recommended
Runic Reads
my favorite rune books
Because I am always asked, here are some of my favorites or books I certainly feel are worth your attention, whether directly about the runes or peripherally.
Wild Soul Runes
Reawakening the Ancestral Feminine
by Lara Veleda Vesta
This book was published by my rune mentor during my time in the Runic Feminine Gnosis group.
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It's one of the few books that utilizes gnosis as the main learning mechanism, delves into the Northumbrian Anglo-Saxon runes, and provides translations of the runic poems.
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I recommend not being precious with this book and drawing the runes by their sections for your own edification while learning the runes, as Lara does not provide reference images.
Long Branches
by Ann Groa Sheffield
While this book specifically does not claim to be an academic work nor a mystic book, it does have some great historical information regarding the younger futhark in particular and presents a good framework around "learning" and "knowing" the runes, which is a tricky thing! The information here is clarifying and humbling for any rune worker.
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This is a more advanced read, I would say. Start with Wild Soul Runes or the Runic Book of Days first.
Runic Book of Days
by S. Kelley Harrell
The Runic Book of Days is an approachable and straightforward work to get to know the runes. I caution against learning the runes' meanings as a final statement and Harrell's honors the gnosis of personal reflection with the runes while still giving more details on their meanings. I greatly value this presentation of the runes and the devotionals accompanying them are engaging and wonderfully reflective.
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A good book for self-reflective rune work and personal connection to their symbology.
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Kelley has a ton of resources and an active Rune group online, as well.
rune books I would avoid
This is a loose section. I don't advocate limitings one's knowledge and I certainly don't advocate banning books. That said, if I was going to give caveats, it would be about these.
The books are either of dubious scholarship, have potential white supremacist ties, or are just rubbish.
Futhark
by Edred Thorsson
I don't recommend any books by Edred Thorsson, aka Stephen Flowers. Besides there being strong indication that he is a Nazi sympathizer and financial supporter, I see his work more aligned to generic new age "norse" occultism than anything. It has also been central to a lot of the modern day misinterpretation of runes, as he sort of led the rune renaissance.
I personally do own this book, it was the first rune book I bought at a used book store before I ever knew anything about the runes, but it is one I keep as reference for other reasons and not as any sort of decent runic scholarship.
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Some will disagree with me on this, but general consensus in trusted teachers is at the very best these books are a waste of time and at worst they are nazi-adjacent and perpetuating misinformation.
The Book of Runes
by Ralph Blum
I fucking hate this book. I'm sorry. I know a lot of people have come to the runes through Blum, and I've seen friends use it for fun, but he pasted an I-ching system over the runes, made a ton of shit up, and is generally not to be trusted. Please stop using this book. I will personally make you a zine with the cute little table that's included in the hardbound version of this book just to help get this book out of use in people's homes.
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So much of the absolute wretched and thoroughly incorrect prevalent information you will find around the internet and in generic rune circles is based on this absolute abomination of a book and, likely, also Thorsson/Flowers.
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If you have personal ties to this book, totally fine, I get it. But please do not take this trash as true runic interpretation or historically accurate. Start expanding your library and understanding of the runes beyond this idiot's bullshit.
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