In Focus - Runes - A Review

 Today I am reviewing - "In Focus - Runes" by Jan Budkowski.

• Book Link
• Author Link - I was unable to locate any link directly to this author's page. If you find something, feel free to message me and I'll update the page.
• Release Date - November 30, 2021

I'll start with a physical review of the book. The book is a great backpack sized hardcover book with a vibrantly colored and well illustrated cover.  It has a standard index and glossary in the back of the book but does offer a reference wall chart for the reader. I'll go back to my last review from Quarto Knows to say that again the font on the title page is very small.  The color of the page, combined with the font size makes this page very difficult to read.

This ten chapter book is not short on information. The author begins our journey into the magical world of runes by giving us a history lesson. Pages eight through twenty give us the history of runes and their origins. Including a simple (and short) explanation of the Aesir Gods and the Vanir Gods and how they relate to one another. Included in this is a table that outlines a few of the gods and their associated rune.

 

From there, our author takes us on a look at some of the Nordic Mythology. We are guided through the tales of Odin, Aesir & Vanir, The Norn and the nine worlds of Yggdrasil.  Each broken down with basic information on location, residents and descriptions. Finally this chapter ends with three of the legends including the story of Ragnarok. Condensed, but an well written explanation of the tale. 

Next we're taken into the main object of this book.  Runes!  The author breaks down the runes into Freya's aett, Hagal's Aett and Tyr's Aett and provides meanings, key ideas and images for each. The rest of the book is focused on our runes and how we interact with them. From cleansings to readings the book takes you through a step by step processing on the creation and care of runes. From a single draw to large spreads the author shows how we can conduct our own rune castings and run magic.  

Overall this is a great book for the novice and learned practitioner a like. Even with my experience with runes, there was new information in this book that I found interesting. I feel the section on the Nordic Mythology as well as how the rune sets are broken down was extremely interesting. While a high level look at the history of runes, I believe it does provide a solid look at the tool and is worth the read. And the 18X24 wall chart isn't bad either!

Namaste,

Sosanna