Lessons

Discovery of the Runes - Literary Sources 1

The story of how the runes were found is told in the poem Havamal, or Words of the High One. The High One in this case is the god Odin, known as the Allfather and the leader of the gods. Odin is known for his wisdom and in the Havamal he offers advice on various topics providing a fascinating insight into Viking society. Many of the remarks are as pertinent today as they were then -

Foolish is he who frets at night,
And lies awake to worry
A weary man when morning comes,
He finds all as bad as before

Near the end of the Havamal, Odin speak of how he found the runes. A key difference between our society and that of the poem is that nowadays we do believe it is possible to get something for nothing whereas they recognized there was a price to be paid for any gain or advancement. In order to gain his wisdom and eloquence Odin had sacrificed one of his eyes, swapping it for a drink from Mimir's Well. To receive a gift as powerful and important as the runes a mighty sacrifice would need to be made, as the poem goes on to describe.

Wounded I hung on a wind-swept gallows
For nine long nights,
Pierced by a spear, pledged to Odin
Offered myself to myself

This ritual is highly significant and in order to make sense of it we will examine each of its components. The "wind-swept gallows" is no normal tree on which Odin is impaled. It is Yggdrasil, the World Tree. The importance of Yggdrasil is reflected in another poem

Of all trees is Yggdrasil best,
Skidbladnir best of ships,
of gods, Odin, of horses Sleipnir

Yggdrasil is an ash tree which supports the Nine Worlds and has three roots. Under these roots are three wells though some scholars think that the three separate wells may be just one well described in different ways. Equally the description of the cosmic picture as found in different texts (and sometimes within different sections of the same text) is subject to variation which affects the depiction of Yggdrasil. We find one such description in another poem in the Poetic Edda

Three roots spread three ways
Under the ash Yggdrasil:
Nifehel is under the first,
Frost Giants under the second
Mankind below the last

The first of these roots goes to the Well of Helvelgamar where the monster Niddhog spends its time gnawing at the root. Niflheim ruled over by the goddess Hel is a cold unwelcoming place. The second root passes over the land of the Frost Giants who are the enemies of the gods. It holds the Well of Mimir which Odin drank from to gain wisdom. Under the final root is the Well of Wyrd where one finds the three Norns. The Norns represent past, present and future, concepts that are obvious crucial to the runes. It is probably not coincidental then that the Norns should be witnesses to their discovery.

Odin is fixed upside down, this inversion being important. Firstly it is a gesture of humility, doubly so from a god. If Yggdrasil is a key part of the infrastructure of the Cosmos, then being fixed to the tree makes Odin a part of that universal picture also. This must have the effect of widening his perspective. Because he is upside down he sees the world differently anyway and gains added insight from this act of sacrifice. There is a clear parallel here with the Tarot card of the Hanged Man which traditionally depicts a figure hanging from a tree by his foot. Both have made a decision to accept the inversion because of the new awareness it can bring.

Another significant aspect is the wound in his side. This releases blood which has traditionally been regarded as the life force. There are those who believe that blood must be shed to activate a set of runes, this act from Odin supporting their case. The wound also saps his strength, his life force slowly ebbing away, bringing him to the point of death, especially when coupled with his deprivation of food and water.

Fasting is a traditional tool of the Medicine Man or Shaman and is used throughout the world. Drugs and fasting are two of the ways in which Shamans reach the altered states of consciousness necessary to communicate with the spirits and/or enter their world. Odin's actions can be seen as an extreme form of shamanistic ritual enabling him to leave everyday reality, achieving a trance-like state between life and death which finally reveals the runes to him.

They gave me no bread,
They gave me no mead,
I looked down; with a loud cry
I took up runes, then from that tree I fell

Since Odin was already looking down, some translators render this as he "looked deep" or "into the depths". It is unclear what he is looking down into physically, perhaps one of the wells. However since he can be regarded as being in an altered state of consciousness at this point, he must also be looking down into his own depths. This is reinforced by the reference to Odin sacrificing himself to himself, emphasizing the personal dimension to this whole ritual. The runes are found in a moment of self-realization. It is an act of empowerment which ends the stasis causing Odin to fall from the tree back to everyday reality, but now holding the runes.

Though described in only a few lines there is deep symbolism in the story of Odin's discovery of the runes and it is highly significant. Points to note are that Odin discovers rather than creates the runes. An act of sacrifice is required to perceive them but they are there all the time. By his shamanistic ritual Odin is able to achieve the altered state of consciousness to enter the plane they exist upon and to take them back to our world. Thus the discovery of the runes marks a moment of self-realization also and there is a strong personal aspect to the whole ritual.

The Havamal then goes on to discuss the preparation and the uses of the runes, listing the types of skills and knowledge which are required

Know how to cut them, know how to read them
Know how to stain them, know how to prove them
Know how to evoke them, know how to score them
Know how to send them, know how to spend them

The first four names processes deal with the preparation of the runes for magical or divinatory use. The remaining processes cover the magical use of the runes. These relate to the activation of the runes (evoking) then the direction of their magical power at the intended target or towards the desired end (sending) and finally the deactivation of runic spells/charms which are no longer required (spending).

The last section of the poem lists eighteen charms using the runes and the magical effects they produce. These are magical charms using combinations of runes however Guido Von List believed they referred to individual runes and it forms the basis of his claim there were eighteen runes and his Armanen runic system. The knowledge of which runes were used for each charm is now lost and there is little agreement among scholars on this issue. All we have now are the details of the effects

I know a third: in the thick of battle,
If my need be great enough
It will blunt the edges of enemy swords,
Their weapons will make no wounds

You have completed the lesson. Read it as many times as you need to in order to feel you understand it. Then return here for:
Lesson 4 - Comprehension Tests, Reading and Further Exercises

Please ensure you complete these exercises before moving on to the next lesson.