A comprehensive and practical guide to the ancient oracle based on the runic alphabet of the Norse
• Reveals the symbolism and divinatory significance of the 24 rune "staves"
• Provides clear instructions on how to craft your own rune stones
• Explains the role of runes in the Norse wisdom tradition and its influence on such works as Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
Nordic runes are a potent and profoundly transformative magic system that gives contemporary readers access to the ancient wisdom tradition of Northern European cultures. The runes have deep resonances within the pagan Norse world of gods and goddesses, giants, dwarves, warriors, and wizards, which have greatly influenced the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, among others. Norse tradition attributes the discovery of the runes to the "All-Father" Odin--a god of inspiration and secret wisdom and the mythical prototype for runecasters, who established the pattern for gaining his knowledge.
Nordic Runes addresses three major areas: Runelore, the history of this 2000-year-old Norse oracle; Runestaves, the meaning of the individual runes of the Elder Futhark alphabet and their powerful mythological, magical, and practical lessons for daily life; and Runecasting, a comprehensive guide to the oracular application of the ancient runes, including their crafting, divination, and self-development. As Nordic Runes shows, the runes do more than simply reflect the path of fate; they help develop and enhance intuition. By learning to cast and interpret the runes, the user becomes receptive to the energy currents in material reality and empowered in the arts of its transformation.
The Norse runes are, give or take, two thousand years old; around that time the Dead Sea Scrolls were being written and the Terracotta Army was being fired. All of these show a fascination with what lies beyond the everyday. Humans had learned how to live; now we were ready to explore more esoteric lessons.
The runes served multiple purposes in Norse culture. At their most basic, they were an alphabet designed with practicality in mind: made entirely of straight lines, they could be carved quickly and accurately onto various surfaces. Beyond their role as letters, each rune symbolized an important aspect of Norse life—horse, gift, and harvest time are just a few examples. (Note: Some modern rune sets include an extra symbol called Wyrd, or "fate," often represented as a blank rune. This was not part of the traditional runic system.) Finally, each rune held a divinatory meaning, a usage that continues to captivate and guide people today.
Nordic Runes is both a history and a guidebook to this fascinating subject. Paul is well versed in several divination systems, and he keeps the tone light and easy to follow. He explains both the mythological and historical aspects of the runes, talks us through the layout of the runic alphabet, and gives a brief rundown of the different poems and stories about the runes. Did you know that the runes inspired the Dwarven alphabet of the Lord of the Rings? I didn't until I read this!
The largest section of the book by far is the meanings for each individual rune. There's a lot of information here - I'm still picking out something new each time I read it. Each rune covers several pages. There's an image of the rune itself; the name, the meaning, and pronunciations in different languages; stanzas from the three most prominent rune poems; a visualisation to help cement the rune or serve as a beginning point for mediation; the meaning with keywords; and finally, parts of Norse mythology that the rune relates to. I tried reading the book straight through, but I found what worked better for me was picking a rune of the day and reading just its' section; it was easier to absorb the information in smaller sections. Your experience may be different, of course!
The final section of the book talks about creating your own runes - an interesting crafting challenge! - and gives some spreads to use. Interestingly, it gives sample readings for each spread, with explanations, which I really enjoyed - it's much easier to understand a spread when you see it in action, I've always found. Paul concludes the book with some suggested further reading on every aspect of runes.
I really enjoyed this, once I figured out how to read it. Paul covers every aspect of runes without getting too technical or esoteric; his explanations are simple and clear while still covering plenty of situations. I'm still coming back to this book even though I have a general grasp of the runes now. I think I'll be coming back to it for quite a while yet. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced reader looking for a new angle on the runes, you'll find everything you need in this book.
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