About runes, among the Germanic tribes and Celts, and in modern times
Some passages from this page are borrowed, some of them slightly converted, but based on or from the book “Weißt du zu ritzen?” by Dr. phil Thomas Höffgen, whose book we can absolutely recommend.
Overview
What are runes?
Mysterious symbols with power
Runes – we often come into contact with them through an oracle, similar to tarot cards.
Are runes comparable to tarot cards?
The fact that runes are powerful beings becomes clear very quickly, at least very quickly.
What are runes?
Runes are both
- Letters
- Symbols that correspond to a letter of our alphabet (e.g. the rune “Isa” stands for I)
- Hieroglyphics
- Signs, similar to hieroglyphs, describing a word or an object (let’s stay with the rune Isa, which also stands for the ice)
- Magic symbols / own gods
- Magic symbols which – in a certain context – have a meaning, tell a story
Runes are powerful connections to the spiritual world. Runes can be used to summon powers (or runes are powers) that can be used alongside the elements and other beings with spirit and or soul (but possibly without body) to support spiritual work.
Runes are gods. Yes, they are. Runes are powerful magic symbols that you use wisely for your work.
Runes are used when you can’t get any further with the “normal” helping spirits.
Among the Germanic tribes, it was considered dangerous to use runes without appropriate training.
Shamans put themselves in a trace-like state of consciousness, and our ancestors carried out their work and conjured in this state with the help of runes.
Where do runes come from?
The roots of runic art lie in magic and shamanic work. Runes come from the shamanic cult of our ancestors, the Germanic tribes and Celts, and they are probably much older, as our ancestors also adopted runes. See, for example, rune-like signs in the cave paintings in France.
Shamans drum and dance, make music and meditate, isolate themselves and fast, hyperventilate and hallucinate, paint cave walls and form small works of art, use healing herbs and incense consecrated resins, sing hymnal tunes and scream like savages, speak spells and tell stories of the gods, brew magic potion and eat toadstool, paint themselves with blood and adorn themselves with feathers, get mad and turn into animals, are inspired and enthusiastic, adorn glowing coals and kill themselves in appearance, carve spirit daggers and use magic wands, oracles made of bones and prophesies made of intestines.
(Quote from: Thomas Höffgen: Weißt du zu ritzen, p27)
Why shouldn’t you also carve secret magic signs into consecrated woods, stones, bones or metals?”
Our ancestors, the Germanic tribes and Celts, carved runes – in skin, wood, … – in order to perform magic.
The word “rune” probably has an ancient Indo-European root; in Old Norse, run means “secret”. Runes were carved into beech sticks (approx. 5-10 cm long) by the Celts, for example (this is where the word letter comes from).
There are a few rune stones from the 1st century AD, some more between. 5th yr. and 13th yr. Runes were also popular with the Vikings, who carried these symbols into other cultures.
Our ancestors believed that the highest of the gods himself – Odin/Wodan – found the runes after hanging upside down from the world tree Yggdrasil for 9 days and nights.
Odin then asked his rune disciples:
Do you know how to carve (the runes)? Do you know how to guess (interpret)?
Do you know how to dye (with blood or ochre)? Do you know how to ask (the gods)?
Do you know how to ask (for advice and help)? Do you know how to sacrifice (what do you want to give)?
Do you know how to send (murmur, speak)? Do you know how to slaughter (what belongs away)?
He thus lists the ritual acts that a shaman performs in his work …
According to ancient tradition, his eight-legged shaman horse Sleipnir even wears runes on his teeth (Sigdrífomál 15). Odin is able to summon trolls and raise the dead using runes (Hávamál 158). He can tell fortunes and prophesy from the skull of the rune-knowing giant Mimir.
Thomas Höffgen, “Weißt du zu ritzen”, p.31
The old Futhark – 24 runes
Concrete application of runes
Runes were used by the Germanic tribes,
- For healing and blessing
- To cast death or damage spells
- For the invocation of gods and
- when summoning demons
Scoring
Runes can be carved into different materials:
-Wood
-Stones
-Skin
– …
To get positive support, or to avert negative things
Amulets
Amulets served as protective magical symbols for all ancient peoples, whether Romans, Greeks, Germans and Celts:
And they still are today and are still used today (not only but also with runes).
Revitalize
Carved runes are animated,
- due to smoke
- through singing
- by breathing in (“murmuring”)
- and by the red color of blood or ocher
Oracles
Nowadays, runes are often used for oracles. Similar to what is done with tarot cards.
This may never have been the case in Germanic times. There were oracles, that is proven. Whether this was done with runes, however, is unclear or cannot be scientifically proven.
But it still works – and it works very well and highly effectively.
Podcast – Brief overview of runes
Would you prefer to listen to a short version of this text? Here in the video podcast with Roland Media and me
Runes work in the yew forest
Would you like to know more about what we do with runes in the yew forest? -> Click
