The Secret of the Runes (Paperback)

by Stephen E. Flowers (Editor), Guido von List (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Review
. . . serves as one of the major text on the meaning of the runes and their place in Teutonic cultures. -- New Dawn, May-June 2003

Review
. . . serves as one of the major text on the meaning of the runes and their place in Teutonic cultures.
(

New Dawn, May/June 2003

)

"If runes interest you at all, The Secret of the Runes is a historical and sociological document of great import. If you are a student of occult beliefs, you will recognize many of the newfangled new-age concepts we take for granted as vintage Armanen, perhaps very much to your dismay. Either way, this is an important book whose mysteries never fail to provoke thoughts and challenge beliefs."
(Thor the Barbarian, Nemeton, Jan 2006 )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (July 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892812079
• ISBN-13: 978-0892812073
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #306,847 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, June 20, 2000

By	[e-mail] (USA) - See all my reviews

This is an incredibly interesting piece of work written by a truly enigmatic and fascinating individual. Guido Von List was an expert in Indo-European linguistics, Norse mythology, German folklore and had a broad understanding of etymology, anthropology and archaeology. He obtained this knowledge during his life-long study of the esoteric roots of pre-Christian Germanic society.

There have been many vocal detractors of List and his work, especially in the decades following the conclusion of World War Two. His writings have been described as "fascistic" and "fantastic". Perhaps List understood better than his critics did that documenting the racial/philosophical/religious/linguistic roots of the ancient Aryans was never meant to be a demonizing process.

'The Secret of the Runes' (first published in 1908) offers the reader a chance to explore many of List's basic themes in a very easy to read format. The translator and editor, Stephen Flowers, treats his subject matter objectively and fairly. Not once is there a hint of heavy handiness of politically correct whitewashing. The work is allowed to stand on it's own.

'The Secret of the Runes' is not a piece of work that will appeal to everyone. Modern practitioners of Wicca or "rune magik" will most likely find this work offensive for it's pro-Nordic, racial themes. However, anthropologists, mythologists and those who study language or the occult will undoubtedly find many interesting nuggets of information thanks to Lists' exhaustive research and insight.

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Armanen Futhork, April 23, 2002

By A Customer

Guido List was a visionary who lived in Vienna at the turn of the 19th-20th century. The most extroadinary thing he did was develope the Armanen Futhork. He also was deeply steeped in the local traditions of Lower Austria, and had much insight into the secret Norse-Germanic symbolism in the archetecture of the Middle Ages. Linking him with the Nazis is rather like putting the cart before the horse. His political intent was to champion pan-Germanic unity for which reason he won the enthusiastic support of many German and Austrian aristocrats and industrialists. The fact of the matter is that the ethos of the Norse-Germanic faith is 100% opposite that of National Socialism. The racist content of List's writings, as well as those of the rune writers of the generation that followed him, is certainly open to criticism. It certainly did color his understanding of the meanings of several of the Runes which, in the light of scholarship in Norse-Germanic etymology and mythology, makes his material less valuable than it first seemed. It is unfortunate that many of his followers still choose to be racists and bigots, none of which has any positive value in the field of magic or in Norse-Germanic cultural development. It must be pointed out that the 19th-20th century form of racism has nothing at all to do with the ancient Norse-Germanic people. It is entirely the evil fruit of church propaganda as well as the stupid blather of Mme. Blavatsky who had a big influence on what came to be known as the Ariosophist movement in Germany. The Ariosophists were just the apes of the Theosophists with a German bias. One needs to look at this ugly chapter of German history with the eyes of the historian. Germany, in the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries was struggling to free itself from foreign oppression. This book is of historical importance. It was had a big influence on later German rune book writers, the best of whom is Karl Spiesberger. Spiesberger wrote in the 1950s in Berlin. His work is excellent and entirely free of the foul stench of bigotry. If you read German, look for his books: Runenmagie and Runenpraxis der Eingeweiten - Runenexerzitien. In The Secret of the Runes, called Das Geheimnis der Runen, in the original, the translations of the Spells of Odin from the Havamal are interesting and poetic, if slightly incorrect. The translation from the German of Guido List to the English of Stephen Flowers is good, but loses some of the beauty of List's German translation. Since the time of List, and certainly since after the two wars, there has come about much good scholarly research into the Norse-Germanic faith in Germany. For the German reader, I very much recommend reading professor Rudolf Simek's Lexicon der germanischen Mythologie. The restoration of a viable Norse-Germanic magical praxis depends on scholarly research, deep contemplation into the meanings of the Runes and intelligent experimentation. Bombastic and heavy-handed spouting about the master race and all that sort of nonsense has nothing at all to do with this tradition. The sooner the students of the Norse-Germanic tradition stringently divorce themselves from this senseless evil and work toward elevating their intellect to the tremendous heights of the true Odinic genious, the sooner this tradition will revive in a positively meaningful way.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Secrets of the Runes, August 6, 2002

By	Wyatt C. Kaldenberg "Wyatt Kaldenberg, 'Heath... (Bonsall, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a classic book on runic magic. A lot of New Age writers [copy] his occult ideas. The Right misunderstands him and the Left smears him. One of the most lied about men in occult history.
This book is well worth the price. Even though many of his ideas have been used by other occult writers, and some of his ideas on magic are standard New Age rite, it is always interesting to visit the soucre where these rivers sprung. Hopefully, all of Von List's book will be made ready to an English speaking market.