Tales from the Ironwood

Begun on 18 March 2021 and completed on the Spring Equinox, this essay is another installment of what will be a complete set of meditations on the Armanen Futhorkh. These will form the centerpiece of the book that I am currently writing that will consider various thoughts on Asatru, Runes, and Magick. ********* As I ponder the esoteric meaning of LAF, the fourteenth rune of the Armanen Futhorkh , I begin as usual by meditating on the relevant verse from the Hávamál , verse 159: A Fourteenth I sing To all the assembled people And I name the Divine Names For no one knows the names Of all Albes and Ases As well as I do. [1] Karl Hans Welz provides this explanation for a seemingly obscure verse: “Clearly there is reference to names. An old magical idea is that once you know the name of an entity you have it under your control, a name being a structural link to an energy field. The references to Light beings (Albes, or elves) and gods (Ases or Aesir) are obvious. LAF, then, is a ...

This essay was originally written on 18 March 2018, almost precisely three years ago. It was the first time that I recorded my thoughts on the runes. It later became Chapter 10 of my book, Tales from the Ironwood . Since that time, I have devoted many hours to reading, learning, and working with the runes to discover their meaning, understand their power, and of course, to unlock their mysteries.  ********* When one chooses to follow the path of Ásatrú, they will inevitably discover the runes somewhere along the way. While some discover Ásatrú after first encountering the runes, others like me may be introduced to the runes at a gathering of Ásatrúars. The Winter Nights event was well organized and lasted for several days. The organizers created a schedule and I was thrilled to see that the days were filled with several promising lectures as well as various rituals. Wanting to gain as much information and knowledge as possible, I attended each class with the enthusiasm of a recent ...

This essay began also as a progress report of my continued studies of the Armanen Futhorkh. It was written on 13 and 14 March 2021. My further exploration of the Armanen Runes confirms my theory that the Eddas provide a vast array of secret knowledge and a deep esoteric message for those willing to plumb their depths. ********* As I continue my study of the Armanen Runes, I come to the thirteenth rune of the Futhorkh , BAR. While meditating on the meaning of the rune BAR, I focus my thoughts on Hávamál verse 158: “A thirteenth I name: When I wetten the son, The beloved, with holy water; When he is facing the foe, he cannot fall, And no blade can strike him into the dust.”[1] There is an important relationship between this verse and the one that precedes it. That verse is associated with the rune TYR in Armanen runology. As noted in my article on TYR,[2]  the esoteric meaning of that rune is self-sacrifice. Not only does it recall Odin, the “Hanged Man shaking in the wind on the...