Lessons - Tests

Lesson 11 - Tests and Reading

Comprehension Test

In Kenneth Meadows alternative rune arrangement which is the first rune?
What were Guido Von List's runes called?
Give one example of a NAZI use of the runes?
Which rune is still a favorite with right wing extremists?
Name a reputable organisation connected with the runes?
Who invented the Witches Runes?
Who is probably the most controversial modern author on the runes?
What is it about his style which has attracted so many readers?
What else did he do that increased the general acceptability of his book?
Name a rune for which his interpretation varies considerably from the standard?

Reading

In Ruarik Grimnisson's Rune Rede read his meanings for the runes from pages 83 to 190.

This may appear to be a lot of reading, but because of the way pages are set out it is less than it first appears. Grimnisson provides full and detailed meanings for each rune (that includes their magical dimension which we looked at in the previous lesson. You will observe these have some similarities and some differences to those offered by King. As you will now appreciate, there are broad areas of agreement about the runes, but also many areas of uncertainty and debate. One reason is that we are giving you so much time to get a grip on rune meanings is because it is such a personal aspect of the runes. No two authors or rune readers will have exactly the same perspective on them. You need time and space to formulate your own views. Some New Age rune authors, such as Bettina Luxton, suggest the meanings are all about how you feel and what you think they means, but we at the Rune School do not believe that. This course has been very carefully designed to ensure that by the time you reach this point you have gained a grounding in Norse mythology and an awareness of traditional sources such as the Rune Poems, to give you a framework on which to build. We don't go along with a "runes mean whatever you want them to mean" philosophy and hence have sought to inculcate an understanding and respect for the runes' heritage

Further Exercises

Using your local library, the net, or any other resources available to you, track down and investigate a group or organisation concerned with the runes. You should seek to answer the following questions

When they were founded
Why they were founded
What they believe
Number of members (if applicable)
What services they offer

"This is a time of major growth and rectification, and, as a rule, rectification must come before progress. The field is tilled before the seed is planted, the garden is weeded before the flower blooms, and the seed must know stillness before it can discover its true song."

The above is taken from Blum's New Book of Runes
- Which rune do you think this refers to?
- What aspects of his writing style do you think help to make this passage powerful?
This passage comes from Freya Aswynn's Principles of Runes, as used on this course

"Like Wunjo this rune refers to people as a collective, be it a family, a village or a magical fraternity ... the rune of the perfected intellect, melding reason and intuition, with reason being the senior partner .. may suggest legal affairs and matters of mutual co-operation, especially when it occurs in conjunction with Ehwaz"

Compare the style to the one above. Which is the more interesting to read?
Which is the easier to read?
Which do you find the more informative?
Which of the two do you prefer?
Why do you think someone might prefer the other?
How would you seek to change their mind

You have completed the exercises. Select the following link for the answers
Lesson 11 - Test Answers

Please ensure you mark these exercises before moving on to the next lesson and do not take more than one Lesson a week.

If you have any questions, comments or difficulties with the exercises and you have formally registered with the Rune School please email coursehelp@runeschool.org quoting your student ID number.