Let’s Talk Witch – Runes, What Are They? Do You Use Them?

Norse mythology tells ua about the God Odin (or Woden) brought the Runes to human beings. Used for two thousand years in Northern Europe and Scandinavia, the Runes were brought to the British Isles by Vikings and Saxon invaders. Centuries later, J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy The Lord of the Rings introduced many readers in the United States to the Runes and Ralph Blum’s bestselling Book of Runes taught them how to use the oracle.

The word “rune” means “secret” or “mystery.” It also refers to things that are whispered, to knowledge that’s revealed to us during moments of stillness and contemplation, which suggests that meditating on the Runes can help you understand their meanings.

The most popular version of the Runes come from an old Teutonic alphabet, the Elder Futhark, which contains twenty-four letters. Each rune is a letter. Unlike the letters in modern alphabets, however, these ancient glyphs aren’t just components of words, they convey deeper meaning as well.

Each rune is name for an animal, object, condition, or deity. The rune Berkana, which looks like a B, corresponds to the birch tree; it represents birth and growth. Ehwaz refers to a horse and signifies movement or progress.

Although most people think of the runes only in terms of the letters in one of the old Norse alphabets, other alphabets can be used for divination and spell working too. One such alphabet is Ogham, the Irish language that links each letter with a tree.

Just as the ancient Norse did, you can include runes in amulets and talismans for love, protection, health, prosperity, and other blessings. You might like to decorate your magickal tools with relevant runes. Or engrave a meaningful rune on a piece of jewelry and wear it to attract what you desire.

Perhaps the most familiar rune is Gifu, which means “gift.” It looks like an “X” a popular symbol for a kiss. In the old Norse alphabet, this rune is linked with love, so it’s perfect to include in love spells. Draw a X on paper and add it to a talisman, along with rose petals and other ingredients that correspond to love and romance. Or carve Gifu on a candle and light it; as the candle burns, it releases your intention into the universe.