Revival of the Runes by Stephen E. Flowers

Author:Stephen E. Flowers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SPIRITUALITY/OCCULT
Publisher: Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
Published: 2021-01-18T00:00:00+00:00

Due to a new, more scientific level of study and understanding of the ideas of religion and magic, it was also during the early twentieth century that many scientific runologists came to assume the intrinsically magical character of the runes and runic writing. These included Magnus Olsen, Carl Marstrander, Helmut Arntz, and Wolfgang Krause. This was a logical assumption to make considering that most runic inscriptions were not easily intelligible as any sort of purely secular communication, coupled with the fact that almost all early references to runes in Icelandic literature (including the Eddic poems) refer to runes and their use in a magico-mythic light.

Although scientific runology appears to have developed in accordance with its own intellectual traditions, those outside that stream of thought, perhaps caught up in the turn-of-the-century frenzy of innovation, also soon pulled the age-old runes into the picture. As opposed to the Renaissance tradition of a Johan Bure, who brought together the best scientific and the best esoteric methods of his day, the new esoteric runic revival, true to its modernistic roots, developed its own specialized systems apart from the world of academia. In the spirit of new and revolutionary applications of knowledge, the Austrian poet, journalist, and mystic Guido von List cast a vision of esoteric runology that is still felt today. Evidence shows that List was certainly well versed in the doctrines of Theosophy, an esoteric movement founded in 1875 in the United States and largely based on the writings of the Russian writer Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, which is a synthesis of Neoplatonism, spiritualism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Egyptian lore. It holds that there is a secret organization of Mahatmas (great souls) who guide the organization. Theosophy teaches that there is a single divine Absolute and that the universe is a series of emanations from this source. In this respect it follows many religions and philosophies of the past. It also especially emphasizes the doctrine of reincarnation and the laws of karma; in other words, the belief that all action (Skt. karma) results in a reaction, positive or negative.

The century began with the publication in 1900 of a visually influential book by Friedrich Fischbach (1839–1908) called Ursprung der Buchstaben Gutenbergs: Beitrag zur Runenkunde (Origin of Gutenberg’s Letters: A Contribution to Runology). Fischbach, who was a professional decorator and textile designer, brings the temperament of the visual artist to the questions of runology and speculates wildly about the iconic meaning of the rune-shapes. That is, he interprets the meaning of the runes in a pictographic way and links their significance to the practice of an ancient Aryan firecult. These ideas would inspire even more fertile imaginations in the early part of the twentieth century to come.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.