Nine Fires Press is happy to welcome a guest blog post from Erin Scrogum, whose experience with runecasting offers insight into modern divination through a Norse pagan lens. Though we are not open to queries about full-length works (yet!), if you have an idea for a guest post, please reach out to us at info@ninefirespress.com.
When I was first compiling this article, I immediately thought of the history of runes as a divinatory system and realized spouting my bent toward an academic agenda would not be a helpful approach for those who know little about runes. Nor would it be helpful to introduce the “controversy” over which runic alphabet is the correct to use for divination. Runes originated as an alphabet, and, as with all languages and most alphabets, they have changed, evolving through time, region, and even individual preference. Using Norse runes as a divinatory device is both an ancient and modern practice, a practice that has evolved as language does.
Modern runesets are usually either Elder or Younger Futhark of the Old Norse alphabet which was rarely used in a mostly oral culture. Futhark is for the phonetic values of the first six letters in both alphabets, though they are not the same symbols in each. I will be discussing the Elder Futhark, which is the most popular among commonly manufactured runesets.
Runecasting & Divination
Runesets for divination are usually carried in a bag so it is easy to randomize them for a reading. A rune reading can take the form of drawing individual runes out of the bag and laying them in a spread like tarot. A simple rune reading could be comprised of pulling one rune out of the bag to represent the past, a second to represent the present, and a third to represent the future.
Many rune readers also like to pull just one rune out of the bag every morning to get an idea of what the day’s influences will be. A one- or two-rune pull can also be helpful for answers to simple questions. For instance, when writing this article, I asked my runes how the article writing process would go and drew [ᚺ]. Hagalaz symbolizes slow change and development. I interpreted this to mean the process would take a little tweaking, but I would reach completion with a little work. This method is ideal for taking omens during ritual.
The method I prefer for doing a more in-depth reading is casting the runes with a shake of the runes and letting runes tumble from the bag.
How many? This is up to the diviner. Part of rune reading is letting the runes “tell” you if they want to be part of the reading. You do not hear voices – you rely on your intuition to allow the correct number to fall.
What about reversals? Any runes that fall face down are flipped upright. Some may be sideways, and it is your intuition again that influences if it should be read upright or inverted. Inverted runes mean a struggle with the subject of the rune. Many runes cannot be inverted; therefore, they are only struggles if surrounded by struggle runes.
What does a random arrangement mean? The position of runes in relation to others is highly important to a reading. Clusters that fall closely together are read as one message, while runes that fall away from a cluster may be unrelated to the message or may illustrate another angle from which the querent may want to look at the situation.
Choosing & Making Runes Part of Your Practice
Runes can be found made of any material that can be carved or painted. Personally, I prefer natural materials and carved or wood burned symbols. I prefer carved runes as opposed to painted ones because it harkens to the Old Norse poem Hávamál (Words of the High One), recorded by Snorri Sturluson around 1270 CE. Mostly a poem about Old Norse cultural wisdom, part of it tells the discovery of the runes by Odin and how they should be made. Sturluson was an Icelandic Christian transcribing oral Pagan stories told in the 9th to 10th century, the Viking Age.
I believe any divination set deserves a place in sacredness, kept either on an altar or shrine or carried with the diviner. If my runes are not with me, they rest on my shrine to Freya as she is said in lore to be a runemaster equal to Odin as he taught them to her in exchange for her teaching him seiðr (akin to shamanic journey magic). If I do not have my set with me, a look in the trees or in architecture reveals runes.
Once a person begins studying runes, their shapes appear anywhere you look: clouds, sticks floating in moving water, art, anywhere straight lines can be plucked out by the eye. Again, intuition guides you.
References
When one is first beginning to use runes, I recommend using a chart or a “cheat sheet” with a one- or two-word meaning for each rune, beginning with the literal name and meaning of each rune as well as the transliteration into the English alphabet.
There are a few letters in Old Norse we do not use in English. For example, the letter (Þ) is a voiceless “th” sound although most English speakers pronounce the “th” in Futhark as in “the” when the “th” should be pronounced like “Thor” or “thing.” The letter (ð) is sometimes written as “dh” but oftentimes is transliterated to simply a “d” when it is actually the voiced “th” as in “there” or “thine.” The “d” also exists in Old Norse, so saying the correct names of runes is sometimes tricky and takes a lot of cross-referencing if such things are important to you. I have met several skilled rune casters who do not pronounce the runes the same as other skilled rune casters.
Some helpful charts for names and divination to get you started include:
Finally, it is not a prerequisite to worship Norse gods in order to cast runes, nor is it a prerequisite to worship Norse gods and therefore cast runes. There is, however, a strong correlation to devotees of Odin also being rune casters.
Communication uses many tools. Divination tools are translators of the universe and gods, and whichever one works for an individual to be a diviner is the correct one. Or two. Or more! However you approach runes, may your work be enlightening to both yourself and the community you serve.