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Introduction

HOW TO READ THIS SITE
Please make sure before reading the “sub articles” on the sidebar that you read their headings at the top of the page. This situation will be fixed soon.

How we begin…

    I was first introduced to the runes when I was nine years old. My mother had many different books upon her shelves of a spiritual nature and thus I would search through them and pour over their meanings. Even as a young man I was very inquisitive and studious. One book that I always seemed fascinated by was called “The Book of Runes” by Ralph Blum. *(please review my notes on the “Resources and Information” page about Ralph Blum)* It was from this book that I began to look for more Runic knowledge and eventually discarding Ralph Blums work as nothing more then fancy and a good jumping stage.
    My grandmother, a spae-wife, was also an amazing assistant in my early spiritual growth. She told me of the Hel-Runar and of our ancestors, and she taught me more of the idea of Rune. However, it wasn’t until about 2004 that I would return to my roots and begin true study of Runic Lore, and it was with the help of one great man that I would truly dive deeper into the greater mysteries. His name was Kincade Eksagthi.
    Ever since then I have been an Erulian, a Hel-Runar, a Heathen worshiper of the old ways of my kin and our ancestors. We are associated with religions such as Forn Sed and Asatru. I am a Runster, but so much more then that, and I wish to spread that knowledge for all to benefit and know the power of Rune. And so now here I am, and here you are, and I will begin explaining Rune by first giving you understanding of the word itself.

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The Definition of the word: Rune

Whisper, Secret, Shout, and Roar
Mystery, Stave, Sign, and Lore
Word and Poem, Bane and Boon,
Mark, Song, Reed, Rune

    “The most common definition for the word rune is “one of the letters of an alphabet used by ancient Germanic peoples.” This definition is the result of a long historical development, the entirety of which we must come to know before we can see how incomplete such a definition is.” ~Edred Thorsson

    Rune is a word that is only found in the Germanic and Celtic languages. Its etymology is somewhat uncertain. But the one that I have accepted is as follows: Rune, from Proto-Indo-European *reu- (to roar and to whisper), which would connect it to the vocal performance of magical incantations.

    “…a Germanic and Celtic root *runo can be established, from which it developed in the various Germanic dialects. That the word is archaic in its technical sense is clear from its universal attribution with a rich meaning. The root is found in every major Germanic dialect. What is made clear from the evidence of this is that Rune is an ancient indigenous term and that the oldest meaning was in the realm of the abstract concept (mystery), not as a concrete sign (letter). The definition “letter” is strictly secondary, and the primary meaning must be “mystery”.”~Edred Thorsson

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The Power: Rune

    Edred Thorsson, Stephan Grundy, as well as many of the Rune Guild and those associated with the AFA (Asatru Folk Assembly) have come to understand is that Rune itself is a power, not just the shape of that power. The “stave” or rune pictographs that we are given are symbols of that manifested power that we may use as focus and representation, but the RUNE itself is truly within ones heart and soul. It is born of us and the world around us, of the shadows and mysteries of the universe, the true building blocks of creation and the conscious mind made manifest and brought into control. Rune is a power older than the pictographs themselves as those staves are focus to the universal energy in which it takes shape. The true path of an Erulian is to tap into that very power.
    So many modern esoteric movements that incorporate the runes focus so much on the staves and there defined meanings. So much so that they miss the deeper mysteries. These are not defined by simply their meanings, but as abstract archetypes, mental states in which act as keys to unlock the runic potential to shape our inner wills and thus ourselves.
    Runes appear to be cryptic signs, stark and primitive that is graven into wood, metal, or stone. Angular and obtuse, they have no curved lines as they would wear away easily over time or not appear in the grain of wood at all. But as with all things esoteric and Eruli, the Runestaves are much more then the sum of its parts.

    The physical appearance or manifestation of a thing alone does not define everything it is. ~Kincade Eksagthi

    So to is this true with the essence of the Staves and the power of Rune.

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So what does it all mean?

    In the end, no one can tell you exactly “what it all means” as the runes are a path of self discovery. Even after reading everything on this site, after all the knowledge you obtain here from Runes, Staves, Practices, and the like, your journeys will have just begun. More than an alphabet, more then a divination tool, more then mental archetypes, it is magical essence itself.
    When Odin hung upon the tree, dying in his moment of self sacrifice (and thus gaining entry into the Well), what did he see? We know he discovered the runes, which means they were there all along. Death of the outer (or mortal) self to gain access to the inner (or divine self… by such ritual death gaining access to the knowledge within us all, encoded as a divinic pattern. He gained the knowledge of the Disr and Alfar, of Ancestors and ancient powers even more ancient than even HE by ritualistically traveling to the land of the dead.
    But truly, in this action alone Odin looked within himself, reflected in the Well of Mimir, and spied the Power of Rune within himself. He reached forth and grasped the staves, 24 depictions and archetypes and the powers manifested of himself.
    This is the truth of the Odinic mystery and why the underworld (and thus Helja) are so important to an Erulian. To truly know “what it all means” is to look into the Well (and thus ourselves) and trust in the power of our own inner being. We must let go of the outer self and our preconceived notions and discover the many facets of our inner self and by doing this, we truly come to understand the meaning of Rune.