[gothic-l] reg. runes

[hrafnsnest <mimir@smithsys.net>]

Konrad wrote:
Yes. Also, there is one point about runes which I feel compelled to 
make over and over again: they were a regular alphabetic sequence 
used primarily for communication. We can forget the trendy books 
on "rune magic" and the "deeper meaning" of the runes.

>>Jeff.
I will have to strongly disagree with Konrad on his point about the runes. =
 While the runes did indeed serve as a communicative tool more often than no=
t, they also served a "magical" function as well, complete with a "deeper me=
aning".  This is well attested in both literature and archeology (in the for=
m of staves and stones).
In literature:  The Havamal 138- the end, the Rigsþula 44-46, the Sigdrifum=
al (practically the whole text), the Voluspa 59 (("..Fimbultyr's unfathomed =
runes").  There are examples from the sagas, Egils Saga for instance, where =
runes are carved on a drinking horn that has poison in it, they are bloodied=
 (in keeping with tradition), whereupon the horn bursts in two.  

There are many stones, staves, spear-heads, swords, asf., that have "messag=
es" carved upon them that convey something other than someone's name, who ca=
rved it, or who is remembered.  The carvings that seemingly say nothing,, ar=
e generally regarded as "magical meta-language", communicating with either t=
he dead or the gods, or perhaps used as a "reality shaping" tool (a "magical=
" function).

While I will agree that there are many "trendy" rune books on the market, t=
here are also books that deal with the subject of the magical use of runes f=
rom a scholarly point of view.  Several authors that come to mind is Dr. Edg=
ar Polome, Edred Thorsson (Dr. Stephen Flowers), Dr. Jan de Vries, Dr. Georg=
es Dumezil,
Dr Hilda Davidson, and others.  There are also the works of Johannes Bureus=
, 1568-1652, who was the "antiquarian" under King Karl IX.  Among his many s=
cholarly contributions, he also discovered first hand, that runes were still=
 being used in the province of Dalarne, in fact, the farmers were still usin=
g them well into the 19th cent. 

Sael,
Jeff    



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