Product Review

Sorting fact from fiction about runes has become increasingly difficult in recent years. The number of rune books has multiplied, but the majority of them are based on speculation, or even complete fantasy, and are often contradictory and confusing. Some readers may be content to settle for these, but a growing number of rune students have been asking for a basic factual foundation so that they can judge for themselves the reliability of the information in the esoteric rune books. The Rune Primer at last bridges the gap between the dry, complex, and expensive academic works, and the less reliable esoteric and New Age books about rune magic and divination. This book makes the old sources accessible, with translations of the rune poems, and the historical information presented in plain English. It also traces many of the recently invented rune myths to their sources, reviews some of the most popular authors, and explains the ideas behind some of the modern esoteric rune systems.