Misuse, ethics and your ground rules

In this lesson: how runes were misused from 1902 to today, Heathenry as a living religion, readings for others and your own ground rules.

The runes have an uncomfortable modern chapter, and a good teacher does not skip it. Knowing it calmly is the best protection against it, and it means the runes do not have to be surrendered to the people who misuse them. This lesson covers that history in words only, then turns to how to work with runes respectfully, and ends with your own ground rules.

Scholars, patriots and a vision

Later tradition In seventeenth-century Sweden, runes became evidence of national greatness. Johannes Bureus recorded runestones, published a runic primer in 1611 and built an esoteric system of his own. In the nineteenth century, runology became a serious discipline while völkisch ideas grew around it.

In 1902 the Austrian writer Guido von List, temporarily blind after a cataract operation, said the secret of the runes had been revealed to him. He created a new row of eighteen “Armanen” runes, published as Das Geheimnis der Runen in 1908. It is not a historical alphabet, and several later Nazi emblems came from List’s row rather than from the ancient futhark.

How runology became a science

Historical Alongside the mystics, careful scholars were building the study of runes on evidence. Wilhelm Grimm, one of the brothers known for fairy tales, published a study of runes, Über deutsche Runen, in 1821. In the 1870s and 1880s the Danish scholar Ludvig Wimmer showed that the 24-rune row was older than the 16-rune Viking Age row, not a later expansion, which set the chronology we still use.

Norwegian, Swedish and Danish scholars began the great national editions of inscriptions, which are still the reference works today. It is worth knowing that the solid knowledge in this course comes from this patient tradition, and that it grew at the same time as the fantasies, often in the same countries.

Misuse, then and now

Later tradition The SS emblem, two angular s-runes, was designed in 1933 by an SS member, Walter Heck, from List’s “sig” rune. Othala and Algiz were also used in the insignia of Nazi organizations. None of this has anything to do with the people who carved the Vimose comb or the Bryggen love notes.

Modern Some hate groups still misuse a few runic shapes, mainly stylized Othala, Algiz and doubled Sowilo, and two symbols that are not runes at all: the Wolfsangel and the so-called Black Sun. Context is everything. An Othala in a museum, a place name or a Heathen’s practice is not a hate symbol. The same shape beside extremist emblems or slogans is. In Germany, section 86a of the Criminal Code bans the symbols of unconstitutional organizations, including the SS emblem. It names no individual rune, and the same shape in another context may be legal.

The New Age revival and modern Heathenry

Modern Rune divination as most people know it began in 1982 with Ralph Blum’s The Book of Runes, sold with a bag of tiles. Blum drew on the I Ching for the spirit of his meanings, reordered the runes and added a blank tile, “Odin’s rune”, which has no historical basis. For many people today, runes are also part of a living religion.

In Iceland, the Ásatrúarfélagið was founded in 1972 and is officially recognized. In the United States, The Troth, founded in 1987, forbids discrimination by race, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Many Heathen and pagan groups have signed Declaration 127, named after Hávamál stanza 127, refusing to associate with racist Heathenry. I stand with that inclusive position. The runes belonged to many peoples over many centuries, and no one owns them by blood.

Respect in practice

You do not need to be Heathen to use runes, but respect asks a few things: speak of the gods as you would of any living faith, do not claim authority you do not have, listen to Heathen voices and label your practice as modern. Your heritage may give you a reason to love the runes. It does not give you ownership of them.

If you read for others, read only for people who ask, and never about someone who has not. No medical, legal or financial decisions, and no predictions of death, illness or disaster. Before a tattoo or jewelry, check the spelling with two reliable sources, check the design against a hate-symbol reference, choose historical forms, and live with it on paper for three months. The Vegvísir and the helm of awe are early modern Icelandic staves, not runes. Children can love runes as an alphabet and craft. Leave divination to adults.

Context checks, step by step

Modern When you see a rune in the wild, on a shirt, a flag, a tattoo or a logo, a few questions help you read it fairly. What else is in the image: slogans, numbers, other symbols? Is the rune in a historical form, or stylized in a way associated with a group?

Who is showing it, and what do they say about it? Is it a place name, a brand, a museum or a Heathen community? Most of the time the answer is innocent. When it is not, you have described it accurately without panic. Reference tools such as the ADL Hate Symbols Database, and in Europe material from national bodies that monitor extremism, can help.

Legal notes in brief

Modern Laws differ by country. In Germany, section 86a of the Criminal Code forbids publicly using symbols of unconstitutional organizations, which includes the SS emblem and other Nazi insignia; ordinary runes in historical and educational contexts are not banned. Many other European countries have rules against hate speech or symbols used to incite hatred. If you plan to display runic designs in public or sell them, check the law where you live and avoid forms associated with extremist groups.

Five questions for any rune source

Before you trust a book, website or video about runes, ask five questions.

1. Does it name its sources, such as the rune poems, Tacitus or the Eddas, and quote them accurately?
2. Does it separate what is historical from what is modern interpretation?
3. Does it present any meaning, ritual or system as ancient without evidence?
4. Does it use symbols that are linked to hate groups, and if so, does it explain that history honestly?
5. Does it respect living Heathen communities rather than speaking over them?

A source does not have to be academic to be good. Many modern practice books are warm and useful. The ones worth keeping are clear about which parts are their author’s own.

A worked example: a pendant online

Imagine someone sees a pendant sold as an “ancient Viking protection rune”. She checks the symbol and finds it is a modern design, not a historical rune at all. She does not need to feel foolish or angry. She notes it in her journal as a modern symbol, decides whether she still likes it, and keeps looking for pieces that describe themselves honestly.

Questions beginners ask

Is it safe to wear a rune pendant? Usually, yes. Choose historical forms, avoid stylized versions linked to extremist groups and be ready to explain your choice in a sentence.

Am I appropriating a religion if I use runes? Runes are an alphabet, used by many peoples, and you do not need to belong to a religion to study or use them. Respect matters: speak of Heathen gods and practices accurately and kindly, and do not claim authority you do not have.

What should I do if someone uses runes to promote hate? Do not engage in arguments online with people promoting hate. Report content on the platform, support inclusive communities and, if there is a threat, contact the police.

Myths to drop: Runes are not Nazi symbols. Guido von List’s row is not ancient. And there is no single “authentic” way to use runes today; there are historical facts and many modern practices.

A second worked example: a group logo

Imagine someone joins a walking club that wants to use a rune in its logo. She suggests Raidho, “ride, journey”. She checks the shape against the hate-symbol database, finds nothing problematic, and confirms that it is written in a plain historical form. She also suggests a short line on the club’s website explaining the rune’s meaning and history. The club adopts it, and members like being able to explain it.

A worked example

Imagine someone who wants an Algiz pendant. She looks it up and writes: “Most of the time, this rune is the z-rune, linked in the English poem with elk-sedge. It becomes a problem when it is stylized as a ‘life rune’ logo.” She chooses a plain historical form and writes the two sentences she would say if asked.

Her ground rules read: “I read only for people who ask. No money or medical decisions. I label modern ideas as modern. I speak of Heathenry with respect. I check every design before I wear it. I take a week off if readings make me anxious.” She signs and dates the page.

Try this

Write “My ground rules for working with runes” and the date. Add three to seven short rules, including one about respect and one about when you will take a break. Then do one symbol check: look up one rune in the ADL Hate Symbols Database and finish the sentences “Most of the time, this rune is…” and “It becomes a problem when…”. Read your rules aloud and sign them.

Recap

Modern rune mysticism grew from Gothicism, Romanticism and Guido von List’s invented row of 1902, which fed into Nazi emblems. A few runes and some non-runes are still misused, and context decides. Rune divination as most know it began in 1982. Heathenry is a living, mostly inclusive religion. Read only with consent, check designs before displaying them, and write rules that keep your practice kind.

What next

Press “Mark as done” and continue with The first aett: Fehu to Wunjo. For more, see my guides to misused symbols and rune ethics.

Further reading: Mattias Gardell, Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism (Duke University Press, 2003), for the darker modern history, and Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, The Occult Roots of Nazism (1985).

Sources

• Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, The Occult Roots of Nazism (Wellingborough: Aquarian Press, 1985).
• Michael P. Barnes, Runes: A Handbook (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2012).
• Anti-Defamation League, Hate Symbols Database (online).

Go deeper: the runes pages on this site

Mark as done