Bindrunes: history and careful design

How to read the labels Historical what the old sources say. Later tradition what later writers added. Modern modern practice and my own notes.

A bindrune is two or more runes joined together into a single sign, usually by sharing a common stroke. Bindrunes are one of the most popular parts of modern rune practice. People design them as personal symbols, carve them on gifts, paint them on journals, and, more and more often, have them tattooed on their skin.

This chapter separates what we know about historical bindrunes from the modern practice of designing them, and explains how to design a bindrune that is clear and balanced. Most importantly, it explains what to check before you use one, so that your design does not accidentally form a word, look like a hate symbol, or mean something you did not intend.

Historical bindrunes: practical ligatures

In the historical record, a bindrune is a ligature: two letters written together to save space, or for decoration. The same thing happens in Latin script, where letters like a and e were sometimes joined as æ.

Bindrunes appear in early Proto-Norse inscriptions and again in medieval inscriptions, but they are extremely rare in Viking Age inscriptions. A few examples show the range:

• The Kylver stone (Gotland, c. 400), which carries the oldest complete futhark, also has a sign made of several Tiwaz arrows stacked on one stave, like a little fir tree. Its meaning is unknown.
• The Kragehul spear shaft (Denmark) has a sequence often read as “gagaga,” in which the X-shaped Gebo is joined to vowel runes.
• The Undley bracteate (England, fifth century) has a sequence read as gægogæ, in which vowel runes are attached to the arms of the X-shaped g-rune.
• Anglo-Saxon inscriptions, such as the Thornhill III stone and an inscribed comb from Whitby, use bindrunes in ordinary texts.
• The “lantern” rune is a common ligature in which the syllable ing is written as Isa and the small Ingwaz diamond joined on one stave.

Modern These examples tell us that bindrunes were a normal part of writing in some periods. They do not tell us that bindrunes were primarily magical, or that people designed personal bindrunes as we do today. The sequences like “gagaga” are puzzling, and scholars have suggested a charm-like formula, but we do not know. The large, elaborate bindrune designs common online are modern.

Icelandic staves are not bindrunes

Historical Many people confuse bindrunes with the Icelandic magical staves known as galdrastafir, such as the Vegvísir, a circular “wayfinder” sign, and the Ægishjálmur, or “helm of awe.” These are not bindrunes, and the designs are not Viking Age. (The name “helm of awe” does appear in older Norse poetry, but not the drawn sign.) The designs come from early modern Icelandic manuscripts, from about 1600 onward. The earliest known source for the Vegvísir is the Huld manuscript, a collection of Icelandic lore compiled in 1860. They belong to a different tradition.

You will often see these staves described online as “Viking compasses” or “ancient runes.” They are neither. They are fascinating in their own right, and if you are drawn to them, it is worth learning about them on their own terms.

Modern bindrunes

In modern practice, a bindrune is a design made by combining runes whose meanings, or whose sounds, express an intention. For example, someone might combine Fehu (wealth) and Jera (harvest) as a symbol for patient growth in their finances, or Berkano and Laguz for gentle emotional renewal.

There are two main approaches:

• Meaning-based bindrunes combine runes for their modern meanings. This is the most common approach.
• Name-based or word-based bindrunes combine the runes that spell a name or a word, often your initials. This is closer to the historical use of ligatures as writing.

Neither approach is historical as a magical practice. Both can be meaningful as a personal symbol, in the same way that a monogram or a family crest is meaningful.

Designing a bindrune: principles

A good bindrune is clear, balanced, and checkable. Keep these principles in mind.

Keep it simple. Use two or three runes, rarely more. Every added rune makes the design harder to read and more likely to form an unintended sign.

Share a stave. The easiest way to combine runes is to draw them on a single vertical line, the stave, and add each rune’s branches to it. Runes that are made mostly of a stave and branches, like Fehu, Ansuz, Thurisaz, and Laguz, combine easily. Runes with closed or crossing shapes, like Gebo, Ingwaz, Othala, and Dagaz, are harder.

Keep each rune readable. You, and anyone else who knows runes, should be able to see each rune in the design. If a rune disappears into the others, simplify.

Balance. A balanced design has a pleasing shape. Some people like symmetry; others prefer a strong vertical line. Draw many versions and choose the one you like best.

Know what it means. Write down which runes the design contains, and why, before you use it.

What to check before you use a bindrune

This is the most important part of this page. Before you carve, paint, share, or tattoo a bindrune, check it carefully for these problems.

Does it look like another rune? When two runes are combined, the result can look exactly like a third rune or another sign. In the figure, Gebo and Isa combined form a six-armed sign that is already a rune of its own, the long-branch h-rune of the Younger Futhark, and it can be read in other ways too. Compare your design with all twenty-four runes and with the younger runes.

Does it spell an accidental word? If a bindrune’s runes can be read in order, they may spell something. Try reading the runes in every order. If they form a word in English or in another language you know, decide whether that matters.

Does it look like a hate symbol? This is the most serious check. Some rune shapes and combinations are used by extremist groups as symbols or codes. A bindrune can accidentally form a shape very similar to one of these symbols. Check your design against a reliable database of hate symbols, such as the one maintained by the Anti-Defamation League, which explains how runes are misused. If your design resembles any symbol listed there, redesign it. Never combine runes in a way that suggests the symbols misused by Nazi or extremist groups.

Does it resemble a trademark or logo? Some designs may resemble a company logo, a band logo, or another protected sign. If you plan to sell or publish the design, check this too.

Does a second source agree? If your bindrune spells a name or word, check the transliteration in at least two reliable sources. Mistakes in rune spelling are common, especially online.

Write the results of your checks in your journal, with the date.

Tattoos

Many people want a rune or bindrune tattoo. A tattoo is permanent, highly visible, and read by people who do not know your intentions. If you are considering one:

• Wait. Live with the design for at least three months. Draw it in your journal, put it on a card on your wall, and see whether you still love it.
• Check everything. Run all the checks above, especially the hate-symbol check and the spelling check, and ask someone knowledgeable to look at it.
• Think about context. Some rune shapes, especially certain forms of Othala, Sowilo, Tiwaz, and Algiz, are associated with extremist groups, and a tattoo of them may be misread, especially in some countries or workplaces. Some designs may be prohibited in certain contexts in some countries.
• Understand what you are wearing. If the design spells a word, know exactly what it means. If it is a meaning-based bindrune, be ready to explain it.
• Choose a professional. Work with a licensed tattoo artist who can show you the design at full size before starting.

This site does not tell anyone what to put on their own body. It asks only that you choose carefully.

Design a bindrune, then check it

1. Choose an intention for your bindrune, something simple and personal, such as “patience,” “courage in my studies,” or “a welcoming home.”
2. Choose two or three runes whose meanings fit your intention. Use the rune pages, and write down why you chose each one.
3. On a page of your journal, draw at least five different versions, combining the runes on a shared stave in different ways.
4. Choose the version you like best.
5. Now run the checks: Can you still see each rune? Does it look like another rune or sign? Does it spell an accidental word? Compare it carefully with a reliable hate-symbol database. Does it resemble a logo?
6. If it fails any check, redesign it and check again.
7. When your design passes, write it neatly in your journal with the date, the runes it contains, your intention, and the results of your checks.

An honest note

Historical bindrunes were mostly practical, a way of writing two letters at once. The modern art of the meaningful bindrune is new, and it is best approached with the same care as any other design. A good bindrune is one you can explain, one that does not accidentally say something you would not want to say, and one you will still be glad of in years to come. Take your time, check your work, and remember that the clearest sign is often the simplest.

Where to go next

Read about misused symbols and runes, ethics and respect, look up each rune in the Elder Futhark guide, or compare bindrunes with sigils.