Meanings of the Runes: The First Aett. In modern usage, the Scottish 'ken' means to know or understand, and this is the sense in which the rune should interpreted.
Today, light, inspiration and knowledge are often associated, as in 'gaining enlightenment' and 'shedding light on the problem', and even in the image of a lightbulb going on over someone's head when they get an idea. To bring light is to make the invisible visible. Unlike the wisdom gained at þurisaz, kenaz only allows us to take bits and pieces of this knowledge away with us as we need it, usually at the discretion of the Gods.
This knowledge will generally come in the form of a sudden inspiration, and we will be able to see clearly the answer that was once hidden from us. This form of wisdom is more closely associated with the right half of the brain than the left, since it does not come through conscious effort but rather through passively opening one's self to it. Runes. Runes are an alphabetic script used by the peoples of Northern Europe from the first century C.E. until well into the Middle Ages.
In addition to their use as a written alphabet, the runes also were a system of symbols used for magic and divination. Runes are loaded with power. I use them in spellworking, usually etched on a candle. In fact, inscribing candles with runes is a common magickal practice. I also draw them in different places -- on my car for safety in travel, on the doorpost of my home for protection, on flower pots to aid in the growth of plants. Runes are a complex system steeped in legend, myth, and mystery. FEHU (Feoh) -- attracts wealth, initiates prosperous enterprises, brings motivation and activity, circulates abundance and life-force, and invokes the fire of the heavenly bodies.
URUZ (UR) -- enhances strength, removes weaknesses and self-doubt, and draws earth and oak-strength into the personal sphere. RAIDHO (Rad) -- the rune of ritual and astral travel. Oswald the Runemaker - Home Page. Dr. Nikki's Rune Stone Index. North American Rune Stones. Several rune stones have been found in the United States, most notably the Kensington Runestone in Minnesota and the Heavener Stone in Oklahoma.
There is considerable debate over their age and validity. The "Kensington Runestone" is a slab of gray stone, measuring 36 inches long, 16 inches wide, and 6 inches thick. It contains runic writing along the face of the stone and along one edge. The stone was found by a Minnesota farmer named Olaf Ohman in November of 1898 while a digging up a poplar tree stump on the southern slope of a 50-foot high knoll. The stone was buried face down about six inches below the surface, with the tree roots wrapped around it. Unfortunately, the stone was not left in place, so they were unable to demonstrate its obvious age from the growth pattern of the tree. It is known King Magnus of Sweden sent that a party to Greenland in 1355. "Eight Goths and 22 Norwegians on a journey of exploration from Vinland very far west. Update: At a 2000 conference in St.
Mr. Rune Stone Symbols and Meanings. Did you know?
Owing to their supposed power to invoke the deities with an aim to influence major aspects of life and nature, runic divinations were condemned as an occult practice during the Middle Ages. The term "runes" refers to the set of ancient North European (especially Scandinavian) alphabets, which were used to write the various Germanic languages before the introduction of the Latin script. A special branch of Germanic linguistics that studies these runic alphabets and their history is known as "runology", and it was first introduced by the Swedish antiquarian and mystique, Johannes Bureus, who believed that the runic alphabets possessed magical powers.
The earliest epigraphs bearing runic inscriptions date back to around 150 CE, and according to sources, the script continued to be used till the northern European cultures came completely under the influence of Christianity (until about 1100 CE). Reading Runes. Throwing the runes The runic alphabet is an old Germanic literary language, which were used in all of Northern Europe.
In addition runes has always had a magic, prophetic meaning. Runemasters used them to practice magic on somebody, cure the ill, protect holy rituals and resurrect the dead. Runes also had an important role in making prophecies. Runes. The Origins of Rune Stones: According to the "Illustrated Encyclopedia of Divination" the word "rune" means "whisper" or "secret".
Indeed runes are thought by some to be a way of interacting with both the spirit and the living world. The system of divination by runes can be attributed to two tribes who came together and produced a combination of symbols and old signs which were found on a variety of paintings, ritual and domestic items in the North from as early as Paleolithic times.