The Ancient Pagan Runes  -or-  The Elder Futhark Runes

"The Ancient Pagan Runes - A Short Introduction"
- or-
"The Elder Futhark Runes - A Short Introduction"
by Robert Oswald 

There are two slightly different versions of this little 30 page booklet giving the most basic information on the rune set, casting and meanings.

"The Ancient Pagan Runes" deals with the Anglo-Friesian (also known as the Anglo-Saxon) set of 24 runes brought to Britain by the earliest migrants from mainland Europe.

"The Elder Futhark Runes" is basically the same booklet, but the artwork, history and examples all reflect the Elder Futhark set of 24 runes as used in Northern Europe and Scandinavia in earliest times.

Please note: one of these booklets in eBook format is included in all Runemaker rune sets supplied with a miniCD. The ebook version  is also available as an Internet Download file (see the CD-ROMs page for details).

You should also know that the booklet covers the same subject matter as "Casting The Runes"  and the content of this website, but in abridged form with fewer illustrations.

I wouldn't want you to waste your money, so if you are ordering a rune set that includes a mini-CD, or if you are intending to read the entire Runemaker website, don't buy the book as a separate item!

Discovering Runes  - new book to be published in August 2008
I have been working on a new book about runes over the last couple of years. I wanted to publish something that would be useful to both experienced runesters and to novices in a down to earth and friendly style and without getting too technical.

All the books for novices that I have read are written like school text books - dry and boring. And all of those for experienced users seem to make wide assumptions about what the reader already knows. I mean, it is possible to be an experienced diviner without having read all the associated runelore, or without learning all the verses of the Edda. But every book I pick up seems to assume I know what they are talking about whatever the subject.

So now I have written Discovering Runes which I hope will be an entertaining read as well as being a vital reference book for everyone.  It is being published by Regency House in UK and Chartwell Books in the USA in August 2008. It will be available in book stores and online with Amazon and several other websites. If sales go well there are plans to translate and distribute in several other languages including German, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish.

The book is 8x8 inches  (200x200mm) and 1 inch (25mm) thick, bound with a vinyl coated flexi cover (tougher than paperback, but not as stiff as a hardback). There are 250 glossy pages and  260 full colour illustrations.

In the introductory chapter dealing with the origins and development of the runes I have advanced some of my own ideas about the origin of the rune characters and the development of runic divination in ancient times

In the chapter about divination and casting methods I have expanded considerably on the subjects discussed on this website and augmented the rune meanings section to 112 pages. This allows for more thorough illustration and greater discussion of interpretation and associations for each rune. I have described the methods for several more rune spreads and random casting methods.

There are also chapters on the runic pendulum, bindrunes, Gandr magic, runic transcription, rune graphics, a key word index and a very thorough selected bibliography.

If you would like to place an advance order for a personally signed and dedicated first edition of the corrected book now at a 20% discount, click here for the order form.

The discounted prices including packaging, shipping and tax are:
 

United Kingdom:	GB£ 7.95
Europe:	EC€ 14.00
USA and Canada:	US$ 32.95
Anywhere else in the world:	US$ 35.95

All orders that come in before the official publication date will go in a hat and I will randomly pick one lucky winner on the day of publication to receive a free book. I will acknowledge your reservation and advise you of the shipping date as soon as I get my advance copies. I will let you know who wins the free book in a future Runemaker Group Newsletter.