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Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism
This in-depth primer of the magic of the Northern Way introduces the major concepts and practices of Gothic or Germanic magic. English, German, Dutch, Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish peoples are all directly descended from this ancient Germanic cultural stock. According to author Edred Thorsson, if you are interested in living a holistic life with unity of body-mind-spirit, a key to knowing your spiritual heritage is found in the heritage of your body-in the natural features which you have inherited from your distant ancestors. Most readers of this book already "speak the language" of the Teutonic tradition. Northern Magic contains material that has never before been discussed in a practical way. This book outlines the ways of Northern magic and the character of the Northern magician. It explores the theories of traditional Northern psychology (or the lore of the soul) in some depth, as well as the religious tradition of the Troth and the whole Germanic theology. The remaining chapters make up a series of "mini-grimoires" on four basic magical techniques in the Northern Way: Younger Futhark rune magic, Icelandic galdor staves, Pennsylvania hex signs, and "seith" (or shamanism). This is an excellent overview of the Teutonic tradition that will interest neophytes as well as long-time travelers along the Northern Way.
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
43 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
About the author
Edred Thorsson
42 books90 followers
Stephen Edred Flowers
(born 1953) also known by the pen-name Edred Thorsson, is an American Runologist and proponent of occultism and Germanic mysticism. He has over two dozen published books and hundreds of published papers on a disparate range of subjects. Flowers advocates "Esoteric Runology" or "Odianism", an occultist version of Germanic Neopaganism.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 1, 2019
I was unsure if I should put this book into my ''fact'' shelf, for while there was a lot of information in this book, the author don't back any of it up with other books or data mentioning or meaning the same. Honestly, the whole thing read a little like an essay written by a 16 year old.
The book is titled ''Rune Mysteries and Shamanism'', but while the author gave over 100 pages to the runes, there were hardly 20 pages given to the shamanic element of it - which was sad, as that was what I wanted to read about, not the runes. Not to mention that instead of using space on what the book was supposed to be about, he started talking about another kind of rune-like magic from the US, as well as magic organisations through the ages.
It felt like a 16 year old had submerged himself in this one aspect of it all, then threw in something at last minute because it was supposed to be part of the essay.
Some other review has also mentioned trouble with the authors voice, and I have to say I agree.
While the writing in itself wasn't bad - I read through the whole thing in less than 2 days, which is pretty great for me - it was condecending, somehow. The way the author talked about any other belief system than runes or symbol magic made me think he was writing it with a sneer on his face. And don't get me started on female-strong magic. That was hardly mentioned, even if half the book was supposed to be about it!
So where does that leave the book?
Well, it was interesting if you want to know more about rune-magic, but be warned that the author don't back any of the information with other information than his own books.
Oh, on that note!
The author made a bunch of ''accusations'' in this book, or assumptions, but there was nothing to back it. Just his word flung into the wind.
So, yeah.
That leaves us with a book with a lot of info, but nothing backed.
I'm not sad I read it. I'm glad I bought it, for it was interesting reading, but I wouldn't feel safe using any of it in magic without researching it first, and that's what this book is supposed to do, not make me have to research the same stuff over again.
So, yeah. I'm a little disappointed and would warn others that this book isn't fact-based, or the author isn't.
Also, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm attacking the author here. That is not my intentions, but there is no other way to describe this book. It is interesting, but it doesn't feel like the proper work was put into it, and if that's the author or the publisher, I don't know, and so I blame the author (I know, that is bad!) but it should be the authors job to add proof of his assumptions.
The book is titled ''Rune Mysteries and Shamanism'', but while the author gave over 100 pages to the runes, there were hardly 20 pages given to the shamanic element of it - which was sad, as that was what I wanted to read about, not the runes. Not to mention that instead of using space on what the book was supposed to be about, he started talking about another kind of rune-like magic from the US, as well as magic organisations through the ages.
It felt like a 16 year old had submerged himself in this one aspect of it all, then threw in something at last minute because it was supposed to be part of the essay.
Some other review has also mentioned trouble with the authors voice, and I have to say I agree.
While the writing in itself wasn't bad - I read through the whole thing in less than 2 days, which is pretty great for me - it was condecending, somehow. The way the author talked about any other belief system than runes or symbol magic made me think he was writing it with a sneer on his face. And don't get me started on female-strong magic. That was hardly mentioned, even if half the book was supposed to be about it!
So where does that leave the book?
Well, it was interesting if you want to know more about rune-magic, but be warned that the author don't back any of the information with other information than his own books.
Oh, on that note!
The author made a bunch of ''accusations'' in this book, or assumptions, but there was nothing to back it. Just his word flung into the wind.
So, yeah.
That leaves us with a book with a lot of info, but nothing backed.
I'm not sad I read it. I'm glad I bought it, for it was interesting reading, but I wouldn't feel safe using any of it in magic without researching it first, and that's what this book is supposed to do, not make me have to research the same stuff over again.
So, yeah. I'm a little disappointed and would warn others that this book isn't fact-based, or the author isn't.
Also, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm attacking the author here. That is not my intentions, but there is no other way to describe this book. It is interesting, but it doesn't feel like the proper work was put into it, and if that's the author or the publisher, I don't know, and so I blame the author (I know, that is bad!) but it should be the authors job to add proof of his assumptions.
April 5, 2023
A ‘POINT OF ENTRY’ INTO THE STUDY AND PRACTICE OF GERMANIC RELIGIONS
Author Edred Thorsson wrote in the Preface to the Second Edition of this 1992 book, “As originally conceived, ‘[this book] was simply to be a brief survey and introduction to a wide variety of Germanic spiritual and magical traditions… it was created as a concisely written point of entry into a number of disciplines which had never before been discussed in any practical way in any book… It boldly enters new areas---Icelandic galdor-stave magic, Pennsylvania Dutch hex-magic, Scandinavian seith---and does so in a way that is precise and accessible.”
He adds in the Introduction to the original edition, “We live in an age where that which is HOLISTIC and NATURAL is understood and sought more than ever. People want to live in harmony with nature, to understand the unity of the ‘body-mind-spirit.’ … The pathway to these goals has, however, been severely obstructed…. But, as we so often see in this universe, the secret---the RUNE---to their liberation has come from without… a key to knowledge concerning your spiritual heritage is to be found in the ‘heritage’ of your body… your own most natural, most intuitive path is an ANCESTRAL path… if we want this for ourselves … we must find it WITHIN OURSELVES… We can learn a great deal from other traditions---but from a holistic viewpoint they remain something outside ourselves.” (Pg. xii-xiii)
He explains in the first chapter, “From ancient times the Teutons have been known as a group of people who speak the Germanic group of languages… the terms ‘Teutonic’ and ‘Germanic’ mean the same thing… The Teutons not only had a tradition of religion and mythology unique to themselves… but they also had a unique magical system which has survived in various forms---most notably rune magic.” (Pg. 1-2)
He continues, “In the elder days there were many more sources of the tradition, but the Christian missionaries destroyed many of them. The chief target of their hatred seems to have been the teachings and traditions surrounding the Goddess Freya, whose poetry and songs… were singled out for utter obliteration. The traditions which survived the best were those connected to the god Woden… This circumstance is somewhat responsible for the misguided assumption that the Teutonic tradition is a male-dominated one. This is not especially true; it is just a matter of what has been able to survive in the written tradition. Now is the time to revive fully the elder ways of the goddess Freyja.” (Pg. 3)
He recounts, “the first great branch of the Northern Way is TROTH. Troth is the way in which an explorer … relates to the Gods and Goddesses and to the cultural traditions of the folk in a true or loyal way. It is what might best be called the religious tradition within the Northern Way. The main purpose of the Troth is to find the right ways of doing and being, and harmonizing yourself with those ways in order to bring harmony and truth into your life. But the Troth is a somewhat free-form religion very much suited to our present day. There are no dogmas, no holy writ, and therefore no ‘heresies’ possible in the true religion… The main technology for pursuing the Troth comes in the form of learning about the culture, history, and mythology of your ancestors and applying this knowledge in the form of ritual blessings performed at symbolically important times during the cycle of the year… But it is not enough merely to learn about these things… The older ways have survived in us precisely because and ancients applied their hidden knowledge in the form of ritual workings.” (Pg. 12-14)
He suggests, “The Gods and Goddesses of the North are not dead and forgotten forms. As long as their folk, their actual descendants, live in flesh and blood in Midgard, their being will be present. They are not dead, merely forgotten by most of their folk They only await their true remembering to reawaken them in the hearts and minds of their folk.” (Pg. 27)
He outlines, “The Northern mysteries are firmly rooted in the essence of the Germanic mythical tradition or ‘religion.’ This religion is variously known as Odinism…as Ásatrú… or simply and most straightforwardly as the Troth. The term ‘Troth’ … means ‘faith,’ or … ‘loyalty.’ Those who are true are simply loyal to the Gods and Goddesses, to the ways of their own ancestors.” (Pg. 41)
He recounts, “At the close of the 1960s, there was a worldwide upsurge of interest in the Teutonic religious traditions… In England, the Odinic Rite was founded, which was for a long time the chief exponent of the Teutonic Troth in the British Isles. In this country there was the Ásatrú Free Assembly, which was ‘decentralized’ and disbanded in the mid-1980s. This was not due to a lack of interest, but rather to an overabundance of chaotic influences. As a traditional synthesis of the multi-formed spirituality of the Germanic peoples, there has arisen in this country a religious body known as the Ring of Troth… which is a legally recognized ‘church’ in the United States…” (Pg. 43)
He explains, “the word ‘rune’ … does not mean ‘letter’ of ‘character’ but rather a ‘secret’ or ‘mystery.’… Systems of runes are not first and foremost systems of ‘letters’ in the profane sense, but rather systems of secrets of mysteries… the word has two different edges---an active one, which can cause changes to occur through the power of the voice, and one which exhorts to an eternal quest, a seeking of answers even to seemingly imponderable questions.” (Pg. 59)
He says, “Working with magical signs or galdor-staves… is one of the most fascinating areas of Northern magic, yet it is one of the least understood or written about. These signs probably have some of their origins in the obscure pre0tunic period, but some have remained popular, at least as curiosity-raising symbols, among post-modern rock bands. For example, the British band Psychik TV used Icelandic magical signs on a couple of their albums in the late 1980s.” (Pg. 121)
He notes, “One of the basic areas of seith-work is soothsaying, which is just an archaic way of saying ‘truth-telling.’ This is a traditional form of divination or clairvoyance practiced from the most archaic times. Soothsaying is very different from divination by rune-casting because, in that craft, the analytical part of the mind is used to gain access to the whole realm beyond… whereas with soothsaying a more direct mode of access to actual beings or entities beyond the rational mind is attempted directly. Interaction with the beings… is extremely ancient among the Germanic peoples. Belief in these beings certainly has one of its roots in the cult of Northern ancestor worship and another root in the lore of the demigods who were attached to certain great or powerful persons, or were the entities responsible for assisting in the teaching of arcane crafts.” (Pg. 172-173)
He states, “Because the Gods and Goddesses of the elder Troth are not separate or alienated from our flesh and blood, as long as that flesh endures, so shall they endure. They may sleep or slimber---or perhaps better said we can lose consciousness of them---but THEY CANNOT DIE. For this reason it is somewhat false to speak of a revival---it is really more of an awakening.” (Pg. 193)
This book will be of interest to those researching ancient ‘pagan’ religions, and their modern interpretations.
Author Edred Thorsson wrote in the Preface to the Second Edition of this 1992 book, “As originally conceived, ‘[this book] was simply to be a brief survey and introduction to a wide variety of Germanic spiritual and magical traditions… it was created as a concisely written point of entry into a number of disciplines which had never before been discussed in any practical way in any book… It boldly enters new areas---Icelandic galdor-stave magic, Pennsylvania Dutch hex-magic, Scandinavian seith---and does so in a way that is precise and accessible.”
He adds in the Introduction to the original edition, “We live in an age where that which is HOLISTIC and NATURAL is understood and sought more than ever. People want to live in harmony with nature, to understand the unity of the ‘body-mind-spirit.’ … The pathway to these goals has, however, been severely obstructed…. But, as we so often see in this universe, the secret---the RUNE---to their liberation has come from without… a key to knowledge concerning your spiritual heritage is to be found in the ‘heritage’ of your body… your own most natural, most intuitive path is an ANCESTRAL path… if we want this for ourselves … we must find it WITHIN OURSELVES… We can learn a great deal from other traditions---but from a holistic viewpoint they remain something outside ourselves.” (Pg. xii-xiii)
He explains in the first chapter, “From ancient times the Teutons have been known as a group of people who speak the Germanic group of languages… the terms ‘Teutonic’ and ‘Germanic’ mean the same thing… The Teutons not only had a tradition of religion and mythology unique to themselves… but they also had a unique magical system which has survived in various forms---most notably rune magic.” (Pg. 1-2)
He continues, “In the elder days there were many more sources of the tradition, but the Christian missionaries destroyed many of them. The chief target of their hatred seems to have been the teachings and traditions surrounding the Goddess Freya, whose poetry and songs… were singled out for utter obliteration. The traditions which survived the best were those connected to the god Woden… This circumstance is somewhat responsible for the misguided assumption that the Teutonic tradition is a male-dominated one. This is not especially true; it is just a matter of what has been able to survive in the written tradition. Now is the time to revive fully the elder ways of the goddess Freyja.” (Pg. 3)
He recounts, “the first great branch of the Northern Way is TROTH. Troth is the way in which an explorer … relates to the Gods and Goddesses and to the cultural traditions of the folk in a true or loyal way. It is what might best be called the religious tradition within the Northern Way. The main purpose of the Troth is to find the right ways of doing and being, and harmonizing yourself with those ways in order to bring harmony and truth into your life. But the Troth is a somewhat free-form religion very much suited to our present day. There are no dogmas, no holy writ, and therefore no ‘heresies’ possible in the true religion… The main technology for pursuing the Troth comes in the form of learning about the culture, history, and mythology of your ancestors and applying this knowledge in the form of ritual blessings performed at symbolically important times during the cycle of the year… But it is not enough merely to learn about these things… The older ways have survived in us precisely because and ancients applied their hidden knowledge in the form of ritual workings.” (Pg. 12-14)
He suggests, “The Gods and Goddesses of the North are not dead and forgotten forms. As long as their folk, their actual descendants, live in flesh and blood in Midgard, their being will be present. They are not dead, merely forgotten by most of their folk They only await their true remembering to reawaken them in the hearts and minds of their folk.” (Pg. 27)
He outlines, “The Northern mysteries are firmly rooted in the essence of the Germanic mythical tradition or ‘religion.’ This religion is variously known as Odinism…as Ásatrú… or simply and most straightforwardly as the Troth. The term ‘Troth’ … means ‘faith,’ or … ‘loyalty.’ Those who are true are simply loyal to the Gods and Goddesses, to the ways of their own ancestors.” (Pg. 41)
He recounts, “At the close of the 1960s, there was a worldwide upsurge of interest in the Teutonic religious traditions… In England, the Odinic Rite was founded, which was for a long time the chief exponent of the Teutonic Troth in the British Isles. In this country there was the Ásatrú Free Assembly, which was ‘decentralized’ and disbanded in the mid-1980s. This was not due to a lack of interest, but rather to an overabundance of chaotic influences. As a traditional synthesis of the multi-formed spirituality of the Germanic peoples, there has arisen in this country a religious body known as the Ring of Troth… which is a legally recognized ‘church’ in the United States…” (Pg. 43)
He explains, “the word ‘rune’ … does not mean ‘letter’ of ‘character’ but rather a ‘secret’ or ‘mystery.’… Systems of runes are not first and foremost systems of ‘letters’ in the profane sense, but rather systems of secrets of mysteries… the word has two different edges---an active one, which can cause changes to occur through the power of the voice, and one which exhorts to an eternal quest, a seeking of answers even to seemingly imponderable questions.” (Pg. 59)
He says, “Working with magical signs or galdor-staves… is one of the most fascinating areas of Northern magic, yet it is one of the least understood or written about. These signs probably have some of their origins in the obscure pre0tunic period, but some have remained popular, at least as curiosity-raising symbols, among post-modern rock bands. For example, the British band Psychik TV used Icelandic magical signs on a couple of their albums in the late 1980s.” (Pg. 121)
He notes, “One of the basic areas of seith-work is soothsaying, which is just an archaic way of saying ‘truth-telling.’ This is a traditional form of divination or clairvoyance practiced from the most archaic times. Soothsaying is very different from divination by rune-casting because, in that craft, the analytical part of the mind is used to gain access to the whole realm beyond… whereas with soothsaying a more direct mode of access to actual beings or entities beyond the rational mind is attempted directly. Interaction with the beings… is extremely ancient among the Germanic peoples. Belief in these beings certainly has one of its roots in the cult of Northern ancestor worship and another root in the lore of the demigods who were attached to certain great or powerful persons, or were the entities responsible for assisting in the teaching of arcane crafts.” (Pg. 172-173)
He states, “Because the Gods and Goddesses of the elder Troth are not separate or alienated from our flesh and blood, as long as that flesh endures, so shall they endure. They may sleep or slimber---or perhaps better said we can lose consciousness of them---but THEY CANNOT DIE. For this reason it is somewhat false to speak of a revival---it is really more of an awakening.” (Pg. 193)
This book will be of interest to those researching ancient ‘pagan’ religions, and their modern interpretations.
February 15, 2017
I bought this book in 1992, long before I even had a computer (which I didn't get until 1996 lol Oh those dial up modem days!). So while people bash this book as irrelevant as one can just do a google search....well smartass, back in the day there was no google. Our google were books and the library haha So yes, I still value this book because I remember it from a time when it wasn't so easy to access information about the runes or the Nordic/Germanic spiritual/magickal belief systems.
I say this book is a good beginner book but continue to do your own research (go beyond google!). This book was revolutionary for its time as there were so few resources on this specific topic back then (at least where I am from, back then I was lucky to even have been able to get my hands on this book). Cross reference and ascertain for yourself what is credible within this book.
I say this book is a good beginner book but continue to do your own research (go beyond google!). This book was revolutionary for its time as there were so few resources on this specific topic back then (at least where I am from, back then I was lucky to even have been able to get my hands on this book). Cross reference and ascertain for yourself what is credible within this book.
July 21, 2021
The information in the book is good as far as it goes, but I wish there was more connecting material between the four sections.
It is not a handbook for beginners, but rather intended for those past the point of "Heathenry 101". Much of it was difficult and academic, but I think when I am further along in my studies I will appreciate the book more.
The title is; in my opinion, unfortunate since it rather implies that this is an introduction to Heathenry. It is definitely not an overview of Heathenry, but rather four unrelated theses on aspects of Heathenry.
It is not a handbook for beginners, but rather intended for those past the point of "Heathenry 101". Much of it was difficult and academic, but I think when I am further along in my studies I will appreciate the book more.
The title is; in my opinion, unfortunate since it rather implies that this is an introduction to Heathenry. It is definitely not an overview of Heathenry, but rather four unrelated theses on aspects of Heathenry.
August 10, 2012
It was a very informative book, as long as you were looking for Norse information; I am looking for Anglo-Saxon Northern Tradition. Still, it did point me in the correct direction and gave me some foundation. I would recommend it, but know you are primarily going to get Old Norse information.
November 23, 2007
Rune Magic,Bind Runes,Hex signs and trance work. Great intro to the Younger Futhark.
January 14, 2022
He is right wing :(
March 28, 2023
This is the first book I have read by Thorsson, and perhaps I am being unkind by this low rating, this was written in the early 90s when misinformation regarding Scandinavian spiritual practices was rife.
This book is very ill educated. The sources are rarely referenced, and when they are they are not primary sources but secondary sources highly biased by the wiccan movement. Where Thorsson lacks information, he fills in with 90s wiccan tropes or just makes things up.
The chapters are disjointed, and the writing often misleading.
However, there are pearls of wisdom to be found scattered throughout the book, but they require some searching for. Further, Thorsson bravely posits some ideas which today would be deemed "inappropriate", right wing, even nationalistic, and at worse zenophobic. However, it is written in a way that does not attempt to stigmatise and pointedly states how paganism has been "misused" by national socialism. This is a topic most writers would shy away from for fear of bad press, but he confronts it for the sake of Pagan cultural clarity.
I would only recommend this book to someone who has a good understanding of current Northern archaeological and scholarly findings and a basis of spiritual craftwork.
This book is very ill educated. The sources are rarely referenced, and when they are they are not primary sources but secondary sources highly biased by the wiccan movement. Where Thorsson lacks information, he fills in with 90s wiccan tropes or just makes things up.
The chapters are disjointed, and the writing often misleading.
However, there are pearls of wisdom to be found scattered throughout the book, but they require some searching for. Further, Thorsson bravely posits some ideas which today would be deemed "inappropriate", right wing, even nationalistic, and at worse zenophobic. However, it is written in a way that does not attempt to stigmatise and pointedly states how paganism has been "misused" by national socialism. This is a topic most writers would shy away from for fear of bad press, but he confronts it for the sake of Pagan cultural clarity.
I would only recommend this book to someone who has a good understanding of current Northern archaeological and scholarly findings and a basis of spiritual craftwork.
March 13, 2022
This was my first book I had ever purchased from Edred Thorsson.
At the time, like Ceremonial Magic, I wondered if I could ever
make such beautiful designs as pictured towards the end of the book.
The artwork there is worth buying this book, but alas that's not the meat
of it.
So many ideas were broached with this title. From the opening where he
spoke of his childhood experience that particularly stood out to me, sharing
something personable which enabled me to relate to him on a deeper level,
as far as one can from reading another's books at least.
Rune poems which would stick with me for years to come. Ideas of Seidr,
which seemed so romantic in a spiritual way to me even at the time.
I suppose it opened my mind to many possibilities, magic which I was
missing, yet seeking, and certainly finding in this book.
While I might be fonder of other titles he has written, that's true with
any author, but Northern Magic will always hold a special place in my heart
since it was the first real rune book I ever owned.
A very inspiring book and one certainly can't go wrong if you are interested
in learning about Younger Futhark runes. I would heartily recommend.
At the time, like Ceremonial Magic, I wondered if I could ever
make such beautiful designs as pictured towards the end of the book.
The artwork there is worth buying this book, but alas that's not the meat
of it.
So many ideas were broached with this title. From the opening where he
spoke of his childhood experience that particularly stood out to me, sharing
something personable which enabled me to relate to him on a deeper level,
as far as one can from reading another's books at least.
Rune poems which would stick with me for years to come. Ideas of Seidr,
which seemed so romantic in a spiritual way to me even at the time.
I suppose it opened my mind to many possibilities, magic which I was
missing, yet seeking, and certainly finding in this book.
While I might be fonder of other titles he has written, that's true with
any author, but Northern Magic will always hold a special place in my heart
since it was the first real rune book I ever owned.
A very inspiring book and one certainly can't go wrong if you are interested
in learning about Younger Futhark runes. I would heartily recommend.
February 1, 2024
Yeah I put the book down after Thorsson simplified Freyja to sex goddess.
This book lacks serious nuance. Freyja is more than just a love goddess, Odin is more than just a magician god, while white people might be drawn to paths of their ancestors that doesn't mean white people can only practice their ancestral paths or that non-white people can't practice Norse paganism, the gods are more than just Jungian divine archetypes, and on and on.
I never got to the actual runic magic section of the book but if the just first few chapters are riddled with this much misinformation then I doubt in the validity of the rest.
This book can best be described as Thorsson's UPG dumpings with white supremacy sprinkles. Because pro tip: if the book you're reading is claiming stuff as fact you haven't heard anyone else talk about, it's probably not :)
This book lacks serious nuance. Freyja is more than just a love goddess, Odin is more than just a magician god, while white people might be drawn to paths of their ancestors that doesn't mean white people can only practice their ancestral paths or that non-white people can't practice Norse paganism, the gods are more than just Jungian divine archetypes, and on and on.
I never got to the actual runic magic section of the book but if the just first few chapters are riddled with this much misinformation then I doubt in the validity of the rest.
This book can best be described as Thorsson's UPG dumpings with white supremacy sprinkles. Because pro tip: if the book you're reading is claiming stuff as fact you haven't heard anyone else talk about, it's probably not :)
September 20, 2020
This is a difficult book to review. Whilst well written, the rune interpretations seem to be largely based on the author's opinion and very little on archaeological evidence.
Additionally, the description of the book claims also to include details on Norse Shamanism - in reality only a single chapter is given over to the subject, and even then it is sparse.
Additionally, the description of the book claims also to include details on Norse Shamanism - in reality only a single chapter is given over to the subject, and even then it is sparse.
October 9, 2019
5 stars = one of my new favorites.
December 8, 2021
OK read.
May 26, 2023
Very informative! Written in a easy way to understand. Great read and I'll read it again.
October 9, 2024
Superb resource well written and very readable Has all the primers to begin your journey of Norse paganism
Seidr Galdr and runework
Recommended
Seidr Galdr and runework
Recommended
January 4, 2015
Not a horrible book, but not good enough to get 3 stars. A full review will be coming soon.
x Some basic fact-checking would have been nice.
x The author's tone grated on me. This is something I can usually overlook and don't normally consider (so I didn't count this against it in my star rating) but at times, it seemed very condescending. This is a personal preference, however.
x Good visuals to illustrate his points. Though basic, they did help.
x The bibliography is probably better than the book.
x The author makes some claims that I can't find any historical basis for.
x Some basic fact-checking would have been nice.
x The author's tone grated on me. This is something I can usually overlook and don't normally consider (so I didn't count this against it in my star rating) but at times, it seemed very condescending. This is a personal preference, however.
x Good visuals to illustrate his points. Though basic, they did help.
x The bibliography is probably better than the book.
x The author makes some claims that I can't find any historical basis for.
August 8, 2010
The first half of the book was a bit weak but there were interesting parts about Icelandic galdor staves and Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs. The last two chapters of the book, "The Germanic Role in the Western Tradition" and "The Revival of the Northern Way" were both good and helped to contextualize the Northern mysteries.
September 4, 2015
I read this book as research for writing my book, Runes for Beginners. This book had a system that clearly hung together for the author, but there were some undertones that were disconcerting and some terminology not found elsewhere. I'd recommend this book for informed readers who do their own fact-checking.
March 14, 2024
Slightly more information on the topic than I could find up to date.
The writing style is not a favourite BUT the information is good.
Would definitely suggest it if someone is curious about the topic.
I use this regularly :)
The writing style is not a favourite BUT the information is good.
Would definitely suggest it if someone is curious about the topic.
I use this regularly :)
Read
April 18, 2008this book covers a lot of ground. it sends time with a few of the northern disciplines. even has a bit on hex work.
September 27, 2008
A wide range of ideas and practices of norse and german old world religions.
October 5, 2008
Decent explanation of the Younger Futhark and an interesting chapter on PennaDutch symbolism.
June 2, 2010
Good overview. Nothing that you can't learn from good research on the internet. The bibliography is valuable as a jumping off point to reading other books.
February 21, 2013
Edred can be so controversial! For the most part, his lore is sound. This is his most basic intro book, authored as kind of a post script to his meatier works.
October 5, 2016
Not Thorsson's greatest work, yet it offers a fascinating overview of the runes and various evolved applications such as hex signs and house markings.
December 8, 2014
Re-Read Dec 2014
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