The Challenge of the Runes

I began work on this article on 28 June 2020. It has taken nearly four months to complete. During that time my views on the matters that served as the original catalyst for this article evolved. Initially I embraced an exclusive approach thereby seeking to eliminate texts that might be contaminated by non-Heathen poets. Perhaps the runes themselves suggested a better alternative. By the time I completed this article, I embraced an inclusive approach whereby not only are the ancient works utilized for their wisdom but inner work too is leveraged for increased clarity while seeking answers to these great mysteries.

*********

While most academics embrace a profane explanation of the runes, many in the Heathen community believe that the runes possess a special power and may be used in magical ways. Such magical uses include divination and influencing or making actual change in the subjective and even objective universe. Runes may be called on for victory, for health and healing, or for a plethora of other issues or predicaments. 

But perhaps I get ahead of myself. A rune is best described as a “secret” or as a “mystery.”[1] They are indeed cosmological mysteries that date back to the dawn of time – to the Ginnungagap itself. What most people think of however are not the mysteries themselves but rather the symbols carved into wooden discs or stones. These symbols are more appropriately called “runestaves,” however for simplicity, I shall use the term “runes” as it is popularly used to mean the carved symbols as well as the mysteries. The runes then, when arranged in a certain order, represent what we might call an alphabet, but what is generally called the Futhark – derived from the first six runes of the Elder system: F-U-Th-A-R-K. 

To make matters more complex, the runic systems evolved over time and geography. The earliest known system is comprised of 24 runes and is referred to as the Elder Futhark. It is of Germanic origin and likely dates back to approximately 200 BCE. By the Viking era, the Younger Futhork was in use. This evolution reduced the number of runes to 16 and is primarily of Norse origin. A third system is the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc,[2] which was in use from 600 to 1100 CE but primarily in Northern England, and coastal parts of the Netherlands and northwestern Germany. A fourth system is commonly known as the Armanen Futhorkh.[3] This was developed (some would say “revealed”) by occultist Guido von List in the early twentieth century and presented in his book, Das Geheimnis der Runen (The Secret of the Runes) in 1908.[4] The Armanen Futhorkh is comprised of 18 runes and is based on the 18 verses of the Havamal ("Words of the High One") known as “Odin’s Rune Song” or Odin’s Rúnatal.

I’ve long been an advocate of reading and studying the various rune poems as the best way to understand the meanings of the runes. The generally accepted rune poems are the Old English Rune Poem (OERP)[5], the Norwegian Rune Poem (NRP), the Icelandic Rune Poem (IRP), and the Abecedarium Nordmannicum (AN). I would argue that a fifth rune poem, Odin’s Rúnatal from the Havamal, should be studied with an equal vigor. Such works of antiquity would appear to be the most reliable sources and free from modern new age interpretations and distortions.

Recently, I’ve spent much time reconsidering my position. Firstly, the rune poems present –even on the surface—several challenges. The earliest of poems, the OERP, dates back to the eighth or ninth century. Its 29 verses align with the Anglo-Saxon Futhork. The original manuscript was destroyed in the Cotton Fire of 1731 leaving us only with a facsimile published by George Hickes in 1705. Scholars think that the rune names were a later addition to the poem – with the original displaying only the runestave followed by the poem itself. For those primarily interested in the Elder Futhark—as are most Asatruar’s – this is the most complete poem albeit, as I have already indicated, dating from a later period. Another challenge of the rune poems is simply that they are written in poetry rather than prose. It is worth recalling that Snorri Sturluson called poetry “secret language” in his Prose Edda.[6] Deciphering the meaning of the runes from the rune poems is particularly challenging as the meanings conveyed by the poems often are, or at least seem, inconsistent.

To gain an appreciation of the challenges and inconsistencies of these poems, I shall provide the example of the "F" rune from each. From the OERP we read:

    Wealth (OE: FEOH) is a comfort to any man / yet each person must share it out well / if he wants to win a good name before his lord.[7]

Chronologically, the second of the rune poems is the lesser-discussed Abecedarium Nordmannicum from the ninth century. This very short poem considers the 16 runes of the Younger Futhark. While the text was destroyed in the nineteenth century due to a highly unsuccessful attempt to preserve the document, there is an 1828 copy made by Wilhelm Grimm. Much of this poem is a simple mnemonic list of rune names rather than a list of esoteric or even exoteric definitions. 

   Wealth (FEU) first.[8]

The Havamal dates from the tenth century. It contains a list of 18 Rune Spells. There is no specific identification as to which rune is associated to each verse (as is true also with the Old English Rune Poem). Guido von List, after years of studying the runes, had a revelation while recovering from cataract surgery that each spell correlated to a specific rune. The sequence assigned by von List basically correlates to the Younger Futhark, but with the additional runes EH (*EHWAZ)[9] and GIBOR (*GEBO) added to round out the 18 verses. As there is virtually no anthropological evidence of an historic 18 Rune Futhorkh, many scholars have come to repudiate von List’s idea. It is important to note however that his interpretation had far-reaching influence throughout the twentieth century and remains popular especially with those interested in the association of runes with magick.[10]

    The first song is help. Help it will against anguish, sorrows, and all distress.[11]

The Norwegian Rune Poem dates from the late twelfth or early thirteenth century. Once again, the original manuscript is lost. There are verses for each of the 16 runes of the Younger Futhark. Each line begins with a statement about the rune itself followed by a gnomic statement that may or may not be easily associated back to the first half-line.

      FÉ (Wealth) causes kinsmen’s strife; / the wolf feeds itself in the wood.[12]

Finally, the fifth of the rune poems is the Icelandic, dating from the fifteenth century. The Icelandic Rune Poem has verses for each of the 16 runes of the Younger Futhark. Several of the verses appear to be derived directly from the Norwegian Rune Poem. 

    FÉ (Wealth) = source of discord among kinsmen; / And fire of the sea and path of the serpent.[13]

While all modern authors base their interpretations (at least somewhat) on the poems discussed above, how reliable are these sources for aspiring Rune Masters or frankly for even historians of runology? Based on the years that most of these documents were written, might they have been purposefully distorted – perhaps by some cunning Christian author? Christianity already had a long history in parts of England by the time of the writing of the OERP. The pagan English King Arwald was killed some hundred years prior to the writing of this poem. Christianity became dominant in Norway right around the time that the NRP was written. Iceland had been a Christian nation for some 400 years by the time of the writing of the IRP. Perhaps only the Abecedarium Nordmannicum and the much-debated Havamal poems date back to Heathen times. 

As one example of a possible distortion of meaning, let us consider the first rune known in its various forms as FA / *FEHU (PGmc) / FEOH (OE) / FE (ON).[14] We see that the OERP is largely written in positive language “Wealth is a comfort to any man.” It does go onto suggest that such wealth should be shared, but is stated in a purely positive manner. The Havamal verse that has long been associated with this rune suggests that it would bring “help in all woes and in sorrow and strife.” Therefore, “wealth” is helpful when there are sorrows and strife. The AN simply tells us that this rune is first in the sequence. 

The NRP appears to reverse the meaning of the OERP by declaring  “Wealth causes kinsmen’s strife…” Here “money” is no longer helpful to address sorrows and strife, but becomes the source of such strife. Is this an echo of the Christian principle from 1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil”? This verse is made even more ominous by the rejoinder; “the wolf feeds itself in the wood.” The IRP reads similarly. It begins, “Wealth is kinsmen’s strife” followed by “and sea’s flame and serpents way.” Again, that which brings comfort and help, in the earliest texts, now brings only strife. The latter poems thereby perform a transvaluation of the values of the runes themselves.

If this were the only example, one could easily dismiss it. But there are many such examples. Consider the OERP for KA / *KENAZ (PGmc) / CEN (OE) / KAUN (ON). It reads as follows:

    CEN (Torch) is known to each living being by fire radiant and bright, it usually burns where nobles rest     indoors.[15]

The author of the NRP transforms this positive verse into:

    KAUN (Ulcer) is the bane of children; death makes a corpse livid.[16]

Here, even the primary meaning “torch” is transformed into “ulcer.” The IRP follows suit with:

    KAUN (Ulcer) is bane of children and a sore spot and a place of putrefaction.[17]

Similar definitional changes occur with the rune UR/ *URUZ (PGmc) / UR (OE) / UR (ON).  From the fierce and high-horned “aurochs” of the OERP, the NRP poet transforms the term to “slag” which in turn is described as “bad iron.” The poet of the IRP further impoverishes the meaning through the term “drizzle” described as “harvest’s undoing” and the “herdsman’s [object of] hatred.” An interesting departure from the IRP echoing the NRP and seemingly exaggerating the negative is OS / *ANSUZ (PGmc) / OS (OE) / OSS (ON). Here the OERP writer is quite positive:

    OS (God) is the source of all language / a pillar of wisdom and a comfort to wise men / a blessing and a     joy to every knight.[18]

The NRP author transforms the term "God" to the ON “estuary.” Interestingly the IRP author reverts to the very Heathen lines making direct reference to “Valhalla’s leader,” Odin:

    OSS (God) is the originator of old and Asgard’s lord and Valhalla’s leader.[19]

In a clear example of the Christianization of the NRP comes from an analysis of HAGAL / *HAGALAZ (PGmc) / HAGL (OE) / HAGALL (ON). The OERP reads:

    HAGL (Hail) is the whitest of grain; it is whirled from the vault of heaven and is tossed about by gusts         of wind and then it melts into water.[20]

The relevant Havamal verse suggests the power to harness the power of the hail:

    A seventh I know: if I see in flames / The hall o’er my comrades’ heads;/ It burns not so wide that I will     not quench it, / I know that song to sing.[21]

Conversely the NRP openly speaks of Christ. It also transforms the seemingly neutral description of hail as “whitest” to the more negative “coldest.”

    HAGALL (Hail) is coldest of grain; Christ created the world of old.[22]

The IRP follows suit with even darker imagery. The hail or sleet is now driving and we have an additional image of a serpent. The phrase “sickness of serpents” has been identified as a kenning for winter itself.

     HAGALL (Hail) cold grain / and shower of sleet / and sickness of serpents.[23]  

Not all the runes meet such treatment however. One such example is BAR / *BERKANO (PGmc) / BEORC (OE) / BJARKAN (ON).  Here the OERP appears to convey the image only of a beautiful Birch tree:

    BEORC (Birch) is fruitless, yet bears / shoots without seeds, is pretty in its branches / high in its spread,     fair adorned / laden with leaves, touching the sky.[24]

While it is certainly possible that the poet purposefully used very secret or obscure language, there are few clues for the modern reader to identify. Here, interestingly, the NRP provides a clue that hearkens back to the old lore:

    BJARKAN (Birch) is the leaf-greenest of branches; Loki had luck in deceit.[25]

While Loki is deceitful throughout the lore, one particularly noteworthy case is in his plotting to kill Baldr, the son of Odin and Frigga. Might the Birch tree be a kenning for Baldr? Snorri describes Baldr as follows:

    He is so fair in appearance and so bright that light shines from him, and there is a plant so white that it     is called after Baldr’s eyelash. It is the whitest of all plants, and from this you can tell his beauty both of     hair and body.[26]

The Havamal provides further evidence that this may be the case with the verse:

    A thirteenth I know, if a thane full young / With water, I sprinkle well; He shall not fall, though he fares     mid the host, Nor sink beneath the swords.[27]

The lore tells us that Baldr would not fall to the blows of any –“nor sink beneath the swords.” It is ultimately Loki’s deceit that results in the blind god Hodr killing Baldr with a dart made from mistletoe.

Another interesting variation on the shifting definitions of runes occurs with THORN / *THURISAZ (PGmc) / THORN (OE) / THURS (ON). Here our oldest source, the OERP refers to “Thorn.”  On the surface, much like the BEORC/Birch verse from the OERP we read:

    THORN (Thorn) is exceedingly sharp, an evil thing for any knight to touch, uncommonly severe on all who sit among them.[28]

It is interesting then that the NRP returns to the lore with the term “Thurs” (a form of giant – particularly violent, chaotic, and profoundly opposed to the Aesir. 

    THURS (Giant) causes anguish to women; / misfortune makes few men cheerful.[29]

Here I must comment that during extensive meditative work I was overwhelmed with the idea that “Thorn” was in fact a reference to the great Thurs, the great primal frost giant, Ymir. While Ymir seemed quite a far cry from the very commonplace nature image “Thorn,” I confirmed my meditative work through a detailed reading of Snorri Sturluson’s Skaldskaparmal (The Language of Poetry) where he explains that “Thorn” is a poetic reference to none other than Ymir.[30]

So what is one to make of this? It certainly seems plausible that Christian scholars may have purposefully intended to distort the meaning of the runes to render them powerless. Such a tactic, to render something previously powerful into something inconsequential, was also utilized by Christian zealots–albeit in a more direct manner –by the defacing of pagan statues. Christians were known to chisel crosses into the foreheads of statues of the gods or to deface them by smashing their noses.[31] If indeed the meanings we turn to are purposeful distortions intended to disempower the runes and those who wielded them in favor of the conquering cult from the east, those of us who seek the knowledge and power of the runes today must be on guard.

There is also evidence that meanings of runes were obscured through the “secret language” of poetry. This may not have only been an artistic matter but one of practical necessity. The authors of the various rune poems may have in fact been Heathens seeking to immortalize the meaning of the various runes as part of a secret tradition for future generations of Rune Masters, Erulians, and those who might refuse to surrender the knowledge and practice of the old ways and old religion. It may be also that such an approach was purely a matter of prudence in an age where blasphemy could result in the fiery punishment of death.

I have concluded that we can’t disregard the rune poems despite the challenges. They’re the closest that we have to primary sources in our search to solve the mysteries of the runes. While the OERP may be our most reliable and direct source, and the Hávamál, despite the controversy, our least-adulterated source, it is evident that the other rune poems all contain valuable clues to help discover the meanings of the runes as well. The challenge to understand and properly use the runes is certainly great. The authors of the rune poems purposefully obscured the meanings of the runes. Time has made such poetic language even more difficult to understand. On top of that, Christian authors may have purposefully distorted the meanings of various runes with a sophisticated and insidious ruse intended to render their power useless.

I have come to understand that inner-work and meditation are also critical activities for the student who would seek to master the runes. Through this process – and by allowing the runes themselves to speak to the seeker, even the most complex riddles may be solved and the distortions of those who sought the extirpation of an indigenous wisdom may be dispelled. Odin wandered far and wide to gain the wisdom of the nine worlds. We would do well to follow his example and utilize all the sources and methods at our disposal if we dare to take on the challenge of the runes.

Notes:

1. Edred Thorsson, Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2015), 59.

2. Futhorc like Futhark is based on the first six runestaves of the Anglo-Frisian system: F-U-Th-O-R-K. Here the Old English Os replaces the Proto-Germanic *Ansuz or Old Norse Áss and the Old English Cen replaces the PGmc *Kenaz or Old Norse Kaun.

3. The Armanen practice is to include the seventh rune in the name of their system. Therefore, F-U-Th-O-R-K-H.

4. Guido von List, The Secret of the Runes, trans. Stephen E. Flowers (Rochester, VT: Destiny Books, 1988).

5. This poem is also known as the Anglo-Saxon Runic Poem.

6. Snorri Sturluson, Edda, Anthony Faulkes trans., (North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle, 1995), 61.

7. Edred Thorsson, The Nine Doors of Midgard: A Curriculum of Rune-work (South Burlington, VT: The Rune-Gild, 2016), 65.

8. Stephen Pollington, Rudiments of Runelore (Cambridgeshire, UK: Anglo-Saxon Books, 2011), 52.

9. Note that I have used the convention of adding an asterisk before various rune names that have been reconstructed into the Proto-Germanic language (PGmc). These rune names are the most commonly used among Asatru-practitioners, but are not recorded in any of the original sources.

10. Here I use the term “magick” that was popularized by Aleister Crowley to differentiate the occult act of causing change in conformance with will from simple performance “magic” and illusions.

11. Karl Hans Welz, “Rune Magic: The Rune FA,” https://runemagick.com/rune_magic01.html

12. Pollington, 52.

13. Bruce Dickins, Runic and Heroic Poems of the Old Teutonic Peoples (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1915), 29. https://archive.org/stream/runicheroicpoems00dick#page/n5/mode/2up

14. For each rune I have chosen to use each of the names commonly seen in the runic literature beginning with the Armanen, followed by Proto-Germanic (PGmc), Old English (OE), and Old Norse (ON).

15. Pollington, 46.

16. Pollington, 53.

17. Pollington, 55.

18. Dickins, 13.

19. Pollington, 54.

20. Dickins, 15.

21. Henry Adams Bellows, trans., The Poetic Edda: The Mythological Poems (New York: Dover, 2019), 64.

22. Dickins, 25.

23. Dickins, 31.

24. Pollington, 49.

25. Pollington, 53.

26. Sturluson, 23.

27. Bellows, 66.

28. Dickins, 13.

29. Dickins, 25.

30. Sturluson, 84.

31. See various photographs in Catherine Nixey, The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018).