The Runes
The Runic language was developed before the modern-day languages came into existence; this being most prevalent in the Scandinavian region. Even if Christianity had come to change the world, the Runic alphabet remained in use in the furthest Northern parts of the world; it persists until this day. There are three well-known "alphabets" of Runes invented; they are the Elder Futhark, the Younger Futhark, and the last one is more commonly known as the Anglo-Saxon Runes. Each of these three has the same spiky writing, though their numbers differ:
Of these three, the Younger Futhark remains in use until modern times; the Elder Futhark was thought of the be a "forgotten language", not until the Norwegian scholar named Sophus Bugge was able to "crack" the code of the Elder Futhark. The Runes were made the way they were, because carving curved symbols into the then-preferred surfaces of wood, rock or anything similar made it tough, if not impossible, to accomplish. Each of the 24 Runes are divided into three Aetts consisting of 8 Runes each. It is important that we re-familiarize ourselves with all 24 Runes, because there is a 1 in 24 chance that they will appear in our readings.
- the Elder Futhark consists of the 24 original Runes
- the Younger Futhark is condensed to only 16 Runes
- the Anglo-Saxon Runes contained the Elder Futhark, with some extensions; their number varies from 26 - 33
Of these three, the Younger Futhark remains in use until modern times; the Elder Futhark was thought of the be a "forgotten language", not until the Norwegian scholar named Sophus Bugge was able to "crack" the code of the Elder Futhark. The Runes were made the way they were, because carving curved symbols into the then-preferred surfaces of wood, rock or anything similar made it tough, if not impossible, to accomplish. Each of the 24 Runes are divided into three Aetts consisting of 8 Runes each. It is important that we re-familiarize ourselves with all 24 Runes, because there is a 1 in 24 chance that they will appear in our readings.
Merkstave: What's it all about?
Merkstave is not necessarily something to be feared; in fact, if there are Runes that come up Merkstave they have meanings all the same, although there are some that do not consider Merkstave meanings to be as important as Runes that fall the right-side up. If and when the Runes are cast onto a white cloth or on a flat surface, the Merkstave meanings come into play. It is up to the witch or wizard who attempts to divine with Runes to either include their message in the overall interpretation of their fortune; or leave the Merkstave runes alone and only focus on the Runes that have fallen right-side up.
There are several Runes that can be considered "ambiguous"; meaning that if they fall either the normal or the Merkstave way, the significance would not change too much. Only the overall interpretation of the whole reading will influence what these ambiguous Runes will bring to the reading.
There is no reason to be afraid of Merkstave meanings; in fact, they should also be taken into much consideration; for some problems can be better interpreted or resolved with Merkstave meanings taken into consideration.
There are several Runes that can be considered "ambiguous"; meaning that if they fall either the normal or the Merkstave way, the significance would not change too much. Only the overall interpretation of the whole reading will influence what these ambiguous Runes will bring to the reading.
There is no reason to be afraid of Merkstave meanings; in fact, they should also be taken into much consideration; for some problems can be better interpreted or resolved with Merkstave meanings taken into consideration.