These pages are written mainly for the curious beginner. They should give you most of the basic information you need to begin your journey with the runes. This is a life journey you share together if you become an accomplished practitioner. I have shared my life with the runes for many years. I often choose one first thing in the morning, to point me in the right direction throughout the day. Just touching it can remind me of a direction I do (and sometimes absolutely do not) wish to travel.
To dance in time with the runes and keep your steps true, some knowledge of the history, myths and culture which gave birth to them is required. I hope these posts help you in some way, perhaps they will begin the music to which you and your runes may dance. How often you dance and how dedicated your practice is entirely up to you of course. I have tried many things but these remain my personal favourite divination tool.

THE RUNES

Runes basically are an alphabet.
This alphabet or "Elder Futhark" (so called because the first six runes spell out the word "FUTHARK") contains 24 runes. It first appeared among German tribes and was used for writing, divination and magick throughout northern Europe, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Iceland. It is believed that some of the rune symbols have been acquired from other alphabets, such as the Greek, and Early Roman, and that the runes were made of straight lines to make them more suitable for cutting into wood or stone.
Over time as the runes spread northwards some rune symbols were dropped and the alphabet was reduced to only 16 runes. When the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, invaded Britain they brought the runes with them, but by this time the forms of several of the runes changed and changes in the language meant nine new runes had been added to make the extra sounds, also several runes were given different corresponding letters.
This la-*test*-('") alphabet had now expanded to 33 symbols and became known as the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. Although no writings exist from these times giving lists of the names of the older, Germanic runes, the rune poems written by the Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians are so similar that their common origin is evident and it can be plainly seen that the names of the runes have passed down almost completely intact.
The word "rune" actually means secret or mystery.
Rune "casting" is not fortune telling, more, the runes are an oracle. If you ask them a specific question they will point you toward answers, but you have to figure out the specific details. You do not actually 'see' the future. Instead, the runes give you an idea of what the outcome might be if you remain on your present path. This is useful because since the future changes with everything you do, if you do not like the prediction, you can always change your path, or even your whole direction.
Each rune has its own meanings and properties, usually representing the forces of nature or a natural action or occurance.
This is the time when having a good book of definitions is really useful.
Odin, the Norse High God, hung from the world tree, Yggdrasil, impaled on his own spear, for nine days and nights in order to gain the knowledge of runes. Of course these days you can just go out and buy a book. Lucky you. What is a few pounds compared to that?

Of course if you do not wish to part with your cash you could always just come here and read my posts. LOL

Runes were used to write in many languages, including Gothic, Norwegian, German, Swedish, Icelandic, English, Russian, and Hebrew.
The difficulty with reading runes and translating runic inscriptions is that they may have been written to be read from left to right or from right to left, or possibly even both on the same artifact! It is further complicated by the fact that rune masters sometimes wrote in secret script, leaving cryptic messages that are complex and hard to decipher. Whilst there are many variants, the three major runic alphabets (called "futharks" based upon the first six symbols) the Elder, Anglo-Saxon, and Younger Futharks are the most well-known.
1, The Elder Futhark
The oldest version of the runic alphabet is thought to be the Elder Futhark. It was used widely in Europe.
2, The Anglo-Saxon Futhorc
Runes were probably bought to Britain in the 5th century by the Anglo-Saxons, and were used until about the 11th century. In order to write Anglo-Saxon/Old English extra letters had to be added to compensate for the new sounds. The runic inscriptions that have been found are mainly on jewelry, weapons, and stones. Very few manuscripts with runic writing on have been found.
3, The Younger (Or Scandinavian) Futhark
The Younger Futhark version of the runic alphabet was used sporadically in Scandinavia, until about the 17th century. This is not widely used for divination purposes.
These versions should not be mixed or the meaning can easily become confused.


I use the Elder Futhark for my own personal divination purposes, and so these are the ones I will give you more details of here.
Runes can be carved or painted onto stones (semi-precious gemstone ones are very pretty to look at and feel lovely in your hand.) of any size or shape as long as they have a flat surface into which the symbol can be inscribed. They can be made of wood, plaster, ceramic or anything else you can think of. Can be stored in a bag or a box (as simple or ornate as you wish). They can be used every day for a simple reading or pick one as a 'thought for the day', or can be used in longer and more complex readings. The delightful thing about runes is their flexibility. The readings can be as simple or as complicated as you wish to make them, to fit into whatever time frame you have.

CHART OF ELDER FUTHARK RUNES



Runes are broken into three sections in groups of eight, called aett (or plural, aettir). This will not only help you remember their order, but later, you will see it has magical significance.
Named for three of the old Norse gods they are as follows:

FREYA'S AETT
Freya's Aett are symbolic of the past or That which has been.

FEHU is the first rune in Freya's Aett it's number is 1, it's colour is red, and it's goddess correspondence is Freyja goddess of fertility. It is the Rune of Possessions.
URUZ is the second rune. It's number is 2, it's colour is white, and it's god correspondence is Vidar the god of vengeance. It is the Rune of Strength.
THURISAZ is the Third rune. It's number is 3, it's colour is purple, and it's god correspondence is Thor the god of thunder and war. It is the Rune of the Gateway.
ANSUZ is the Forth rune. It's number is 4, it's colour is blue, and it's god correspondence is Odin the chief god in all Norse mythology. It is the Rune of Signals.
RAIDO is the Fifth rune. It's number is 5, it's colour is red, and it's god correspondence is Jord the goddess of the earth. It is the Rune of Communication.
KANO is the Sixth rune. It's number is 6, it's colour is red, and it's god correspondence is Mani the god of the moon. It is the Rune of Opening.
GEBO is the Seventh rune. It's number is 7, it's colour is Golden Orange, and it's god correspondence is Njord the god of winds, sea and fire. It is the Rune of Partnership.
WUNJO is the Eighth and Final rune. It's number is 8, it's colour is white, and it's god correspondence is Baldur the god of innocence, beauty, joy, purity, and peace. It is the Rune of Joy.

HAGAL'S AETT
Hagal's Aett are symbolic of the things about to happen or That which is becoming.

HAGALAZ is the first rune in Hagal's Aett. It's number is 9, it's colour is indigo, it's goddess correspondence is Hella the goddess of death and ruler of the Underworld, and it is the Rune of Disruption.
NAUTHIZ is the second rune. It's number is 10, it's colour is purple, it's goddess correspondence are the Norns the demi-goddesses of destiny, and it is the Rune of Constraint.
ISA is the Third rune. It's number is 11, it's colour is black, it's goddess correspondence is Skadi the giantess, and it is the Rune of Standstill.
JERA is the Fourth rune. It's number is 12, it's colour is green, it's goddess correspondence is Sif the wife of Thor, and it is the Rune of Harvest.
EIHWAZ is the Fifth rune. It's number is 13, it's colour is red, it's god correspondence is Ullr the god of hunting with a bow on ski's, and it is the Rune of Defence.
PERTH is the Sixth rune. It's number is 14, it's colour is orange-red, it's goddess correspondence is Frigga the goddess of war and sexuality , and it is the Rune of Initiation.
ALGIZ is the Seventh rune. It's number is 15, it's colour is silver, it's god correspondence is Heimdall the god of light, security and surveillance, watchman of the gods and guardian of Asgard, and it is the Rune of Protection.
SOWELU is the Eighth and Final rune. It's number is 16, it's colour is white, it's goddess correspondence is Sunna the goddess of the sun, and it is the Rune of Wholeness.

TYR'S AETT
Tyr's Aett are symbolic of the things to come in the future or That which is yet to be.

TEIWAZ is the first rune in Tyr's Aett. It's number is 17, it's colour is indigo, and it's god correspondence is Tyr, Lawgiver of the Gods and the god of single combat and heroic glory. It is the Rune of The Warrior.
BERKANA is the second rune. It's number is 18, it's colour is green, and it's goddess correspondence is Idunna, the goddess of eternal life and youth. It is the Rune of Growth.
EHWAZ is the Third rune. It's number is 19, it's colour is golden orange, and it's goddess correspondences are Valkyries, the choosers of the fallen. It is the Rune of Movement.
MANNAZ is the Fourth rune. It's number is 20, it's colour is silver and it's god correspondence is Mimir, the god of all the waters beneath the earth. It is the Rune of The Self.
LAGUZ is the Fifth rune. It's number is 21, it's colour is rainbow, and it's goddess correspondence is Ran, the goddess of the sea. It is the Rune of Flow.
INGUZ is the Sixth rune. It's number is 22, it's colour is silver, and it's god correspondence is Ing-Freyr the god of sun, rain, fertility and crops. It is the Rune of Fertility.
OTHILA is the Seventh rune. It's number is 23, it's colour is green, and it's goddess correspondence is Saga, the daughter of Odin and the goddess of poetry. It is the Rune of Separation.
DAGAZ is the Eighth and Final rune. It's number is 24, it's colour is indigo, and it's god correspondence is Forsetti, the god of justice. It is the Rune of Breakthrough.