Dark Runes: An Introduction to the Odian Left-Hand Path By Leon D. Wild.

Dedicated to Polaris.

The magical practices of the ancient North are becoming more accessible and workable to black magicians through modern scholarship and dedicated institutions such as the Rune-Gild. Rune-Magic is a very mysterious magical system, and has much potential for self-exploration and magical success. The Ninth Night journal is also named from this dark Northern tradition. The Hidden and dark communicator of the Northern mysteries is Odhinn - who may be seen as the Northern form of the Prince of Darkness. Odhinn is the God of consciousness and the mind -the province of magic. Odhinn is the principally important deity of the North, for Rune magicians - although the true Odian [the Odian *emulates* Odhinn, while the Odinist worships - this is a key difference between the Right and Left-Hand Paths] should also appreciate the interconnections with the other gods, both of consciousness (the Ases) and the fertility / "natural" gods (the Vanir). That Odhinn held a prominent place in the subjective imaginings of the Northern / Germanic cultures is evident from his manifold names. From "All-father" to High One, Evil-Doer, One Eye, the Crafty one, The Wanderer... he was also seen as fearful. Odhinn's primary mythological actions are of great importance to dark rune magicians such as his famous initiation on the world tree, Yggdrasil described in the Havamal Saga of the Poetic Edda in stanzas 138 and 139:

I know that I hung on the wind-tossed tree all of nights nine, wounded by spear, given to Odhinn given myself to myself, upon that tree of which none telleth from what roots it doth rise Neither horn they upheld nor handed me bread; I looked below me aloud I cried caught up the runes, caught them up wailing, thence to the ground fell again.

Odhinn is the shadowy, cloaked wandering and isolated god, with one eye given in a sacrifice [of self-to-self] in the depths of the well of wisdom. Odhinn is attended by the two Ravens, Huginn [mind] and Muninn [memory] and the wolves Gere [Greedy] & Freke [voracious]. These wolven 'helpers' show that Odhinn is a god of consiousness with an indulgent streak! Odhinn is armed with the magical spear Gungnir, which strikes like lightning at his Will. Odhinn's magic is of the Runes, and the galdr associated with them. Galdr magic is verbal magic of words, sounds and harmonies. There are many hints of this in the Eddas and rune-poems. Odhinn also learned Seithr magic from Freyja. Odhinn's connection to the trickster god Loki is of importance also. Loki and Odhinn are blood brothers, and there is evidence that Loki may be a hypostace of Odhinn. He could be viewed as a "shadow" aspect of Odhinn.

Loki, despite later Christian identification with the Devil in the aspect of Utgard-Loki, may be viewed by the Left-Hand Path magician as a positive god. Loki does initiate great changes and disruption, but these are ultimately productive. In this light is the manufacture of the many magical artifacts that help coalesce the various powers of the god of the Aesir and Vanir - such as Mjollnir, Thor's hammer, Odhinn's spear Gungnir, the ship Skifbladnir and Odhinn's magical ring Draupnir. Loki is alsomythologically responsible for Odhinn's eight-legged horse Sleipnir, as he gave birth to it! Ragnarok, that great time of testing, is viewed esoterically as a time of renewal. Baldur may go to Hel, but Odhinn has whispered a Secret Word in his ear... The key to Odhinnic magic is encoded in the Mysteries of the Runes - which are mysteries of the conscious mind. There are several cultural variants of the Runes, but most Rune-Magicians of today work with the Elder Futhark of 24 Runes, with the rationale that they are the most pure. The younger Futhark of 16 Runes is useful for the exploration of Viking era Runic magic. Other variations include the 33 runes of the Anglo-Saxon Futhark, the Frisian futhark and lastly the Armanen Futhark. The Armanen system was developed by the Austrian occultist Guido Von List, and was widespread in pre-WWII Germany. Rune occultism was generally suppressed in Germany by the Nazi party, although inner echelons of the SS studied them as a part of the Germanic 'Ancestral Heritage'. The secrets of the Runes are encoded in their shapes, their angles, their names, their number and their correlations with the mythological corpus. The Runes are direct Mysteries of the mind, awareness and Self of humanity, hence of importance to the magician who seeks self-knowledge. Runes are encoded in the blood of the descendents of the North, although their gifts may be reaped by any who dare take them up, regardless of cultural background. The Runes are keys to travelling the hidden nine worlds of the world tree Yggdrasil, and to the exploration of Northern soul-lore. The most precise way to study the Runes is to concurrently study factual, academic methods of runology and germanic studies, both mythological and historical. With this synthesis of

subjective "hidden" knowledge and the knowledge of current scholarship, the Runester will forge creations and magic that will be truly effective in self-exploration and magical success. Some good starting books on runes and runology are _Runes: An Introduction_ by Ralph Elliot, Manchester, 1959 and _Runes_ by R I Page, University of California Press 1987. The most comprehensive in-depth theoretical background to runes and analysis of rune-magic is titled "Runes and Magic: Magical Formulaic Elements in the Elder Runic Tradition" by Dr. Stephen E. Flowers, Lang 1986. Freyja and her sensual and "shamanic" arts of Seithr suffered the most under the persecution of missionaries, who were afraid at the carnal and sensual aspects of this work. Seithr work is slowly being pieced together by Northern magicians and scholars, although there is much work to be done in this regard. The systematic study of Rune magic has a long history, beginning in the first codifying of the runes by ancient rune-masters, and their teaching to subsequent generations of students. There is evidence for a cross-tribal gild of ancientrune-masters, the Erulians. Modern rune magic has reached its most advanced and codified state in the halls of the Rune-Gild and also in the dark halls of the Temple of Set's Order of the Trapezoid. The Rune Gild is the most authentic Runic initiatory environment. It fosters intelligent rune-magic and real scholarship into the mysteries of the North. The founder, Edred Thorsson, has written many essential books in this field, such as _Rune-Lore_ and _Northern Magic_. The outer curriculum of the Rune Gild is the book "The Nine Doors of Midgard", which is a curriculum designed to enable a learner magician progress to a Fellow of the Rune-Gild. It has exercises in Rune-Meditation, the Hammer Working, Rune Carving, Sendings, Galdra, Seithr and divination, all focused on eventual self-based results. It contains an annotated reading list also. The Rune-Gild explores with a psychecentric eye the mysteries of the Northern cosmology,

elements, and afterlife. For more information on Gild activities, write to the Gild in the contact section. The Order of the Trapezoid of the Temple of Set is a dark gateway to the North. It also has a focus on the way of Wotan, and encourages the exploration of Germanic magic [including the Runes, electrical magic, artificial mythology, SS Ahnenerbe magical research] in a "Trapezoidal" - or "angular" sense - beyond the boundaries of tradition. The Order of the Trapezoid is only open by invitation to Adepts of the Temple of Set. A description of the Order of the Trapezoid is in Dr. Stephen Flowers' _Lords of the Left-Hand Path_ and also in his _Black Runa_ which is a collection of Flowers' articles from _Runes_ the journal of the Order of the Trapezoid. _Black Runa_ contains an article essential to the understanding of a Setian approach to the Runes, titled _Trapezoidal Runology_. Both titles are published by Runa-Raven Press. The Temple of Set also has an several informal study groups that cater to black magical runic exploration, one such is The Okkult Netzwerk Germania which focuses on the Nine Doors of Midgard Curriculum. However the Runes are taken up, when they are done so with an understanding of the historical and cultural background, and the knowledge and wisdom borne of experience the dark Northern whisper and lightning of Odhinn will be manifest in the results that the Runic magician sends forth.

Reyn Til Runa!

Selected Bibliography. Elliott, Ralph. (1959) Runes: An Introduction. Manchester. Flowers, Stephen Edred - Lords of the Left-Hand Path (1993)(MS), Runa-Raven Press.

- Black Runa (1995). Runa-Raven Press. - Runes and Magic: Magical Formulaic Elements in the Elder Runic Tradition" (1986) Lang 1986. Hollander, Lee. (1962) Poetic Edda. University of Texas. Page, R. I. (1987) Runes. University of California. Thorsson, Edred -Runelore. (1987) Weiser. -The Nine Doors of Midgard. (1991) Llewellyn. -Northern Magic.(1992) Llewellyn. -Rune-Song. [and tape]. (1993) Runa-Raven. - The Secret of the Gothick God of Darkness (1995) in Fringeware Review no. 6(66).