The Ancient Divination Alphabet The History, Uses, and Meaning of Runes By Kat Ohren, Crystal Inner Circle What are Runes? Runes are ancient symbols that have been used for many years for magical and divination purposes. The word rune appropriately means ‘secret’ or ‘something hidden’. They can offer you the meanings and answers you are seeking from within. Many argue that runes can be used to predict future events. However, another large part of the community believes runes and other various forms of divination are used to find answers within yourself. The idea is that you already have the answers that you seek, you just may need a little intervention and interpretation from the Divine and the Universe to bring them to the surface. The three best-known runic alphabets are the Elder Futhark (around 150–800 AD), the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc (400–1100 AD), and the Younger Futhark (800–1100 AD). The most widely used and agreed upon seems to be the Elder Futhark set. The Elder Futhark consists of 24 runes that often are arranged in three groups of eight; each group is referred to as an Ætt. The earliest known sequential listing of the full set of 24 runes dates to approximately CE 400 and is found on the Kylver Stone in Gotland, Sweden. (Page, 2005) 1 | P a g e Crystal Inner Circle The Legend of Runes Legend has it that runes were a sacred gift to mortals and were first given to the Norse God Odin after he wounded himself with a spear and then hung himself from Yggdrasill, the World Tree, for nine days. Odin is a widely revered god. In Norse mythology, from which stems most of our information about the god, Odin is associated with healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, battle, sorcery, poetry, frenzy, and the runic alphabet, and is the husband of the goddess Frigg. Odin’s ordeal is described in full in the epic poem – Hávamál – supposedly Odin’s own words. Rúnatal or Óðins Rune Song, Rúnatáls-þáttr-Óðins (stanzas 138-146) is a section of the Hávamál where Odin reveals the origins of the runes. In stanzas 138 and 139, Odin describes his sacrifice of himself to himself: I know that I hung on a windy tree nine long nights, wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin, myself to myself, on that tree of which no man knows from where its roots run. No bread did they give me nor a drink from a horn, downwards I peered; I took up the runes, screaming I took them, then I fell back from there. (Larrington, 1999) The stanza 157 of Hávamál attribute to runes the power to bring that which is dead back to life. In this stanza, Odin recounts a spell: I know a twelfth one if I see, up in a tree, a dangling corpse in a noose, I can so carve and colour the runes, that the man walks And talks with me. (Larrington, 1999) The Norse God, Odin. 2 | P a g e Crystal Inner Circle The History of Runes The first systems of writing developed and used by the Germanic peoples were runic alphabets. The runes functioned as letters, but they were much more than just letters in the sense in which we today understand the term. Each rune was an ideographic or pictographic symbol of some cosmological principle or power, and to write a rune was to invoke and direct the force for which it stood. The runic alphabets are called “futharks” after the first six runes (Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, Ansuz, Raidho, Kaunan), in much the same way that the word “alphabet” comes from the names of the first two Hebrew letters (Aleph, Beth). There are three principal futharks: the 24-character Elder Futhark, the first fully-formed runic alphabet, whose development had begun by the first century CE and had been completed before the year 400; the 16-character Younger Futhark, which began to diverge from the Elder Futhark around the beginning of the Viking Age (c. 750 CE) and eventually replaced that older alphabet in Scandinavia; and the 33-character Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, which gradually altered and added to the Elder Futhark in England. While runologists argue over many of the details of the historical origins of runic writing, there is widespread agreement on a general outline. The runes are presumed to have been derived from one of the many Old Italic alphabets in use among the Mediterranean peoples of the first century CE, who lived to the south of the Germanic tribes. Earlier Germanic sacred symbols, such as those preserved in northern European petroglyphs, were also likely influential in the development of the script. Kylver stone from Gotland, Sweden The earliest possibly runic inscription is found on the Meldorf brooch, which was manufactured in the north of modern-day Germany around 50 CE. The inscription is highly ambiguous, however, and scholars are divided over whether its letters are runic or Roman. The earliest unambiguous runic inscriptions are found on the Vimose comb from Vimose, Denmark and the Øvre Stabu spearhead from southern Norway, both of which date to approximately 160 CE. The earliest known carving of the entire futhark, in order, is that on the Kylver stone from Gotland, Sweden, which dates to roughly 400 CE. (McCoy, n.d.) 3 | P a g e Crystal Inner Circle The Meaning of Runes Name: Fehu, “Money, Cattle, Wealth” Pronunciation: Fay-who Meaning: Reward, Wealth, Nourishment Divinations: Realized ambition. Good health. Wealth. Love fulfilled. Good fortune. But remember - be charitable and show compassion. Fehu means cattle, a measure of wealth to the ancients. Today Fehu means movable wealth, such as money and possessions. It also implies the energy and hard work that leads to wealth. Fehu can mean emotional and spiritual riches, as well as money. Fehu is Frey’s rune, and he is the god of fertility, itself a form of wealth. It is a rune of unselfish abundance. Let it shine forth to lighten your path and the paths of others. You will never run out of your spiritual richness, but don’t waste it on those who will abuse it. Discernment is important. If Cast in Reverse Failed ambition. Health problems. Poverty. Love unrequited. Bad luck. If Cast Upside Down Hidden reward. Undiscovered wealth. Nourishment withheld. Name: Uruz, “Aurochs - the giant wild ox of Europe” Pronunciation: Oor-ooze Meaning: Physical or mental strength, health. For a man - male virility, manhood. For a woman - fertility, femininity, womanhood. Divinations: Terminations, new beginnings. An opportunity disguised as a threat. Mental agility. Physical development, mental and bodily health. Power. Uruz means aurochs, the European wild ox that became extinct in 1627. Uruz encompasses physical strength, endurance, courage, and the raw, wild power of freedom. It includes emotional and spiritual strength, male sexual potency, and good health. It can also imply a challenge leading to a major life change. 4 | P a g e Crystal Inner Circle You have the strength within you to fulfil all your dreams, but with strength comes responsibility. Strength is not a force to wield over others, but a force to stop others exerting power over you. Use your strength to keep focused on your path and to stop yourself being outmaneuvered. There will always be negative people, but don’t let them upset you. Master your own ego and you will succeed. If Cast in Reverse Failure to think clearly. Ill-health or lack of mental fortitude. Beware signs of weakness, or threats to your person or position. If Cast Upside Down Hidden strengths must be realized. Shun apparent opportunities, the signs are deceptive. Name: Thurisaz, “Giant, monster, devil” Pronunciation: Thoor-ee-sawz Meaning: Magical power, the forces of chaos or of evil. Temptation. A Warning. Divinations: Threats from persons of power or position. Resist temptations which offer reward through dishonesty or trickery. Heed the omen of dishonor or physical harm. The energy of Thurisaz can be used for good or for chaos. It represents the forces of the human psyche, including anger and lust. The thorn is a symbolic weapon. It can pierce, stab or tear. But it can also be protective, like a thorny hedge. Thurisaz may also signify a stroke of luck, but is more often a warning that your luck is running out. You have the power within you to face anything. Fear nothing, for you have the authority to claim your destiny. Let no one deter you from your search for the truth. Spiritual authority brings power and it is up to you to use that power in an unselfish and loving way. Power can corrupt if you do not have a true and honest heart. If Cast in Reverse Evil may be overcome. An omen of good. An exhortation to proceed. The danger is slight. If Cast Upside Down The Evil will be hidden or may appear disguised as good. 5 | P a g e Crystal Inner Circle Name: Ansuz, “A god. Odin.” Pronunciation: Awn-sooze Meaning: Knowledge. Wisdom. Communication. The mouth. A message. Divinations: It also encompasses the ideas of wisdom, knowledge, reason, and therefore of instruction and good advice. It might also refer to a test, examination, or perhaps an interview. It can mean a letter, book, paper, message or other information. Ansuz is primarily Odin's rune and represents communication, creativity, controlled and divine power. Spiritually, it is the rune of prophecy and revelation. The answers to questions are available but not yet recognized. Look for signs and confirmations which are all around. Everything has significance and appreciation of this will lead to understanding.