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Article: Runes: secrets, magic, and understanding.
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- January 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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RUNES, THE ALPHABET USED BY THE NORSE, GERMANIC, AND ANGLO-SAXON PEOPLES, date back to the first century B.C. The word means "secret" or "mystery."
According to Norse legend, Odin sacrificed himself to get the runes. For nine days and nine nights he hung upside down on Yggdrasill, the world tree, with his sword stuck in his side. He looked deep into the roots of the world to get the secret knowledge. When Odin finally understood the meaning of the runes, he was released from the tree. In his rune-song, he says,
Runes, a unique form of writing because its characters consist mainly of straight lines, are found carved on stone, metal, bone, and wood. Some ...