Runes, ethics and respect

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

Working with runes means working with symbols that matter deeply to other people, that have been misused and that you may use to reflect on your own life and other people’s lives. None of that is a reason for fear. All of it is a reason for care. This page gathers what I think every beginner should know before they start.

I come to the runes as a neighbor. Finland sits right next to the runic world without being part of it: our ancestors spoke a Finnic language, not a Germanic one, and runic finds from Finland are rare. One small link is close to home, though. The Finnish word runo, “poem,” is usually explained as an early loan from Germanic, from the same root as the word rune. I write as a student of the runes, not as someone who owns them.

Heathenry is a living religion

Modern For many people, runes are a tool for reflection or a beautiful old alphabet. For others, they are sacred. Heathens honor the Norse and Germanic gods, and for many of them Odin’s winning of the runes is a sacred story. Heathenry took shape as a modern religion from the 1970s onward. In Iceland, the Ásatrúarfélagið was founded in 1972 and is an officially recognized religious organization.

You do not need to be Heathen to use runes, and most Heathens are glad when people take an honest interest. Respect asks a few things of you:

• Do not mock or trivialize the gods. Speak of Odin, Tyr or Freyr as you would of the gods of any living faith.
• Do not claim authority you do not have. Do not present yourself as speaking for a Heathen community, and do not invent “ancient Heathen rituals.”
• Listen to Heathen voices. If you want to know how Heathens use runes, read Heathen writers and talk to Heathen groups.
• Be clear about what is modern. Label your own practice honestly.

If you feel drawn to the gods themselves, that is a larger journey than learning the runes. Look for an inclusive Heathen community.

Who runes belong to

Many people come to runes through a Scandinavian, German, English or other northern European heritage. That is natural and good. But be careful with the idea that runes “belong” to people of a particular ancestry, or that ancestry gives a special ability. That idea comes from the völkisch and Nazi history described on runes and misuse, and it is still used by groups who use Heathenry to promote racism. It also does not fit the evidence. The runes were carved by many peoples who mixed, traded and migrated over centuries.

Most Heathen organizations are inclusive and welcome anyone drawn to the gods. In the US, The Troth’s rules forbid discrimination by race, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Many groups have signed Declaration 127, a public statement against racism in Heathenry. I stand with that inclusive position: your family history may give you a reason to love the runes, but no one owns them by blood.

Readings for others: consent and limits

Modern Sooner or later someone will ask you for a reading. The same principles apply as in tarot reading, which I cover at more length in The Novice’s Guide to Tarot.

• Read only for people who ask. Reading about someone who has not asked is a kind of spying.
• Keep the question on the person in front of you. “What can I understand about my part in this?” rather than “What is my partner hiding?”
• No medical, legal or financial decisions. Runes can help someone reflect on how they feel. They cannot replace professional advice.
• No predictions of death, illness or disaster. Telling someone such things are coming can cause great harm.
• Be honest about what a reading is: a modern reflective practice, not an ancient guaranteed method.
• Respect privacy. What someone tells you stays with you.
• Money. If you ever charge, do not promise outcomes, and learn the consumer and fortune-telling rules where you live.

Tattoos, jewelry and public symbols

Before you wear a rune, ask four questions:

1. Is it correct? Writing a name in runes is trickier than it looks. Check any runic text with at least two reliable sources, and check a tattoo stencil against your own careful version.
2. How will others read it? A few runes in stylized forms are used by hate groups. Choose historical forms and check every design in a reliable hate-symbol reference.
3. Is it what you think it is? The Vegvísir and the helm of awe are early modern Icelandic magical staves, not runes. The Wolfsangel and the “Black Sun” are not runes either.
4. Will you still want it? Live with a design on paper or as a temporary tattoo for at least three months first.

Mental health and divination

Divination can be gentle and helpful. For a few people at certain times, it can feed anxiety. Rune reading may not be helping you if you cannot make ordinary decisions without a reading, you draw again and again because you dislike the answer, readings leave you more frightened, you spend hours a day on them, or you start to feel the runes are sending you urgent messages everywhere or that others are plotting against you. If any of these apply, stop for a while and talk to someone you trust, and for the last ones, a doctor or mental health professional. These experiences are common and treatable. During grief, a breakup or a health scare, it can be wise to take a break or keep readings to gentle reflection.

Getting help. If you are in immediate danger, contact local emergency services (112 in much of Europe, 911 in the US and Canada). For crisis support that is not an emergency, use a local crisis line or a trusted person. As examples: in the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans at 116 123; in Finland, MIELI Mental Health Finland’s crisis line at 09 2525 0111. Practice can always wait while you get practical help.

Respecting stones, sites and objects

Runic monuments are fragile, irreplaceable and protected by law in most countries.

• Look, do not touch. Oils and salt from hands damage stone and paint.
• Do not chalk, paint or make rubbings. Leave that to conservators.
• Do not climb or lean on a stone for a photo.
• Leave nothing behind: no candles, food or coins.
• Do not buy “ancient” runic objects. They may be fake, stolen or illegally excavated. In many countries finds must be reported and metal detecting is regulated.

Safety with materials and tools

If you make your own set: carve away from your body with a sharp tool, sand outdoors or with good ventilation and a fine-dust mask, and never use yew, because every part of it except the red flesh around the seed is poisonous. Use nontoxic paints, and never use blood, whatever the sagas say. Keep tools and small pieces away from young children and pets.

Runes and children

Many children love writing secret messages in runes, and it teaches them that writing has a history. Keep it age-appropriate: the alphabet, history and craft. Leave divination to adults, or present it as a game of reflection, never as fortune-telling that could frighten a child. If you are under 18, do not hide your rune practice from the safe adults responsible for you, and keep carving tools, wood-burners and tattoos for later.

Your own ground rules

Before you begin, write three to seven rules for yourself in your journal, for example: “I read only for people who ask.” “I do not use runes for medical or money decisions.” “I label modern ideas as modern.” “I check every design before I display it.” Add one about respect and one about when you will take a break. Sign and date the page, and look at it again in a month.