Books on Runes

Know more about Runes, how to read them and interpret their true meanings.

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Chooky
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Books on Runes

Post by Chooky » Wed May 09, 2007 11:15 pm

I was just wondering if anyone had any good book titles for interpretations on runes, I have read the one that came with my runes, which is okay, but only 15 pages or so.

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Wælwulf
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Post by Wælwulf » Thu May 10, 2007 3:26 am

Click Me (Search is your friend)

Interpretations-wise, your best with the original northvegr.org/lore/runes/index.php]Rune Poems

If you're really new & not into dry reading, you might want to try something like Thorsson's amazon.com/Runecasters-Handbook-Well-Edred-Thorsson/dp/157863136X]"Runecaster's Handbook". There are plenty listed in the "sources" thread, however.

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MoonGoddess
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Sources

Post by MoonGoddess » Thu May 10, 2007 7:11 am

Hi Chooky,

Take a look at the post under the name of sources, the books and web sites stated there are very good.  Myself prefer books as you can tell where the information has come from in the bibliography and some web sites are not always accurate.

so check out that post and you will have your fill of books and web sites.

MG
May the Goddess enlighten you all, Blessed Be!

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EarlofLeicester
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Post by EarlofLeicester » Sat May 26, 2007 12:39 pm

I agree with Waelwulf on the original rune poems.  Unequivocably their meanings are beyond dispute.  Other books are modern efforts to unravel the past and some may be colored by agenda or affiliation.  While many cite Thorsson (original name Stephen Flowers) as an expert in the field, he has a checkered past IMHO as a founding member of the Church of Satan in the 1960s and I have a hard time reconciling a student of hate (i.e. Satanism) with the purer ideals of the Norse way.  In any case, stock with the rune poems that Waelwulf links to.  Some may find the rune poems to be terse (they are) and then the need for interpretation comes in.  My suggestion?  While I have some books on my bookshelf with the word rune in the title, my ability (such as it is) to work the runes is to know the people of ancient Germania, and that is done by reading books of that culture.  To know the people is to lay the foundation of working the runes.  IMHO (I am far too opinionated for my own good), I would recommend The Poetic Edda, the most important book of Norse philosophy and probably a book that puts you in the life of the 10th century Viking, such as the Sagas of Icelanders, which has as its first story, Egil's Saga, and Egil was one of history's great runemasters (sadly not much history on that subject).  Knowledge of the runes would come from knowledge of the people and working the runes slowly, building up a relationship (as it were) with them.  You can't just download a knowledge set of runic interpretation, it has to be acquired over time IMHO.  But if you want a good primer to get up to speed, I will recommend Melville's The Book of Runes.  Succinct, basic, a good intro to using the runes.  But I would recommend only as an intro and not in place of actual experience with the runes, and by no means instead of the rune poems, the Edda and the Sagas if you are serious about the subject.

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Wælwulf
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Post by Wælwulf » Sun May 27, 2007 4:06 am

Yes, I probably misspoke when I suggested Thorsson; I just know how most people are about reading something that isn't fluffy (guess I shouldn't use that to gauge things though, that's a mistake). Earl is absolutely correct though (from the posts that I've read, you should listen to what Earl has to say) . The original sources are, in my personal opinion, always far superior to anything else (to the point of completely negating most else).

As a side note though, the CoS doesn't exactly preach hate (depending entirely on how you define hate), but does preach the elevation of the material over the spiritual (which, for the most part, I disagree with (there is always a happy medium)). As another side note, I'm not at all affiliated with or condone affiliation with the Church of Satan (which is really more of a "f the establishment" than a "church") so try not to flame me for my "defense" (a term which I use incredibly loosely).

I suppose I sometimes recommend Dr. Flowers over others because he's one of the least "fluffy" of the lot (at least so far as I've been able to discern); that, & I live a stone's throw from him so feel some sort of strange kinship with him. Not altogether a bad guy, but his ego does have a tendency to (frequently) get in the way. Some of his stuff is "okay" if that's the right word, but there is some chaff in there as well (as evidenced by "The Nine Doors of Midgard" for starters (the list could go on of course)).

Melville's "The Book of Runes" eh? Never read it. I'll have to look into it if it's a good primer to recommend to beginners as I don't know many (or any) good ones. I was (very unfortunately) introduced to the runes many, years ago by the horrificly infamous Blum. I have to vomit now after saying that name, so I bid you adieu.

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EarlofLeicester
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Post by EarlofLeicester » Sun May 27, 2007 10:53 am

Wælwulf wrote:Yes, I probably misspoke when I suggested Thorsson; I just know how most people are about reading something that isn't fluffy...  The original sources are, in my personal opinion, always far superior to anything else (to the point of completely negating most else).
Good point about the fluff and I can see that Thorsson (aka Flowers, for those who aren't aware it's the same guy) is not fluffy.  I suspect I am put off by the man more than his teachings, which I shouldn't be, but in my defense I do earnestly believe that, as Waelwulf says, original sources are far superior.  Which is why, on my blog, I post the Icelandic Rune Poem and the Havamal.  You can't argue with wisdom like that. :)
Wælwulf wrote:As a side note though, the CoS doesn't exactly preach hate (depending entirely on how you define hate), but does preach the elevation of the material over the spiritual (which, for the most part, I disagree with (there is always a happy medium)). As another side note, I'm not at all affiliated with or condone affiliation with the Church of Satan (which is really more of a "f the establishment" than a "church") so try not to flame me for my "defense" (a term which I use incredibly loosely).  I suppose I sometimes recommend Dr. Flowers over others because he's one of the least "fluffy" of the lot (at least so far as I've been able to discern); that, & I live a stone's throw from him so feel some sort of strange kinship with him. Not altogether a bad guy, but his ego does have a tendency to (frequently) get in the way. Some of his stuff is "okay" if that's the right word, but there is some chaff in there as well (as evidenced by "The Nine Doors of Midgard" for starters (the list could go on of course)).
Maybe it is the ego.  I mean he has published a lot on runes in this era of revival but sometimes, like you say... um, well, best left unread.  Better than Blum, lol.  Wish we had some 10th century Icelandic texts.  That would be nice.  Even Snorri had a bit of an ego problem, but I don't let that get in the way of reading him.  Have to have Snorri on the shelf, ego or not ;)
Maybe it is the ego.  Melville's "The Book of Runes" eh? Never read it. I'll have to look into it if it's a good primer to recommend to beginners as I don't know many (or any) good ones. I was (very unfortunately) introduced to the runes many, years ago by the horrificly infamous Blum. I have to vomit now after saying that name, so I bid you adieu.
Melville's text is not seminal in any way, but it has a lot going for it as an introductory text.  Starts with a discussion of what runes are, discusses the various futharks and then launches a sizable section of the book on Norse history, belief and pantheon.  Absolute prerequisites in my mind in understanding the use of the runes.  Cites the Havamal (which is a good thing).  Lavishly illustrated which is a plus in an intro book, gives it a friendly feel.  When you hit page 42, you have a decent understanding of who the Norse were and why they mattered, and that's when the rune descriptions start.  The descriptions are a bit fluffy but that's mostly to help the reader bridge the gap from other new age disciplines to runic studies.  And the pics do help.  When I asked my daughter once to get a rune book for me (not Melville's) she handed me the Melville text because of how it looked.  The layout was very well done.  Visually appealing will bring people back, and that's the point.  One BIG disclaimer is the Norse Calendar at the end, IGNORE THAT.  4 pages at the end that owe more to Wicca and Druidry.  No Disablot but Imbolc.  Like I said, ignore those pages.  For those looking to celebrate the spirit of the Norse, this link: http://www.destinyslobster.com/asatru/calendar.html is closer to the feel of the old ways.  I cringe at Sigurd Fafnirsbane being consigned as fictional, however, as he is the Norse equivalent of Arthur of Badon and I am not ready to consign Sigurd to fiction, as I suspect, like Arthur and Odin there were real life equivalents to the legends.

Dr.Orient
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Runes

Post by Dr.Orient » Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:35 am

Chooky-
 I hope that this isn't too late a reply---I only joined a few minutes ago. At any rate here are some book titles you may want to look for:
Leaves of Yggdrasil                            FREYA ASWYNN
The little GIANT
Encyclopedia
of Runes                                          SIRONA KNIGHT
The Rune Poem                                JIM PAUL
Magical Alphabets                             NIGEL PENNICK
Runes: An Introduction                      R.W.V. ELLIOTT
Runes and Magic                               STEPHEN E. FLOWERS
A Handbook of
Rune Magic
Runelore: A Handbook of
              Esoteric
              Runology
At The Well of Wyrd:
    A Handbook of
    Runic
    Divination
A Book of Troth                                all by STEPHEN E. FLOWERS
                                                     writing as EDRED THORSSON

 Are you also interested in the Ogham Script?
                                  DR. ORIENT
Gentle Winter Breeze
        DR. ORIENT ROHMER

Chooky
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Post by Chooky » Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:48 am

Howdy Dr Orient

No not too late, I am always checking old posts.

Thanks for the list of books, I will have a look at them more closely when I can.  
Which one would you recommend?

Cheers Chooky

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EarlofLeicester
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Post by EarlofLeicester » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:03 am

For books on runes based on ancient traditions with minimal modern corruption and fabrication (hey, just IMHO) there's this title:

The Rune Primer: A Down to Earth Guide to the Runes (Paperback)
by Sweyn Plowright

When I get paid, it looks like a must buy.  The author claims to not inject his own opinions and modifcations (more Wicca-like, more Celtic-like, more Asian) as so many authors are guilty of.  If you want a book that is based on REAL runelore, this looks encouraging.  if you want someone's opinion, popularly repackaged, well, go with the popular books...

Dr.Orient
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BOOKS ON RUNES

Post by Dr.Orient » Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:26 pm

Freya Aswynn is the first I would recommend as I had the pleasure of attending one of her lectures a number of years ago in Los Angeles. Afterwards a group of us had a chance to meet with her and I was very impressed with her knowledge and wit. She may seem loopy to some people but I found her charming.
 Then there are Stephen Flower's (also known as Edred Thorsson) books. The man is scholary, which turns some people off. He sets high standards for himself and sometimes is a bit stand offish but the man is a powerhouse of information on the runes. His approach is that he wants to take the runes out of the fluffy new agey catagory and place them firmly in the catagory of a still practiced and viable language in today's world. Given that he is doing this in an environment both intellectually and culturely dominated by an outside culture
(said culture here being the Christian culture) he really does do an outstanding job of representing the best of our culture.
                                 DR. ORIENT ROHMER
Gentle Winter Breeze
        DR. ORIENT ROHMER

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Stephys_cool
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Post by Stephys_cool » Tue Mar 02, 2010 10:13 pm

Dude oh my god! I bought mine from a used book store and I learned so much soooo fast!!
It's for rune cards, but I have rune stones and they have the same meanings anyway.
This book just like has an awesome writer or something my knowledge expanded drastically.
"The Rune Cards" Ralph H blum
I'm too crazy to see

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