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Helrunar.
Rare Book
394 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 1, 2011
Although the book starts off on a high note and Jan Fries' writing style is both gripping and entertaining and there are some useful bits of information in there such as the chapter on Runic Yoga, unfortunately the author loses me with the constant repetition of a grave error... namely Odin teaching Seidr to Freyja as anyone with even the most rudimentary grasp of lore would know that it was, in fact, the other way round. I have heard reports that this error is constantly repeated in other works by Jan Fries so I doubt I will be purchasing any more of his works.
The attempts to marry the Runes with the Qabalah... well. I like to think of myself as reasonably open minded with such things and I would happily accept that the runes, like the Qabalah, are a roadmap of the soul and a guide to the workings of the inner world etc but that is very much where the similarity ends as the Runes (Just as the Qabalah is) are an incredibly culturally specific system. Seems that Jan Fries dropped the ball halfway through this tome in an attempt to appease the "Universalist" perspective which is so popular in these modern times yet, in my opinion, ultimately worthless.
The section on sigil magick is not bad but, again, I would urge people interested in that particular field to check out the works of A O Spare or, if they are a little too obscure, the writings of Peter Carroll and Phil Hine as you will get more "Bang for your buck" from them than you will from Helrunar.
This book is not terrible and I don't regret buying it as, with a little ingenuity and an awful lot of mental editing I am sure there are some gems of information that would be of use to the student of magick although a beginner could do an awful lot better as there is a danger that they could find themselves stuck down one of the many pointless cul-de-sacs Fries seems intent on sending them down and end up wasting a lot of valuable time and energy.... as well as adding a few nasty experiences to their story.
On the strength of the Runic Yoga section (Something not covered by many books), I give this book Two stars but wouldn't necessarily recommend this to anyone.
The attempts to marry the Runes with the Qabalah... well. I like to think of myself as reasonably open minded with such things and I would happily accept that the runes, like the Qabalah, are a roadmap of the soul and a guide to the workings of the inner world etc but that is very much where the similarity ends as the Runes (Just as the Qabalah is) are an incredibly culturally specific system. Seems that Jan Fries dropped the ball halfway through this tome in an attempt to appease the "Universalist" perspective which is so popular in these modern times yet, in my opinion, ultimately worthless.
The section on sigil magick is not bad but, again, I would urge people interested in that particular field to check out the works of A O Spare or, if they are a little too obscure, the writings of Peter Carroll and Phil Hine as you will get more "Bang for your buck" from them than you will from Helrunar.
This book is not terrible and I don't regret buying it as, with a little ingenuity and an awful lot of mental editing I am sure there are some gems of information that would be of use to the student of magick although a beginner could do an awful lot better as there is a danger that they could find themselves stuck down one of the many pointless cul-de-sacs Fries seems intent on sending them down and end up wasting a lot of valuable time and energy.... as well as adding a few nasty experiences to their story.
On the strength of the Runic Yoga section (Something not covered by many books), I give this book Two stars but wouldn't necessarily recommend this to anyone.
July 13, 2013
For me this book could be the end all. Yet I would recommend some simpler books for beginners just working with the runes. After you have read some others you will find that this one is one of the best.Jan Fries breaks through the dogma and forced patterns that bind most magicians and stifle their creativity. He tells you to find your own way whick is just as valid as any of the traditional ways. Gods bless the freethinkers like him who liberate our minds. Jan Fries is one magician who believes that the deities are reflections of the deep mind or our subconscious. Our magic must reflect this.
Jan Fries knows his stuff. HE has done the research and yet he is both humble enough and knowledgeable enough to know that what he has printed is subject to change. New research comes about that disproves the old. Many old research techniques are flawed. Science is based on as much faith as religion is with just about as much accuracy. The tastiest part of this book is the man's overview of history. He gives it straight no dogma or ideological constraints.
The book covers a broad history of Europe and then goes into several exercises to enhance our magical and spiritual abilities. At the end there is a sort of glossary describing the runes. The description gives us the runes, their meaning, the rune poem statement and the body posture associated with it. Jan Fries is a believer in ecstatic dancing to reach gnosis and his approach is very Chaos Magick.
Early man survived some pretty tough vicissitudes in ice age Europe. They were nomadic and forced to hunt large animals. They lived in small family units. Homo Habilis was a lot more advanced then they were given credit for. They hunted in packs, had tools and were well organized. After the Ice Age many of the power animals went further north. There were some people who followed them and others who stayed behind. Those who stayed behind became more sedentary agriculturalists. Neanderthals came about or were existing along side them for several hundred to maybe thousands of years. The Neanderthals had burial rights and were aware of or had the concept of the soul. Caves seem to have been used for religious purposes. Several drawings indicate Shamanistic behavior. Later on came the Cro-Magnon who is said to have wiped out the Neanderthal. Of course new research is showing that they lived side by side and maybe even interbred with each other. The Cromagnon had a lot to learn about survival from the Neanderthal.
Religion went through many changes. The Early men believed in power animals an totems. later on they would believe in Gods. The Norse gods went through changes. For example Odin the all father to the Vikings started out as Wotan a storm god. He would later evolve into a god of ecstatic trance. Tyr the one handed God who subdued Fenris started out as a bisexual or dual sexual god named Tuisto who bore Mannus. Later he would evolve into a male. Odin's original wife was Freya as the myths evolved. His wife would change to Hela and then finally to Frigga. Hela was an underworld Goddess who was charged with running the world of the dead.
History is not so clear cut as to who were the Celts and who were the Germanic tribes. There was no real unified religion among the groups and many customs were similar between the Celts and Germans. It is speculated that they came from Indo-European tribes that originated in Central Europe. For the invading Romans it was hard to tell the two apart. More Germans tended to be concentrated in then north and the further north you went the more isolated and independent they became.
The techniques covered in the books go over divination, using runes for magic , chanting and body postures. There is a lot of interdisciplinary input to this as the author pulls from Ceremonial Magic techniques, Chaos magick techniques and far eastern mediation techniques. For the intermediate to advanced practitioner you will find this book a worthy addition to your library. The end got a little bit slow but other then that this book is an awesome read.
Jan Fries knows his stuff. HE has done the research and yet he is both humble enough and knowledgeable enough to know that what he has printed is subject to change. New research comes about that disproves the old. Many old research techniques are flawed. Science is based on as much faith as religion is with just about as much accuracy. The tastiest part of this book is the man's overview of history. He gives it straight no dogma or ideological constraints.
The book covers a broad history of Europe and then goes into several exercises to enhance our magical and spiritual abilities. At the end there is a sort of glossary describing the runes. The description gives us the runes, their meaning, the rune poem statement and the body posture associated with it. Jan Fries is a believer in ecstatic dancing to reach gnosis and his approach is very Chaos Magick.
Early man survived some pretty tough vicissitudes in ice age Europe. They were nomadic and forced to hunt large animals. They lived in small family units. Homo Habilis was a lot more advanced then they were given credit for. They hunted in packs, had tools and were well organized. After the Ice Age many of the power animals went further north. There were some people who followed them and others who stayed behind. Those who stayed behind became more sedentary agriculturalists. Neanderthals came about or were existing along side them for several hundred to maybe thousands of years. The Neanderthals had burial rights and were aware of or had the concept of the soul. Caves seem to have been used for religious purposes. Several drawings indicate Shamanistic behavior. Later on came the Cro-Magnon who is said to have wiped out the Neanderthal. Of course new research is showing that they lived side by side and maybe even interbred with each other. The Cromagnon had a lot to learn about survival from the Neanderthal.
Religion went through many changes. The Early men believed in power animals an totems. later on they would believe in Gods. The Norse gods went through changes. For example Odin the all father to the Vikings started out as Wotan a storm god. He would later evolve into a god of ecstatic trance. Tyr the one handed God who subdued Fenris started out as a bisexual or dual sexual god named Tuisto who bore Mannus. Later he would evolve into a male. Odin's original wife was Freya as the myths evolved. His wife would change to Hela and then finally to Frigga. Hela was an underworld Goddess who was charged with running the world of the dead.
History is not so clear cut as to who were the Celts and who were the Germanic tribes. There was no real unified religion among the groups and many customs were similar between the Celts and Germans. It is speculated that they came from Indo-European tribes that originated in Central Europe. For the invading Romans it was hard to tell the two apart. More Germans tended to be concentrated in then north and the further north you went the more isolated and independent they became.
The techniques covered in the books go over divination, using runes for magic , chanting and body postures. There is a lot of interdisciplinary input to this as the author pulls from Ceremonial Magic techniques, Chaos magick techniques and far eastern mediation techniques. For the intermediate to advanced practitioner you will find this book a worthy addition to your library. The end got a little bit slow but other then that this book is an awesome read.
Read
December 17, 2008Excellent manual of practical rune magic
April 21, 2009
One of the best books on runes and runic shamanism
Read
July 18, 2022This book feels like two books condensed into one:
A historical book about runes and pagan culture: this is the weakest part of the book, Fries already knew that within a few decades this part would have been mostly, if not completely obsolete. And he was right. Only a few interesting things here and there, and some curiosities and speculations populate pages upon pages of outdated historical info. I have been told that in the new addition he fixed and updated some things. I read the old edition.
Then there is the other part:
A brilliant psychology book, critiquing some forms of over-intellectual therapy, favouring some more screaming, agitating, dancing ones. Discussing the ego relationship with the self, the breaking and surrender of the ego to the self, the nature of spirits, and neurosis (physical armour). This is the best part in my opinion. Showing how one could go from a rigid and egocentric practice to a more fluid and natural one.
The only real bone that I have to pick with the author is his opinion on astral projection. But I have been told that he treated the subject in his next book Seidways.
A historical book about runes and pagan culture: this is the weakest part of the book, Fries already knew that within a few decades this part would have been mostly, if not completely obsolete. And he was right. Only a few interesting things here and there, and some curiosities and speculations populate pages upon pages of outdated historical info. I have been told that in the new addition he fixed and updated some things. I read the old edition.
Then there is the other part:
A brilliant psychology book, critiquing some forms of over-intellectual therapy, favouring some more screaming, agitating, dancing ones. Discussing the ego relationship with the self, the breaking and surrender of the ego to the self, the nature of spirits, and neurosis (physical armour). This is the best part in my opinion. Showing how one could go from a rigid and egocentric practice to a more fluid and natural one.
The only real bone that I have to pick with the author is his opinion on astral projection. But I have been told that he treated the subject in his next book Seidways.
June 8, 2022
Most insighting and least straight forward books about runes out there, this should be kept at a history shelf all the time.
February 4, 2023
A very different approach to rune studies. Extremely informative and enlightening.
Read
June 18, 2015All over the place and full of revelations, though the scholarship needs to be taken with a grain of salt, I liked the spirit in which it was presented.
November 6, 2008
very good book,i highly recomend it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews