The Runes

What are the Runes, and are they actually good for magic? In

The Runes: A Grounding in Northern Magic author, illustrator and artist James Flowerdew brings together a lifetime of learning and experiences with the Runes. Complete with a unique set of illustrations,

The Runes is a great beginner's guide to this writing system, which was also and can still be used for magical purposes. Full of direct references to genuine ancient texts – as well as ripping yarns, poignant anecdotes and a good dose of humour – this book attempts to demonstrate not just the surface of Rune magic, but the underlying principles and culture that inform them alongside some general magical practice. The Runes are much more than a historical alphabet. They are a key to the wisdom of the ancient peoples who used them in language, life and magic, with these surviving writings not only clarifying these uses, but providing at least the bones of what you need to use them yourself today. A mixture of elegant and coarse, gentle and gritty, sombre and witty, the Runes are not to everyone's taste – but they echo a very real and relatable cosmology. A world view that doesn't hide the warts, but that finds plenty worth loving at the same time. Step into the world of the Runes on steady feet, and start a spiritual journey from which you may never wish to turn back.