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Born of Nordic beginnings, runes are one of the world's oldest writing systems,
right alongside Ancient Greek, Aramaic, Etruscan, Sogdian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Sabaean. Scholars have been trying to translate
runic inscriptions, none of these can be proved 100%. Most of the translators have their fanciful theories, but one thing
is known throughout the Asatru, Teutonic Religions; The runes are, and always have been , more than just another form of communication.
According to Nordic history a man named Odin was seeking truths, and wisdom from the Gods and Goddesses. As the eddas show,
Odin felt that the way to show his honesty, and sincerity, was to be tied and, hung upside down, from a tree. He did just
that, for nine days, and nine nights, and ended up acquiring the runes for his effort.
In
my opinion Odin had alot in common with another historic figure, Jesus of Nazareth. Now some would say that statement is blasphemous,
I don't agree. Both Odin, and Jesus were seekers of truth, they both went to very extremes lengths for the sake of humanity.
For those of Christian backgrounds,offense is not intended, truth is intended.
Consider
this, this quote is taken from the "Wulfila Bible", which was written in runes, from the fourth century;
Mark 4:11-"Jah qaž im: izwis atgiban ist kunnan runa žiudangardjos gudis, iž jainaim žaim uta in gajukom allata wairžiž,"
"And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all
these things are done in parables".
The Wulfila Bible was translated by Arian bishop Eusebius
of Nicomedia c.311-383 (Project Wulfila by the University of Antwerp, Belgium).In the Wulfila Bible there are ten instances
where one can find the word "runa", which translates into "mysteries", and yes, I chose this first quotation, not just because
it is the first mentioning of 'runa', but also because of what it does say.
These
Runes form a system of elements which are not only potent in a purely abstract or theoretical way, but which are, by their
very nature connected to the physical universe and the realm of birth, and rebirth.
"When the Gothic bishop Ulfilas translated the Christian Bible into Gothic for use in the Gothic cult he translated the Greek
word mysterion with the Gothic runa. The practical power of this at once simple and obscure idea of mystery was once well
illustrated in an episode of the popular American television series, Unsolved Mysteries. One day an out-of-work father took
his sons fishing in remote forest area where they discovered some stones in the river carved with a variety of arcane symbols.
The father and his sons were deeply struck by the signs-- What could they mean? Who could have carved them? They went home
filled with a sense of mystery and awe. Within a short time business opportunities poured the father's way and the family
was soon prosperous. They attributed their good fortune to the power of the stones. (Experts from a nearby university determined
that the signs were carved recently and were not Amerindian petroglyphs, although they appeared to be imitations of similar
designs.) Indeed, the family had come by their turn of good fortune from the stones-- but not because of the particular shapes
or qualities of the signs themselves but rather because of the sense of mysterious power which had struck the father and sons
upon seeing the stones."(1)
There is so much that makes up what we term, the Runes.Runes are more than simple cubcal units with
quaint engravings etched upon them.
1- Eldred Thorsson(aka. Stephen Flowers) 1998 Utgard Online Magazine Issue #3 September
1998-5101 "The Secret of the Gothick God of Darkness"
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Rune Stones History
The word Rune means secret and to whisper and came from the time when knowledge was orally transmitted from generation to
generation before writing was invented. The Teuton Druids preferred to rely on memory for the oral save transmission of runic
worshipping and their secret wisdom. It is wrong to assume that runelore has died out. On the contrary, it has been preserved
in the most unlikely places and in the most unexpected ways. This was necessary by the persecution directed against runic
magicians.
Academic researchers who had been trying to translate these inscriptions ran into many confounding
problems because of one simple fact that their academic concepts wouldn’t allow…the runes are not only letters
in an alphabet, but a symbolic representation of natural forces which can be used in conjunction with other forms of ritualistic
actions to enable the runester to change certain aspects of their own environment through magical means.
The runes are
the oldest writing system of the Germanic people. But they are much more than that. Runes have been used since their mysterious
beginnings till now as an alphabet, a divinatory tool as well as a tool for magic (or magick if you prefer.)
There is a
great deal of debate regarding the origins of the runes. Some suggest their origins date back to sometime during the Bronze
Age (1500 BCE) thus making them ancestor of the oldest Mediterranean alphabets (Phoenician, Greek, Etruscan etc). Others suggest
perhaps the period around 800AD
who created them? One theory is that the runes were introduced to Scandinavia around 1800-400
BCE. According to this theory, the Goths were already familiar with the art of runes before they left Scandinavia between
200 BCE and 200 AD.
There have been many theories launched over who created the runes. Some of these theories have more
supporters than others, but they all have one thing in common. None these theories can be proved 100%. No runic inscriptions,
as we know the runes, can be dated with certainty to before 200 AD.
By 300 AD the runic alphabet was the only alphabet used in Scandinavia. However, it
went out of use in middle Europe due to the popularity of the Latin alphabet, which had followed the expansion of Christianity.
The runes could be written from left to right or right to left. They also could be written
with the first sentence proceeding right to left and the second sentence proceeding left to right (boustphedon). Additionally,
runes were sometimes written as a mirror image ("venderuner"), upside down ("stupruner") or bound together ("bindrunes") like
the Norwegian Ę (A+E). A single rune could also signify two runes. For example, the rune "FE" could signify "FE + FE".
There
are no lowercase runes, only uppercase runes.
Kjell Aartun is a doctor of philosophy and and language-researcher who writes
in his book,that he has proven that the runes were not inspired by the Greek and Latin alphabets. He argues that it is opposite,
maintaining that the Norwegian runes are identical with runes which were used in Semitic language areas such as Trojan Asia
Minor and Canaan (Palestine) as far back in history as 2000 BC.
The word Rune itself comes from the old Norse Runa meaning
a secret or mystery
Herodotus, the Greek writer known as "the father of history" who lived 484-424BC records a form of
Runecasting by Scythian tribesmen using sticks. He identifies the location as a valley in the Caucasus region and dates the
incident at about 470BC.History of Herodotus (Books III and IV), the Arimaspi. The Scythians are also very interesting for
us in Scandinavia, because some hundred years later the Vikings met with the Scythians. The Vikings traveled up the Russian
rivers and met with the Scythians, and the Scythians themselves have been all the way to Europe to plunder and ravage.
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Seidhcrafting has had many titles throughout history's
timeline. Below is a listing of various descriptions of Teutonic wyrd weavers "titles" to hopefully help those to a better
understanding of what are the 'fine lines' between each .
The ability to consciously travel among these worlds
was much the practice of Seith (Sedhr) magic, known to us now as Shamanism. Sedhr was considered to be a feminine form of
magic, and was practiced mainly by women and by a few men who had mastered the craft as well.
Seidhr-a solitary art, or magic, of a type which works by affecting the mind with illusion, madness, forgetfulness. The art
of the Vanir.
Shaman - This describes man or woman who has obtained knowledge of the
subtler dimensions of the Earth, usually through periods of alternate states of consciousness.
Shifting consciousness-The process through which we rise from our normal thinking level of consciousness to connect with our
Higher Self. It is from this higher level of consciousness that magic is practiced as a conscious act. Science has shown that
our brain waves actually change when we shift consciousness in this way, creating a distinctly different state from that of
our normal mind.
Spae-the web of Wyrd and then using that information to manipulate
the web. Spae working can be used for healing, creating magical objects and weaving. The runes are used as one
of the primary tools to aide in Spaecraft. Its main purpose was the active obtaining of information, knowledge, and
wisdom about the past, present, or possible future.
Spae-craft- The art of seeing that
which others can not see and or seeing what the future will bring. Has some aspects that are in common with shamanism. It
is usually seen in a more positive light than seidhr and is prophetic in nature. The word Spae is also used as a descriptive
term for helpful wights.
Veleda- A Germanic seeress from the tribe of the Bructeri who
(according to Tacitus) was worshipped almost like a god by her own people in the first century A.D., and who also attracted
a certain amount of fame among the Romans.
Gullveig-A Vanir goddess, a giantess, the daughter of the giant Hrķmnir, crafty,
prophesying vala, who practised sorcery , the evil art, caused by witchcraft misfortunes, sickness, and death.
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Disclaimer
In creating this website, I have borrowed from several sources
on the Internet and elsewhere, so please be aware that some of the material on this site may inadvertently violate copyright
law. My use of these materials is not intended as infringement on any person's or entity's copyright but is used for review,
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for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law . If anyone objects to my use of anything on this site, please contact me, and
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