undercloak, reaching back
to bones & stones
through blood & black
rime-eyed & cataract
we razor high drifts
highspaces we roam
with gills on our tongues
drinking burning skies &
slipping closer to home
A poem prompted by a randomly selected Elder Futhark rune.
Today’s rune is othala, which has a core meaning of “heritage”, “inheritance” and “legacy”. These are all associated with home, kin, ancestors, stability and (in some interpretations) past lives or spiritual legacy.
Please visit my Elder Futhark pages at sceadugenga.com for additional interpretations of the runes based on multiple references and personal reflection.
11 responses to “casting runes — 23dec25”
How many runes are there? Other than the posts you’ve shared; I know little about them.
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There are 24 Elder Futhark Runes, which has been my focus. Several sources insist on a 25th rune, the “blank” rune, but that is not part of the collection accepted by most serious scholars.
The Younger Futhark is reduced to 16 runes because of language changes and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc has 33 or 34 runes, depending on the source. The Younger Futhark is relatively closely related to the Elder Futhark in meaning and phonetics. The Anglo-Saxon Futhorc is the “youngest” of these related set of alphabets.
One day, I will eventually research the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, but it is not as commonly part of modern usage, so the resources are a bit more limited.
I think that most people tend to think of the runes as being divinatory or evocatively magical, as that is the popular current mythology. But there is scant empirical evidence to support their historical use in that way (however, I will note that words and letters are often perceived as magical in their own right by multiple cultures throughout history).
This is cool. Thanks for sharing. Both your knowledge and your poems.
Thank you for reading these poems inspired by runes. 💕
There are plenty of people who will dispute my take on runes, so my “knowledge” should be considered that of an enthusiast who who leans towards an evidence-based understanding of what runes are rather than common reconstructionist understandings. They are often in disagreement.
Hmm, 🤔 disagreements over ideas or anything. Never.
Never!
By the way… The overlord disapproves of your sarcasm and needs you to report to the reeducation facilities for treatment.
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Inconceivable!
😂😂😂
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