Runes: 5 Misconceptions
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- Опубліковано 28 лип 2024
- An Old Norse expert takes a look at the five biggest misconceptions about runes in popular culture.
Jackson Crawford, Ph.D.: Sharing real expertise in Norse language and myth with people hungry to learn, free of both ivory tower elitism and the agendas of self-appointed gurus. Visit JacksonWCrawford.com (includes bio and linked list of all videos).
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Last time I was this early Ymir was just beginning to sweat.
Atlas 😂
The Vikings and their history are fascinating on their own, we don't need to paint a picture of them that never existed.
A note on the Ibn Fadlan text, as someone who is currently specialising the Arabic texts about Vikings as a postgrad.
The Arabic original does not mention tattoos, but only that they are "dark" from their toes up to their necks with "trees, pictures and the such". The Penguin translation is somewhat outdated. I would suggest using the more recent James Montgomery translation from 2014. I'm reproducing here the endnote to that part on the Montgomery dual-language edition:
"This phrase is obscure and the Arabic syntax is far from clear. Ibn Fadlan is thought by many to be describing tattoos of trees and other forms, but the practice of tattooing is unattested for the Vikings and he may mean that they have images of trees and other shapes painted on them, perhaps using a plant dye"
thank you Karl - that's really helpful and appreciated - nice to have more academic research into this area which really compliments this topic - good luck with the rest of your studies
My first language is Arabic, so I am curious what it exactly said in Arabic . I may be able to help.
Murow thank you for your kind help! I can read Arabic and work with them in the original language. However I’ll copy it out from the Arabic edition that I have when I get home.
@@Kaiser86 Oh that's cool! I commend you for learning such a difficult language. Thank you! I am really curious what the original text says.
Thanks Karl! I thought I remembered it the way you describe, that they were covered in images, but not specifically tattoos. Also that the color was somehow inspecific. I don't recall which translation I read, probably an old one. I have no Arabic.
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This has inspired me to want to take a look at my local runestones again. We have a couple of them still standing in and around the city where I live and several more just an hours drive away. Shame that I've come to see them as commonplace when they're actually interesting pieces of the past :)
Primitive skills guy here, tattoos in a non-modern setting, are a major commitment (think days for even a medium sized one). It needs to be a major cultural, or religious thing to be extensive and widespread (several polynesian groups). Not saying tattoos weren't used but it's not like going to a shop now.
However, they do date back to prehistoric man
Depends on the size. We do have hand-tattoists working at Viking Markets.
It is interesting that a single written report by one traveler (albeit a learned diplomat) reporting that the Rus were covered in tattoos inspired the image of Iron Age Scandinavians which has become so popular nowadays.
I think it is more the idea that tattoos are now soooo kewl. For some reason the Ibn Fadlan manuscript has been touted a lot recently, but it was translated to English already in 1979 (at least) and the vikings of pop culture at the time were not especially wildly tattooed. I also blame the TV series Vikings, that has been progressively covering people in tattoos over the seasons, and will at this rate have everyone blue as smurfs in about 3 seasons if it were to continue.
I read something about Vikings and fancy by Regis Boyer, the main Viking specialist in France and pope of Scandinavian studies before he passed in 2017.
He wrote that Vikings were successively a sort of screen of political projections throughout 20's century. First by the far right and the fascists for their supposed "racial purity". Then, starting from 1970, by the far left for their supposed ecology and perfect gender equality.
I purchased your Poetic Edda from Grimfrost for my mother. A very good price for something relevant to life. When she is done reading it, I will read it many times. Thank you Dr. Jackson for being you and sharing your wisdom.
The "aaaaaaaazzznnn*bmuttt:alu:" runic inscription makes me think it's meant to represent a number, or perhaps a date and/or time. It is indeed weird to see repeated runes that have no phonetic meaning in this context. They might also represent object, like animals; the 'a' rune meaning cattle for example, as a way to keep count at a bigger farm for example.Really fascinating...
Maybe it means he hit his thumb while he was carving the inscription.
@@Correctrixᚣᛠᚻ ᛗᚣ ᛒᚪᛞ, ᚠᛖᛚᛚ ᚪᛋᛚᛖᛖᛈ ᚪᛏ ᚦᛖ ᛣᛖᚣᛒᚩᚪᚱᛞ
your videos are amazing! i’m a linguistics student at UC Berkeley - so cool to know that you taught there too. keep up the excellent work!
I love history but knowing history can be a curse or a revelation. In this case, it is a revelation. Thank you, Dr Crawford for sharing your knowledge and all your good work.
As an example of an archaic tradition that refuses to die, in our own culture, the custom of specifying years in Roman Numerals for “official” purposes.
Thank you for these informative videos, Mr. Crawford. And I appreciate the stunning glimpses of Colorado you leave us with too.
There were cases where (at least in Old English) that they were used as both a symbolic word as well as a sound. Some of the Old English riddles by Cynwulf he uses the rune name as an image in the riddle and as part of his name hidden in the riddle. I'm no longer in academia, but I get the sense that this wasn't an unusual practice but possibly part of an older tradition where writing and "those in the know" would play in jokes with on another and have fun with text. I agree runes are not largely pictographic, but I think the names themselves would have disappeared if there wasn't any connection whatsoever.
I always associate the "nonsense" words with the magical papyri where spells/incantations seem to be constructed by what sounds magical and is rather haphazard at times. There do seem to be some common usages, in the papyri, that may play on certain homonyms of exotic foreign and local words but a lot of it is just "agazagagazaga" stuff.
Perhaps this is a silly question but I've wondered whether the Vikings painted the runes carved in stone, the way they're often shown in videos like this one. Or is that just something we moderns do to help make the runes more legible? In any case, red runes on gray-white stone do look cool.
CorkyAgain, painting the runes in red is a modern thing. But there’s reason to believe that rune stones were painted in some way.
Anybody who has written a page in Runes know exactly why the Latin alphabet goes with ink and parchment.
I always learn a lot from these videos, and every time I'm blown away by how much I thought I knew that I actually didn't...
Thank you again for your work and research and educating us here on UA-cam. I appreciate it very much.
Love your vids, doc.
I remember about a year ago reading the same passage in the exact same translation of Ibn Fadlan cited by you, and being somewhat bewildered about the mention of tattoos, as before then I had only heard of them in the movies. Glad to see my viewpoint is pretty much aligned with yours :)
I'm happy to say that I haven't suffered from any of the other misconceptions :)
For whatever reason (my state of mind?), I found this video especially educational. Thank you, Dr. Crawford.
It's good to see you getting sponsorship. I hope it continues.
I love his videos. One thing I always notice is that he looks like to be forcing his voice to look more deep.
interesting, enjoyable & entertaining as usual - thank you Dr Crawford - almost disappointed that I didn't have any of these misconceptions lol - still great content
I can’t wait for your Havamal!
Another good update, suggestion the crow with the hat and the flag you should put that on your T spring, I’d love a coffee cup with that logo that’s cool
I wish you had been our Philology teacher at Uni...many of us would have avoided getting a break down trying to learn the Edda by heart and IndoEuropean origin for every word, not that the exam would have been easier but probably we would not have lived more than one year in terror of the exam...
Thanks so much for your content
Thank you for clarifying these, Norse-Cowboy Jackson Crawford
I love your videos!
Sounded like you said "8700," which was startling LOL
Hello sir,
I actually have a question that has bothered me for some time now. I know of the Berserker and what the histories have told us but this I have never gotten an answer. How were berserkers treated in normal societies? How did they differ in treatment from say you or I in that day and age? And how did they act in general off the field of battle? I would love to see a video about this!
Yours,
Jim
He already has a video on both the word Berserkr (ua-cam.com/video/_EyxlktknTE/v-deo.html) and on the Berserkers and Ulfhendnar (ua-cam.com/video/LLDfXpWn3gM/v-deo.html).
Ayyyyy Mr. Crawford’s getting ads now! Good on you!
Good morning!
Always glad to have untruths revealed, thank you!
exelent... and love Grimfrost!
late runes could be just like cursive today. a dying out writing method, thats only really used on paper, but hardly ever typed.
I’ve been missing that guitar piece in my mornings.
The only reference I've seen to the helm of awe was in the story of Sigurd Fafnisbane. But even then it was an actual helmet not a graphic symbol
Maybe some tough pills to swallow for some. :)
Always better to know the truth of things to the best of our understanding than to merely glorify our ideals upon things we profess to love and respect.
You can love the runes and Old Norse without caring much about historical accuracy.
@@Tasorius Sure, but should you? Is that actually giving honor to those things you purport to love?
@@NyctophileXIII Stop claiming that I don't actually love the runes and the language because I don't obsess over the Younger Futhark being used instead of the Elder Futhark which I prefer, for the sake of historical accuracy. I really think that instead of just abandoning moist of the Elder Futhark and replacing it with a system with fewer runes, they should have gone the route of adding more runes to represent more sounds. Instead they made it so that fewer letters represented more sounds, which makes no sense.
@@Tasorius it doesn't make sense because those that created the younger futhark did not understand the truth of the Elder Runes and they butchered something ancient, primal and beautiful into a mere language! But the Elder Runes are so much more than "letters"!
on my recennt trip back home to the black hills of dakota. the tour guide for us told story of the 'Thone stone' found on hill above spearfish,south dakota. said in poor scratch on limstone how ' injuns kilted all but me,,,, etc. if true 1830's prospectors of swedish imigra lost gold all could carry taken. i wish to find more as recall in youth there an now try more detailed study of...
Wake up, pour coffee, feed cats, listen to Dr Crawford. It's going to be a great day.
And....if we don't hear from you tomorrow, sir....have a lovely and FREE Independence Day
Great video published in the year MMXIX
Hi mate, could you do a video on Rune translations for tattoos, such As the younger futhark, long Branch, short Branch and stuch. Looking To Get tattoos and would love some real historical knowledge. Thanks.
The raven in a cowboy hat would be a great tattoo! Lol!
“The eddas were written in runes”
*wheezing*
ᛁ ᚹᛁᛋᚻ ᚦᛖᚣ ᚹᛖᚱᛖ! ᛁ'ᚠᛖ ᛒᛖᛖᚾ ᛏᚱᚣᛁᛝ ᛏᚩ ᚠᛁᚾᛞ ᛒᛟᚹᚢᛚᚠ ᚩᚱ ᚦᛖ ᛒᛁᛒᛚᛖ ᛁᚾ ᚱᚢᚾᛖᛋ ᛏᚩ ᚻᛖᛚᛈ ᛚᛠᚱᚾ ᚪᛝᛚᚩ-ᛋᚪᛣᛋᚩᚾ ᚪᚾᛞ ᛗᛖᛗᚩᚱᛁᛋᛖ ᚱᚢᚾᛖᛋ ᚠᚢᚱᚦᛖᚱ, ᛒᚢᛏ ᛋᚪᛞᛚᚣ ᛁ'ᛚᛚ ᚻᚪᚠᛖ ᛏᚩ ᚹᚱᛁᛏᛖ ᛁᛏ ᛗᚣᛋᛖᛚᚠ.
I like Grimfrost. At least the ad is relevant.
If I am not misstaken the word "rune" in old Norse can mean both the "symbol" of a rune but also mean "secret". So "to have a secret lover" or what ever secret it is the word usef for "secret" could be the same as the word for "rune". This can create som wonderful missconceptions as well... The swedish word for "rune" is "runa" and that could slso mean a memorial text also known as "dödsruna", death-rune.
Dr. Crawford, is there any possibility or do you have any plans to translate Njal’s Saga?
Could runes used as symbols just be the Norse equivalent of acronyms or cyphers that would have been obvious to anyone who could read them e.g. e.g. or the Christian Chi Rho?
I have a dream of turning my writing skills and desire into the meter of Danish forfathers.
on the surface seems strange that the elder Futhark had *more* than the younger version - you'd think be the other way around.
then again, not a linguist but I understand we've dropped some letters as well (the old funny 's' that looked like an f (long, medial, or descending s (ſ))) (ah the joys of History degree trying to read copies of original sources)
(hmm dropped or just changed, hmmm)
others have definitely been dropped - like æ and œ
while others have shifted - like old english wynn (ƿ) - "disappeared from English around the 14th century when it was supplanted by uu, which ultimately developed into the modern w - double u - w)
Quite fascinating.. And note that the spoken language actually had fewer sounds when the alphabet had mpre letters 😯
It's a funny contradiction that the spoken language became more phonologically complex, but the written language became less so.
Why this happened, idk. When i look at a comparison of Elder and Younger Fuþark, all the missing staves in Younger Fuþark are vowels, or they're consonants that can be substituted with a similar sound. Which leads me to think that people who carved the runes wanted the words to be less obvious-the word rune connotes secrecy, after all-and eventually, the reduced runic alphabet became the norm.
It's because the runes were not originally an alphabet. Yes, they were turned into such by some but they have always been so much more and that's the "secret" of them, what they were before Man devalued them into an alphabet so much of them became lost to us!
Have you ever considered collaborating with Arith Härger? He's another Norse scholar on UA-cam.
Seems to me re: runes vs roman alphabet that maybe if your writing tool is a chisel (stone, wood) then angular runes made of straight lines are a better option, and if you're writing in scripted font with liquid ink then the roman alphabet yields better to that?
If i write munin in elder futhark, does it means im doing it wrong?
how does Thorr Vigi translate to may Thor bless, but Vigi-Thorr translates to Killer-Thor?
Maybe the Ibn Fadlan encountered some Baltic or Finnic tribes?
It doesn't really make sense logically for the church to persecute runes to begin with. They are not doing anything to hurt anyone but to provide the service of writing down and share info. If there was really any issue with them than the Greek and Roman letters created by those pagans would get hit by persecution too by the church... It didn't though. That is how we know they were neutral on them
I would recommend finding an alternative to Patreon, if you want to keep information and speech free and fair.
Aw yeah get those sponsors
I know, speculating is quite unprofessional, but the aaaaaaaazzznn*bmuttt:alu:, when assumed that runes did work as glyphs as well as letters, seems like a prayer for protection from hardship or a bid for prosperity. I mean, the Rune Poems give quite an insight on what ideas and archetypical associations were connected to the runes. Is there any research on why someone would go through the tedious task of writing down a poem (Norwegian and Icelandic are sometimes pretty close, so they had to be at least in some way generally accepted) and memorising it? Is it because they were not used regularly enough and couldn't be memorized on their own? Why do they even hold enough semantic significance to write a poem about them? Or was it just a tradition and exercise to better ones poetic and lyrical skill? I know, we don't know, but I'd like to know.
Seems odd to me that "thor vigi" means "may thor bless" and "wigi thor" is supposed to mean "killer thor" ... aint it more likely that those inscriptions mean the same?
1. Vikings were covered in runic tattoos.
2. Old Norse was written in the Elder Futhark.
3. The Eddas and sagas were written in runes.
4. Runes were primarily symbols as opposed to letters in an alphabet.
5. Christians suppressed the runes.
That said I think people should go back and reconstruct the Eddas in Runic. The Eddas themselves attest that the runes are holy - so it only makes sense.
You're so close with number 4!
ᚷᚩᚩᛞ ᛈᚩᛁᚾᛏ
Who can guess what country the Rus founded? :P
Ukraine ;)
Wasn't EF old high german?
LOL
If the runes weren't magic symbols, what about the section in Havamal when Odin speaks of the runes as being magical spells?
Við hleifi mig seldu
né við hornigi,
nýsti ég niður,
nam ég upp rúnir,
æpandi nam,
féll ég aftur þaðan.
Fimbulljóð níu
nam ec af enom fregia syni
Baulþors Bestlo faudvr;
oc ec dryc of gat
ens dyra miaðar
ausinn Oðreri.
I think these are "charms" and not literal letters
Because historians don't like to believe in magic LOL and even today they want to continue to suppress the truth about what the Elder Runes are!
Unfortunately for them you cannot fully suppress something so ancient and primal!
@@overratedprogrammer Maybe. It seems far from certain. The word used is "runir".
How did you miss another chance to use "mythconceptions" in a video title?!
Dr. Crawford, Princess Siberiana was covered with tattoos. I don't see any reason why the Norse wouldn't...