Sorting fact from fiction about runes has become increasingly difficult in recent years. The number of rune books has multiplied, but the majority of them are based on speculation, or even complete fantasy, and are often contradictory and confusing. Some readers may be content to settle for these, but a growing number of rune students have been asking for a basic factual foundation so that they can judge for themselves the reliablility of the information in the esoteric rune books. The Rune Primer at last bridges the gap between the dry, complex, and expensive academic works, and the less reliable esoteric and New Age books about rune magic and divination. This book makes the old sources accessible, with translations of the rune poems, and the historical information presented in plain English. It also traces many of the recently invented rune myths to their sources, reviews some of the most popular authors, and explains the ideas behind some of the modern esoteric rune systems.
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By Harald Sigurdsson
Jul 5, 2009
"Straightening out the Rune Books." This book is aimed at anyone with an interest in the basic facts about the runes. There are a lot of very poorly researched popular rune manuals in the bookstores, and it is difficult to avoid confusion when trying to wade through them. The Rune Primer first takes the reader through the basic academic facts. It puts them in their historical context, and looks at the old sources. It shows the development of the different rune rows, and the derivation of the rune names. Despite the academic accuracy, it is expressed in clear and easy to read English. The next section looks at the revival of interest in the runes, and looks at how esoteric information can be gained from the old sources, the rune poems, and concepts known to the people who used them. I particularly enjoyed the translations of the rune poems, presented alongside the original words, with notes. Finally, there is a candid review of several well known rune authors, some of whom... More > the author has met, and a Chapter that busts some oft repeated urban myths about runes. Far from bursing the bubble of esoteric runology, I felt that it cleared some of the rubble away to make the subject much clearer and easier to understand. Since reading the book, I have come to know the author somewhat, and am confident of its accuracy. I have no hesitation recommending this book to both old hands and new, both Asatru and the curious.< Less
"By way of Review" I just ordered this book and thought I'd give some feedback at this stage of the process. I'm Asatru and I've been looking for a book like this for a long time and didn't like the available options. So this is great. Though it would have been nice to be able to pick up a hard cover version I can take the book traveling with me. The other thing I'm looking for is a pocket book with just the runes, their names and their meanings. Is there one of these you can recommend or could you place one up here?
"Re: By way of Review" Hi Thomas, I have not seen such a booklet. This is probably because you could fit it onto one sheet of paper. If you look at pages 49 to 61, I fit 2 runes to a page. You could summarize each rune with a line or two for quick reference sheet. Actually, this is not a bad idea, I have now done up such a sheet & give it away on my web site. www.mackaos.com.au/Rune-Net/Primer Go to the Primer Supplement link, & find the Quick Reference Sheet (PDF).
