Runes and Magic: Magical Formulaic Elements in the Older Runic Tradition

by Stephen E. Flowers

From the beginnings of the scientific study of runes, questions concerning their magical nature have been raised. In this book Stephen Flowers puts this question in the context of current theories of magic for the first time. He approaches problems of runes and their connection to magical thinking from a structural standpoint based on linguistic models of communication. Certain formulas are isolated and analysed as to the possible ways in which they could be considered «magical» within the context of general conceptions of magic in archaic Germanic culture. Flowers'analysis of the runic evidence from the perspective of current theories of magic and the history of writing systems brings us a good measure closer to a comprehensive answer to the riddle of the runes.

Genres: Spirituality, Magic

457 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

American Runologist and proponent of occultism and Germanic mysticism.

Flowers is an advocate of "Esoteric Runology" or "Odinism", an occultist version of Germanic Neopaganism

Flowers has graduated in Germanic and Celtic philology.

Reviews

[Jack The Heathen Castellano · Rating 4 out of 5]

While definitely influenced by late 1990s occult thinking, this book still represents the definitive resource on the history, meaning, and informed speculation on the use of the Runes.

[Joseph F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike his over the top metaphysical books on runes, (under his pseudonym Edred Thorsson), this is a book on rune magic based on hard evidence. No wonder, this is his doctoral dissertation. No fooling around.Flowers explains basic principles of magic, then goes on to show how the rune master, using certain consistent formulas of address, goes on to effect change in his environment magically by carving runes and coloring them. The rune master has an arsenal of certain words of power and runic formulas at his disposal.
The down side of this book, is, like I said, that it's a dissertation! It can be tedious reading at times, and since a large part of runic studies is linguistic, expect a huge amount of technical grammatical terms as genitive, , substantive, preterite and participle.
But if you can wade through that, it's a work far better than what you will find in the New Age section of a bookstore.

[Äsruþr Cyneaþsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the pinnacle of academic studies of runes and magic. It perhaps contributed to the decline of Flowers' academic career, yet its value to the scholar of the runes is unprecedented. It is entirely possible to study nothing beyond the pages of this book and yet have an immense understanding and knowledge of the runes in terms of both history and application. It is hard reading, yet like all things which may be difficult, you will find the treasure.

[Wulf Grimsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complex but important work on the runes