The Rune Primer: A Down to Earth Guide to the Runes [Paperback]

Sweyn Plowright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 21, 2007

Runes, Asatru, rune books, futhark, pagan, heathen

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: LULU (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847282466
• ISBN-13: 978-1847282460
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #788,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Divination > Runes

More About the Author

Sweyn Plowright has been an active student of the runes and the Northern Traditions since Reading Tolkien in 1972. He has a diverse education, having served in the British Army as an Engineer, studied linguistics at university, and achieved a black belt in a martial art. In 1990 he was asked by Edred Thorsson to lead the Rune Gild in the South Pacific region. After meeting Thorsson, and some of the other popular writers on runes in person, he became disillusioned with the pervasive charlatanry, invention of "tradition", and personality cults. He formally cut his ties with the Rune Gild and the "rune myth industry" in 2000.

He lives in Sydney Australia with his wife Kara. He is also a member of Mensa, and works as an Engineer in IT.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the few books on runes you will ever need, July 24, 2007

By 

jonathingy (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rune Primer: A Down to Earth Guide to the Runes (Paperback)

I know that this is supposed to be a primer just to get you "started", but this is pretty much the only book I use anymore, outside of historical books/writings such as the Poetic Edda, RI Page's anthropological study on the Runes, and Tacitus' Germania.

It is a welcome relief compared to all of the wild speculation and liberties that other writers on runes have taken with regard to their esoteric meaning, and the new edition is even nicer than the 2002 release, because it adds several sections on debunking myths as well as additional discussions. (Especially concerning whether or not there is any true evidence runes were used for divination by the Germanic people at all.)

If you need to look beyond the rune poems to get a better grasp on their meanings, this is the book to get. I've found that if the esoteric description in a book about any given rune is longer than maybe about five sentences, it's because the author is starting to make stuff up. The rune poems were 2 to 4 lines. How do people come up with three pages worth of information on what this rune supposedly means? Sweyn's descriptions are clear, concise, and written with proper historical context.

However, this book is much more than simply about the esoteric aspect of the runes. That's just a small part of a very comprehensive, plain-spoken, book about runic history. And like other people have said, it lists other recommended reading materials which are also important.

I made a set of Elder Futhark runes for a friend not too long ago. (Unsolicited gift.) She knows nothing about runes, as far as I know. I knew exactly which book to get her. This one.

I wish this had been around decades ago when I started working with the runes myself. It's much easier to learn the appropriate thing from the beginning instead of having to unlearn a whole bunch of trash.

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick introduction, December 5, 2006

By 

S. Plowright (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rune Primer: A Down to Earth Guide to the Runes (Paperback)

As the author, this is not a review but a quick introduction to supplement the rather brief description above.

This book was written after many requests for an easy to read introduction to runes for those interested in both the esoteric and historical aspects.

It begins with a straight forward explanation of the runes and their historical context, the different rune rows, and the rune names. The original sources are described, along with how we know what we know. The Old English and Old Norse rune poems are translated along with original text and notes, and there are suggestions on the esoteric meanings for each verse.

Finally, some of the better known authors are discussed, and some modern urban myths and misconceptions are explained and traced to their origins. For example, the word "Erilaz", commonly claimed to mean "Rune Magician", completely modern myth. The origin, who, and why is explained, and a detailed linguistic analysis showing the actual history of the word.

The purpose of the book is really to re-democratise the runes by making the source material more accessible to the public. They can discover the real and fascinating historical runes for themselves, not rely on the fantasy traditions created by popular authors to boost profits, or by would-be cult leaders to attract followers.

The reader will gain a down-to-earth perspective from which to judge what is valuable, and what can be taken with a grain of salt, when reading further.

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If Only..., January 19, 2007

By 

RA Meeks "ra meeks" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rune Primer: A Down to Earth Guide to the Runes (Paperback)

,,,I'd had access to this unique, comprehensive introduction to the runes when I began learning, I could have saved myself a great deal of time and money. This book is in plain English, and it covers (for its size) lots of information and history. If you or someone you know is interested in the runes, whether for linguistics, history, or as a gate to learning more about a spiritual path, you can't do any better than this nifty, reader-friendly volume. Even those who are well versed in the language and history of the runes will find this a useful reference book, presented clearly and without any axes to grind.

Highly, highly recommended. Sweyn, thank you for writing this book and making it available.