Putting the Elder Futhark Into a Young Spiritualism: A Semantic Analysis of an Odinist Divination Guidebook

Abstract

The Nordic people embodied the Elder Futhark runes—the oldest-known form of the Germanic writing system—with esotericism (knowledge available only to a small group of people), seeing them as a direct line of communication to divinity. This mystical significance has been reintroduced to neopagan groups through guidebooks on runecasting, a divinatory practice in which the runes are interpreted negatively or positively depending on how they land. This analysis checks the interpretations of a popular Odinist writer against secular scholarship, evaluating for both semantic authenticity in the Germanic tradition and runic symbolism within Odinism—a modern religious sect based on pre-Christian roots in Northern Europe. All 24 runes are separated into three groups of eight depending on their relationship to the Old English and Old Norwegian rune poems, both of which are involved in the reconstruction of runic etymology. The findings indicate a range of ideological terminologies that either stem from intellectual obscurity or are anachronistic when compared to Germanic traditions. This illustrates a spiritual appropriation of the runic symbols rather than a return to pre-Christian concepts, thus disqualifying the text as a source of scholarship. Furthermore, the findings also define guidebooks as works of speculative literature—specifically, a revitalization of Gothic themes—within groups who have no sacred text. Further research should examine how other Odinist publications and practices create semantic derivations for religious purposes.