People are often surprised to learn that the Vikings did not use the runes of the Elder Futhark. They actually used the runes of the Younger Futhark!

After the time of the Elder Futhark, the runic script(s) continued to evolve (wane and wax). There were many rune rows in operation and some scripts were unique localized variants. One striking example are the Dalecarlian runes, or dalrunes. This (late) version of the runic script was in use in the remote Swedish province of Dalarna until the 20th century!

Perhaps surprisingly the Younger Futhark has only 16 runes but soon a need arose for more runes, to express a larger variety of sounds, also in locations south-west of Scandinavia.

The Anglo-Saxon/Northumbrian/Frisian Futhorcs which then evolved offer nine additional runes in all. This brings the total up to 33 runes, in comparison to the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark!

These nine runes offer new lenses of perception, new in-dwelling spirits and new layers of interpretation. Getting to know them can enrich and enhance the work of any Rune Magician!

This class consists of a series of 3 sessions x 90min

Session #1 - Thursday February 10th, 8pm UK time:  Rune EAR, Rune AC and Rune IOR

Session #2 - Thursday, March 10th, 8pm UK time:  Rune YR, Rune OS and Rune Cweorth

Session #3 - Thursday, April 21st, 8pm UK time:  Rune STAN, Rune CHALC and rune GAR

A recording of each session will be available to all ticket holders until May 31st.

About Imelda

Imelda Almqvist is an international teacher of Sacred Art and Seiðr/Old Norse Traditions (the ancestral wisdom teachings of Northern Europe). So far she has written four non-fiction books and two picture books for children. Natural Born Shamans: A Spiritual Toolkit for Life (Using shamanism creatively with young people of all ages) in 2016, Sacred Art: A Hollow Bone for Spirit (Where Art Meets Shamanism) in 2019, Medicine of the Imagination - Dwelling in Possibility (an impassioned plea for fearless imagination) in 2020 and North Sea Water In My Veins (The Pre-Christian spirituality of the Low Countries) will be published in June 2022.

The Green Bear is a series of picture book for children, aged 3 – 8 years. The stories and vibrant artwork, set in Scandinavia, invite children to explore enchanting parallel worlds and to keep their sense of magic alive as they grow up.

Imelda has presented her work on both The Shift Network and Sounds True. She appears in a TV program, titled Ice Age Shaman, made for the Smithsonian Museum, in the series Mystic Britain, talking about Mesolithic arctic deer shamanism.

Imelda is currently working on a handbook for rune magicians (about the runes of the Elder Futhark) and on more books in the Green Bear Series. Imelda runs an on-line school called Pregnant Hag Teachings, where all classes she teaches remain available as recordings which can be watched any time!

Website http://www.shaman-healer-painter.co.uk/

Informative blog on the topic of the runes of the Elder Futhark and how rune magicians in Scandinavia work with them: http://www.shaman-healer-painter.co.uk/post.cfm?p=1178