Rune Casting: Viking Methods of Divination

Rune casting is now one of the most widespread divinatory practices — and one of the least historically documented. Before diving into the methods, we must frankly address the question of sources: what do we really know about how the Scandinavians consulted the runes, and what was reconstructed in the 20th century?

The old woman did not look up. Sitting by the hearth, she caressed a worn leather pouch, the one containing her twenty-four engraved sticks — the staves, the signs of the Elder Futhark. She knew why he was there. They always came the eve of a departure.

The answer is uncomfortable for those seeking a direct lineage. No text from the Viking Age describes a rune casting as practiced today. The most frequently cited account, that of Tacitus in Germania in 98 AD, mentions wooden sticks marked with signs, thrown onto a white cloth and picked up three times by a priest — but Tacitus nowhere writes that these signs were runes.

This scene, or a very similar version, was repeated hundreds of times across medieval Scandinavia. Rune casting — the art of consulting the sacred symbols of the Elder Futhark to obtain answers — is one of the oldest spiritual practices in Northern Europe. And today, this art is experiencing a revival.

This guide will teach you how to practice rune casting like the ancient Scandinavians, step by step. Whether you are a complete beginner or looking to deepen your interpretation methods, you will find everything here to begin your own divinatory practice.

Historical Roots of Runic Divination

Before diving into the practice, you must understand where it comes from. The earliest account of Germanic divination comes to us from Tacitus, a Roman historian, in his work Germania (98 AD). He describes a method of wood divination:

"They cut a branch from a fruit-bearing tree and slice it into small pieces; they distinguish them by certain marks and cast them at random onto a white cloth. Then the priest of the city, in a public consultation, or the father of the family, in a private one, after praying to the gods and looking up to the sky, picks up three of them, one by one, and interprets them according to the signs carved upon them."
— Tacitus, Germania, chapter X

Tacitus does not mention the word "rune," but the description corresponds remarkably to what modern practitioners call the 3-rune cast. Wooden pieces carved with signs, cast onto a cloth, then interpreted in groups of three: this is exactly the basis of rune casting as we know it.

In Norse mythology, it was Odin himself who discovered the runes by hanging from the world-tree Yggdrasil for nine nights, pierced by his own spear. The rune Ansuz, which bears his name, is directly linked to divine revelation and communication with invisible forces. The Völvas — those itinerant prophetesses of the Viking world — used runes as a central tool in their seiðr practice.

Preparing a Rune Casting: The Ritual

That said, preparation matters more than the accessory. All divinatory traditions, ancient and modern, begin with the same act of separation: leaving behind the ordinary bustle to enter a different time.

Practically: wash your hands, get comfortable in a quiet place, spread out the cloth, and let a few breaths pass before formulating anything. This is not decorative folklore — it is precisely what prevents you from projecting your impatience onto the runes you are about to cast.

The preparation for a rune casting is not a formality. It is the most important part. Here are the steps that Norse practitioners followed and that you can adapt at home:

1. Choose your rune set

Use a set of 24 Elder Futhark runes, carved on wood, stone, or bone. The important thing is that each piece bears a clear symbol and that the material feels natural in your hand. A handcrafted wooden rune set is an excellent choice for beginners: wood is the material historically attested to by Tacitus.

2. Sanctify the space

Spread a white or neutral cloth on a flat surface. This is your "reading field." The ancients used linen; a clean, light-colored fabric will suffice. Some practitioners light a candle or burn sage, but the essential thing is to create a dedicated space, separated from the everyday.

3. Formulate the intention

This is the heart of the preparation. Before each rune casting, ask yourself a clear question. Avoid closed questions (yes/no) and prefer open-ended ones:

• Avoid: "Will my journey be safe?"
• Prefer: "What forces will influence my journey?" or "What do I need to know before I leave?"

4. Mix and cast

Place all the runes in their pouch. Mix them while thinking about your question. Reach into the pouch without looking. Let your fingers find the runes — do not choose, let yourself be guided.

"Runes are not chosen. They are the ones that let themselves be found by the hand of the seeker."
— Le Comptoir Viking

The Four Methods of Rune Casting

Next comes the choice of the number of runes, which alone determines the depth of the reading.

A single rune answers a direct and closed question. Three runes describe a path — past, present, future, or situation, obstacle, advice. Five allow adding external context and the likely outcome. Beyond that, the reading becomes diluted: the more runes there are on the cloth, the easier it becomes to read into them what you wanted to find.

Here are the four main casting methods, from the simplest to the most complex.

Upright and Reversed Runes: How to Read Them

A word is necessary regarding reversed runes, which divide practitioners.

One point deserves to be said frankly, as it rarely is: the system of reversals is a modern addition. Nine of the twenty-four runes are perfectly symmetrical and therefore have no reversed meaning — an ancient body of knowledge that would have foreseen this arrangement would not have left more than a third of it out. Inversion is a convenient reading tool, not a Norse legacy.

It is one of the most important and debated aspects of rune interpretation. When you turn a rune over on the cloth, it can appear in two orientations:

• Upright rune: The symbol appears in its normal orientation. The interpretation is direct, positive or neutral depending on the rune.
• Reversed rune (merkstave): The symbol appears upside down. The interpretation is modified — often indicating blockage, delay, or the shadow aspect of the original meaning.

Important: Nine runes of the Elder Futhark are non-reversible — they have the same shape upright or reversed. These are: Gebo (), Hagalaz (), Nauthiz (), Isa (), Jera (), Eihwaz (), Sowilo (), Ingwaz (), and Dagaz (). These runes carry the same message regardless of their orientation.

"A reversed rune is not a curse. It is a mirror that shows you the shadow of the light. Learn to read the shadow and you will no longer fear the night."
— Le Comptoir Viking

For example, Upright Fehu signifies abundance, wealth, and material success. Reversed Fehu indicates financial loss, greed, or misuse of resources. The rune does not change — it is the angle of reading that evolves.

The 24 Runes of the Futhark in Divination: Reference Table

To succeed in your rune reading, you must know the divinatory meaning of each symbol. Here is the complete reference table of the 24 runes, with their meanings in upright and reversed positions:

This table is your reference for every rune reading. With practice, you will no longer need to consult it — the meanings will become as natural as your native language. For an in-depth study of each symbol, consult our complete guide to the Elder Futhark.

The Art of Interpretation: Reading Runes Together

Knowing what each rune means individually is a start. But the true art of rune casting lies in the ability to read the runes together, like the words of a sentence.

The most common beginner's mistake is reading each rune in isolation, like a dictionary entry.

A reading only makes sense as a whole. Fehu, Hagalaz, and Sowilo, taken separately, say almost nothing; put together, they outline a progression — resources, a trial, a clearing. It is the relationship between the signs that carries the interpretation, never just the sum of their definitions.

Here are the key principles for interpreting a reading:

Read the narrative flow

Every rune reading tells a story. Read the runes in the order of their positions as you would read the chapters of a saga. The past leads to the present, the present leads to the future. Look for the common thread.

Observe the relationships between runes

Two runes from the same family (for example, two runes from the first ætt) strengthen their message. Two contradictory runes (strength and weakness side by side) indicate inner conflict or tension in the situation.

Trust your intuition

The ancient Scandinavians did not consult manuals. They let the runes speak to them. If a rune catches your eye more than the others, or if an interpretation comes to you spontaneously — follow it. Intuition is a divination tool in its own right.

Keep a rune journal

After each rune reading, note the date, the question asked, the runes drawn, and your interpretation. Over the weeks, patterns will emerge. Certain runes will reappear often — these are your guide runes. A notebook or journal dedicated to your runic practice is an essential companion.

Practical Tips for Beginners

There remains the question of consistency, which separates a passing curiosity from a true practice.

The most effective method for learning is also the most modest: draw one single rune per day, note it down, then note what your day has made of it. In one lunar cycle, you will have encountered most of the signs in real-life situations — something no reference table can ever give you.

If you are new to rune casting, here are our recommendations:

1. Start with a single rune. Draw one rune each morning for at least 24 days (one day per rune). This is the best way to learn the meanings through practice, not theory.
2. Move on to a 3-rune reading. Once you are comfortable with the individual symbols, move on to this classic method. It is the format you will use most often.
3. Do not over-read. One rune reading per question, one per day maximum. Drawing again and again to "get a better answer" blurs the messages. The runes demand respect for the first answer given.
4. Create your personal ritual. Whether it is lighting a candle, taking three deep breaths, or simply placing your hands on the rune pouch for a minute — find your grounding.
5. Study the sources. Dive into the texts: the Eddas, Tacitus's Germania, the Hávamál (The Sayings of the High One). The more you understand the cultural context, the richer your interpretations will be. Our articles on magical runes and Viking rituals explore these aspects further.

To practice in the best conditions, a complete set of divination runes with a storage pouch and reference guide is the ideal companion. Wearing a runic pendant can also strengthen your connection to the symbols during your readings.

The Runes Have Spoken

One final point must be made, as it conditions everything else. Rune reading as it is practiced today owes most of its form to 20th-century authors — Ralph Blum above all, whose The Book of Runes (1982) established most of the meanings still in circulation. This observation does not invalidate the practice: it places it within its era. What the runes offer is a framework for formulating a question and looking at one's own situation head-on. That is already a lot, and it does not need a Viking pedigree to be worthwhile.

As Odin said in the Hávamál:

"Know how to carve?
Know how to interpret?
Know how to stain?
Know how to ask?"
— Hávamál, stanza 144

Odin asks four questions. He does not give answers. That is exactly the spirit of rune reading: the runes do not tell you what to do. They ask you the right questions. It is up to you to find the answers within yourself.

Take your rune set. Lay out the cloth. Ask your question. And let the ancient symbols guide you — just as they guided thousands of warriors, merchants, and Völvas before you, for over fifteen centuries.

Frequently Asked Questions About Rune Reading