Norse Rune Casting and Bind Runes: Ancient and Modern
How to make and cast a set of runes and draw a bind rune, with a clear account of what is ancient (Tacitus, the rune poems) and what is modern invention.
- TraditionGermanic and Norse runic tradition (2nd–11th century CE); rune casting and talismanic bind runes largely 20th-century developments
- ForDivination, Protection, Luck
- DifficultyModerate
- Time30 minutes to make the set; 10 minutes per reading
- WhenAny time; Tacitus reports that public lots were taken by day and in some cases deferred if the signs forbade; modern heathens often choose Wednesday (Odin's day)
Runes were the letters of the early Germanic peoples, carved on wood, bone, metal and stone from about the second century CE until the end of the Viking Age and beyond. Today they are best known as a tool of divination: a set of 24 marked stones or staves, drawn or cast to answer a question. Their other famous modern use is the bind rune, a monogram of several runes combined as a talisman. This entry explains how to do both, and draws a clear line between the ancient evidence and the modern practice built on it.
How to do it§
Making and casting the runes§
- Make the set. Cut 24 small slips of wood, or gather 24 flat stones. Mark each with one rune of the Elder Futhark: fehu, uruz, thurisaz, ansuz, raidho, kenaz, gebo, wunjo; hagalaz, naudhiz, isa, jera, eihwaz, perthro, algiz, sowilo; tiwaz, berkano, ehwaz, mannaz, laguz, ingwaz, dagaz, othala. Many people stain the carved lines red. A blank "25th rune", popularised in 1982, is a modern addition and not part of any historical futhark.
- Prepare. Spread a white cloth on a table or on the ground, as in Tacitus's account. Hold the bag of runes and think clearly about one question.
- Draw or cast. For a three-rune reading, draw three runes one at a time from the bag without looking, laying them on the cloth from left to right. Alternatively, scatter the whole set over the cloth and pick up three without looking, closer to the ancient description.
- Read. The first rune is commonly read as the situation, the second as the challenge or course, the third as the likely outcome. Base your interpretation on the names and verses of the medieval rune poems. Fehu means wealth, jera the good year or harvest, naudhiz need and constraint. Then consider how the meanings bear on your question. Modern "reversed" meanings are a recent borrowing from tarot.
- Close. Note the reading, thank whatever you honour, and return the runes to their bag.
Drawing a bind rune§
- Choose a benign aim. Decide on one simple purpose for yourself or your household, such as safe travel or a good harvest of work.
- Choose two or three runes. For example raidho (journey) with algiz (protection), or jera (harvest) with wunjo (joy).
- Combine them. Draw the runes so that they share a central vertical stave, adding each rune's branches to the same stem. Keep it clear and balanced; it should not accidentally form other runes you did not intend.
- Mark it. Carve or burn it into wood, or draw it on paper, while stating its purpose aloud in your own words.
- Keep and release. Carry it, or place it by the door or in the car. When its purpose is fulfilled, burn a paper or wooden one safely or bury it with thanks.
Origins and history§
The oldest securely dated runic inscriptions, such as the comb from Vimose in Denmark, come from around 150–200 CE. The 24-letter Elder Futhark was used until about the eighth century, when Scandinavians reduced it to the 16-rune Younger Futhark of the Viking Age, while Anglo-Saxons expanded theirs. Most inscriptions are names, memorials and ownership marks. Some, however, are clearly charm formulas: the recurring word alu on gold bracteates, repeated runes like gagaga, and later Viking and medieval inscriptions invoking protection or healing. Runologists such as Michael Barnes, R. I. Page, Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees discuss these cautiously.
The key source for divination is the Roman historian Tacitus, writing in 98 CE. In Germania chapter 10 he describes Germanic peoples cutting a branch from a fruit-bearing tree into slips, marking them with signs and scattering them on a white cloth. A priest or the father of the household then prayed, looked up to the sky and picked three to interpret. Tacitus does not say the signs were runes, and his account may predate the runic script itself, so the link is possible but unproven. The Old Norse Hávamál describes Odin winning the runes through self-sacrifice, and the Sigrdrífumál lists runes for victory, healing and help in childbirth. These are mythological and poetic sources, not divination manuals.
Bind runes (bandrúnir) are well attested as space-saving ligatures in inscriptions. Their use as personal talismans, however, belongs to modern esotericism. The Austrian occultist Guido von List created an "Armanen" rune system in 1908. After the Second World War, rune magic revived in English through writers such as Edred Thorsson (1984), and Ralph Blum's The Book of Runes (1982) made rune casting a popular practice. The Icelandic magical staves (galdrastafir) such as the vegvísir come from early modern manuscripts, not from the Viking Age.
Variations§
Some heathens use the Younger Futhark or the Anglo-Saxon futhorc. Others prefer a single-rune "rune of the day". Some recognised religious organisations of modern Heathenry teach rune work as part of devotion to the gods rather than as fortune-telling.
Safety and good sense§
Take care with knives and wood-burning tools. Be aware that some runic symbols have been misused by extremist groups; mainstream Heathen organisations reject this, and context matters when displaying them. Runes can prompt reflection but should not replace professional advice.
Sources and further reading§
- Runes: A Handbook — Michael P. Barnes, 2012
- Runes — R. I. Page, 1987
- Runic Amulets and Magic Objects — Mindy MacLeod and Bernard Mees, 2006
- Germania — Tacitus, 98 CE
- The Poetic Edda — trans. Carolyne Larrington, 1996
- Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic — Edred Thorsson, 1984