This name is understandable - the ancient peoples who inhabited Northern Europe used runes at moments in life when they needed to make an important decision. Fortune telling with the help of runes helped to do this.

It is known that the runic alphabet appeared no later than the 3rd century BC. e. However, the runes themselves arose long before this. When the need for writing arose, it was the runes - these are magical signs - that formed the basis of the alphabet. Scientists have scientifically confirmed that runes influenced the development of writing.

The Roman alphabet includes at least 13 letters that are similar to runes. There are 10 such letters in the Russian alphabet. The ancient Latin and ancient Roman alphabet have much in common with the runic alphabet. This once again proves that the origin of writing is based on the rune system.

Scientists claim that the peoples of Northern Europe used runic writing for one and a half thousand years. The most ancient runic alphabet is considered to be the “Elder Futhark”, consisting of 24 characters, which are divided into three groups of eight each. These groups also have their own names - these are the runes of Freya, Hagalla and Tyr. The alphabet received this name because of the first six letters included in it - these are F, U, Th, A, R, K. Later (younger) runes were used mainly for writing, and older ones were used for magical rituals.

Even the inscriptions made with the help of these runes were made for a magical purpose - archaeologists most often found such inscriptions on weapons and stones.

According to Old Norse legend, runes were given to the people by the god Odin. Powerful, Odin discovered the secrets of magic after being chained to a tree for nine days.

Druid sorcerers at that time were the main source of knowledge for people. People believed them and turned to them for help.

Thanks to the powerful power of runes, it was possible to increase crop yields, cure the sick, or predict the future. People idolized runes and considered them miraculous powers. As myths tell, runes are closely interconnected with the enormous forces of nature and Universal energy.

The runes gained powerful power due to the fact that people served and worshiped the gods, fanatically believed and performed rituals. Spells have magical properties and runes perform their function, and also serve as a tool for prophecy.

The famous Roman historian Tacitus told in his book "Germania" (98 BC) about how the Germans used runes to look into their future.

In the fifth century BC, runic magic conquered the British Isles. The British Druids did not limit themselves to the Futhark dictionary, they finalized and published their runic system. Their number was twenty-eight characters. They were called Anglo-Saxon. In the ninth century, a second runic system of the same type was published, which included thirty-three symbols.

Runes have constantly evolved over the centuries. For example: in Scandinavia seven alphabets were published. Of these, two alphabets were composed in the Danish style, and the remaining five in the Swedish-Norwegian style.

Each rune has its own name, which speaks of its meaning. Today, the names of quite early and quite late Anglo-Saxon runes have been preserved. It is a pity that the names of the Futhark runes have not been preserved.

Runic magic began to lose its former significance with the advent of Christianity and the Latin alphabet.

From the fourth century until the eleventh century, the Scandinavians fought heroically and victoriously in southern Europe. They bravely conquered the cities of France, England, and Italy. Subsequently, the Scandinavian kings began to rule Russia. And all this happened thanks to the fact that the Vikings used in their lives the gift that was discovered by the great Odin.

Of course, over time, Christianity, with its mercy, prevailed over the souls of the Scandinavian warriors, and European civilization began to gain significant momentum in development.

Over the centuries, people's interest in these mysterious writings has not waned. And in the 20th century, in Germany, runes again made themselves known.

In Denmark and Norway in the middle of the 11th century, punctured runes appeared. Scandinavian runes were taken as a basis. In the 13th century, the punctured “Runes of Valdemar” appeared (named after the victorious Danish king Valdemar II), the inventor of which is considered to be the Icelander Olaf Hvitaskald.

What awaits you in the near future:

Find out what awaits you in the near future with the help of runes.

Origin of runes

As legends and myths say, the magical secret of runes, their ability to predict the future and protect from the evil eye and damage was comprehended by the god of the ancient Scandinavians - Odin. In one of the ancient literary works - the collection of Old Icelandic songs "Elder Edda" there is one dedicated to these symbols. Its text reads:

• “You will find the runes and comprehend the signs,
• The strongest signs, the strongest signs,
• Khroft colored them, and the gods created them,
• And Odin cut them out..."

It should be noted that the name "Hroft", or "Old Hroft" is a nickname for Odin. So, as follows from the legend, he hung upside down, pierced by the shaft of a spear, on the magical tree of knowledge Yggdrasil for exactly 9 days. This was necessary so that his old grandfather, the giant Bölthorn, would allow him to receive magic runes. In the insight that came to God, he learned their sacred knowledge and meanings.

Origins

The origin of the word “rune” itself, meaning secret, advice, lot or whisper, comes from northern Europe, Scandinavia. Inscriptions of this type can be found on totem stones, on various amulets, as well as on all kinds of weapons and armor. They were also depicted on gold and silver “bracteates” - coins of that time. Dishes and all kinds of ceramics, doors to rooms, bows of boats were also not spared runic inscriptions.

It is interesting to note that to date, about five thousand inscriptions using these symbols have been found. Most of them are located in modern Sweden.

Runes in fortune telling and predictions

In fortune telling, runes were used mainly by northern peoples. They used them as intermediaries between people and the forces of nature. In the original version, they were only some magical symbols that meant a certain force of nature - for example, water, fire, earth or air.

In the twentieth century, the famous occultist Friedrich Marby defended his theory according to which the runes were the writing of the ancient legendary people - the Atlanteans. Subsequently, he developed his own system of such signs, in which he used 33 symbols, and after the end of the Second World War, his principles formed the basis of modern esoteric fortune-telling practices.

According to the northern tradition, the knowledge of runes was obtained by the god Odin, who sacrificed himself for this knowledge. The legends say that Odin pierced himself with a sacred spear and spent nine days and nights “pinned” by it to the ash tree Yggdrasil - the Tree of the World.
Some of the most sacred verses of the Elder Edda, a collection of sacred texts of Scandinavian paganism, are dedicated to the sacrifice of Odin:
I know, I hung in the branches in the wind for nine long nights, pierced by a spear, dedicated to Odin, as a sacrifice to myself, on that tree whose roots are hidden in the depths of the unknown.

No one fed me, no one gave me water, I looked at the ground, I picked up the runes, groaning, I picked them up, and fell from the tree. (Speeches of the High One, 138–139)
“The Saga of the Ynglings” describes Odin as a completely “earthly”, real person, the leader of the Aesir people. The capital of this people was Asgard, the prototype of which was the heavenly Asgard - the city of the aesir gods. To gain knowledge of the runes, Odin, according to the Elder Edda, sacrificed himself by piercing himself with a spear on a sacred tree. Later this tree became associated with the Tree of Life - the Yggdrasil ash tree. The most interesting thing in the above stanzas of the Elder Edda is the lines of the 5th and 6th stanzas 138: “... dedicated to Odin, as a sacrifice to himself...”. “Dedicated to Odin” - that Odin who did not leave heavenly Asgard, the one whose incarnation in Midgard was earthly Odin. Compare the words “... as a sacrifice to yourself...” and the words of Christ: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) - this is one and the same mythology.

Let us return from theology to the affairs of the Middle World. So, Odin’s sacrifice brought the runes into the manifest world, into Midgard. Odin took this knowledge and passed it on to his fellow tribesmen - the Germanic aces. Thanks to the research of V.I. Shcherbakov (see, for example, “Asgard and the Vanir”, in the book “On the Roads of Millennia”, M., 1989, etc.) now we already know what kind of people they are - the Aesir, and where his main city was Asgard. Shcherbakov convincingly proved the identity of the country of the Ases and Parthia, a state in Central Asia founded by the Scythians in the 3rd century. BC, and just a century later became a world power. He also determined the location of the capital of the Aesir - Asgard. Now these are the settlements of Nisa, studied by Soviet archaeologists in 1930. Until now, the capital of Turkmenistan, near which the ancient settlements are located, has carried this ancient name - Ashgabat; this word (otherwise - Askhabad) means the same as Asgard - the city of the Aesir.
As Snorri relates, “Odin and his wife had a prophecy, and it revealed to him that his name would be exalted in the northern part of the world and would be honored above the names of all kings. Therefore, he set out to hit the road...” At the turn of the century e. Under the leadership of Odin, the Ases made the transition from Central Asia to the distant European North, where they brought their culture and their religion. It was by this time - the beginning of the century. e. - refers, as we have already said, to the formation in Northern Europe of the classical all-Germanic runic system - Futhark.
It is quite natural to now ask the question: if the runic signs themselves have a completely “earthly” origin and go back to the signs of the Northern Italian alphabets, as indicated in the previous topic, then what did Odin receive by making his sacrifice? The answer is simple. Undoubtedly, Odin knew these signs even before his nine-day hanging on the tree. Revelation brought him the knowledge of runes as sacred signs, so he recognized their power and learned to use it - this is how runic art was born. The art of seeing the Tree of Runes.
What is it about? It should be noted that twenty-four runes individually and the runic system of twenty-four runes are different things. Having a divine origin and being a sacred sign, each individual rune has a certain reserve of magical power and the ability to connect us with one or another egregor or deity. The totality of the runes, together with their strength and connections, already forms a magical system that has its own powerful egregor and is associated with certain Forces of the World.
Several similar systems are now known, sometimes called “closed associative systems of principles.” One of the oldest such systems is the 22 cards of the Major Arcana Tarot. In addition, one can recall the 22 letters of the sacred Hebrew alphabet and the 64 hexagrams of the Chinese Book of Changes. The concept of a “closed system of principles” is used here in the sense that, using these and only these principles, it is possible to describe any possible situation and any scenario for its development.
The examples given may lead one to believe that such systems are divination systems. This is not true, or rather, not entirely true. Any of these systems can indeed be used for mantic purposes; in this sense, they can be defined as systems in the signs of which the answer to any question can be formulated. In the process of obtaining an answer, each sign of such a system opens a certain door into the world of associations, on the basis of which the fortuneteller, using his experience, makes a prediction.
At a more subtle level, such systems are the basis for a more or less accurate description of the world. Thus, Kabbalah largely relies on the Hebrew alphabet; the eight trigrams, which are the basis of the Book of Changes, are involved in many Chinese philosophical concepts and constructs, etc.
In connection with the above, it becomes clear that a person who wants to work with runes - no matter whether in the mantic field or in the field of their practical application - needs to pave his own path to the doors to the world of associations and images opened by runes, to feel the archetypal images corresponding to each rune and mythologems. This work will become the main content of the first part of this practical course.

What are runes and how to work with them? Before you start working with runic magic, be it staves or scripts, they must be activated - both in your consciousness and in their physical embodiment. This is not difficult to do, but you cannot do without this procedure if you want to work with runes correctly.

In the article:

What are runes and how to work with them

World Tree Yggdrasil

Before you start working with traditional Scandinavian mystical symbols, you should find out what runes are and how to work with them correctly. These signs are the quintessence of the universe itself, embodied in various combinations of nine branches world tree.

The number nine itself was sacred for the Scandinavian and Germanic peoples. It was given even more attention than three - one of the most popular magic numbers, which is found in the esoteric tradition of most peoples of the Earth.

Icelandic skald Egil Skallagrimsson. Illustration for the edition of ‘Egil’s Saga’. 17th century

In ancient times, the art of reading runes and, moreover, using them in magic was the lot of the elite. People who knew runes were called Erils. The most famous of them was a certain Egil - the hero of many Old Scandinavian legends and traditions. The most famous and almost intact work about him is written by Snorri Sturlsson "Egil's Saga". Egil was not distinguished by either beauty or valor, but he was not lacking in wisdom and depth of knowledge of the mystical sciences. This work is one of the main sources of information on how to work with runes correctly. It contains both recommendations and warnings against the thoughtless use of the power hidden in these signs.

Nevertheless, now any person has the opportunity to touch the mysterious tradition of the Old Scandinavian peoples. There are no restrictions for this - the power of ancient signs can be available to everyone. The main thing is to know how to work with runes correctly.

How to start working with runes - the process of activating them

The main thing is to set up a connection with the runes

Before you begin practical work with the magical signs of ancient Scandinavia, you should activate them in your mind. This process is extremely important - it allows you not only to study the direct meaning of each symbol, but also makes it possible to independently draw conclusions regarding the operation of each of the runes and its properties. Under no circumstances should you neglect it, otherwise the likelihood of making a mistake during the work process will be extremely high.

First of all, it is worth noting that activating runes in the mind cannot be called a quick task. To learn how to start working with runes, you need to devote at least one, three or nine days to studying each of these signs. You can meditate on the runes, print out images of them, or simply think about them constantly and try to find your own associations with them. Such a process of spiritual knowledge should not replace, but complement practical information about these signs. You will definitely feel the end of the activation process of each rune - at this moment you will be able to tell yourself that you are precisely aware of the meaning, significance and properties of each of the runes.

Thus, it is necessary to work with each of them, and only after that begin any practical work. It wouldn't hurt to have it in the form of a fortune telling kit. This does not require any special tools, and this process is described in more detail in a separate article on our website. Here we will consider first of all the direct activation of runes.

How to work with runes and amulets correctly - learning to activate them

When you make your first runes, each of them will also need to be activated. First of all, this action lies directly in the manufacturing process. When you work with these ancient signs with your hands, you are already establishing a spiritual connection with them.

When creating a runic set, it is recommended to follow a certain sequence. First, you need to prepare blanks for your future runes, then carry them with you for some time and get used to the dies themselves. You can turn them over in your hands and meditate with them to understand that these blanks are right for you. After this, it is necessary to begin the actual production of runes - their cutting and coloring. Runes are made strictly one by one - you take one blank, cut out a symbol on it, color it and activate it. The simplest way to activate is to add one or several drops of your blood to the coloring composition.

Another option involves the use of elemental magic. After coloring each die, you should carry it over the fire, fumigate it with incense smoke, sprinkle it with salt and hold it under running water. You can also turn to the Northern Gods and Odin- the direct patron of magical arts and knowledge associated with the runic tradition.

You should also spend quite a long time activating a finished runic set. It is not recommended to activate more than one plug in one day. In this way, you will be able to learn each of the runes for the second time and further deepen your knowledge in this area. As a result, you will literally feel your dies and accurately guess their predictions when divining with runes.

Making and activating talismans and rune staves

Remember about the service life of the created talismans

When you go through the above stages of immersion in runic magic, the question of how to activate is unlikely to be too difficult for you. Any runic amulet is activated in the same way as a rune set. There is only one additional point - when working with each individual amulet, you must clearly set its expiration date. At the end of this period or upon achieving the intended goals, the amulet must be consigned to the ground or fire, thanking it for the work done.

Also, many followers of the Scandinavian tradition and runic magic believe that a necessary element in the manufacture of each of the amulets is an appeal to the Gods of the North. Chief among them is Odin. This is not an entirely correct opinion - most practitioners believe that runes are fundamental signs in which all the symbolism of the Universe is embodied. And the Northern Gods are only conductors of this knowledge, but not monopoly masters.

Therefore, turning to them and a deeper study of the pagan traditions of the Scandinavian and Germanic peoples, of course, can help in working with runes. But it is by no means an obligatory part of rituals and runic magic. So a person of absolutely any religion can use runic magic without any regard for alien religious traditions.

Why runes don't work - beginner mistakes

The main reason and answer to the question why runes do not work is their incorrect activation and haste in the process of learning these signs. If you were in a hurry with activation, you should repeat this process from the very beginning, slowly and thoroughly - then you yourself will be able to understand what exactly your mistakes were. It is worth noting that if the runes do not work, this is much better than if they worked, but unknowingly could cause harm.

Use only your own runes or from trusted masters

If your runes do not work for fortune telling and do not give the correct results, then one of the reasons for the possible error is the use of someone else’s set. Purchased sets can attract with their aesthetic beauty, however, it is extremely rare that they are made in accordance with all the traditions and methods of working with these ancient symbols. Moreover, even if the runes were made by a master, they always carry the imprint of his energy, and it will be quite difficult for an outsider to connect with them.

There are different versions of the origin of runes. Various monuments of runic writing, including those for occult purposes, have survived to this day. What are the reasons for such a pronounced attractiveness of these ancient signs, which to this day excite the minds of scientists and predictors? Understanding the power of runes is impossible without knowing their centuries-old history.

How did runes appear?

Some scientists associate the origin of runes with the Greek or Latin alphabets. Most researchers adhere to the version of runologist K. Marstrander, who suggested that the runes come from one of the Northern Etruscan alphabets.

Runes - the heritage of the Germanic tribes

The emergence of the German-Scandinavian runic system is associated with the beginning of our era. The oldest rune-like signs used for magical purposes were found even in layers dating back to the Paleolithic!

More than three thousand years ago, strong and warlike tribes settled in the territory of modern Denmark, Sweden and Norway. They were called Vikings, Nords or Normans, and in Rus' - Varangians.

The peculiar worldview of people constantly confronting the harsh nature gave rise to an unusual spiritual system, which our contemporaries call the tradition of the peoples of the North.

They settled mainly in communities, but even before the advent of statehood, these tribes created their own written language.

The forces of nature were personalized by the ancient Nords into deities whose power one could resort to in times of need, from whom one could ask for protection or help.

The plurality and unity of the universe in the tradition of the peoples of the North was personified by the World Tree Yggdrasil, connecting the world of gods, people and monsters, Heaven, Earth and Emptiness, magical, living and dead.

The intermediaries between the forces of the Universe and the world of people were priests who were engaged in healing and runic divination, who made sacrifices to higher powers and raised the requests of leaders, Ik warriors and other members of the tribe to the world of the gods.

The ancient Nords gave their weapons names that were written in runic symbols. These names acquired mystical meaning, because the object acquires its own will.

In Denmark, for example, arrows were discovered, each of which had the outline of a rune. The most famous Viking weapons, which had their own names, were battle axes and swords.

The Flame of Odin and the Devil of the Shield, the Sorceress of Battle and the Fear of the Chainmail struck the enemies with greater fury, because great forces stood behind them.

“The runes of victory, since you strive for it, cut them on the hilt of the sword and mark them twice with the name of Tyr!” This verse from the songs of the Elder Edda served as a guide to action for the ancient Vikings

Runes in Christian times

The Viking period gave way to the era of Christianity, but the tradition of runic inscriptions-names on military weapons extended to the times of chivalry. The practice of runic love talismans, in demand in the Middle Ages, has not become obsolete either.

The first beginnings of professional runology appeared in the 17th century, when the Swiss I. Boreus and the Dane O. Born collected and analyzed information about more than a hundred rune stones.

The real rise of runic magic and the practice of divination with the help of runes began in the 19th century, during the heyday of the occult sciences.

Runic signs - an ancient alphabet?

Analysis of the runic signs led to the conclusion that they represent a stylized version of the signs of the Latin, Etruscan or Gothic alphabets, which ultimately go back to the Phoenician script.

The proof is the absolute coincidence of the outline and phonetic meaning of nine runes and the corresponding capital letters; the outline and sound differ slightly in five runes; only the outline of five runes is the same, and only five runes cannot be attributed to the Latin alphabet.

For example, “alef” is the first letter in the Phoenician alphabet, in the Greek version it takes the form of “alpha”, and in the runic system - “feu” or “fehu”.

At the same time, the Phoenician “aleph” symbolizes a bull, “fehu” - cattle. The study of the signs shows that the reason for the different writing of these last runes was the peculiarity of the outline - the specific “chopping” of the runic signs.

The runic alphabet differs significantly from the traditional ones. It even begins with completely different characters, different from the first letters of almost all modern alphabets.

This allows us to connect it with the most ancient occult signs, dating back to the history of German-Scandinavian beliefs and mantic traditions of the Mediterranean.

Currently, one of the recognized versions is the hypothesis of R. Morris, who suggested that the word “run” comes not from the German-Scandinavian “secret”, but from the Indo-European “scratch”, “to cut”.