Section 4: Runes and Herbals

 Rune study is an interesting but wild part of Asatru. These first ten titles are but the tip of the iceberg. There are Rune Yoga spellbooks, Runes and Astrology, purely bloodless academic works. The field is endless. Wardle's book combines the best of all areas, but can be difficult to find. The Runes are so central because they are archaeologically "real" and viable testaments to the antiquity of Asatru; on the other hand there is not really that much runic writing because it was mainly on wood. The Runestones themselves mainly just capture very basic information of dates, places and names. The story of Odin hanging on Yggdrasil to learn the Runes is of course foundational to the faith. Whether you are a "just the facts" archaeology type, or a broom riding spellcaster, there is loads and loads of information to dive into in the Rune-study subculture. 

Section 4: Rune Study & Herbalism


31. Aswynn, Freya. Northern Mysteries and Magick: Runes, Gods, and Feminine Powers. USA: Llewellyn, 2002.

  Aswynn is a noted Asatru practitioner, a Dutch woman who came into the field via Wicca. She was very active in the Troth, but currently practices solo. Difficult to sum, Aswynn has run the gamut of modern sexualities and identities, but is knowledgeable. Comes with the usual baggage of former Troth members.  

32. Beyerl, Paul. Holy Books of the Devas: An Herball for the Aquarian Age. USA: Rowan Tree Publications, 1986.

  Beyerl runs a large Wiccan retreat with his male partner. The herbal work is extensive, but yet again, these are basically hippie modernists with no connection to family-friendly modern Asatru. But they do know their herbs. 

33. Blum, Ralph. The Book of Runes. USA: Oracle Books, 1982.

  Blum is an opportunistic metaphysical author. Every new age trend that comes down the line, Blum has a book on it. Famous for inventing a fake rune called the "Blank Rune", and then making spells based on it.

34. Keltica Creations. Rune Colouring Book. USA: Lulu, 2020. 

  Evelyn Keltica is a graphic designer who has listed three books on Lulu very recently. Current AFA member. Quality pictures, also makes clothing and stickers on various custom print websites.  

35. Mountfort, Paul Rhys. Nordic Runes. USA: Destiny, 2003.

  Listed by Daniel McCoy as the single best book for learning the history and magic applications of the Runes. Considered less academic than Flowers, who is probably the most important author in the field. 

36. Pennick, Nigel. Rune Magic: The History and Practice of Ancient Runic Traditions. London: Thorsons, 1993.

  Pennick publishes extensively with Inner Traditions. Inner Traditions has some völkisch-related titles, and tends to a more academic approach than the metaphysical focused Llewellyn. Pennick has multiple books in the field.

37. Plowright, Sweyn. Rune Primer. USA: Lulu, 2007.

  Listed by Daniel McCoy as The Rune book for people who want only the facts and none of the magic. Still active website, with other interesting titles. Recommended, although the author is very critical of Stephen McNallen, specifically. (the criticism is invalid, centering on metagenetics, not runelore, so why did they include it in their "just the facts" rune book.)

38. Thorsson, Edred. Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic. San Francisco: Weiser, 1984.

One of the earliest and best researched Rune magic books. Flowers has multiple books on Rune topics, and a school for Runic study. Flowers' early columns in the AFA’s Runestone magazine are in-depth and intelligent. Flowers is a controversial figure.

39. List, Guido. Das Geheimnis der Runen. Germany, 1908. 

  Readily available in translation as The Secret of the Runes, Inner Traditions, 1988. List was an Austrian who combined Rune study and theosophy to form the foundation of modern Asatru. His work was mainly inspired by “divine revelation”, and is both criticized and lauded on this basis. List may lay claim to being the original modern Odinist, although as with all those who are innovating in this field, there were false starts and detours along the path.

40. * Wardle, Thorolf. Rune Lore. London: Odinic Rite, 1987. 

  A small pamphlet on Runology, but absolutely packed with excellent information, and available in English and German versions. This might be the best introduction to the Runes, but could certainly use an update with better photos of the oldest Swedish Runestones, and some editing. Uses a dating system that starts with A.D. 9, the Battle of Teutoburg Forest. 2020 becomes 2011, and everything is dated with a 9-year backshift (A.D. becomes A.T. “after Teutoburg”, etc.) Recommended work. 



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