by Ben Deutsch

Created on: January 04, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

More and more people are getting interested in Runes and it's not hard to find a set of Runes for sale - some books on Rune reading come with their own set and auction websites are abundant with homemade sets. So, you might well ask, why bother making your own set?

I guess the key to that question is in the word "bother" - Rune reading is an activity to be taken seriously and by investing the necessary time and effort to create your own Runes you're showing your dedication to the practice. I remember reading one book (I believe it was Freya Aswynn's 'Leaves of Yggdrasil') where the author suggested making a new set for every reading, an approach which would certainly stop people from using the Runes frivolously. Other people like to use the same set for as long as possible, feeling that through repeated use they develop a stronger connection with their Runes. I take a kind of middle path between the two - making a new set once a year. I see this as a good opportunity to contemplate what I've learned from the Runes in the previous year and what my intentions are for using them in the common year.

So, how should you actually make your Runes? Well, let's be clear - what follows is the method I use. There are any number of methods and any number of materials that could be used for the purpose. The one assumption that I'm making here is that you want to make a set consisting of the 24 Runes of the Elder Futhark (futhark is the word used to describe a runic alphabet). Some people like to have a 25th disc, which is left blank. Other people use Runes derived from other futharks which were in use in different countries at different times.

In this method, the raw material you'll be using is a branch (or part of a branch) cut from a tree. People have different ideas about whether this should come from a living tree, or one that has been felled. You might choose to believe that the wood maintains a connection to the tree from which it was cut, and that the trees roots and branches give it a connection to the lower and upper realms (or even to all nine of the worlds of Norse mythology), thus allowing the hidden knowledge of those realms to manifest through your Rune readings. Either way you're going to have to go out walking looking for a suitable branch. It's a good idea to take a penknife or multi-tool with a small saw blade on it with you. Your section of branch needs to be long enough that you can cut it into at least 24 discs, all of a similar size and shape. I'd go for

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