The Rune Poems: A Reawakened Tradition

Rune-Poems: The Reawakened Tradition.This is not a review but a plug, because I have two poems in this volume. The book is in two sections - ‘The Older Rune Poems’ and ‘The Reawakened Tradition’. Most of our knowledge of the meanings of the runes comes from the mediaeval rune-poems, Anglo-Saxon, Icelandic and Norwegian. The first section has original language versions and new translations of all of those, of the very brief Abecedarium Nordmannicum and of a previously little-known Early Modern Swedish rune poem.This section starts with an essay by P. D. Brown, in which he presents the rune-poem tradition from the viewpoint of a poet. He tells us that the poems were tools “to make the mind more generally agile, more adept at making connections, thinking ‘laterally’ and more imaginatively” about what the runes in are. The old rune-poems themselves are given with learned notes about the language and meanings.The second part contains an introduction by P. D. Brown. He writes:‘A rune poem mingles and blends the fruits of two of Odhinn’s greatest mythical adventures: the winning of the Mead of Inspiration and the revelation of the runes. One cannot write a rune poem without absorption in the practice of writing poetry and the study of runes. It is the editors’ hope that readers will be moved … to compose their own rune poems.’Twenty rune poems by contemporary runic magicians follow. One of the fascinating features of this collection is the sheer range of meanings that are revealed for each rune, expanding our understanding as we read the poems. Some of the poems explore traditional Germanic poetic forms and some introduce a lot of formal variety. In David Jones’s rune poem each verse has nine lines with nine syllables per line. P.D. Brown presents us with an elaborate and sophisticated ‘Crown of 28 Runes’, the only poem using the Anglo-Saxon row (for more details on this poem see my review of PD Brown’s book Crown of Runes at https://chaotopia-dave.blogspot.com/2020/03/a-crown-of-runes-and-other-books-by-p-d.html ), and a twelve-verses short poem of the Elder Futhark for voice recitation. Dawid Rudzinski’s poem is in Polish (with English translation), and includes a visual poem, a series of 24 etchings. Nathalie Forner’s poem is in French, with her translation. Another poem, by Ian Read, formed the lyrics for part of his 1996 album Rûna. Both my Elder and Younger Futhark poems are in here. Ristandi and I are the only modern authors of Younger Futhark poems represented.The book also includes an exhaustive multilingual bibliography, which should satisfy the most information-hungry student. This is the kind of thing the RG does so well - employing the academic side of Germanic esotericism to nurture the poetry and the magick. Most of the authors are members of the Rune-Gild, and the diversity of this collection showcases how that organization has grown into a vibrant creative community.Buy this book if you are curious about the rune poems and want something readable but carefully-referenced, buy it if you’re curious about the modern world of rune-magick, buy it for the poems themselves and the pleasure of reading them.Here’s a verse from my Younger Futhark Rune-Poem:HAGAL ᚼ hagall ("hail")Hail breaks stems and frightens kineHail lays waste to detailed careHurts expectations, blasts what’s mineHands us a world that seems so bare. YetHarms us with a jewelled shine,Holds us to what’s truly there:Hagal’s Goddess in disguise -Hail the twinkle in Her eyes!

I enjoyed the book. Half of it comprises of fairly standard renditions/translations of the various rune poems and the other half is modern verse based on the traditional material. These new poems are generally insightful and enjoyable. So be aware of what you're buying but still recommended.

This book is a combination of historical and modern rune poems.The first part is a new, scholarly translation of the historical rune poems. It includes not only the frequently translated Old English, Old Norwegian, and Old Icelandic rune poems and the brief Abecedarium Nordmannicum, but also the Early Modern Swedish Rune Poem. The last is generally not included in collections of the historical rune poems, and makes this compendium especially valuable. The translations are by Germanic philologist Dr. Michael Moynihan. He has managed to render the medieval poems accurately while also turning them into good English poetry, thus giving the reader a real feel for their sense. The poems are given in the original languages as well as modern English translation, and each is accompanied by an introduction and scholarly notes.The second part of the book is devoted to modern work, all by highly talented people, many of whom have dedicated decades to the study of runes and/or related esoterica as well as other artistic and/or scholarly pursuits. Most are in modern English. A few are in other modern languages, and are given in the original and translated into English, all but one by their authors. The exception is the poem in German, which was translated by Dr. Moynihan. Here he has deviated more from the original text than he does with the medieval poems, keeping the general sense of the German while creating a parallel piece of polished English poetry. There is also a modern poem written in Old Saxon by Dr. Scott Shell, who also provides its modern English translation. This is a dedicated scholar’s work to reimagine what might have been composed over a thousand years ago.In addition to the literary work, there is a visual rune poem – a collection of 24 beautifully executed drawings (actually wood burnings) with enormous detail, in which the viewer can find layers of meaning.This is not a beginner’s book on runes. It is an excellent collection for those interested in the historical rune poems, and especially for those who aspire to use the runes for inspiration. It well shows how the runic tradition can be reawakened and used in our own time.

I will come back to update this later, as I've just obtained my copy. However, I can already tell you from reading the tiny bit that I have, well let's put it this way. If you like Vikings, runes, magic, or poetry, you should definitely pick this copy up. The artwork alone is well worth the purchase, an image you will want to gaze upon as often as possible. Spoiler alert: there is even a little more artwork inside. If ever Harry Potter was a real thing, this book would belong in Hogwarts. For anyone with some semblance of imagination, prepare yourself to be whisked away by absolutely spell-binding poetry. Each one I have read so far gets me giddy as a schoolgirl, whirring my innermost imaginations to life, as if I had never read a rune poem before. Yet, there is the proper treatment of historic relevance attached to the book also, which would suit anyone who has a tending toward the traditional side of things. A timeless relic to be eternally cherished. I haven't had time to properly sit down and read through the entirety of its contents, but I can't help myself from constantly sneaking a random read here and there.

Reading these amazing "updates and fresh perspectives" on the rune poems by The Rune Gild has given me a better understanding and insight to the runes.

A good book to read everyday. The contemporary ones stand up very well besides what we have from the past. A scholarly masterpiece by Brown and Moynihan. Great visuals by Rudzinski.