The new standard-work on the Runes, Rune magic and divination

Algiz: Ægishjálmr

The Ægishjálmr (awe helm) is the best-known of all the bind runes and charms. It was used as a protection symbol, described in several sagas, and found on various historical artifacts. The depictions of the Ægishjálmr are not uniform but vary in design, from very simple to elaborate.

The Ægishjálmr consists of at least four and often eight Algiz runes, but more is possible. The Algiz runes can be decorated with perpendicular lines, and sometimes a motif is made in the center.

Historically, other protection charms seem to follow the same structure. For instance, The Vegvisir, a charm found in the Huld manuscript, was used as protection against getting lost at sea. The basic structure stays the same, including the Algiz runes, but other shapes are added on top.

In Fafnismal, the dragon Fafnir claims that he has no equal among men because he uses the Ægishjálmr to protect himself:

"The Ægishjálmr I wore to afright mankind, While guarding my gold I lay; Mightier seemed I than any man, For a fiercer never I found."
- Fáfnismál 16

We see this power of the Ægishjálmr repeated in a spell appropriately named “There is a Simple Helm of Awe Working.” The spell is included in the works of Jon Arnason, a writer, librarian, and museum director that lived in the nineteenth century. Following in the footsteps of the brothers Grimm, who had set it upon themselves to collect Germanic folktales, Jon Arnason gathered and published a great set of Icelandic folktales. The spell goes as follows:

Make a helm of awe in lead, press the lead sign between the eyebrows, and speak the formula: Ægishjálm er ég ber [I bear the helm of awe] milli brúna mér! [between my brows!] Thus a man could meet his enemies and be sure of victory.
- Galdramyndir

It is important to note that the helm of awe was a helm in the metaphorical sense; it is applied to the head and protects its wearer. The positioning of the Ægishjálmr on the brow is significant. Many cultures believed the third eye (located on the forehead at the pineal gland) to be spiritually significant. For the Hindus, it is where the Bindi (dot on the forehead) is placed, and in Jewish mythology, it is also the location where the Shem is added to a clay golem to give it life.

Laguz: Cultural context

Even in the ordinary sense, the significance of water for the Nordic people cannot be overstated. The rivers were and still are nature’s highways for hauling goods, and the open sea was a route to endless possibilities. Besides, the oceans and rivers were essential in fishing as fish was a common food source. In this way, water is a supporting nurturing force.

Water held more than a mundane meaning; the oceans, lakes, and rivers had mysteries in their deep unfathomable depths. Three separate Goddess represents the sea, the rivers, and the lakes. Rán represents the oceans, Sága represents the rivers and waterfalls, and Nerthus represents the Lakes

Kennings for the sea include Rán’s land and Rán’s road; when describing a stormy sea, the kenning, Rán’s mouth is used. In Skáldskaparmal, for example, Ran is named:

“Then the Æsir became aware that Rán had that net wherein she was wont to catch all men who go upon the sea”
- Skáldskaparmal 33

Rán is a chaotic force that can bring sailors to their doom. She gives birth to nine daughters representing nine different storm waves.

Besides the references to Rán drowning sailors, several references indicate that Rán governed the realm of the drowned dead. In “Friðþjófs saga hins frœkna,” we see an example of this. The hero Friðþjófr and his men are stuck in a storm and fear for their lives. Friðþjófr then divides the gold and treasure aboard their ship among the men. The treasure will assure that they all will all look resplendent when arriving in Rán’s hall and their allotted place in the afterlife.

Nerthus, the Goddes of the lakes, is only described by Tacitus. The most interesting part of his description is a yearly ritual involving Nerthus.

In an island of the ocean there is a sacred grove, and within it a consecrated chariot, covered over with a garment. Only one priest is permitted to touch it. He can perceive the presence of the goddess in this sacred recess, and walks by her side with the utmost reverence as she is drawn along by heifers. ….. Afterwards the car, the vestments, and, if you like to believe it, the divinity herself, are purified in a secret lake. Slaves perform the rite, who are instantly swallowed up by its waters. Hence arises a mysterious terror and a pious ignorance concerning the nature of that which is seen only by men doomed to die.”
-Tacitus 40

The idea that another world lies under the surface of lakes and oceans is a common belief in Pagan Europe. According to Celtic folklore, the Tuatha Dé Danann live in a world under the waves. In the tale, Frau Holle, an old Germanic fairytale written down by the Brothers Grimm, a maiden falls into a well and ends up in a magical otherworld. It seems that throughout Europe, it was believed that the water could hide entire worlds beneath its surface.

Writing in Runes: Lønnruner

Besides a phonetic sound or an esoteric meaning, each rune also has a numeric value. This value is based on the runes Ætt and location in the Ætt. For example, Yera is 2.4 because it is the fourth rune in the second Ætt. These numeric values were used to create codes called “Lønnruner” or secret runes. These codes are not complicated to decipher if you know where they are, but they can be hidden in plain sight. Lønnruner were primarily used for regular communication, but examples of amulets with Lønnruner have been found. There are two general types of Lønnruner. The first encodes each rune into a single symbol.

The most simple example of these Lønnruner are the tree or branch runes: The number of branches on the left represents the Ætt, and the number on the right represents the location in the Ætt, for example. Yera would be two lines on the left-hand side and four on the right-hand side. There are endless variations for encoding runes this way.

Divination: Introduction

There is a rich well of literature concerning runic divination. One would assume from the myriad of books written about runic divination that divination is the primary purpose of the runes. However, historically very little is known about whether or not runes were used in divination. The most convincing evidence for runic divination comes from Tacitus’s Germania:

Augury and divination by lot no people practise more diligently. The use of the lots is simple. A little bough is lopped off a fruit-bearing tree, and cut into small pieces; these are distinguished by certain marks, and thrown carelessly and at random over a white garment. In public questions the priest of the particular state, in private the father of the family, invokes the gods, and, with his eyes towards heaven, takes up each piece three times, and finds in them a meaning according to the mark previously impressed on them. If they prove unfavourable, there is no further consultation that day about the matter; if they sanction it, the confirmation of augury is still required.
-Tacitus Germania 10

According to Tacitus, divination was an exceptionally popular activity for the Germanic tribes. That divination was done using wooden lots made from fruit-bearing trees, and the lots were inscribed with symbols. Whether or not those symbols were runes is unsure, and no surviving divination sets have been found. Given the spiritual and magical significance of the runes, it is very likely that these were used for divinatory purposes.

The method of divination is just as elusive because Tacitus is the only source we have. It seems that the gods were invoked, and the symbols were selected randomly after being thrown onto a white cloth; how the symbols were interpreted is lost to us.

In modern times rune sets can be bought, made from a wide variety of materials, including semiprecious stones, wood, and plastic. The stones are often pulled from a bag rather than cast on a white cloth, and several other methods have been devised over the years. Although it might seem more authentic to have runes made from the wood of a fruit tree cast on a white cloth while invoking Odin, we do not have enough data to determine what is historically accurate.

For instance, there is no way of knowing if stone, other types of wood, or other materials were used for divination in areas that Tacitus did not visit. The ritual for divination might also vary significantly from region to region or tribe to tribe. Because we know the meaning of each rune and their strong tie magic, I think that using runes as a divinatory tool is appropriate.