A History of Runes
 Runes are an ancient Oracle,
older than the New Testament. Runes were last in widespread use in
Iceland during the late Middle Ages. Little remains of their origins
except for the standing Rune stones found in the British Isles, Germany, and
throughout Scandinavia, and their saga and lore. Scholars do not
agree upon where and when runic writing first made its appearance in western
Europe.
It is believed that Odin gave
mankind the gift of runes. Odin is the principal divinity in the
pantheon of Norse gods. It was his passion, his transforming sacrifice of
the self that brought the runes to humankind. According to legend,
Odin hung for nine nights on Yggdrasil, the Tree of the World, wounded by his
own blade, tormented by hunger, thirst and pain, unaided and alone until, before
he fell, he spied the runes and with a last tremendous effort seized them.
Runes can be a teacher and a
source of guidance. Consider them as a sacred game, an instrument for
serious or high play. For the value of play is that it frees us from the
effort of learning, frees us to learn as children learn. Consulting
the runes can put you in touch with your own inner guidance, with that part of
your that knows everything you need to know for the present.
Experiencing a true present
is something most find extremely difficult. A good part of life is wasted
dwelling on past regrets and fantasies of the future. Replacing brain
chatter with stillness helps keep one in the present, in the now. These
runes are tools to aid that process.
Click here to draw your rune
The rune definitions used
here in a shortened, modified form come from The Book of Runes by Ralph
H. Blum.
If you'd like this book and the set of runes that comes with it, you can order
them below or you can write to him at this address:
The Rune Works
P.O. Box 1320 Venice, CA 92094
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List Price: 