How I made my first rune set
Published: Mon, 01/28/19
It must have been within the first year of my learning Stav that I made my first set of runes. I was away with the TA (Territorial Army) for a training weekend and I got sick. I can’t remember what was wrong with me exactly. It wasn’t so bad that I needed to be sent home or even to hospital. It was bad enough that I could not participate in the training we were supposed to be doing. There was however, a pile of kit that no one really wanted to carry around but still needed to be looked after. So, I found myself somewhere out on an exercise area and on my own for a few hours with nothing in particular to do. Going to sleep was not really an option, I had at least one rifle I was responsible for and maybe other weapons too, I don’t remember in detail. I also had a Swiss army knife on me which included a good wood saw.
I had been thinking for a while about making a set of runes and I noticed a branch just above where I was sitting which just seemed to offer itself for the purpose. At this point I should admit that I had not actually seen a rune set in the wood so to speak. I had read about them and discussed making one with Ivar so I thought I knew the procedure but it was my first time. I cut the branch off the tree and carved it flat on each side. Then I marked it into sixteen equal portions and carved the futhork, one rune into each section. Then I used the saw again to divide the stick into sixteen pieces and I had my first rune set. Later I coloured the runes and got a little bag made up for them. There were some issues with the set though. Each rune stave or piece is about the size of a matchbox, much larger than you would usually use for counseling purposes. It was also later that I took on board the idea of having twenty four pieces
with runes on each side. This means that there are a total of forty eight sides so that the full futhork can be represented three times. This means that in a three rune reading the same rune can come up more than once.
So, my first set of runes were not really suitable for counseling purposes but their size has made them useful for teaching purposes over the years. What was interesting was that the tree which had presented its branch so temptingly was a Hawthorn. When I came to discover the trees associated with the runes it turned out that the Hawthorn is Freya’s tree, and goes with Mann. Since Freya turned out to be my patron it seems that I chose just the right tree, or maybe it was just coincidence, either way I was pleased with the connection.
I have since made quite a few more rune sets for myself and for other people. I don’t do readings very often but at some camps it proves to be a popular activity, especially the Druid camp so I get some practice each year. I don’t pretend that runes can fore-tell the future but a rune counseling session does get people talking about the deep issues in their lives and this can be very rewarding.
One of the things that we will do at the Runes and Trees Retreat at Midsummer in Norfolk will be making rune sets and learning how to use them. I have even sourced a quantity of scrap leather so you will be able to make a rune bag too. (You will be able to use a template and appropriate tools for the job.)
As I mentioned the other day, I had the web page professionally critiqued last week and I have now redesigned the site and rewritten most of the text, have a look and let me know what you think of it. http://rr.stavcamp.org/index.html
regards
Graham
PS I was able to make my rune set partly because I had my Swiss Army knife and a tree branch presented itself. But the real reason I was able to do it was because I had sufficient knowledge of the runes to just get on and do it, I did not have any books to refer to or videos to watch, I was simply equipped with my own knowledge so it did not matter what the circumstances were.