Taking Up the Runes

Probably the best book on runes I have read for a long time. It has a good balance between the scholarly aspects of rune study and the spiritual side of working with them. Thankfully this is also a book written from a universalist perspective. Paxson credits other authors which is helpful, and also acknowledges where her interpretations are due to her personal insight or journey. Although this is abook intended to support a rune working or study group, if you are studying alone or already have some experience and knowledge of runes, this is still an excellent resource. In my view, this should be a key resource for anyone studying runes and eliminates the need to trawl through the mass of dubious books available.

this book is a definitive guide to all things runic - from the basic meanings of each rune to the use of the runes in rituals and magic. It is a rich and valuable source of Norse knowledge breathing life back into the old religion, hailya and thank you Diana

The book does just what the author says.

I only read the first half of this book, the second part is a guide to group ritual and ceremony which isn't relevant to me. Diana Paxson's knowledge of the runes is excellent and she encourages readers to form their own connection to them. I really appreciated her depth of research and study of primary sources, she writes about ancient and modern meanings of the symbols. I was surprised to read that some thought this was a good book for beginners because I thought it more advanced than that, although Ms Paxson writes in a warm and friendly style which inspires readers to embrace life long learning of this amazing alphabet.

Another epic book from Diana

This is a well written compilation of the ideas of modern popular esoteric rune authors (Aswynn, Thorsson, Pennick, etc). It should not be taken as a book about historical pre-Christian rune use, but seeks to adapt more recently invented techniques and ideas into a religious setting based on Germanic mythology. Seen in this light, the book is a useful reference of current popular rune usage. It will not appeal to the more re-creationist or academic rune students, but offers an abundance of examples of New-Age and ecclectic adaptations of the runes. Although it does go beyond the New-Age manuals by seeking to present these ideas in a "Northern Tradition" context, I would have liked to see more distinction made between modern and historical information. Although this book is firmly in the "speculative" category, it does present some historical background, and is a cut above the New-Age fluff that dominates the majority of esoteric rune manuals. Sweyn