, callousness, violence.
Thurisaz: (TH: Thorn or a Giant.) Reactive force, directed force of destruction and defense, conflict. Instinctual will, vital eroticism, regenerative catalyst. A tendency toward change. Catharsis, purging, cleansing fire. Male sexuality, fertilization. (Thorr, the Thunder god, was of Giant stock.)Thurisaz Reversed or Merkstave: Danger, defenselessness, compulsion, betrayal, dullness. Evil, malice, hatred, torment, spite, lies. A bad man or woman. Rape?
Ansuz: (A: The As, ancestral god, i.e. Odin.) A revealing message or insight, communication. Signals, inspiration, enthusiasm, speech, true vision, power of words and naming. Blessings, the taking of advice. Good health, harmony, truth, wisdom. Ansuz Reversed or Merkstave: Misunderstanding, delusion, manipulation by others, boredom. Vanity and grandiloquence. (Odin is a mighty, but duplicitous god. He always has his own agenda.)
Raidho: (R: Wagon or chariot.) Travel, both in physical terms and those of lifestyle direction. A journey, vacation, relocation, evolution, change of place or setting. Seeing a larger perspective. Seeing the right move for you to make and deciding upon it. Personal rhythm, world rhythm, dance of life. Raidho Reversed or Merkstave: Crisis, rigidity, stasis, injustice, irrationality. Disruption, dislocation, demotion, delusion, possibly a death.
Kenaz: (K: Beacon or torch.) Vision, revelation, knowledge, creativity, inspiration, technical ability. Vital fire of life, harnessed power, fire of transformation and regeneration. Power to create your own reality, the power of light. Open to new strength, energy, and power now. Passion, sexual love. Kenaz Reversed or Merkstave: Disease, breakup, instability, lack of creativity. Nakedness, exposure, loss of illusion and false hope.
Gebo: (G: Gift.) Gifts, both in the sense of sacrifice and of generosity, indicating balance. All matters in relation to exchanges, including contracts, personal relationships and partnerships. Gebo Merkstave (Gebo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Greed, loneliness, dependence, over-sacrifice. Obligation, toll, privation, bribery.
Wunjo: (W or V: Joy.) Joy, comfort, pleasure. Fellowship, harmony, prosperity. Ecstasy, glory, spiritual reward, but also the possibility of going “over the top”. If restrained, the meaning is general success and recognition of worth. Wunjo Reversed or Merkstave: Stultification, sorrow, strife, alienation. Delirium, intoxication, possession by higher forces, impractical enthusiasm. Raging frenzy, berzerker.
Hagalaz: (H: Hail.) Wrath of nature, destructive, uncontrolled forces, especially the weather, or within the unconscious. Tempering, testing, trial. Controlled crisis, leading to completion, inner harmony. Hagalaz Merkstave (Hagalaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Natural disaster, catastrophe. Stagnation, loss of power. Pain, loss, suffering, hardship, sickness, crisis.
Nauthiz: (N: Need.) Delays, restriction. Resistance leading to strength, innovation, need-fire (self-reliance). Distress, confusion, conflict, and the power of will to overcome them. Endurance, survival, determination. A time to exercise patience. Recognition of one’s fate. Major self-initiated change. Face your fears. Nauthiz Reversed or Merkstave: Constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery, laxity. Necessity, extremity, want, deprivation, starvation, need, poverty, emotional hunger.
Isa: (I: Ice.) A challenge or frustration. Psychological blocks to thought or activity, including grievances. Standstill, or a time to turn inward and wait for what is to come, or to seek clarity. This rune reinforces runes around it. Isa Merkstave (Isa cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Ego-mania, dullness, blindness, dissipation. Treachery, illusion, deceit, betrayal, guile, stealth, ambush, plots.
Jera: (J or Y: A year, a good harvest.) The results of earlier efforts are realized. A time of peace and happiness, fruitful season. It can break through stagnancy. Hopes and expectations of peace and prosperity. The promise of success earned. Life cycle, cyclical pattern of the universe. Everything changes, in its own time. Jera Merkstave (Jera cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Sudden setback, reversals. A major change, repetition, bad timing, poverty, conflict.
Eihwaz: (EI: Yew tree.) Strength, reliability, dependability, trustworthiness. Enlightenment, endurance. Defense, protection. The driving force to acquire, providing motivation and a sense of purpose. Indicates that you have set your sights on a reasonable target and can achieve your goals. An honest man who can be relied upon. Eihwaz Reversed or Merkstave: Confusion, destruction, dissatisfaction, weakness.
Perthro: (P: Lot cup, vagina.) Uncertain meaning, a secret matter, a mystery, hidden things and occult abilities. Initiation, knowledge of one’s destiny, knowledge of future matters, determining the future or your path. Pertaining to things feminine, feminine mysteries including female fertility, and vagina. Good lot, fellowship and joy. Evolutionary change. Perthro Reversed or Merkstave: Addiction, stagnation, loneliness, malaise.
Algiz: (Z or -R: Elk, protection.) Protection, a shield. The protective urge to shelter oneself or others. Defense, warding off of evil, shield, guardian. Connection with the gods, awakening, higher life. It can be used to channel energies appropriately. Follow your instincts. Keep hold of success or maintain a position won or earned. Algiz Reversed: or Merkstave: Hidden danger, consumption by divine forces, loss of divine link. Taboo, warning, turning away, that which repels.
Sowilo: (S: The sun.) Success, goals achieved, honor. The life-force, health. A time when power will be available to you for positive changes in your life, victory, health, and success. Contact between the higher self and the unconscious. Wholeness, power, elemental force, sword of flame, cleansing fire. Sowilo Merkstave (Sowilo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): False goals, bad counsel, false success, gullibility, loss of goals. Destruction, retribution, justice, casting down of vanity. Wrath of god.
Tiwaz: (T: Tyr, the sky god.) Honor, justice, leadership and authority. Analysis, rationality. Knowing where one’s true strengths lie. Willingness to self-sacrifice. Victory and success in any competition or in legal matters. Tiwaz Reversed or Merkstave: One’s energy and creative flow are blocked. Mental paralysis, over-analysis, over-sacrifice, injustice, imbalance. Strife, war, conflict, failure in competition. Dwindling passion, difficulties in communication, and possibly separation.
Berkano: (B: Berchta, the birch-goddess.) Birth, general fertility, both mental and physical and personal growth, liberation. Regenerative power and light of spring, renewal, promise of new beginnings, new growth. Arousal of desire. A love affair or new birth. The prospering of an enterprise or venture. Berkano Reversed or Merkstave: Family problems and or domestic troubles. Anxiety about someone close to you. Carelessness, abandon, loss of control. Blurring of consciousness, deceit, sterility, stagnation.
Ehwaz: (E: Horse, two horses.) Transportation. May represent a horse, car, plane, boat or other vehicle. Movement and change for the better. Gradual development and steady progress are indicated. Harmony, teamwork, trust, loyalty. An ideal marriage or partnership. Confirmation beyond doubt the meanings of the runes around it. Ehwaz Reversed or Merkstave: This is not really a negative rune. A change is perhaps craved. Feeling restless or confined in a situation. Reckless haste, disharmony, mistrust, betrayal.
Mannaz: (M: Man, mankind.) The Self; the individual or the human race. Your attitude toward others and their attitudes towards you. Friends and enemies, social order. Intelligence, forethought, create, skill, ability. Divine structure, intelligence, awareness. Expect to receive some sort of aid or cooperation now. Mannaz Reversed or Merkstave: Depression, mortality, blindness, self-delusion. Cunning, slyness, manipulation, craftiness, calculation. Expect no help now.
Laguz: (L: Water, or a leek.) Flow, water, sea, a fertility source, the healing power of renewal. Life energy and organic growth. Imagination and psychic matters. Dreams, fantasies, mysteries, the unknown, the hidden, the deep, the underworld. Success in travel or acquisition, but with the possibility of loss. Laguz Reversed or Merkstave: An indication of a period of confusion in your life. You may be making wrong decisions and poor judgements. Lack of creativity and feelings of being in a rut. Fear, circular motion, avoidance, withering. Madness, obsession, despair, perversity, sickness, suicide.
Ingwaz: (NG: Ing, the earth god.) Male fertility, gestation, internal growth. Common virtues, common sense, simple strengths, family love, caring, human warmth, the home. Rest stage, a time of relief, of no anxiety. A time when all loose strings are tied and you are free to move in a new direction. Listen to yourself. Ingwaz Merkstave (Ingwaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Impotence, movement without change. Production, toil, labor, work.
Dagaz: (D: Day or dawn.) Breakthrough, awakening, awareness. Daylight clarity as opposed to nighttime uncertainty. A time to plan or embark upon an enterprise. The power of change directed by your own will, transformation. Hope/happiness, the ideal. Security and certainty. Growth and release. Balance point, the place where opposites meet. Dagaz Merkstave (Dagaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): A completion, ending, limit, coming full circle. Blindness, hopelessness.
Othala: (O: Ancestral property.) Inherited property or possessions, a house, a home. What is truly important to one. Group order, group prosperity. Land of birth, spiritual heritage, experience and fundamental values. Aid in spiritual and physical journeys. Source of safety, increase and abundance. Othala Reversed or Merkstave: Lack of customary order, totalitarianism, slavery, poverty, homelessness. Bad karma, prejudice, clannishness, provincialism. What a man is bound to.
Blank Rune: There is no historical support for a “Blank Rune” in runic divination. It was invented in the 1980’s. It should not be used in a rune casting. If you bought a rune set with a blank piece, save it in case you lose another rune piece, but don’t use it in rune casting.
Introduction
Runes is a big and complex subject, and for many it can become difficult to keep everything straight. That is what this book hopes to be able to help with.
Enough books have been written containing detailed descriptions of the various runes and their Ætt, therefore that will not be this book’s primary outlook. Rather the focus will be placed on the use and history of the runes and the texts they were used to write as well as the texts written about the people who used the runes.
The reason for this is that Runes are not only letters, but a highly magical set of symbols and what many students fail to understand is that the reason the runes will not work for them, is that they do not understand the meaning behind them properly. By exploring this subject, the runes will become significantly easier to work with as you will not only be able to recognize each symbol but also the meaning behind it
First we will look at the myth about how the runes came into being and why that is significant for the understanding of the runes’ magical properties.
We shall then look at what was written in Latin letters about the people using the runes and their religion as that was closely related to the runes and their magical properties and it makes no sense trying to understand the runes and their development before understanding this which is exactly where most books go wrong.
Once we have this basic knowledge, we will move on to look at the various runic alphabets as they developed over time. We will look back at how culture and religion defined them, and how these lines will be crystal clear for the reader.
Then, we will explore what the runes were used to write, and why the runes might have been preferred over Latin letters for such tasks - even in times when the Latin alphabet was known to the people using the runic alphabet.
It is my hope that once the students of the runes and their secrets have read this book, they will be better prepared to understand and work with runes, and to further their education on this fascinating subject that many witches and wizards have spent lifetimes expanding.
Mythology – Selfhanging
Translation and commentary
The most prominent source to mythological knowledge of Runes and where they originate from is an edda poem called Hávamál, or translated into English “the speech of the tall one”. The people who created these types of poems were skilled poets and very fond of showing their vast knowledge about the word by creating alternative terms. This is one of the less complicated instances where this is only one. The tall one is another name for Óðinn who is described in various other sources as being tall, one eyed, wearing a hat and a large black or dark blue cloak.
Hávamál is for the most part narrated by Óðinn himself and a small part of it speaks of when he discovered the runes.
In order to properly speak about this piece of the poem I will bring my own translation of the part in question here, starting with the two first verses and the two following in the next chapter
I know that I hung in a windblown tree
For nine entire nights
Wounded by spear and given to Óðinn
My self from myself to myself
In that tree, of whom no one knows
Where his root stems
They did not gift me with bread, nor with any horn
I searched below
I took up the runes, screaming I took them
After that I fell down
The windblown tree is another name for Yggdrasil, the tree that is the center of the Nordic cosmos, standing in the middle of the home of the God’s, which again is situated as the center of the world with the world of humans in a ring around it and the world of the giants in a circle around that again.
The number nine is significant because to the people who originally created and listened to this nine signified completeness. The fact that Óðinn hung on the tree for nine nights means that he completed the transformation. Also it is noteworthy that time is counted in nights rather than days, which is typical of this people. They also counted winters rather than summers. Presumably because these times were border-areas with a danger to them that did not exist at their lighter counterparts.
The fact that Óðinn is wounded by a spear and then in the paragraph directly after said to be given by himself to himself is also interesting and stems from the notion that the spear was Óðinn’s special weapon just as the hammer was Thor’s. Hanging is also associated with Óðinn, because he is said to sit under hanging trees to learn secrets from the dead hanging above.
The tree that is mentioned in the next line is again Yggdrasil and refers to the vertical axis it also represents. As it was mentioned before Yggdrasil is the center of the world on a horizontal axis, but this is also true for the vertical axis where it starts in the underworld where the dead are and reach up through the world of the giants, humans and gods and into the sky. The underworld is a mysterious place and so no one knows there Yggdrasil has it’s roots.
The horn mentioned in the second verse is a drinking horn and the customary way of drinking at the time. So it means nothing more or less than that in the time he hung upon the tree he starved and thirsted.
It is significant that the runes come from below and not from above as might have been expected of something that brings enlightenment, but given a little more thought it makes perfect sense. In Nordic mythology the underworld is a place that is shrouded in mystery and most of the time a place where people do not return from, but when they do they possess an added knowledge that is extraordinary and only attainable through death. The nine days and the completeness then comes to tell us that Óðinn did indeed complete his cycle from life to death and did indeed die upon the tree.
It is no small feat to take the runes up and return to life and this is represented in the outcry he gives, but then it is completed and he falls down from the tree, entering again the normal sphere.
Translation and commentary
After the acquisition of the runes, the poem explains what is gained by having these, because obviously having given such a sacrifice; the mightiest of all the gods, literally the greatest possible sacrifice, something important and grand must have been gained.
Again this is my own translation of the original text and other versions may be found elsewhere with different word-choices and indeed different meanings. This is because a translation is always in essence an interpretation. Most words have more than one meaning and in poetry this is amplified in the extreme. So bear in mind that this is an interpretation, albeit one that, to the best of my knowledge, is accurate in representing the meaning behind the verse.
Nine mighty songs I learned from the renowned son
Of Bölþór, Bestla’s father
And I enjoyed a drink of the valuable mead
From Óðreri
Then I took up being fertile and be wise
And grow and thrive well
Word led from word to other words
Deed led from deed to other deeds
Again nine is mentioned, a sacred number that signifies completeness and signifies that Óðinn learned the complete number of mighty songs. Now one may wonder what a mighty song is, but it probably leads to the magic of the norse religion. Here a lot of magic was carried out as song in something called galdr and it looks as if a certain kind of singing has been involved in seiðr also. Both will be spoken of in greater detail later. What is important however is that Óðinn knows them fully, for to be able to function it is necessary for him to always gain more knowledge and a lot of the magic has to do with that exactly: Gaining knowledge.
Bestla is Óðinn’s mother, and so Bölþór is Óðinn’s grandfather. Bölþór’s renowned son must therefore be Óðinn’s uncle, but who this character is, is unknown as no one is ever mentioned.
Óðreri is the name of a vessel holding mead made from Kvasir’s blood, a myth told in the prose edda. The short version is that in one of his never-ending quests for more knowledge Óðinn went in search of the mead made of the blood of Kvasir, a very wise being, and Óðinn brought it home to the realm of the gods. Whoever drinks of it receives skills as a poet, which at that time was rather the same as being wise. The mead therefore represents wisdom and the ability to create poetry which was a highly appreciated art. These vessels containing the mead were named and Óðreri means “The one who stirs the mind”
When the word fertile is used it is not in the sense that a plant will now start growing out of him or that he will be able to have many children, but in the sense that he is able to create much, but on an intellectual level. It is by words and symbols that he creates. The runes apparently makes him more so as well as wiser than he already is; quite a feat as Óðinn is already described as the wisest of all.
What is started with the acquisition of the runes is also not something that stops creating more knowledge, for as one word springs from him it inspires another one, which again inspires another. The same with deeds. This must naturally be understood as magical where both the words spoken and the deeds done have another meaning than their face-value.
The People - The Goddess of Love
It does not make sense to try to understand the writing system of a people without knowing anything about who they were and how they lived. Much less so when you try to understand a system as complex as that of the runes, which are at the same time an alphabet and magical objects.
In the following we will therefore turn away from the runes for a moment and focus on the people that created them, so that we may gain a more grounded understanding of the runes when we discuss them in more depth later.
The Viking age is typically said to have lasted from 793 AD when the abbey on Lindisfarne in England was raided by Vikings, to 1066 AD where William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings.
However, the image many people have of red bearded warriors with horned helmets is a not altogether correct image. For while that was the image most of Europe got to see, that was not the image of the average Viking.
Most of them were farmers who worshiped gods such as Frey and his sister Freyja; both fertility gods although Freyja had some special associations such as love and beauty, but perhaps most importantly for our purpose Freyja was also strongly associated with seiðr or as we know it today; magic. In one of the sagas it is directly said that Freyja was the first to acquaint the gods with magic which they had not previously known, but which had been custom among Freyja’s people. For Frey and Freyja were of a different people than the majority of the gods, but had after a great war between the two families of gods been sent with their father to live with their former enemies to ensure continued peace.
So although it might be difficult to see why the goddess of love and fertility would play such a great part in the religion of a people who is known for being fierce warriors, it is not too difficult to see the reasons once you dig a little deeper and realize that in fact most people were farmers and needed the harvest to be plentiful more than they needed help in battle. And for those who did fight, she was still vitally important, for without her the gods would be without a great power.
Óðinn himself is said to practice seiðr although it is in the same breath said to be unbecoming a man and be woman’s work. Other types of magic are more suitable for men. But Óðinn appears to disregard that fact and use it regardless, because he needs to and would rather risk being thought unmanly than be without the great powers seiðr offers him.
The Runes
unes are an ancient Germanic alphabet, used for writing, divination and magic. They were used throughout northern Europe, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Iceland from about 100 B.C.E. to 1600 C.E. Runic inscriptions of great age have even been found in North America, supporting stories that the Vikings arrived in the Americas long before Columbus.
Runes are an oracle from which one seeks advice. They work best if you detail your current circumstances and then ask a specific question. Rune readings are sometimes obscure. They hint toward answers, but you have to figure out the details. This is when the rune casters intuition becomes paramount. Some times the Runes “sing” to me, and their meaning becomes instantly clear.
Runic divination or “rune casting” is not “fortunetelling” in the sense that one actually sees the future. Instead, runes give one a means of analyzing the path that one is on and a likely outcome. The future is not fixed. It changes with everything one does. If one does not like the prediction, one can always change paths.
Since ancient times, runes have been used for divination and magic, in addition to writing. The word “rune” actually means mystery, secret or whisper. Each rune has esoteric meanings and properties associated with it, beyond its mundane meaning and phonetic value. Each translates into a word or a phrase signifying concepts important to the early peoples who used them, representing the forces of nature and mind. Each rune has a story attached to it, a relationship to a Norse God.
Odin, the Norse High God of the Aesir, hung from the world tree, Yggdrasil, impaled on his own spear, for nine days and nights in order to gain the knowledge of runes. When the runes appeared below him, he reached down and took them up, and the runic knowledge gave him power . He later passed on this knowledge to the Vanir goddess Freya. She, in turn, taught him the magic of seidr. Heimdall, the god who guarded the Rainbow Bridge, taught the runes to mankind.
Runic alphabets first appeared among German tribes in central and eastern Europe. Some runes symbols are likely to have been acquired from other alphabets, such as the Greek, Etruscan, and the Early Roman. The runes were made of straight lines to make the characters suitable for cutting into wood or stone. The earliest runic inscriptions on stone are dated to the late 3rd century AD, although it is probable that runic alphabets had been in use for some centuries before.
The Old Germanic Runic alphabet or “Elder Futhark” contains 24 runes. The first six runes of the alphabet spell out the word “FUTHARK”. As the runes spread northwards into Scandinavia, some rune symbols were dropped and the alphabet was reduced to only 16 runes. Between 400 and 600 AD, three Germanic tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, invaded Britain. They brought the runes with them. The forms of several of the runes changed, notably the runes for A/O, C/K, H, J, S, and Ng. Also, changes in the language led to nine runes being added to the alphabet to compensate for the extra sounds, and several runes were given different corresponding letters. This alphabet, expanded to 33 symbols, has become known as the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. The rune names themselves have been passed down relatively intact. 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.
Fehu (F: Domestic cattle, wealth.) Possessions won or earned, earned income, luck. Abundance, financial strength in the present or near future. Sign of hope and plenty, success and happiness. Social success. Energy, foresight, fertility, creation/destruction (becoming). Fehu Reversed or Merkstave: Loss of personal property, esteem, or something that you put in effort to keep. It indicates some sort of failure. Greed, burnout, atrophy, discord. Cowardice, stupidity, dullness, poverty, slavery, bondage.
Uruz: (U: Auroch, a wild ox.) Physical strength and speed, untamed potential. A time of great energy and health. Freedom, energy, action, courage, strength, tenacity, understanding, wisdom. Sudden or unexpected changes (usually for the better). Sexual desire, masculine potency. The shaping of power and pattern, formulation of the self. Uruz Reversed or Merkstave: Weakness, obsession, misdirected force, domination by others. Sickness, inconsistency, ignorance. Lust, brutality, rashness, callousness, violence.
Thurisaz: (TH: Thorn or a Giant.) Reactive force, directed force of destruction and defense, conflict. Instinctual will, vital eroticism, regenerative catalyst. A tendency toward change. Catharsis, purging, cleansing fire. Male sexuality, fertilization. (Thorr, the Thunder god, was of Giant stock.)Thurisaz Reversed or Merkstave: Danger, defenselessness, compulsion, betrayal, dullness. Evil, malice, hatred, torment, spite, lies. A bad man or woman. Rape?
Ansuz: (A: The As, ancestral god, i.e. Odin.) A revealing message or insight, communication. Signals, inspiration, enthusiasm, speech, true vision, power of words and naming. Blessings, the taking of advice. Good health, harmony, truth, wisdom. Ansuz Reversed or Merkstave: Misunderstanding, delusion, manipulation by others, boredom. Vanity and grandiloquence. (Odin is a mighty, but duplicitous god. He always has his own agenda.)
Raidho: (R: Wagon or chariot.) Travel, both in physical terms and those of lifestyle direction. A journey, vacation, relocation, evolution, change of place or setting. Seeing a larger perspective. Seeing the right move for you to make and deciding upon it. Personal rhythm, world rhythm, dance of life. Raidho Reversed or Merkstave: Crisis, rigidity, stasis, injustice, irrationality. Disruption, dislocation, demotion, delusion, possibly a death.
Kenaz: (K: Beacon or torch.) Vision, revelation, knowledge, creativity, inspiration, technical ability. Vital fire of life, harnessed power, fire of transformation and regeneration. Power to create your own reality, the power of light. Open to new strength, energy, and power now. Passion, sexual love. Kenaz Reversed or Merkstave: Disease, breakup, instability, lack of creativity. Nakedness, exposure, loss of illusion and false hope.
Gebo: (G: Gift.) Gifts, both in the sense of sacrifice and of generosity, indicating balance. All matters in relation to exchanges, including contracts, personal relationships and partnerships. Gebo Merkstave (Gebo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Greed, loneliness, dependence, over-sacrifice. Obligation, toll, privation, bribery.
Wunjo: (W or V: Joy.) Joy, comfort, pleasure. Fellowship, harmony, prosperity. Ecstasy, glory, spiritual reward, but also the possibility of going “over the top”. If restrained, the meaning is general success and recognition of worth. Wunjo Reversed or Merkstave: Stultification, sorrow, strife, alienation. Delirium, intoxication, possession by higher forces, impractical enthusiasm. Raging frenzy, berzerker.
Hagalaz: (H: Hail.) Wrath of nature, destructive, uncontrolled forces, especially the weather, or within the unconscious. Tempering, testing, trial. Controlled crisis, leading to completion, inner harmony. Hagalaz Merkstave (Hagalaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Natural disaster, catastrophe. Stagnation, loss of power. Pain, loss, suffering, hardship, sickness, crisis.
Nauthiz: (N: Need.) Delays, restriction. Resistance leading to strength, innovation, need-fire (self-reliance). Distress, confusion, conflict, and the power of will to overcome them. Endurance, survival, determination. A time to exercise patience. Recognition of one’s fate. Major self-initiated change. Face your fears. Nauthiz Reversed or Merkstave: Constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery, laxity. Necessity, extremity, want, deprivation, starvation, need, poverty, emotional hunger.
Isa: (I: Ice.) A challenge or frustration. Psychological blocks to thought or activity, including grievances. Standstill, or a time to turn inward and wait for what is to come, or to seek clarity. This rune reinforces runes around it. Isa Merkstave (Isa cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Ego-mania, dullness, blindness, dissipation. Treachery, illusion, deceit, betrayal, guile, stealth, ambush, plots.
Jera: (J or Y: A year, a good harvest.) The results of earlier efforts are realized. A time of peace and happiness, fruitful season. It can break through stagnancy. Hopes and expectations of peace and prosperity. The promise of success earned. Life cycle, cyclical pattern of the universe. Everything changes, in its own time. Jera Merkstave (Jera cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Sudden setback, reversals. A major change, repetition, bad timing, poverty, conflict.
Eihwaz: (EI: Yew tree.) Strength, reliability, dependability, trustworthiness. Enlightenment, endurance. Defense, protection. The driving force to acquire, providing motivation and a sense of purpose. Indicates that you have set your sights on a reasonable target and can achieve your goals. An honest man who can be relied upon. Eihwaz Reversed or Merkstave: Confusion, destruction, dissatisfaction, weakness.
Perthro: (P: Lot cup, vagina.) Uncertain meaning, a secret matter, a mystery, hidden things and occult abilities. Initiation, knowledge of one’s destiny, knowledge of future matters, determining the future or your path. Pertaining to things feminine, feminine mysteries including female fertility, and vagina. Good lot, fellowship and joy. Evolutionary change. Perthro Reversed or Merkstave: Addiction, stagnation, loneliness, malaise.
Algiz: (Z or -R: Elk, protection.) Protection, a shield. The protective urge to shelter oneself or others. Defense, warding off of evil, shield, guardian. Connection with the gods, awakening, higher life. It can be used to channel energies appropriately. Follow your instincts. Keep hold of success or maintain a position won or earned. Algiz Reversed: or Merkstave: Hidden danger, consumption by divine forces, loss of divine link. Taboo, warning, turning away, that which repels.
Sowilo: (S: The sun.) Success, goals achieved, honor. The life-force, health. A time when power will be available to you for positive changes in your life, victory, health, and success. Contact between the higher self and the unconscious. Wholeness, power, elemental force, sword of flame, cleansing fire. Sowilo Merkstave (Sowilo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): False goals, bad counsel, false success, gullibility, loss of goals. Destruction, retribution, justice, casting down of vanity. Wrath of god.
Tiwaz: (T: Tyr, the sky god.) Honor, justice, leadership and authority. Analysis, rationality. Knowing where one’s true strengths lie. Willingness to self-sacrifice. Victory and success in any competition or in legal matters. Tiwaz Reversed or Merkstave: One’s energy and creative flow are blocked. Mental paralysis, over-analysis, over-sacrifice, injustice, imbalance. Strife, war, conflict, failure in competition. Dwindling passion, difficulties in communication, and possibly separation.
Berkano: (B: Berchta, the birch-goddess.) Birth, general fertility, both mental and physical and personal growth, liberation. Regenerative power and light of spring, renewal, promise of new beginnings, new growth. Arousal of desire. A love affair or new birth. The prospering of an enterprise or venture. Berkano Reversed or Merkstave: Family problems and or domestic troubles. Anxiety about someone close to you. Carelessness, abandon, loss of control. Blurring of consciousness, deceit, sterility, stagnation.
Ehwaz: (E: Horse, two horses.) Transportation. May represent a horse, car, plane, boat or other vehicle. Movement and change for the better. Gradual development and steady progress are indicated. Harmony, teamwork, trust, loyalty. An ideal marriage or partnership. Confirmation beyond doubt the meanings of the runes around it. Ehwaz Reversed or Merkstave: This is not really a negative rune. A change is perhaps craved. Feeling restless or confined in a situation. Reckless haste, disharmony, mistrust, betrayal.
Mannaz: (M: Man, mankind.) The Self; the individual or the human race. Your attitude toward others and their attitudes towards you. Friends and enemies, social order. Intelligence, forethought, create, skill, ability. Divine structure, intelligence, awareness. Expect to receive some sort of aid or cooperation now. Mannaz Reversed or Merkstave: Depression, mortality, blindness, self-delusion. Cunning, slyness, manipulation, craftiness, calculation. Expect no help now.
Laguz: (L: Water, or a leek.) Flow, water, sea, a fertility source, the healing power of renewal. Life energy and organic growth. Imagination and psychic matters. Dreams, fantasies, mysteries, the unknown, the hidden, the deep, the underworld. Success in travel or acquisition, but with the possibility of loss. Laguz Reversed or Merkstave: An indication of a period of confusion in your life. You may be making wrong decisions and poor judgements. Lack of creativity and feelings of being in a rut. Fear, circular motion, avoidance, withering. Madness, obsession, despair, perversity, sickness, suicide.
Ingwaz: (NG: Ing, the earth god.) Male fertility, gestation, internal growth. Common virtues, common sense, simple strengths, family love, caring, human warmth, the home. Rest stage, a time of relief, of no anxiety. A time when all loose strings are tied and you are free to move in a new direction. Listen to yourself. Ingwaz Merkstave (Ingwaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Impotence, movement without change. Production, toil, labor, work.
Dagaz: (D: Day or dawn.) Breakthrough, awakening, awareness. Daylight clarity as opposed to nighttime uncertainty. A time to plan or embark upon an enterprise. The power of change directed by your own will, transformation. Hope/happiness, the ideal. Security and certainty. Growth and release. Balance point, the place where opposites meet. Dagaz Merkstave (Dagaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): A completion, ending, limit, coming full circle. Blindness, hopelessness.
Othala: (O: Ancestral property.) Inherited property or possessions, a house, a home. What is truly important to one. Group order, group prosperity. Land of birth, spiritual heritage, experience and fundamental values. Aid in spiritual and physical journeys. Source of safety, increase and abundance. Othala Reversed or Merkstave: Lack of customary order, totalitarianism, slavery, poverty, homelessness. Bad karma, prejudice, clannishness, provincialism. What a man is bound to.
Blank Rune: There is no historical support for a “Blank Rune” in runic divination. It was invented in the 1980’s. It should not be used in a rune casting. If you bought a rune set with a blank piece, save it in case you lose another rune piece, but don’t use it in rune casting.