![\"Elder](\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Untitled-design-26-1024x726.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Welcome back to The Road to Runes, gentle ramblings about my own bumpy journey toward learning the runes, their meanings, and using them for divination and personal exploration. The Elder Futhark runes are what most people think of when they consider a set of runes. These runes are 24 \u201cletters\u201d that represent sounds and words, are used in poems that carry potentially great meaning, and are strongly linked to Norse mythology.<\/p>\n
Many rune sets include the 24 runes and also a blank rune stone (or piece of wood, or tablet, or whatever the material the runes are made from).<\/p>\n
There are a few different thoughts on why the blank rune is included and what it\u2019s for. Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n
The addition of the blank rune is entirely modern, and may have been popularized in the early 1980s as rune exploration for spirituality became more common. Today, it\u2019s sometimes called the Wyrd rune, where Wyrd is the Norse concept of fate or destiny.<\/p>\n
Some state that the blank rune is Odin\u2019s rune. However, Othala is also associated with Odin, so discernment is recommended when considering whether you\u2019re experiencing a divine connection or not. The blank rune can be seen as a clean slate; an opportunity for you to come up with your own answers, or a sign that you can do as you see fit, because destiny, or Wyrd, is already at work. A higher power, earthly or not, could be active in your life. Or, it could be a sign that your own fate rests right in your hands.<\/p>\n
When you become confident with the runes, or with the guidance of someone who already is, you may want to have a go at making bind runes. Binding is a common term in many magical practices, but in this case, we\u2019re not necessarily talking about binding a person or an idea. It\u2019s about binding certain runes together, to create something new and potentially powerful.<\/p>\n
You could, for example, bind Fehu and Jera together to create a rune focused on wealth and rewards, or the physical or esoteric manifestation of a good harvest. Remember to take into account that you nearly always inadvertently add other runes in when you draw the bind rune. In this example, the straight stave of Fehu is also Isa, a rune associated with stillness and stability, but also stagnation. So, great care is needed when creating bind runes, to ensure that your intentions are actually backed up by the meanings of all the runes present.<\/p>\n
Others believe that there is no real use for the blank rune, and that it is a manufactured device unrelated to deep and meaningful rune magic or divination. The thinking behind this is that the rune is the mark; the letter itself, not what it is written on. After all, you can do a rune reading by writing the Elder Futhark on pieces of paper and drawing them out of a bag. So, what mystical power does the paper itself have, or indeed, a blank rune?<\/p>\n
It’s up to you to decide. Let us know in the comments what you think about the blank rune, and if you use it in your own practice.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..<\/p>\n
![\"Someone](\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/MY-HEADSHOT-228x300.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Mabh Savage<\/strong> is a Pagan author, poet and musician, as well as a freelance journalist and blogger. She\u2019s a nature-based witch, obsessed with\u00a0Irish and British Paganism and Folklore, plus she\u2019s a massive plant and bird nerd. She\u2019s also a long-time Hekate devotee and a newbie Lokean. She works extensively with the UK Pagan Federation, including editing their bi-annual children\u2019s magazine, Aether<\/a>. Mabh is a passionate environmentalist and an advocate for inclusiveness and positive social transformation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mabh is the author of <\/em>The Magic of Birds<\/em><\/a>, a beginner\u2019s guide to bird spirituality, symbolism, and many more aspects of everyday magic. She\u2019s also written several other books:\u00a0<\/em>A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Pagan Portals \u2013 Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways<\/em><\/a>, and <\/em>Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Planet Friendly Living<\/em><\/a>. Search \u201cMabh Savage\u201d on Spotify and @Mabherick on all socials.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Main image created on Canva by Mabh Savage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Welcome back to The Road to Runes, gentle ramblings about my own bumpy journey toward learning the runes, their meanings, and using them for divination and personal exploration. The Elder Futhark runes are what most people think of when they consider a set of runes. These runes are 24 \u201cletters\u201d that represent sounds and words, are used in poems that carry potentially great meaning, and are strongly linked to Norse mythology. Many rune sets include the 24 runes and also a blank rune stone (or piece of wood, or tablet, or whatever the material the runes are made from). There are a few different thoughts on why the blank rune is included and what it\u2019s for. Let\u2019s take a look. The Blank Rune as a Messenger of Fate The addition of the blank rune is entirely modern, and may have been popularized in the early 1980s as rune exploration for spirituality became more common. Today, it\u2019s sometimes called the Wyrd rune, where Wyrd is the Norse concept of fate or destiny. Some state that the blank rune is Odin\u2019s rune. However, Othala is also associated with Odin, so discernment is recommended when considering whether you\u2019re experiencing a divine connection or not. The blank rune can be seen as a clean slate; an opportunity for you to come up with your own answers, or a sign that you can do as you see fit, because destiny, or Wyrd, is already at work. A higher power, earthly or not, could be active in your life. Or, it could be a sign that your own fate rests right in your hands. An Opportunity for Bind Runes When you become confident with the runes, or with the guidance of someone who already is, you may want to have a go at making bind runes. Binding is a common term in many magical practices, but in this case, we\u2019re not necessarily talking about binding a person or an idea. It\u2019s about binding certain runes together, to create something new and potentially powerful. You could, for example, bind Fehu and Jera together to create a rune focused on wealth and rewards, or the physical or esoteric manifestation of a good harvest. Remember to take into account that you nearly always inadvertently add other runes in when you draw the bind rune. In this example, the straight stave of Fehu is also Isa, a rune associated with stillness and stability, but also stagnation. So, great care is needed when creating bind runes, to ensure that your intentions are actually backed up by the meanings of all the runes present. The Extraneous Rune Others believe that there is no real use for the blank rune, and that it is a manufactured device unrelated to deep and meaningful rune magic or divination. The thinking behind this is that the rune is the mark; the letter itself, not what it is written on. After all, you can do a rune reading by writing the Elder Futhark on pieces of paper and drawing them out of a bag. So, what mystical power does the paper itself have, or indeed, a blank rune? It’s up to you to decide. Let us know in the comments what you think about the blank rune, and if you use it in your own practice. …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Mabh Savage is a Pagan author, poet and musician, as well as a freelance journalist and blogger. She\u2019s a nature-based witch, obsessed with\u00a0Irish and British Paganism and Folklore, plus she\u2019s a massive plant and bird nerd. She\u2019s also a long-time Hekate devotee and a newbie Lokean. She works extensively with the UK Pagan Federation, including editing their bi-annual children\u2019s magazine, Aether. Mabh is a passionate environmentalist and an advocate for inclusiveness and positive social transformation. Mabh is the author of The Magic of Birds, a beginner\u2019s guide to bird spirituality, symbolism, and many more aspects of everyday magic. She\u2019s also written several other books:\u00a0A Modern Celt: Seeking the Ancestors,\u00a0\u00a0Pagan Portals \u2013 Celtic Witchcraft: Modern Witchcraft Meets Celtic Ways, and Practically Pagan: An Alternative Guide to Planet Friendly Living. Search \u201cMabh Savage\u201d on Spotify and @Mabherick on all socials. Main image created on Canva by Mabh Savage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":30,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10007,10004],"tags":[15485,10070,13936,10856,10855,15486,10065,14276,14600,12025,15389,15484,10117,14316],"class_list":["post-32674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-divination-articles","category-monthly-columns","tag-blank-rune","tag-divination","tag-elder-futhark","tag-heathen","tag-heathenry","tag-inclusive-heathenry","tag-magic","tag-norse-mythology","tag-road-to-runes","tag-rune","tag-rune-divination","tag-rune-magic","tag-runes","tag-the-road-to-runes"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32674"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32681,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32674\/revisions\/32681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}