How Norse Runes Were Used for Magic and Divination

By Alex Assoune Dec 12, 2025

For centuries, the people of Northern Europe carved strange symbols into bone, stone, wood, and metal. These symbols—known as runes—were far more than a writing system. They were believed to be alive with spiritual force. To carve a rune was to call on its energy. To cast runes was to speak with the unseen. And to know the runes deeply was to touch the same power the Norse gods used to shape the world.

Today, runes are often treated as simple fortune-telling tools. But their original purpose was much bigger. They were used for protection, healing, curses, blessings, guidance, and communication with the spirit realm.

This is the deeper story of how Norse runes were used for magic and divination—and why they remain one of the most powerful symbols in the modern spiritual world.

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What Are Norse Runes?

The runes come from the Elder Futhark, a system of 24 symbols used by Germanic and Norse cultures between the 2nd and 8th centuries. Each rune has:

a name
a sound
a symbolic meaning
a spiritual energy
a magical function

The word “rune” itself means secret or mystery. These symbols were never meant to be used casually. To the Norse, they carried power.

The Legendary Origin of the Runes: A Gift Won Through Sacrifice

According to Norse mythology, the runes were discovered by Odin, the All-Father. He hung himself upside down from the World Tree, Yggdrasil, pierced by his own spear, refusing food and water for nine days. In that moment of total sacrifice, the runes revealed themselves to him.

This myth explains the ancient belief:
runes were not created—they were revealed.

They existed beneath the surface of reality, woven into fate. Odin simply unlocked them.

Because of this, the Norse treated runes as sacred. They weren't mere letters. They were the building blocks of power.

Runes as a Form of Magic: How They Were Used

Runic magic was widespread across Northern Europe. It showed up in battle, healing, protection, love, fertility rituals, and spiritual communication. Archaeologists have found runes carved on weapons, combs, cups, amulets, gravestones, doorways, and even Viking ships.

Here are the core ways runes were used in magic.

1. Carving Runes for Protection

One of the most common uses of runes was protection magic. Warriors carved runes onto:

shields
swords
helmets
spear tips

The rune Tiwaz (ᛏ) symbolized victory.
Algiz (ᛉ) symbolized divine protection.
Eihwaz (ᛇ) symbolized resilience and defense.

These weren’t decorations. People believed the rune’s presence altered fate itself.

Some warriors even tattooed protective runes onto their skin.

2. Binding Runes Together for Stronger Magic

Runemasters often created bindrunes, which combine two or more runes into one powerful symbol.

Bindrunes were used for:

love spells
fertility blessings
business luck
protection from harm
banishing negative energy
attracting wealth

These functioned much like sigils do today—personal symbols charged with intention.

3. Rune Magic for Healing

Healing magic was a respected practice in Norse culture. Healers used runes by:

carving them into wooden sticks
drawing them on the body with ochre or charcoal
chanting their names for energetic activation
placing rune-carved amulets near an injury

Runes such as Uruz (ᚢ) and Sowilo (ᛋ) were believed to promote strength and vitality.

The Norse believed sound, symbol, and intention worked together to shift the body’s energy.

4. Curses and Banishing Spells

Runes were not only used for good. Some carvings were intended to harm, control, or repel.

The rune Thurisaz (ᚦ), symbolizing destructive force, appears on several objects believed to be curse talismans.

Runes could be:

buried
burned
hidden in clothing
thrown into rivers
carved on slander poles (níðstang) to shame or curse an enemy

Magic was dual-edged. The Norse understood that power could heal or harm depending on the wielder’s intentions.

5. Communication with Spirits and Ancestors

Runes were often used in rituals to contact:

ancestors
land spirits
protective household spirits
deities

The rune Ansuz (ᚨ), linked to Odin, was associated with inspiration, divine messages, and spiritual insight.

Carving this rune into a piece of wood and placing it on an altar was a way of calling spiritual guidance into one’s life.

How Runes Were Used for Divination

While rune magic was common, rune divination was reserved for those with training—the runemasters, seers, and wise women.

Divination allowed people to:

understand fate
predict danger
seek clarity
communicate with the gods
receive guidance before travel or battle

The Norse didn’t see divination as “fortune telling.” They believed runes revealed how fate was currently moving, so people could act wisely.

The Most Common Rune Casting Methods

Historical references suggest several methods.

1. The Casting of Lots

Tacitus, a Roman historian, described Germanic tribes carving runes on wooden lots or small sticks, shaking them in a cloth, and casting them onto the ground.

A trained diviner interpreted:

which runes faced upward
how they landed
their orientation
their position relative to one another

This is the earliest known record of rune divination.

2. Pulling Runes from a Bag

Another method involved pulling one or three runes from a leather pouch.

This method reveals:

immediate influences
challenges
long-term outcomes
hidden energies

Modern practitioners still use this technique.

3. Water or Fire Scrying with Runes

Some runes were placed:

into water bowls
above fire
beside candles

The way runes wobbled, reflected, or moved helped interpret the message.

This combined rune work with traditional Norse scrying practices.

The Meanings Behind the Runes

Each rune carries layers of meaning. Some common themes include:

Fehu (ᚠ): wealth, beginnings, abundance
Raidho (ᚱ): journey, movement, timing
Gebo (ᚷ): gifts, relationships, balance
Hagalaz (ᚺ): disruption, transformation, chaos
Sowilo (ᛋ): success, vitality, divine guidance
Dagaz (ᛞ): awakening, breakthrough, new cycles

Runemasters didn’t treat these meanings as static. They combined intuition with tradition.

The Spiritual Responsibility of Runemasters

Rune magic and divination required deep ethical responsibility. A runemaster had to:

know each rune’s meaning and hidden layers
understand how runes interacted with one another
maintain purity, discipline, and emotional clarity
respect the power of fate (wyrd)
avoid using runes selfishly or recklessly

Runes were tools of cosmic law, not personal gain.

Misusing them was believed to bring disaster.

Why Runes Became “Forbidden Magic”

As Christianity spread through Scandinavia, church leaders condemned rune magic. Runes were associated with:

pagan gods
powerful women
spell work
divination
ancestral worship

Many runestones were destroyed, and runemagic went underground. By the Middle Ages, rune knowledge had almost vanished—surviving only in fragments of folklore, inscriptions, and oral tradition.

Yet the magic never died. It resurfaced centuries later during the occult revival of the 19th and 20th centuries and remains alive today among modern pagans, witches, and spiritual practitioners.

Why Runes Still Matter Today

Runes appeal to modern practitioners because they blend:

clarity
symbolism
energy
history
intuition

They offer guidance without pretending to control fate. They help people understand the hidden patterns around them. And they connect modern seekers to one of the oldest spiritual traditions in the world.

Whether used in meditation, manifestation, protection work, or divination, the runes still carry the same power the Norse once respected: the power to reveal truth and shape destiny.

Final Thoughts: The Living Magic of the Runes

Norse runes were never meant to be simple symbols or alphabetic characters. They were tools of deep transformation, channels of energy, and keys to the spiritual world.

To carve a rune was a spell.
To cast a rune was a conversation with fate.
To master the runes was to step into the same lineage as the ancient seers and wise women.

Their magic still breathes today—whenever someone takes the time to listen to the symbols, honor their energy, and work with them the way the Norse once did.

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About the Author: Alex Assoune

Alex Assoune (MS) is a global health and environmental advocate. He founded Panaprium to inspire others with conscious living, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Alex has worked in many countries to address social and environmental issues. He speaks three languages and holds two Master of Science degrees in Engineering from SIGMA and IFPEN schools.

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