An alphabet developed by Germanic and Nordic peoples during ancient times, runes were used to represent both simple things and more complex concepts, providing a written form of communication before the latin alphabet was adopted. Today, reading runes are a popular tool for understanding the present and divining the future. Divided into two broad chapters, showing how to use runes, and outlining the full runic alphabet as well as a section on standing runestones, Runes provides a compact, accessible guide to this ancient reading system. Discover the basic three rune layout, and how it can help bring clarity when seeking guidance; learn how to arrange the runes in a five rune cast, which offers a more complex reading; discover Uruz, U, which means a wild ox in Elder Futhark, the oldest runic alphabet; and see how runic inscriptions were combined on standing stones to mark burial sites and the deeds of great warriors. A compact guide with 130 illustrations and photographs of runes, rune readings and runestones, this book will fascinate anyone interested in this ancient writing form and its uses today.
- A compact pocket-size guide to runic writing systems
- Features full colour photographs of the runic alphabets alongside their meanings
- Explains how to read and interpret runes
Runes are a popular tool for understanding the present and divining the future. Divided into three, showing how to use runes, the full runic alphabet and runestones, Runes provides a compact, accessible pocket guide – this book will fascinate anyone interested in this ancient writing form and its uses today.
Muu info
Beautiful pocket guide showcasing the runic alphabets and how to read the meaning of the runes themselves.
Introduction The exact development of the early runic alphabet remains
unclear but the script ultimately stems from the Phoenician alphabet. Early
runes may have developed from the Raetic, Venetic, Etruscan, or Old Latin as
candidates. At the time, all of these scripts had the same angular letter
shapes suited for epigraphy, which would become characteristic of the runes
and related scripts in the region.
1: How to Use Runes Runes are an ancient form of oracle used by those seeking
advice. The runes can be used to help guide someone through problems or
issues and indicate what is likely to happen. Theyre not a form of
fortune-telling and dont offer exact answers or give you advice - rather
they offer different variables and suggest how you could behave if the event
does occur. Runes are known for hinting towards answers, but leaving you to
work out the details using your intuition. Casting the Runes: When you cast
the runes, its not fortune-telling. The idea behind the way that runes work
is that, as you ask a question or think about an issue, your conscious and
unconscious minds are focused. When the runes are cast in front of you,
theyre not totally random, but are choices that have been made by your
subconscious. The Three Rune Layout: With this cast, you should randomly
select three runes from your rune bag and place them on the table in front of
you. The Five Rune Layout: With the five rune cast, or five rune layout, the
aim is to select five runes, one at a time, and lay them down on the cloth in
specific places. *The Nine Rune Cast: *In Norse mythology, nine is a magical
number. This cast is best used if youre trying to determine where you are in
your spiritual path and what the next stages or opportunities could be and
its a cast where you can really put your intuition to good use.
2: The Runic Alphabet There are various different types of runic alphabets
used on runes, with one of the oldest ones being the old Germanic runic
alphabet known as Elder Futhark. The Elder Futhark contains 24 runes, the
first six of which spell out the word futhark. The Elder Futhark (named
after the initial phoneme of the first six rune names: F, U, Ž, A, R and K)
has 24 runes, often arranged in three groups of eight runes. Over time this
was adapted and in order to use it to write in Anglo-Saxon or Old English, a
number of other runes were added to the alphabet, bringing it up to
33. This
is known as the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. Another adaptation is the Younger, or
Scandinavian, Futhark, which is believed to have been used in Scandinavia
until the 17th century. All of these variations highlight changes that were
made as people moved and emigrated to different countries.
3: Ancient Runestones There are about 3,000 runestones among the about 6,000
runic inscriptions. The tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into
the 12th century, but most of the runestones date from the late Viking Age.
Most runestones are located in Scandinavia, but there are also scattered
runestones in locations that were visited by Norsemen during the Viking Age.
Runestones were often memorials to great men. Includes the Lingsberg
Runestone, Möjbro Runestone, Kylver Stone, Stenkvista runestone
Rachel Newcombe is a writer, editor and researcher who contributes to a range of print and online publications. She is co-author of The Complete Crystal Sourcebook and general editor of The Self-Care Bible. She is fascinated by the history and meaning of runes and ancient standing stones.
