Theory and Practice of working with ancient forces (O. Korbut, Insolate)

Translation of the 1st chapter of the book by Olga Korbut (Insolate)
Runes: Theory and Practice of working with ancient forces.

Instead of Preface
It is XXI century outside, the world is full of high-tech, computers are becoming smaller and smaller, new communication devices can connect people that are thousands of kilometers apart in a blink of an eye, yet one things remains constant throughout time – our belief in supernatural, that there is a certain magic wound that can manifest your wishes. I will tell you secret – it does exist. To be more precise, there are 24 of them – they are runes! They came to us from I-II centuries A.D. from the territory that now is known as Germany and Scandinavian countries. Runes went through the dark times of the Middle Ages and were almost forgotten during the period of industrial revolution. Nevertheless, they emerged once again in the XXI century and captured the minds of modern people with their mystery. In my book, I would like to tell you about magic that came from the ancient past and that manifested into modern runic tradition.

Runes are very popular today. Even though there are a lot of different information about the runes themselves, there is only fragments of information when it comes to practical aspects of runes. On one side, many people use runes and many leave their comments and testimonials about their work. On the other side – it would be very hard to find a concrete template and step by step instructions on how to influence reality with the runes. There are just too many opinions and no concrete information whatsoever. My book will fill this gap and teach you how to use rune magic in practice.

If you have decided to take the journey of the self-discovery and ready to change your life for the better – runes will be able to help on your path. This book and my humble instructions will give you a chance to connect with runes. From a short historic reference you will discover what are the runes, where did they come from and why they help in reaching your goals. Through rune divination I will teach you how to discover true causes of a certain situation, how to foresee the outcome of events and analyze results of your activity. I will share how you can use runes in order to reach different goals you have set, explain what are rune staves, what kinds exist and what principles are used in their creation. Materials gathered in this book will help you apply the power of runes to improve your life. You will discover, how to trace negative energies, and will learn how to protect yourself and those you care about from them. Offered information will show you the way out from a challenging situation, teach you how to withstand negative influences and allow you to feel confident in any circumstances. You will also discover how to correctly organize your workspace, how to apply lunar cycles and various ritualistic tools. And one of the most important things that you will learn safety measures of how to use acquired knowledge without harming yourself and those you are close with.

It is important to understand: it is impossible to learn about runes only by reading esoteric literature. In order to embrace their power and principles of influence you need personal experience and individual discoveries that are born during creative experiments. Each one of us has a creative essence that is capable to change the reality. In order to change the reality you just nned to release inner powers and take advantage of opportunities that arise.
Shell we begin?

Chapter 1. Theories of rune origin and sources about runes.

Runes are the writing system of ancient Germanic tribes that was used approximately during the period starting from I and until XII century A.D. on the territory of modern Denmark, Sweden and Norway and from the X until XII centuries in Greenland and Iceland. Runes are symbols consisting of straight lines. They were often carved on various hard materials: wood, stone and metal.
There are several accounts of the word “rune” origins.

According to one of the theories the word “rune” derives from Old Scandinavian and Old English word “run”, Old Islandic “runar” and Old German “runa”, which holds Germanic root “ru” as well as from the Gothic concept of “runa”, meaning “mystery/secret”, and Old German “runen” (modern Raunen) – “to whisper in mystery or murmur”.

The author of the books on celts and geomancy Nigel Pennick writes about the connection of the word “rune” with the Old Celtic “run” and Old Welsch “rhin” which mean “whisper”. In his writings he talks about the word “run” meaning “mystery/secret” in Irish and “casting” in Ola Scottish Gaelic.
Researchers Richard Morris and Elmer Antonsen see the connection of the word “rune” with Indo-European root “run”, which means to “carve”, “scarify”.

As you can see there different opinion, yet each one of them has a certain mystery component related to the ancient symbols.

The runic alphabet appeared around III century B.C., however, it is still not known for certain with what purpose runes were created. Where they just the instruments for divination, or special symbols for esoteric practices or they were initially intended for writing.

There are also several theories as to the origin of the runes. There are science based as well as mystical ones.

I understand that you are not historians, and that you first of all are interested how to use runes in practice and not their origin. However, I believe that it is important to know the subject you are studying and planning to use for your own good. Thus I kindly ask you to bear with my “meticulousness”.
Greek-Latin Version

The specialist in the fields of archeology and toponymy Isaac Taylor put forward a theory about the connection structure of runic alphabet and Greek on that was used in the VI century B.C. on the shores of Black Sea. To reached this conclusion by the elongated and angular shape of the runes. According to the theory of Danish linguist Ludvig Frands Adalbert Wimmer, runes originated from the Latin alphabet that was used in the II century A.D.

North Etruscan Version
North Etruscan version is considered to be the most popular one. In 1928 it was put forward by the Norwegian scientist Carl Marstrander. It was supported in 1929 by a Scandinavian researcher Magnus Hammarström with an addition to the theory that runes have mixed origin from North Etruscan and Oghamic alphabets. Most scientists believe this theory of derivation to be the most likely one.

Armenoid Version
It is believed that Lydian alphabet that derived from Phoenician alphabet, has several letters that are graphically similar to runes. The given way of writing disappears in III century B.C. and roughly at that time runes appear in Europe. Some rune symbols have analogical ones in Semitic languages, for example rune Gebo, Berkana, Ing (the Scandinavian Version) can be encountered in Ancient South Arabian script.

Non-Traditional Versions
During 1930-1940s in Germany a theory of Urunnen (forerunners of the runes), claimed that there were supposed prehistoric forerunner of the runes that are the parent to Mediterranean alphabets, including the Phoenician as well as other alphabets of the world. This theory was developed to specifically Germanize the alphabet and that is why it cannot really be considered to be true. Swedish professor Sigurd Agrell also supported non-traditional theory. He believed that runes appeared in the I century and initially was a kind of a code. In 1932 he put forward a claim according to which the F rune (Fehu) was the last one and not the first one in the alphabet. This theory was not accepted by the scientific community, however it did get a certain following, among which there is Thomas Karlsson the author of a well known book “Uthark: Nightside of the Runes”.

Mythological Version
Scandinavian myths describe how Odin the God received runes. He discovered that in order to receive a great wisdom you need to sacrifice yourself. Thus, he stabbed himself with a spear and hanged on the World Tree Yggdrasil for nine days and nights without food or water. Odin was rewarded for his actions: the giant Bölþorn came to him, offered mead to drink and gave him secret symbols – runes. It is described in one of the stanzas of Elder Edda – a poetic collection of sacred songs about gods and heroes of Scandinavian mythology:

I know that I hung on a windy tree
nine long nights,
wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,
myself to myself,
on that tree of which no man knows from where its roots run.

No bread did they give me nor a drink from a horn,
downwards I peered;
I took up the runes,
screaming I took them,
then I fell back from there.
Larrington, Carolyne. (Trans.) (1999) The Poetic Edda, p. 34. Oxford World’s Classics ISBN 0-19-283946-2

And then Stanza 142
Runes you will find, and readable staves,
Very strong staves,
Very stout staves,
Staves that Bolthor stained,
Made by mighty powers,
Graven by the prophetic god.
Auden & Taylor translation

There are two version of the story how runes got from the world of the gods into the hands of humans. We learn about it from “Rígsþula”, one of the poems from Elder Edda. It is actually could be quite helpful to read the all the poems in Elder Edda for anyone who is interested in runes. It is believed that god Heimdall in the image of Rig taught runes to his heir named Kon. According to another version Rig – is Odin himself, and if this version is correct then it turns out that runes were given to people by the supreme god.

At this point there only one rune alphabet accepted by science. It is futhark – the set of Old German and Scandinavian symbols (Elder Futhark), as well as derivatives from them: Northumbrian (Anglo-Saxon), Islandic and Danish runes (Younger futhark). The existence of runic alphabets of other civilizations is questionable – this is for those who are into Hungarian, Turkic and other runes, including “angel runes”. It is believed, that only the symbols of futhark are able to change the world, because they were given to people by the god Odin, while all the other runes are made up by people and there is no reference to their divine nature.

We agree with the magic version of the rune origin because we treat magic as an integral part of human life. Abstract thinking is what make us human and makes us different from other beings on the planet. It is through this way of thinking helped create religious rituals and magick practices (in my opinion they are both the same). A human is an intellectual and pragmatic being, yet at the same time people believe in supernatural throughout many thousands of years and this belief does not grow weaker but becomes stronger. You have to agree, that if this is the way things are then there is a certain purpose in it. If magick did not work, then it would not be so popular. You can cheat a person once or even twice, however when the person knows the he has been lied to, then he or she would never believe you again, and would actually tell about own conclusions to another hundred or so people.

There is nothing supernatural in magic, each human has an essence of a creator. When we create something, a piece of art, music or a new pie recipe we change ourselves and the outside world as well. And this fact of creation is the “mystical essence” of magic. During the creative search we change our psychological state, thoughts, emotions and actions. Due to this, our perceptions of the world changes as well: we see the world from a different angle and start noticing opportunities, that were hidden from us or our old selves just could not notice them. Thus we advance, our plans get fulfilled and our goals become reachable. The same happens when we are conducting any ritual or putting together rune bindings. We enter an altered state of consciousness with the help of a light trance or meditation, and by doing so we release hidden resources of our psyche. You cannot take magic from somewhere or lose it since it is already inside of us and consists of will, our mind and directed action. When it comes to runes, everything can be simply explained: with the power of our mind we create a bind rune and in the process we give structure the information regarding a certain problem, through our will we change the attitude towards the given situation and via logical and comprehensive actions we get what we have desired. It is the way of any magic. But let’s get back to runes.

As of today there are no detailed description of the meanings and purposes of runes that was put together by the Old Norse nations. The authentic sources of the information are so called Rune Poems: Icelandic Rune poem, Norwegian Rune poem and Anglo Saxon rune poem.

These poems give the order of the runes alphabet, we get certain information about the meaning of the symbols and associative connection between them. Yet, this information is scarce and in most cases it is presented through different metaphors (kennings that were often used in Skald poetry). In addition, the poems themselves were written by a Christian, a person who was not close to the Northern Tradition and it was done several centuries after the spread of runes, which of course made its mark on the way the material is interpreted and presented.

There are several translation accounts of rune poems. At first, they were translated from the old languages, (Old Norse – old Norwegian and Proto-Germanic) into the modern German and Norwegian, then into English, and only then into Russian. Because of many different text editing and the fact that different names were used in ancient poems for the same symbols, we get differences in names today. For example:
German Name: (Berkana)
Anglo-Saxon: Beork
Old Scandinavian: Bjarkan

Some of the information about practical use of runes is present in the song of the “Elder Edda” called Sigrdrífumál. It describes how a Valkyrie Sigrdrífa provides Sigurd with magical meanings of runes. The 5-13 stanzas describe 8 runic groups:

5. “Beer I bring thee, | tree of battle,
Mingled of strength | and mighty fame;
Charms it holds | and healing signs,
Spells full good, | and gladness-runes.”

6. Winning-runes learn, | if thou longest to win,
And the runes on thy sword-hilt write;
Some on the furrow, | and some on the flat,
And twice shalt thou call on Tyr.

7. Ale-runes learn, | that with lies the wife
Of another betray not thy trust;
On the horn thou shalt write, | and the backs of thy hands,
And Need shalt mark on thy nails.
Thou shalt bless the draught, | and danger escape,
And cast a leek in the cup;
(For so I know | thou never shalt see
Thy mead with evil mixed.)

8. Birth-runes learn, | if help thou wilt lend,
The babe from the mother to bring;
On thy palms shalt write them, | and round thy joints,
And ask the fates to aid.

9. Wave-runes learn, | if well thou wouldst shelter
The sail-steeds out on the sea;
On the stem shalt thou write, | and the steering blade,
And burn them into the oars;
Though high be the breakers, | and black the waves,
Thou shalt safe the harbor seek.

10. Branch-runes learn, | if a healer wouldst be,
And cure for wounds wouldst work;
On the bark shalt thou write, | and on trees that be
With boughs to the eastward bent.

11. Speech-runes learn, | that none may seek
To answer harm with hate;
Well he winds | and weaves them all, And sets them side by side,
At the judgment-place, | when justice there
The folk shall fairly win.

12. Thought-runes learn, | if all shall think
Thou art keenest minded of men.
13. Them Hropt arranged, | and them he wrote,
And them in thought he made,
Out of the draught | that down had dropped
From the head of Heithdraupnir,
And the horn of Hoddrofnir.

(Translated by Henry Adams Bellows)

With the given fragment it is impossible to claim something concrete or practical when it comes to how the runes were used. The text holds just the names of the runic groups and hints on how they were used.

Perhaps it was a coded message, yet, unfortunately, nobody can really confirm or deny this information. The victory rune could have been Sowilo and Tiwaz, and runes of thought could have been Ansuz and Laguz. Therefore based on the sources we have, we can only build certain assumptions and not more.

Modern practical use of runes began from 1982 after the book “The Book of Runes: A Handbook for the Use of an Ancient Oracle : the Viking Runes” on rune divination by Ralph Blum was published. Ralph Blum was not a prominent historian or researcher, he got the runes with a few pages of their description by accident. At first he just put them away, but with time he started to study them. Blum began to search for available literature on the origin of runes and how they were used. At the same time of conducting his rune research he was studying Chinese system “I Ching”, he assumed that while working with one oracle it is logical to turn to another one.

Blum talk about the idea that each rune is a separate magical symbol that possesses certain properties as well as powers. He was the one who proposed the use of the blank 25th runes during divination. Symbol interpretations offered by Blum are somewhat different from the modern ones. Some rune practitioners don’t recommend using the blank rune.

After Blum, we got a series of authors who vigorously described rune divination and their use in magic. By the end of the 90’s of the last century the practical implication of these ancient symbols received its own place. It holds the information on how runes can be used in divination as well and how rune combinations can be used as magical instruments.

Runes entered my life in the beginning of 90s with the Soviet magazine “Science and Religion” and a bit later with the newspaper from Donetsk called “Magic”. It could be possible that only due to the recommendation of drawing Fehu and Othala runes on a piece of leather and carry it around in a wallet my family was able to avoid almost all the financial hardships that came with the break-up of the Soviet Union.

We can see how various rune staves and scripts – combinations of tunes that are given certain properties, are gaining popularity today. They are also called rune formulas. You have to take into account that authors of those staves created them according to own cases and gave runes specific meanings. That is why you should not be surprised that certain runic combinations do not always work for everyone.

Everyone who believes to be an rune expert tries to classify them and relate them with subjects of living and non-living nature, elements, mythological characters, flowers, sounds, etc. It is hard to say if all of it really makes sense, as we don’t know whether runes were used in the same way during ancient times. These kinds of matching and interpretations are quite individual and often differ from case to case.
Modern interpretations of runes derived from the texts of ancient poems through logical and subjective perception. Meanings of the Elder Futhark runes often connected to the Younger Futhark runes and with time they got enriched and more complicated.

Your perception/understanding of any rune may be somewhat different from the interpretations of other practitioners. You can only accept as dogma, the meanings of the symbols from the rune poems and all the other version should be treated as subjective variations of attempts to understand this system.