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Study guide to Runes
By an Amazon.com customer
Futhark: A Handbook of Rune MagicFuthark: A Handbook of Rune Magic by Edred Thorsson
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $6.97
The current classic on Rune magic.
Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric RunologyRunelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology by Edred Thorsson
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $6.00
The companion book to Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic.
Runecaster's Handbook: The Well of WyrdRunecaster's Handbook: The Well of Wyrd by Edred Thorsson
Buy new: $10.17 / Used from: $7.00
One of the best works on Runic divination available.
How to Kill a Dragon: Aspects of Indo-European PoeticsHow to Kill a Dragon: Aspects of Indo-European Poetics by Calvert Watkins
Buy new: $36.00 / Used from: $30.95
While this book is not about runes per se, it does cover a large amount of material related to Indo-European verbal magic. It is a must read, and a great reference work.
Egil's Saga (Penguin Classics)Egil's Saga (Penguin Classics) by Anonymous
Buy used from: $0.54
One of the best sagas for information about historical rune magic practices.
The Poetic EddaThe Poetic Edda
Buy new: $15.61 / Used from: $9.62
This is a collection of mythic poems of the Norse. Very important to the study of Runes. I particularly like Hollander's translations.
Edda (Everyman's Library)Edda (Everyman's Library) by Snorri Sturluson
Buy new: $9.95 / Used from: $1.63
This work was originally written as a guide to Skaldic poetry but is usually studies for its mythic implications in its own right.
The Saga of the Volsungs (Penguin Classics)The Saga of the Volsungs (Penguin Classics) by Anonymous
Buy new: $9.89 / Used from: $5.92
This work is the story of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer-- a mythic tale of magic and gods. Much about Runes and magic in this tale.
Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plantlore and HealingLeechcraft: Early English Charms, Plantlore and Healing by Stephen Pollington
Buy used from: $313.50
Pollington provides one of the most important sets of translations relating to Old English magical and healing manuscripts. There is a great deal of material here for study.
Runes: Cuneiform to the Alphabet (Reading the Past)Runes: Cuneiform to the Alphabet (Reading the Past) by R.I. Page
Buy used from: $2.25
While the author seems to be skeptical as to the magical uses of the Futhark, this book contains a great deal of historical and archeological information relating to Runic inscriptions.
Orality and Literacy (New Accents)Orality and Literacy (New Accents) by Walter J. Ong
Buy new: $22.28 / Used from: $13.00
In this work, Walter Ong synthesizes a great deal of work relating to how the worldview of a culture is changed by the introduction of writing. This provides a great deal of insight into how the Runes would have been seen and how the Rune Poems, myths, and legends would have been understood.
The Agricola and The Germania (Penguin Classics)The Agricola and The Germania (Penguin Classics) by Tacitus
Buy new: $10.08 / Used from: $4.46
Tacitus's Germania is one of the few ancient sources of information of the beliefs of the Migration Age Germanic peoples and may have been contemporary with the origins of the Elder Futhark. It is hence important to this field. This particular translation reads well and is accessible. Highly recommended.
Essays on Germanic Religion (Journal of Indo-European Studies Monograph Series No. 6)Essays on Germanic Religion (Journal of Indo-European Studies Monograph Series No. 6) by Edgar C. Polome
Buy used from: $26.99
In this work, Polome includes a number of essays relating to Norse and Migration-Age Germanic religion. Many of the essays are worth reading.
Gods of the Ancient Northmen (UCLA Center for the Study of Comparative Folklore & Mythology. Publications, 3)Gods of the Ancient Northmen (UCLA Center for the Study of Comparative Folklore & Mythology. Publications, 3) by Georges Dumezil
Buy used from: $14.00
This is a classic work on the subject of Norse Myth and comparative studies, and most of the theories have not been yet superceded. Highly recommended.
Old Norse Literature and MythologyOld Norse Literature and Mythology
Buy used from: $29.98
If you can get a copy of this book, I recommend doing so. It consists of a number of essays by various authors covering a wide range in topics relating to the old Norse myth and literature. While many of these cover the Christian period, the two most important essays are "The Heroic Pattern" by A. Arent and "Some Thoughts on Voluspa 17-18" by Edgar Polome.
BeowulfBeowulf
Buy new: $26.99 / Used from: $16.89
This DVD will give you the feel of watching a scop perform the epic of Beowulf in Anglo-Saxon England. It provides a great insight into traditional verbal art (which is after all at the heart of Runic magic).
Galdrabok: An Icelandic GrimoireGaldrabok: An Icelandic Grimoire by Stephen E. Flowers
Buy used from: $18.00
Although from the Christian era, this contains valuable material relating to Norse magic, and this includes the Runes. Additionally, the appendices include translations of other Norse, Old High German, and Anglo-Saxon charms. I would recommend this book.
The Black Books of ElverumThe Black Books of Elverum by Mary S. Rustad
Buy new: $13.45 / Used from: $20.96
This book consists of a number of demonology charms, followed by general folk magic and medicine. It is important both from a comparative and an operant perspective. Highly recommended.