Runes: A magical language from Pre-Christian Europe

The issue of a magical language for the Neo/Pagan community has been debated for
some time by the members of the Wiccoid Pan Paganites. Some feel quite
comfortable using the Quaballistic system of the Judaic peoples. While others
feel that this system is infused with thousands of years of patriarchy which
taints it in the minds of those who do not desire to use it.
There have been a number of languages that have been uncovered in the past
century. Ogham, the Celtic written language is one choice, but using this system
is problematic because the tradition it came from (as with many of that time)
was oral and the Druids (teachers of the Ogham alphabet) were destroyed along
with the Library at Tara by the overzelous St. Patrick. The information
surviving to this day on the Ogham alphabet is mostly recreated by people who do
the most with what they have...but the inner knowledge of the Ogham system has
been lost.
The runic language, however, was created by the Teutonic peoples of the
Continent and Scandinavia was able to last as a magical system alive and intact
because the Christian influence came at a later time and those people were not
destroyed but rather were converted.
The Teutonic Runic system was used by the Goths, the Visigoths, the Vandals and
many other Teutonic Tribes of the era of the fall of the Roman Empire, the
Norse/Vikings of the 10th through the 12th century, the Saxons who invaded the
isle of Great Brittan, and many tribes of Teutons not known to history for their
military expeditions. By this we see that the runic system was in use from
approximately 500 c.e. until at least 1,200 c.e. and there are many examples of
runic talismans from which to investigate.
Other examples which aid in a good understanding of what the rune system was and
how the magical archetypes were fused both in the minds of the Vitki (the name
of a runic magician {Thorrson1}) and in the shapes of the runic staves are a
wealth of writings from those who used the system (the Poetic Edda and the Prose
Edda) and from some of the Roman historians Tacitus, Virgil and others. These
two main sources give an perspective to the study of the runic system. That of
the participant and that of the observer. One who is interested in working with
the any magical system is both of these a participant and an observer.
There have been a number of revivals of the runic system in modern times. Both
occured in Germany, the center of the Teutonic tribes. The first was an
intellectual/magical revival in which a number of occultists worked with the
system and added to the available knowledge though innovation and study of
folklore and history. The second was a manipulation of the archetypes of the
runes to control a population, popularly known as Nazi Germany. The Nazis used
 ideas, archetypes, and the pride of the Teutonic peoples to control them
magically. This is not to say that the German people are no responsible for
their actions is not the point I offer. Rather that some of the runes that were
used by the Nazis will be seen in the runic system and that one should attempt
to disinherit the short and horrid imposition from the beauty and power of
Nature that is inherant in the symbols and has been for hundreds of years.
The last of the runic revivals is the current one. The interest in the runes has
increased vastly in the last ten years. One of the reasons is the writings of
Edred Thorrson, and the institution by him of the Rune Guild. The books written
by this man are heavily researched and relatively easy to read and follow. There
are other writers on the runic system, but they are all different, using
different runic alphabets, and seem to be a mish-mosh of the four different
runic alphabets. The amount of work to be done on the runic system is great, but
the rewards of working with the system are as great, enlivening, and exciting.
There are four basic runic alphabets. The Elder Futhark, Younger Futhark,
Anglo-Saxon Fothark, and the Frisian Futhark. The most complete of the forms is
the Elder Futhark, of twenty-four staves. The other forms either are missing
staves or have staves that are mixtures of two staves. Think of the scientific
Table of the Elements. The form that has the greatest number of the most basic
forms is the best place to start because you can make as many combination from
these with great understaning of what forces are at work in the compilation.
The Elder Futhark also is the oldest form known as being a complete alphabet.
There are some earlier examples of the use of the runic symbols, but 500 c.e. is
the earliest compiled,complete futhark.
The studying this author has done on the runic system has been with the Elder
Futhark, using Edred Thorrsonss books. They are a great beginning although
being a bit on the patriarchal side for my taste. He offers a wealth of
information which any user of magical formuli can combine and find further
understanding of the runes. I recommend his books highly as a resource from
which to do ones own research. I also recommend reading the Eddas and writings
by Virgil, Tacitus and other Roman historian on the subject of German/Teuton
society.
The amount of information available about the runes for the pagan who is seeking
a magical alphabet with which to scribe, cypher, or to expand consciousness is
exceptional for an ancient lettering. Unlike the Quaballah it is not connected
with the Judeo/Christian reality, but unfortunately is connected with
patriarchy.
The breakdown of the dieties in the Teutonic/Norse tradition is reflective of
the history that is shared by almost all of the religions in Europe. The
earliest god/desses of the region were originally thought to be from the Lake
Van in Anatolia (where modern day Turkey is). The pantheon of dieties was known
as the Vanic dieties. This was basically a Nature based religion common in
Europe before the patriarchal era began. Many of the goddess and god names are
recognizible as being a part of the Aesir. Goddesses like Freya, Iduna, Sif,
Hella; and the god Frey are all names I had heard before I read my first book on
runes.
The group of dieties usually attributed to the Norse/Teutonic people are the
Aesir. The well known pantheon of Odhinn, Thor, Tyr, Loki, The Fenris Wolf, the
Giants (thurs), and many more. The accepted historical explination of the
change is the invasion of the Scandinavian areas by the Teutonic Tribes of the
Continent. Many of the god/desses were eliminated from popular practice and
relegated to less visible and less important realms of influence. The most
powerfull god/desses were married into the pahtheon of the Aesir, Freya (meaning
"Lady"), Hella, Iduna, Frigga (an alternate personality of Freya), Frey (meaning
"Lord"), and others.
The historical change from a Goddess based nature religion to a martial God
based religion had very a very strong impact on the region. The change in
concepts aided in the justification of the raiding and invading of various
Teutonic tribes throughout the first and second centuries of the Common Era
(C.E.). It also spread the runic system throughout Northern Europe and England.
The negative side of this warlike attitude is the desire of many Pagans to use a
system for the spreading of peace and of the healing of the Earth Mother. Much
of the information in the texts available deal with the battles and conquests of
the Teutons and their God/desses, not quite the place for a peace- loving pagan
to find power and solace. However the main battle in the runic sagas (Eddas) is
the battle between conscious action and non-conscious action. The Aesir and
Vanir in alliance against the Thurses or forces of chaos. The law and chaos
dealt with are not the social "law" and anarchy that most of the status-quo
fear, but rather the law of the natural order and the chaos of non-natural or
artificial destruction of the natural law for reasons with no wisdom.
It seems to this author that the "battle" engaged in the mystical realm of the
Norse/Teutonic multiverse is closely alligned with the battle that we face today
against the wholesale corporate destruction of the ecology of the planet which I
think we can all agree is a plan without wisdom.
With a good deal of hard work and perseverence with the runic system, it seems
that the Vanic God/desses can be reintegrated into the system. A rebalancing of
the pantheon to allow for the modern view that the god and the goddess influence
should be in perspective...even.

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