Un-sourced "traditions" have no hold here, especially when spoken in an authoritative manner. If you can't at least point us to a general direction of where you came up with this, that's your loss.
And while Norse culture is reconstructed, there is a reason that we don't adopt the entire lifestyle and all customs of the old. Times have changed. What would you realistically use an ax for besides in ritual, if that? A lot more people nowadays have more use for a letter opener than an ax as we certainly don't use them in modern combat.
Sure, I'll support that people shouldn't be lazy, but looking down on someone for using a sharpie on a piece of paper is very condescending and ludicrous. For some people, that might be all they have if they choose to use materials in the first place (because not everyone has access to "nature" and "tools" like other, more privileged people do. That doesn't make them any lesser in their faith or practice).
It all boils down to - different people have different circumstances and opinions. Your way will not be everyone's way. Not to mention, I don't remember any Norse tradition with "elements" like the Witches, Hermetics, and Alchemists have. It wouldn't make sense to apply other paths to Norse practice unless it was a personal thing.
First of all, any profanity is against site rules..
Second of all, from my research, by making your own runes, its makes them more personal. Your energy is being set in just by crafting them yourself.
And the salt, water, fire, and dirt your talking about, if your referring to the four elements, salt and dirt can both be representing the earth element. Incense would be representing air. By stating this, cleansing the runes in any of these elements would be necessary. I'm not so sure about "infusing". If that be the case though, if your just using them for readings, infusing with the air element would seem proper. As air symbolizes clarity, and thought.
That's the thing, Tethaia. "Elements" as building blocks of existence isn't traditionally in Norse Paganism and the closest we can get to that is through the creation story (in which, there would only be two - Fire and Ice) that was written by a Christian historian. Associating elements with runes is purely a modern and personal thing (albeit, one that caught on with "Generic Pagans").
It's one thing to claim that you can use elements with runes, but to claim it is traditional and then give no sources misleads people.
Sorry if that's me your talking about the swears, I really thought I was being pg13,2015 pg 13 at least. Yes I think the take I was reading was more witchy influenced, I've read alot on seidhr and I very well could be crossing those elements over into what I did read about the runes, but maybe a will come across it again, all I did was Google it and read every single thing I came across. I started statement with ' it is believed' so where you got authoritative from I don't know but I certainly am confident. You don't need to have means to find a branch. You do however need them to order polished ones offline. Which is what the situation is in this thread. Yes, I use an ax regularly, don't actually have a letter opener... I just cut out the middle man and I open it with my barehands... Modern uses for an ax, your house is on fire and the door is jammed, want that letter opener? I'm poor and my family was poor immigrants that came with nothing, but I can hit ya between the eyes with my ax because I had 12 dollars for it and some dedication, and Mead. And if getting drunk and throwing weapons said bad, you would not of cut it back than, in theory of course since statements are frowned apon here
And let me correct myself by saying, I brieve from all the research I've done, the way I've described is a more powerful use of the runes, and i personally believe doing it on paper makes it a cheap parlor game, not cheap in monitary value but spiritual. If you don't like effort this may truely be the wrong path. A lineary example, the work they put into their ships, finding the perfect tree, craving it down perfectly, doing this hundreds of times per ship, now make a paperboat. There is not comparison, in my eyes
This whole "out-Viking the other person" really has nothing to do with this thread and not what I'm trying to convey (so I don't really see why you keep coming in with that).
My point is that you claimed that something was traditional and then you gave no sources, except that you read everything on a topic. Simply reading everything you come across doesn't cut it as proper research as you need to validate your sources and cross reference them with other validated sources. You also have to take opinions with a grain of salt (Hel, you have take scholars with a grain of salt in this matter).
And when I say means, I don't just mean money. I mean having the capability to access materials. Not everyone lives where there are trees, so they can't just always find a fallen branch. Some people aren't "out", so they can't have physical tools. Some people aren't crafty, so they may prefer buying over making things themselves. You can't just sit here and think that your situation applies to everyone else. No one is any "lesser" for not doing things the way you've learned or prefer.
Sorry I guess being part of a believe centraled around nature, and then not being part of that nature didn't even cross my mind. Call me a purist. And since it is a folk religion, folk isn't sited sources now is it? It's oral transference of stories. I doubt you know more than I nor i then you based on all loose information available, very few things are air tight. And I'm free to make my own deference based on what I've come across. Or by your logic site the Viking source you heard that you can get runes off computer, like what line of the edda is that? Or did you apply your own knowledge to form a thought on the matter, but I can't do the very same because I see things more frankly than others
Again, you were trying to say something was traditional when it was not. I'm not claiming that a sharpie and paper are traditional, so there's a difference. You call yourself a purist and say you see things more frankly than others and really, it just flows back into the whole point that you can't apply your views and circumstances to other people. How you do things in your path is all fine and good. I have no right to contest that and that's not what I'm trying to talk about. I'm talking about taking your views and saying that they're traditional and "better" like it's fact and not an opinion.
The attitude you have is elitist and that doesn't work for everyone. The original poster simply wanted advice on whether to buy or make runes since they may not actually continue with the practice. Would you have someone go to the trouble of your "purist" ways only to give the entire thing up anyway? That seems like it would cause more problems and efforts than it's worth.
