The Nordic Book of Runes

By Jonathan Dee

A guide to the secrets of rune-reading, an ancient predictive art, that teaches you how to lay out runes and interpret them instantly.
Once the sacred alphabet of the Germanic people of Northern Europe, runes are more than 2,000 years old. Runes (meaning a secret or mystery) were words of power, once carved on amulets, rings and weapons, and found as inscriptions on tombstones. The 1st rune, Fehu, is connected with cattle, and since wealth was measured in the number of cows a person owned, it has an underlying meaning of material wealth. The 11th rune, Isa, literally means 'ice', signifying danger and the probability of slipping up. Likewise, the 17th rune, Tiwaz, shares its significance with the North Star as an aid to navigation and charting life's path. In this insightful book, each of the runes is fully described, together with the symbolic images and celestial phenomena associated with them. Methods of laying out, or 'casting' the runes are described in order to give a full and comprehensive reading to answer any question. There are six spreads to choose from, from Odin's Rune, a simple reading with one rune stone, to using up to nine runes for deeper insight into the past, present and future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CICO Books
• Release date: Feb 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781800650428

Book preview

The Nordic Book of

Runes

The Nordic Book of

Runes

Learn to use this ancient code for insight, direction, and divination

Jonathan Dee

This edition published in 2021 by CICO Books

an imprint of Ryland Peters & Small Ltd

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First published in 2006 as Rune Wisdom

Text © Jonathan Dee 2006 (pages 76–77 and 88–93 © Kirsten Riddle 2015)

Design and illustration © CICO Books 2006, 2021

The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress and the British Library.

ISBN: 978-1-78249-744-8

E-ISBN: 978-1-80065-042-8

Printed in China

Editor: Liz Dean

Commissioning editor: Kristine Pidkameny

Senior editor: Carmel Edmonds

Senior designer: Emily Breen

Art director: Sally Powell

Head of production: Patricia Harrington

Publishing manager: Penny Craig

Publisher: Cindy Richards

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

WHAT ARE RUNES?

CHAPTER 1

THE MEANING OF THE RUNES

The Runes of Frey’s Aett

The Runes of Hagal’s Aett

The Runes of Tyr’s Aett

CHAPTER 2

WORKING WITH RUNES

Getting Started

How to Lay Out Runes

Personal Power Symbols

Index

Picture credits

INTRODUCTION

WHAT ARE RUNES?

Runes are angular symbols, usually carved on stone, metal, or wood, that were made by the ancient Germanic peoples, the ancestors of the modern Germans, English, Frisians, and Scandinavians. These diverse races share a common heritage and once spoke closely related languages. It is not surprising, then, that they also shared an alphabetical tradition of making meaningful, enduring marks to commemorate important events, people, and beliefs.

The word rune, or runa, comes from the language of the ancient Goths (300–600 CE) and literally means secret or hidden; this, in turn, ultimately derives from the early Germanic word ru, meaning, mystery. In modern German, raunen also comes from this root and means to whisper. Intricately carved runic stones can be found from the British Isles to Iceland, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. There are even some claims that rune-stones have been found in North America. Many swords and pieces of jewelry found in the museums of the world are also inscribed with angular runes. These often display the name of the object’s original owner and, also—and this was most important—the runic inscription showed that the object was of value, and that it was imbued with an aura of magical protection.

LEGENDARY MAGIC

From early times, rune-stones were considered to be magical. In around 100 CE, the Roman writer Tacitus described the lives and habits of northern European tribes. As part of his discourse, Tacitus mentioned that in times of trouble or confusion when the gods were to be consulted, the tribal chief would cast nine rune-carved staves onto a white cloth. He would then choose three at random and interpret the future from their symbols. This is the first reference to runes as a method of divination.

Yet, even during the first century CE, the runes were ancient; the earliest examples of runic symbols date from the Bronze Age. These were developed and refined around the second or third centuries BCE, when the northern tribes came into contact with the Mediterranean civilizations of Greece and Rome. However, the Germanic peoples did not believe that the runes were merely the work of man, and considered their origin to be none other than divinely inspired.

The ancient legends and sagas of the North recount the deeds of gods and heroes, but also within these imaginative tales are accounts of the magical origins of these potent symbols. The ninth-century Icelandic narrative poem The Havamal, meaning The Song of the High One, relates the spiritual journey of Odin, king of the Norse gods who, wounded by his