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Sweyn Plowright Title: The Rune Primer Author: Sweyn Plowright Publisher: Rune-Net Press Reviewer: Prenna Unsane Contact Information: prenna[at]gmail[dot]com Category: Runes, Asatru, Heathen Review: Since the early 1980’s interest in the runes has grown steadily, both in the Asatru community and amongst New Agers. The market for rune books seems completely flooded to the point where it is hard to discern what sources are reliable and which are not. With this pocket sized beginners guide Sweyn Plowright aims to cut through the myths and fairytales and give people a solid foundation upon which to build their study of the runes. After the introduction, the first section covers the context of the runes in terms of Northern European history and the importance of at least an awareness of the wider Asatru religion when approaching rune study. The next section introduces the reader to the old sources for runic knowledge. This includes a look at the Elder, Younger, and Anglo-Saxon futharck, the rune poems, and a short mention of the nature of some of the runic inscriptions found across Northern Europe. This section is essential reading for those wishing to begin their study free of the proclivities of the various rune authors. Section four gives a short overview of the runic revival from The Armanen to the current wave of rune reconstructionists. While section five introduces three major concepts from the wider Asatru tradition, which also play major parts in the understanding of esoteric runology. These are Orlog, the primal laws governing nature, Wyrd, the inter-connectedness of events, and Hamingja, or personal power. It is always good to see these concepts being covered in rune books as many of the new age rune writers neglect these important elements. The next section looks more closely at the esoteric side of the runes. It begins with interpretations of the basic essence of each rune, based on the knowledge of the rune poems. This is followed by a discussion of the techniques of divination, healing, and magic. As divination is the most popular use of the runes the author offers a description from an early source, Tactitus’ Germania, to give readers a sound basis for researching this technique. This section is followed by a section providing resource lists for those interested further study. The final sections of the book are for me the most unique and enlightening. The penultimate section takes a look at each of the more famous of the rune authors on the market and identifies their individual biases and proclivities. It begins with Edred Thorsson, pointing out that while his academic work on the runes is of a high standard, the influence of LHP magic and philosophy (ie Temple of Set) colours much of his more esoteric writings. Some of the other authors covered range from those within the Asatru milieu, such as Feya Aswynn, to those authors popular with the New Age crowd who have conducted no genuine research whatsoever, such as Ralph Blum. The section on authors is followed by the “Myth Busting” section and uses a range of factual information to tackle such myths as the “blank rune” and the myth of an underground network or guild of rune masters. I have found this to be my favourite of all the books on the subject I have read. Through revealing the commonly presented myths and providing quality source information Sweyn Plowright presents an essential guide to the runes that deserves our attention. One thing I find particularly pleasing is that at no point does he ever say that we should not take on board any of the biases and myths promoted by the various rune authors and organisations, only that we should be aware of the sources of the practices we are taking on. The Rune Primer allows us to begin our rune study with our eyes open. It is this that makes it stand out from the crowd for me. Review submitted: 06 December 2006

Last modified:
04-02-07

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