ALU, An Advanced Guide to Operative Runology

As a long-time Heathen and former rune reader with an academic background, I was seriously impressed by this book. Thorsson finally shakes off the Ceremonial Magick/Temple of Set influence that pervades his older work, and makes a serious effort to keep runecraft rooted in its Germanic context. Only a few problems keep ALU from earning a full five stars:First, my reader software (Kindle for PC) had trouble handling the special characters which Thorsson often uses to spell terms in ancient languages. When those characters accidentally broke up a word, or wouldn't enlarge with the rest of the text, I found it much harder to read.Second, ALU sometimes feels like a commercial for the Rune-Gild and/or Runa-Raven Press. Much of Thorsson's original research is available only through those channels; this discourages curious readers from checking the sources more closely.Third and last, Thorsson assumes that none of his audience will want to do runic work in a language other than English or Old Norse. That may well be true for _most_ of them; but at the risk of sounding snarky, I've written Modern Swedish (still Germanic!) in the Elder Futhark for years. (There are some early Norse inscriptions in Sweden that use the Elder version, so my choice isn't completely ahistorical.)Except for those relatively minor flaws, ALU does an outstanding job of explaining how Heathens should expect rune magic to work -- given the lore and inscriptions discovered so far. It never borrows from Hindu, Kabbalistic, or other unrelated traditions; and the tables actually summarize the main text. This book proves that mundane and magical runology don't have to conflict with each other.

Definitely worth the read! From one the most leading experts on runes today, comes new and great material for the advanced student. I have been practicing runes for 12 years now and have worked mostly out of Edred's books, so it is great that he has given us some new material to experiment with. This book Alu goes further to define the runes and how to awaken them with in the self. Also you get a better understanding of how to read the runes for divination. Most other authors try compare the runes to the tarot but the runes are runes not the tarot and should not be read in the same manner. That is one of the biggest frustrations with almost every author other on runes. They don't examine the tradition of Runelore and the Teutonic way which leads to them making up their own system. Edred shows his readers the true essence of the runes and how the were originally read and worked by Norsemen.

I liked the addition of the Anglo-Frisian Younger Futhork. I think the only problem I had with this book was the continual reference to Nine Doors of Midgard - which is very difficult to find if you're not interested in joining the Rune-Gild.This is definitely not a book to start studying the Runes with, but it does fit nicely in with his other books on Runes. I would recommend also finding a copy of his Mystery of the Goths and reading other books on the Germanic people in order to get a full context for studying the Runes.

In general I like all of Thorsson's work, and this is no exception. He is a master in the field and his contributions are always welcome. However, I found some of the appreciation between the Germanic and English rune systems a little mixed and lacking the emphasis I would have liked, particularly for the latter. Some of the insights are quite profound, but the work does tend to drift a little in the later stages.

Books by this author are always worth reading, even if I do not always agree with him. His approach is not as organic as my own, and many of his conclusions are not in line with my own, but his techniques are sound, and his information is both accurate and well documented. Even if you do not agree with the author,this book is worth the investment

Edred Thorsson probably knows more about this subject than any man alive, based on his sound academic background and his decades of experience. This volume is his latest distillation of the deep lore surrounding the actual use of the runes as tools.

I have the highest regard for Thorsson, who has written extensively and profoundly on the runes. If you're serious about studying runes, you have to read Thorsson. But I don't think this is one of his strongest efforts. While there are some useful new insights, I found much of the content to be reworkings of what Thorsson has written before. The book seemed rushed to me, as if written to fulfill a contract rather than resulting from passionate new insights. But it's still Thorsson and thus worth reading, and those with a limited background in runes will likely find this book particularly illuminating.

Perfect everything I asked for.

I have just completed my reading of Edred Thorsson`s latest work, Alu, An Advanced Guide To Operative Runology. Unlike any of his previous books this one focuses on an analysis of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, both individually as isolated Rune staves but also in `dryads`, pairings of the Runes which occur throughout the Futhorc.The book consists of just five chapters: Grounding in Knowledge, Lore of the Futhark, A Theory of Operative Runology, The Practice of Operative Runology and Rune Workings.Thorsson builds on his earliest work-Futhark but offers fresh insights. There are intriguing appendices on Runic Dryads, Triadic Rune-Names and Grail Mythos in Old English Runes? Practical advice is offered on creating Bind-Runes, Rune-Gazing and Spear-Casting.In addition to his very welcome focus on the use of the Anglo-Saxon Runes for the first time [which he says should be the first Futharc/Futhorc of choice when it comes to writing in modern or Old English] he also places Runic magical practice in an Indo-European context.I hope that Edred Thorsson/Dr Stephen Edred Flowers will continue to get his works published via new outlets now that Runa Raven press has ceased operations.

Ganz gezielt hatte ich nach einem ordentlichen Runenmagiebuch gesucht, das nicht auf den ewigen Grundlagen herumkaut. Hiermit bin ich definitiv fündig geworden! Einige Ansätze mag man vielleicht schon gekannt haben, aber das Werk überzeugt mich vor allem durch seine wissenschaftliche, präzise Herangehensweise, auch wenn diese Art der Wissenschaft noch nicht bei Jedem angekommen sein mag... Für mich als Archäologen ist die sprachwissenschaftliche Herangehensweise schon sehr spannend und eine andere, weniger gewohnte, Sichtweise der Dinge. Einige offene Fragen, die das Buch aufwirft kann man schamanisierend sehr gut klären... Auf jeden Fall habe ich hier ein anregendes Werk vor mir, das sicherlich nicht jedes Geheimnis offenlegt, aber durchaus Ansätze und Technik liefert, wo man tiefer gehen könnte. Das entspricht voll und ganz meinen Erwartungen!

En este libro el autor Edred Thorsson, expone de manera clara pero a profundidad la runología operativa avanzada, es decir todo lo que se puede llevar a cabo con las runas, las formas de como utilizarlas. El reconocido escritor cita como han sido empleadas las runas según los allasgos historicos, derivando de dichos descubrimientos las técnicas mágicas disponibles hoy en día con las runas. Otra aportación importante de este libro es que el autor expone los significados de otras runas (futhark anglo frisiano) que son difíciles de encontrar en otros textos.El presente libro se complementa perfectamente con "Futhark, a handbook of Rune Magic" otro libro del mismo autor, dicho libro también está disponible en español.Brillantes conocimientos y técnicas para ponerse en prectica.Extraordinario libro!!!

Der Autor ist ein Fachmann und hat mich bereits durch andere Werke von ihm überzeugt. Ich griff zu dem E-Book, weil seine Bücher in Deutschland schwer zu bekommen sind. - Irgendetwas geschieht hier in unserem Land und unsere Bücher leiden am meisten darunter. - Also im Jahr 2013 wünscht sich die Europäische Kommission, dass mehr Bücher gedrückt werden: Mögen die Bücher niemals aussterben, dann bleiben uns auch Werke aus Edred Thorssons Schreibfeder zugänglich.

Best of Edred's books on the runes. Lots of traditional rune lore you won't find anywhere else.