Runes are used for divination, spelling, and much more!
Divination
Runes can be used to divinate the future or get a sense of direction in a current situation. I've done some divination with runes myself. There's rune casting, the act of taking a handful of runes and "casting" them out on a white cloth. There's also different layouts for rune divination. I, myself usually use the past, present, future layout. Sometimes I only cast one rune to see what it holds in store for me. Sometimes divination with runes(or anything really) can be a bit difficult to understand. Let me give you an example.
I cast out the rune Fehu. When I cast it out, it is up to me on how I interpret its meaning and apply it to my current situation.
Spelling
Lets say you wanted to make a poster dedicated to Odin and wanted to include runes. You want to spell out Odin, right? For that, you need to know what runes stand for what alphabetical letters. To spell out Odin, you would spell out these runes in this order.
Othala, Dagaz, Isa, Nauthiz.
I've even spelled my name in runes. You can write in runes for a spell or some kind of devotion and burn it to either activate the spell or to devote.
Runes have a very special role when it comes to magickal workings as well. In Norse tradition, the runes are including in many different practices like galdr. Galdr is the literal "singing" of the runes, and is akin to a verbal incantation. Through galdr, a person invokes the energy of the rune as they sing them (much like invoking a deity when doing other work). There are many different types of galdr. One such being Val-galdr, which is the singing of the runes as a means to divine from the dead (not unlike necromancy). Runes are used in Stadhagaldr, which is "Runic Yoga": a person assumes a position symbolic of the rune they are seeking to represent and channel the energy of the symbol through their posture. Runes are also used in the creation of sigils, or are carved into things (like wood) to imbue them with the specific qualities of those runes used. Truly, there are many applications for them.
Resources:
I have bought these books I listed and find that if you're interested in runes, they serve as a great resource. I am sure if you look online you'll be able to find a pdf version of them.
Thank you for all the information. It sure brings back a lot of memories. We learned how to read basic runes in 5th grade but I've comletely forgotten i now!
Do any of you know more about the secret runes (lønnruner)?
