Tales from the Ironwood

This portrait of Friedrich Marby was begun on 28 December 2024. Marby is one of those figures that is filled with contradictions. His work, as perhaps the first modern Rune Magician, however is highly influential on most who practice Rune Magick today. Some simply avoid mentioning him while others distort his life based on their own political and social outlooks. ********* Friedrich Bernhard Marby was born on 10 May 1882 in Aurich, Ostfriesland, a historic region in what is now Lower Saxony, Germany. A pivotal figure in esoteric and magickal Rune practice, Marby was the first to develop the concept of forming Rune postures with the body—a practice he called Runengymnastik (Rune Gymnastics), which is now more commonly known as Rune Yoga. Marby provided detailed occult explanations for the energies and benefits associated with his practice. However, like many early 20th-century Rune Magicians, much of what is said about Marby consists of half-truths and distortions—shaped by both his fie...