The Nine Doors of Midgard: A Curriculum of Rune-work

By Edred Thorsson

 

The Nine Doors of Midgard are the gateways to self-transformation and mastery through the Runes. This complete course of study and practice has been used by the initiates of the Rune-Gild since 1980. Long out-of-print to the wider public and difficult to obtain, it is now being made available in a completely revised and u

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcana Europa Media LLC
• Release date: May 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9780692121931

Edred Thorsson

Since 1972, Edred Thorsson has been dedicated to the esoteric and esoteric study of the Indo-European, Celtic and Teutonic traditions. He studied Old Irish, Middle Welsh and Indo-European religion and culture at major universities in Germany and in the United States.

Book preview

Praise for The Nine Doors of Midgard

"This new fifth edition of Edred Thorsson’s The Nine Doors of Midgard, finely detailed with explanations and illustrative diagrams, is undoubtedly the most comprehensive course of rune practice that exists. Based upon the twenty-four runes of the Elder Futhark, The Nine Doors of Midgard is a practical exposition of the underlying principles of Germanic esoteric lore. The runes embody the hidden principles of everything in existence, and The Nine Doors of Midgard gives the reader and participant access to the inner workings of human consciousness and our place in the cosmos."

—Nigel Pennick, author of many works on European traditions including Pagan Magic of the Northern Tradition, The Book of Primal Signs, and Magical Alphabets

"Dr. Stephen Flowers is, without question, the most important contemporary writer on the Nordic Mystery Tradition. For more than four decades he has explored the secrets of the runes and Norse magic in theory and practice. He is always faithful to the historical sources, but at the same time innovatively adapts the old wisdom to the needs of the present day. Another important feature of Stephen Flowers’s work is that he—like Odin—does not shy away from the dark or controversial, but guides the seeker to discover the runic secrets in all of their manifold meaning. This new edition of The Nine Doors of Midgard will be welcomed by scholars and practitioners of the Nordic Tradition alike."

—Thomas Karlsson, Ph.D., founder of Dragon Rouge; author of Uthark: Nightside of the Runes and Adulruna and the Gothic Cabala

The Runes, like the Hebrew letters, have always been seen not just as an alphabet but as a set of glyphs representing cosmic principles and different forms of energy. For those who wish to opt for the Runes as a system of personal development, this book provides a carefully thought-out curriculum, involving ritual practice, meditation, and more. Edred Thorsson stands in the tradition of a succession of runologists who, since the late nineteenth century, have continued to reinterpret and re-apply the Runes within a changing world.

—Christopher McIntosh, Ph.D., author of Eliphas Levi and the French Occult Revival, The Swan King: Ludwig II of Bavaria, and Gardens of the Gods

"Edred Thorsson offers the reader a complete paradigm of magic, rooted in the deep cultural soil of northwestern Europe. Informed by his expert understanding of linguistics and enriched by material culled from historical sources, our author has developed a comprehensive curriculum for those who wish to engage with the Mystery. From metaphysical theory to results-magic, The Nine Doors of Midgard is an essential text for serious students of the Runes and the Germanic tradition."

—Julian Vayne, co-author, The Book of Baphomet

"This new edition of The Nine Doors of Midgard provides those interested in the runes with a plethora of techniques and source materials, which are fascinating and useful in their own right in addition to forming the basic programme of work required to join the Rune-Gild. The style of the text is very much Edred’s own, yet the material is presented with the emphasis on the reader/runer gaining her own understanding by direct work. This is a thorough explanation of the current study of runic mysteries."

—Nikki Wyrd, co-author, The Book of Baphomet

THE NINE DOORS OF MIDGARD

THE NINE DOORS OF MIDGARD A CURRICULUM OF RUNE-WORK

Fifth Revised and Expanded Edition

EDRED THORSSON

Yrmin-Drighten of the Rune-Gild

The Rune-Gild

2016

Copyright © 2016, The Rune-Gild.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers and copyright owner. Please direct all inquiries to the publisher at the address below.

Typesetting and design by Joshua Buckley.

Cover Design by Kevin I. Slaughter and Michael Moynihan.

ISBN: 0-9712044-8-9

ISBN 13: 978-0-9712044-8-5

ISBN 13: 978-0-6921219-3-1 (e-book)

Contact address:

The Rune-Gild

P.O. Box 54

Moss Beach, CA 94038–0054

USA

www.rune-gild.org

This book is dedicated to the Rune-Gilders.

Edred’s Acknowledgments

Edred would like to thank those who provided help and support during the first decades of the Rune-Gild’s development: Crystal Dawn; Mitchell Edwin Wade (1958–1989), Drighten; Robert Zoller, Rune-Master; Ian Read, Drighten; Dr. Michael Aquino, Drighten; James A. Chisholm, Rune-Master; Alice Karlsdóttir, Rune-Master; Janice Wulf (1957–2016), Fellow; David Bragwin James (1937–2014); and Ralph Tegtmeier. Thanks also go to Dianne Ross and John Wilson for their assistance with earlier editions of the text.

The Fifth Revised Edition of The Nine Doors of Midgard was produced through the collaborative efforts of various members of the Rune-Gild (Joshua Buckley, Hjalldis, Annabel Lee, Ian Read, Lothar Tuppan, and Ulfahirðingi); it also reflects the helpful counsel of the current Mastery of the Gild. Final editing by Ulfahirðingi and Joshua Buckley. The majority of the diagrams and illustrations for this edition were re-created by Brad Taylor-Hicks, with höndstöður photography by Gili Lochner. Deepest thanks are due to all of the above.

Table of Contents

Preface to the New Edition

Preface to the Third Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

Revised Preface to the First Edition

Abbreviations

Introduction

A Note on Terminology

The First Door of Midgard

The Other Door of Midgard

The Third Door of Midgard

The Fourth Door of Midgard

The Fifth Door of Midgard

The Sixth Door of Midgard

The Seventh Door of Midgard

The Eighth Door of Midgard

The Ninth Door of Midgard

Appendix A: Tables of Basic Runelore

Appendix B: The Rites of the Rûna-Workshops

Appendix C: Introductory Information

Appendix D: Readings

Preface to the New Edition of The Nine Doors of Midgard

The Nine Doors of Midgard is a handbook unlike any other, for it represents the only thorough and rigorous curriculum in the Germanic mystery tradition of the Runes. Since it first saw commercial publication a quarter of a century ago, it has proven to be a worthy set of teachings, not only within the halls of the Rune-Gild, but for many outside the Gild as well. The book has often been difficult to obtain, however, and in recent years it was only available to associates and initiates of the Gild. As a result, copies of earlier editions have become rare collector’s items that sell for hundreds of dollars. Now, in 2016, the Gild has decided to release a new edition of The Nine Doors of Midgard in a commercial format, thus allowing the work to once more reach a wider audience.

This new edition represents the fifth and undoubtedly the best version of a time-tested text. Over the past twenty-five years, the methods of the Rune-Gild have evolved in many ways, while always remaining true to the mysteries that lie at the heart of our tradition. As a working handbook, The Nine Doors of Midgard has been fully revised in collaboration with the author to reflect this natural and needful process of development. The text has been clarified in various places, new diagrams and artwork have been added, and the reading lists and bibliography have been thoroughly updated. In short, the contents have been brought in line with the current teachings and policies of the Gild.

Any sincere seeker into the hidden realms of the Germanic tradition is encouraged to make use of the exercises in this book. To truly open these Doors of Midgard is no easy task, however, and among the many aspirants only a relative few will have the deep-seated drive that it takes to see this through. For those who hear the ravens’ call in their innermost being; those who know they have the strength of mind, body, and will to take up the spear and to tread the long and winding Odian path—we welcome you to make personal contact with the Rune-Gild. We only ask that, before submitting a formal application, you work successfully through the first two Doors of the curriculum. Then, when you are ready to apply, you may do so via our website or through the mail using the contact information found on the copyright page of this book.

The Editors

Walpurgisnacht, 2016

Preface to the Third Edition

This is already a thrice-born book. Its embryonic beginning was a series of privately printed exercises, which expanded over time into a book-length work for exclusive use within the Rune-Gild. This was published commercially by Llewellyn in 1991 as a trade paperback. When general support for the book was withdrawn by the publisher, it went out of print until it was reprinted in a utilitarian edition by Rûna-Raven in 1997. It is now being reissued in a revised and expanded form, for publication once more as a trade paperback.

This is a book of self-transformation, and so it is fitting that the book itself should go through many metamorphoses—each time growing in substance, surviving against the odds, yet always evolving toward that mystery which it already is. This edition is a new life for an old book.

The Nine Doors form a universal paradigm of exercises that has also been used with excellent results by individuals working outside the Germanic esoteric idiom. For example, it has been adapted to the idioms of the Celtic ogham and the Greek στοιχεῖα (stoicheia). The Nine Doors of Midgard is the part of the inner Rune-Gild that faces outward toward the world. It demonstrates the superficial level of the teachings of the Gild—and those who practice its exercises form, de facto, a function of the Gild. The Nine Doors are the gift of the Gild to the world.

The Rune-Gild itself is a traditional school of self-development, and is almost entirely dependent upon the subtle transmission of individualized information from teacher to pupil, from Master to Learner or to Fellow. The exercises and curriculum contained in these pages, or their equivalent, are a basic prerequisite for advancement in this traditional school. Information on the Gild is printed as Appendix C. The fundamental work of the Nine Doors is that of internalizing the Rune-staves as an inner reality and mentally cross-fertilizing that newly installed symbolic pattern with mythic information drawn from a curriculum of readings in primary and secondary sources.

Work with the Nine Doors cannot turn a mustard seed into an oak tree, yet it can feed and water the acorn that might have otherwise withered, until it indeed becomes that mighty oak.

Edred

Woodharrow

September 20, 2003

Preface to the Second Edition

As a working experiment, the text of The Nine Doors of Midgard was printed commercially in 1991 by Llewellyn Publications. The purpose of the experiment was to see if making the basic curriculum of the Gild widely available would increase interest in the Gild and in esoterica Germanica in general. The effect I sought was one of making the world aware of how profound our traditions are and how serious our training methods are. The effect on the membership of the Gild itself was quite small. In 1997 we learned that Llewellyn would discontinue publication of the book due to poor sales. Reviewers were almost unanimous in their opinion that this manual was only for those totally dedicated to the Germanic path of personal development—and total dedication to anything is hard to come by in today’s world of what I like to call occultizoid nincompoops—people interested in esotericism who scurry about studying this and that with no focus or dedication to any one thing.

The Nine Doors of Midgard is not meant for denizens of that world. This training manual is for a new breed of individuals who understand the meaning of the timeless teaching embodied in the Watchword of the Gild: Reyn til Rúna! Those who understand this will follow a threefold method of development: objective study, subjective synthesis, and action. The curriculum of the Nine Doors is an especially valuable tool for working on the second part of this formula.

This book is not designed to be available in bookstores. It is mainly intended for those working within the Rune-Gild, or for those who plan to enter the Rune-Gild at some time in their lives.

If the curriculum outlined in this book is followed, the results will be evident. But in order to follow it faithfully, one must be willing to dedicate at least a year or two to the exclusive pursuit of the symbolism and lore outlined here. This book is not intended to be used as just a part of a jumble of alternative ideas. The lore of the Runes forms a coherent and profound whole. In order to pursue the path intensely, it must be pursued exclusively.

For members of the Rune-Gild, this text is to be used in conjunction with the Gildisbók, the inner guide to the Rune-Gild program.

The preface to the first edition has been revised to reflect the current policies and teachings of the Rune-Gild.

Edred

Woodharrow

August 20, 1997 C.E.

Revised Preface to the First Edition

The Nine Doors of Midgard is the magical curriculum of the Rune-Gild. This preface is intended to set the record straight on the nature and aims of the Rune-Gild, and the character of the work which the Runer is about to undertake, as well as the shape and nature of the roads upon which the Runer will travel.

The lore of the Rune-Gild is based on and is essentially that of the most traditional form of Runelore. The basis of our work is not in any essential way dependent on the revelation of any living Runemaster. What is essential about our work can actually be summed up in a very few words and signs—the rest is, or can be, left up to the individual. However, history has shown us that this is not as easy as it might at first appear. The vast majority of Runers need help of some kind at various times in their runic careers. For most, this comes at the very beginning of their exposure to the mysteries. It is one of the main tasks of the Rune-Gild to provide such help at this stage.

The basic method of teaching in the Gild is a traditional one. We shun the spurious runic systems that have been spawned in recent years by persons totally outside the Odian stream of consciousness. After the basic tradition has been learned on inner levels, the Runer will be encouraged to explore and innovate in the true spirit of the Runes and in the true spirit of their High Drighten, Wōden. However, it cannot be too strongly emphasized that the Learner or Fellow who might come up with a radically new approach to something, or something that seems to run counter to the tradition as known by the Gild, is urged to consult with a Rune-Master on the matter. He or she would certainly be warned against assuming that his or her subjective realization is of universal value. It is much more likely that it is of personal, and even temporary, value. Too often, those who are partially educated jump to the conclusion that if something is true for them, it must be true for others. That is how we end up with subjectively created systems and books about the Runes with no basis in the tradition. Only a Master of the Gild can determine what is universally valid for the tradition, and such determinations are made only with the greatest deliberation on many levels.

The structure of the Rune-Gild provides the basics in a traditional manner and leaves the details up to the individual. The overall structuring of one’s individual work comes more and more under the control of the Runer themselves as they rise in the Gild. In the beginning, however, you are encouraged to follow the program of work fairly closely. But even having said this, I must hasten to add that in minor details of daily working activities the Runer is absolutely free to do what he or she feels is significant or appropriate. You should begin to exercise your inventiveness early, but in small ways. For example, the High Rede might get a letter from a new Runer who anxiously asks: What color should the hilt of my knife be? The tradition has nothing specific to say on this count. The Runer is free—is obligated—to take some spiritual initiative and consciously decide on a color that is significant for him or her. The Odian is traditional, but one of the mainstays of our tradition is independence and innovation. These factors must be balanced.

To some extent, the Gild is a network of outsiders—lone wolves who recognize in each other the same essence and most importantly the same heritage.

Our tradition is based on the twenty-four Runes of the Elder Fuþark, the Rune-names, and the Rune-Poems. Our lore is informed by the highest type of intellectual and magical learning. The Odian shuns neither the intellect nor intuition, but seeks to have these faculties work in harmony within the tradition. This is our birthright.

When all is said and done, there are as many roads to the Runes as there are Odians traveling them. No two Runers are exactly alike, and thus their pathways to the Runes will inevitably be different in many regards. This is what we expect. Just as no two people speak exactly the same language (each of us carries a unique grammar of our own language within us), we can still make ourselves understood—but only because we share similar structures and experiences with those who belong to our linguistic group. The implications of this are obvious for the Gild. We must learn the basic, traditional, symbolic language of the Runes—that secret language originally given to us by the God Wōden—but at the same time, we must expect to speak our own personal form of it, one that is slightly different from anyone else’s.

The overall character of the work of the Gild falls into three main categories: self-work, lore-work, and Gild-work. The first is the main subject of the Nine Doors of Midgard—the work of self-transformation. This is supplemented by lore-work, which is basically the intellectual learning and understanding of Runelore. Runelore is the traditional esoteric Germanic philosophy and cosmology. This second line feeds the first and together they provide the common language with which you can communicate with your fellows. Complementary to Runelore is Gild-work, which is the Runers’ contribution to the Gild—in the form of work (writings or organizational work), tolls, and galdor (magical work). This latter category can only be engaged in by those who are formally affiliated with the Gild. All three of these streams must be developed more or less simultaneously and in harmony with each other. One part cannot be practiced to the exclusion of the others. All lead ultimately to deep-level transformation of the self and of the world—which is the ultimate goal of the Gild and each of its Runers.

Now the time has come to lay out in more detail the exact nature of the Odian. Actually, in the final analysis, this question can only be answered through one’s own realizations. However, there are certain traits or characteristics that are common enough. Many Runers might even find some of what is said here shocking or strange. To those I can only say: What did you expect? When one becomes involved in mysteries one should expect the unexpected; when one seeks out secrets, one should expect that they will often be difficult to uncover and to grasp.

First of all, concerning the term Odian: in contrast to the term Odinist, the Odian does not worship the God Óðinn (Wōden), but rather emulates him. The Odinist worships; the Odian becomes himself. This is the true nature of

Reviews for The Nine Doors of Midgard

[Cyan Quinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book lays out a hard journey for the initiate, the purpose is to aid those who wish to become members of the Rune-Gild, a magical Germanic pagan organization that seeks to re-establish and continue the line of Tradition of the Runes mythologically begun by Odin himself.

Thorsson is like a Modern-day, Germanic Iamblichus. This book explains a type of Germanic Theurgy. I do not believe Thorsson is all that familiar with the Great Iamblichus, the master magician of late antiquity, but if one is, he will understand the comparison. Salvation or enlightenment can only be achieved through mimesis of the demiurge. Not through worship. This is the key. Odin calls for us to be like him, to be him.

I only recommend this book to those who dare to walk down such a path. Also, you must dedicate at least 2 years of one's life to passing through the nine doors, and even then it is only the beginning of the journey!

[Han · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The author supports the AFA/Asatru Folk Assembly, which is a Neo-Nazi group.
No Frith with Folkists.

[Stacey · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Do not support the Asatru Folk Assembly or this author. Research the author and what they stand for.