Divination System Breakdown

Origin: Germanic
Dated: 2nd – 8th century
Type: Oracle
Number of Runes: 24
Traditional Format: Wooden disks or tiles
Traditional Size: ~ 3 mm diameter

The Elder Futhark is a set of 24 Germanic alphabet discovered in Gotland (1903) on the Kylver Stone that dates back to 400 AD. They represent one of the earliest writing scripts. It is postulated that they were inspired by the natural surroundings and life histories of the people during that time. The exact script usage and meaning of each letter has been lost to time.

The Old English Rune Poem is of Anglo-Saxon origin, dating (8th – 9th century) well after the Elder Futhark and is used as a proxy for the rune meanings. Therefore, clear linkage of the Elder Futhark to the Rune Poem is lacking and there is much scholarly debate as to the translation of both the script and the poem. The Elder Futhark was recorded throughout history by hand, usually carved with a knife, hence the linear and angular properties of the script. The first edition of the Rune Poem was contained in a historical manuscript, the Linguarum veterum septentrionalium thesaurus grammatico-criticus et archæologicus by George Hickes during 1703. The original manuscript (MS Cotton Otho B. X) perished in the Cottonian library fire of 1731, thus George Hickes’ edition became the only copy of the Rune Poem. Similarities of the Thesaurus to the MS Cotton Domitian A. IX sparked scholarly debate as to whether the Rune Poem was recorded in the original manuscript. Additional oddities arose due to hand-copying, translation efforts and comparisons of the Elder Futhark with the reduced Younger Futhark (9th century, Scandinavian origin, 16 runes) and expanded Futhorc (5th century, Anglo-Saxon or Anglo-Frisian origin, 33 runes). Therefore, it is postulated that both copying error and translation errors could have crept into the (re)documented versions of the Rune Poem. As such the both the translations and interpretation of the Rune Poem is very subjective.

As such, I believe it is best for anyone interested in learning this system to acquire a translated version of the Rune Poem, which resonates with you and to interpret its exact meaning for yourself. You can use the ‘traditional’ interpretations as a rough guide (such as those in Ref 2 below are a good starting point), but you will find that some of your own interpretations start to deviate from the widely used norm. This is a natural progression and personally links you to your runes. Here are my sets:

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DIY Seed Runes:
Cost: ZAR 0

Traditionally, one should make a set of runes for yourself. I have made myself a set using palm seeds, which symbolises fertility and new beginnings. I painted the runes on them, traditionally they would be carved or pyrographed – but I opted for painting so that I do not damage the seeds. These cost me near to nothing as I found the seeds, already had the paint and painting equipment. They are a great set to cast with, but their transportability is limited and also nobody would want you to fly around with them lest they carry a plant disease. Thus, I wanted to find a card set as well.

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Elder Futhark Travel Rune Cards:

Deck Option (from MakePlayingCards)

• Cost: US$ 15.00 (+ US$ 5.99 shipping! Same shipping price to South Africa!)
• Size: 4.45 cm x 3.18 cm (1.75″ x 1.25″)
• Creator: All Natural Spirit (slightly redesigned from original cut-out sheet, preview available on MPC website)
• Affordable deck & shipping
• Easily transported
• Spreads take up a small amount of space
• Caters for reversals
• No guidebook
• Has a back design (similar to my Celestial Rune Sigils: an Elder Futhark Bindrune Oracle Deck!)
• Comes in a plain white tuck box (I don’t have the right program to design a custom one here – boo… but this adds almost double the base price!)

Elder Futhark Deck!

An Elder Futhark Runes Mini Oracle Deck with 24 black and white cards (330 gsm card stock and gloss card finish). To preserve historical authenticity the set contains Proto-Norse writing, with Proto-Germanic names and English transliterations. The deck  is available through my MakePlayingCards store!

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2. Sheet Cut-Out Option (DISCONTINUED PROTOTYPE!)

• Cost: ZAR 42 (lamination & printing included)
• Size: 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm (1.77″ x 1.38″) – fits into a matchbox even after lamination
• Creator: TheCatHatter (All Natural Spirit’s old art alias)
• Inexpensive (@ R 42)
• Easily transported
• Spreads take up a small amount of space
• Caters for reversals
• No guidebook
• No artwork on card back
• No box
• Manual printing, lamination, cutting and optional gilding of cards (either by yourself or with the printing shop).

The set also contains Proto-Norse writing, with Proto-Germanic names and English transliterations.

“Oh how wonderfully exciting. I have just processed the order now. The kids are learning all about Norse Mythology at the moment and are so excited to have their own set of cards to learn the symbols and at that size… perfect.

Thanks so much for being so accommodating and for making such pretty cards.”

Customer Feedback

The runes are my go-to system, since they can be used as both a divinatory (passive) and magickal (active) tool. I personally use them for the latter, where I actively participate in setting the intention that I seek. I use the runes extensively for my shadow work, creative problem solving and spiritual rituals. Hence they have become a spiritual tool which I use to explore the depths of soul and to introduce some light and magick into my everyday hum-drum life.

References:

1. Elder Futhark Runes 24 Card Print Out (2016). TheCatHatter aka All Natural Spirit.
2. Oswald, B. Discovering Runes (2008). Chartwell Books Inc.
3. Van Renterghem, A. (2014) The Anglo-Saxon runic poem: a critical reassessment. Masters Dissertation, University of Glasgow.

Rune & Flower – usesense @ pixabay

– Rune Casting –

All Natural Spirit

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My Other Oracle Deck: The Celestial Rune Sigils – The Metaphysician’s Toolbox

Read more about this deck: An Elder Futhark Bindrune Oracle