Svidur

I use an ancient technique to read the runes, as first described outside the ancestral lands of Northern Europe by the Roman historian and traveller, Tacitus in his book, Germania X.

There are three main reading methods; the first is a single rune cast, where a single stone is pulled from the bag and cast onto the cloth. The symbol and orientation are then used to divine the meaning. Obviously, this type of cast tends to be very general and can really only be used as a vague guide.

The second is the triple rune cast, in which three stones are pulled from the bag and placed, face down, on the cloth. Each of the three stones represents one of the Norns: Urd ("What has been"), Verdandi ("What is") and Skald ("What will be"). As you can no doubt imagine, this type of cast is more accurate, but still somewhat vague, and is more useful for advice on a single issue.

The third is the full spread, where all the stones are cast onto the cloth. The is the most complex and therefore the most revealing and potentially most useful to the client, as well as being the most taxing on the reader. Stones that leave the cloth are discounted, and meaning, orientation and even position in relation to the other stones are interpreted for you.

If you are not of North European descent, do not let that put you off this style of divination. The Norse people who practised it were very open and gregarious, trading with all other cultures they encountered on their travels. The image of the Viking raider is not in any way representative of their culture. I look forward to helping you in your journey along the web.