Should Runes be used for Divination?

Runes are one of the most popular divination tools used today and they are something I’ve personally been working on learning more about.   My journey into runic divination began several years ago when my mom gifted me a set of runes and a book she had about runic divination.  Though it’s only fairly recently that I’ve started to dive deeper into the history of the runes and how to use them in a magical context.  So that’s what we’re going to go over today.  I’m going to share with you the origins of the runes as divination tools and the historical context behind their use.  So let’s jump into it. 

As we know runes are not just an alphabet, they are also magical symbols and there are many accounts in the Sagas of them being used for magical purposes.  For example there is a section of the Poetic Edda, where a Valkyrie helps the hero achieve glory by teaching him several magical runes to be carved on swords before battle.  But nowhere in the sagas are runes mentioned being used in a divination context.  Likewise, in archeology we don’t have any surviving artifacts that suggest runes were used for divination.  

We do know from the sagas that the majority of divination was done by a seereress called a völva.  The völva did divination by entering a trance-like state.  She had a specific wand she would use and she would sit on a particular seat and sing songs till she entered the trance. While in this trance she would predict the future for her community.  Though there’s no indication that she would be using runes as part of this divination practice.  So where did this idea come from?  

There’s only one written source we have that mentions the runes being used for divination.  That comes from the Roman Tacitus in the first century A.D.  In writing about the germanic peoples he described the following “For divination and the casting of lots they have the highest regard. Their procedure in casting lots is always the same. They cut off a branch of a nut-bearing tree and slice it into strips; these they mark with different signs and throw them completely at random onto a white cloth.” So if we take Tacitus at his word then it’s likely some symbols were carved onto strips of wood and these were then used for the purpose of divination.  This begs the question well what symbols were carved into the wood and could they have been runes?

There is some issue here with the timing as the Elder Futhark Runes were not really used until at least 100 years after the time of Tacitus.  Though that doesn’t fully rule out the idea.  It’s possible the symbols on the wooden strips were proto-runes or early symbols that would eventually become the runes.  Or, maybe runes were used during the time of Tacitus; it's just archeologists haven’t yet found any examples.  

So where does this information leave us.  Does the shaky historical evidence of using the runes for Divination mean we shouldn’t use them for that purpose? We may never fully know if Runes were used by the Norse Pagans for divination but we do know that they were more than just an alphabet.  The runes are really powerful symbols that reveal important aspects of Norse Pagan magic and as such they are great tools to use for anyone looking to connect with the Norse Pagan Gods.  And in truth, all divination systems have evolved and changed over time.  For example, tarot cards were developed in 1420 and began as a simple card game among wealthy nobles.  It wasn’t till 1770 that tarot cards started to be used for divination.  And as someone who’s worked with tarot for many years, I know that regardless of their original purpose tarot cards are a wonderful and highly effective divinatory tool.  Likewise runes can also be an effective tool for divination even if that wasn’t their original purpose.  Though, like tarot, the runes are so much more than just a divination method. In my view, the runes can be used as a way to better understand the Norse Pagan worldview and as a key to opening the doorways to an ancient form of pagan magic.

Next I’d like to hear more about your experiences with runes.  Have you tried out divination with runes?  And is there a particular rune that you personally really connect with?  Share your thoughts down below in the comments.