A Walk with our Ancestors

Volume 2

Wotan

by Benjamin R Long
Copyright © 2011 All rights reserved

The Odin Brotherhood

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Table of Contents
Introduction............................................................................................3
Wotan and the Eddas............................................................................15
Runic Studies.......................................................................................88
Feoh.................................................................................................88
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Introduction

The realm of the Odinist mindset is

interesting and reaches to vast potentials of
the human mind. It reflects on the Archetype
of the German people, an archetype which is
Wotan. This archetype weighs heavily on the
psyche of the Germanic people and illustrates
the racial soul of the people. All cultures
and peoples have a particular archetype that
they follow. One could say the people that
make up the archetype can be the collective
unconscious for the creation of the archetype.
After all, without the people there would be no
need for the archetype to exist at all if there
was no one there to create it. When a
particular people are born, they are born with
the notions and the particularities that make
them who they are. Who would the Hellenist be?
If you were to categorize all Hellenist, well
the answer would be obviously that the person
that the Hellenist are as a unified body would
be the persona of Zeus. Same thing with the
Germanic people. If the Germanic people are
listed as a single collective then the person
that they would be would be Odin or Wotan.
This is true for all societies and cultures.
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The person that a particular race is, is the
founding creative source that made them who
they are. Without these factors, ancestry and
racial bonds would be rendered meaningless if
there were no collective conscious to unify
them. People need the collective conscious to
unify and give order to the collective
unconscious, that is the group that they are.

A collective consciousness is more or less

the belief itself. It is the God to which the
people identify and make reality. Without the
God and deity, then order and self governance
would be mad meaningless because there would be
no standards by which the God would lay out to
make the people regulate themselves. This
consciousness is imperative to regulate the
psyche and control the spirit of people so
there is not chaos amidst the order. The Gods
slay the Jotuns to maintain order in the
cosmos. This is control over the elements of
chaos that is meant to consume us all. If we
examine this a little closer we can see that
the conscious mind plays a heavy role in the
realm of the spirit and can be referred to as
the ego, since it functions the same as the
ego. It is simply meant as a control factor to
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stabilize the mind and spirit so that people

are not making themselves into monsters and
trying to consume the world around them.

Odin is the leader of the Gods, therefore

he is the highest echelon of ego and is the
best representation of the Germanic soul. This
means that he embodies the ideals and the
virtues that every German should hold true to
their heart if they are to call themselves a
true German. Wotan or Odin is essentially the
German mind in its highest form. There is
nothing to explain in a more fanciful
definition because the truth is self evident.
Every achievement that a German person has
achieved has been in the name of Wotan because
Wotan is the mind of every German. Even if the
person refuses to acknowledge that they are of
Wotan that does not change the fact that their
spirit is still of Wotan and their achievements
in a spiritual sense are still made in his
name. You can deny his name, but you cannot
deny his works. This is seen in the Eddas
where Odin goes by hundreds of names and
aliases to achieve his ends. You may not hear
Wotan but nonetheless his effects are still
seen around the world. The conscious construct
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is a powerful force of self government that
allows people and groups to place a control
factor in their world so that they do not run
out of control. This allows for people to be
regulated and functioning on a level that is
beneficial to their tribe rather than being an
outsider, they are a functioning component of
progress in the scheme of things.

Thor is another functioning member of the

conscious entities. He fights to maintain the
order and keep things running smoothly. Where
Odin is the method behind the creation of
order, Thor is more so the method by which Odin
is created and maintained. He is the force by
which order perpetuates itself. As seen in the
precepts, it says that the pen may be mightier
than the sword, yet without the sword the pen
has no authority. This authority that gives
the pen its power is Thor. He is the enforcer
that regulates the order in the cosmos. When
the Jotuns get out of control, he is the one
that fights in the fields to get order re-
established. He gladly goes out to fight the
Jotuns on their own terms and in their own
lands so that consciousness can maintain order.
Every wise man has to have a strongman that
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backs up his word, that is how governments

govern their people. The leader creates a
strong man tht enforces policy so that the
leader may have rules that are enforceable.
Without a stong man the government would merely
crumble and the laws would be rendered
meaningless and there would be no order.

Frey is an element of the consciousness

and the unconsciousness. She embodies the
spirit of the Vanir which is a balance of the
conscious and unconscious forces. She is an
unconscious being from the standpoint that he
represents the macrocosm of nature and the
German people as a whole in the macrocosm of
the universe. She is not a pure unconscious
entity. If she were that would make her a
Jotun which she is not. She embodies the
natural homeostasis of nature. She is the face
of nature that is always striving to find a
balance with itself. She is not the Jotun that
only seeks to run out of control and ruin the
land. She is more in tun with the balances of
all things so that things might flourish. If
there is something running out of control in
nature then she will simply fix it either by
eliminating the cause or by diminishing the
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capabilities of the contributors. This can
often be cruel, however nature is not generally
nice to those that violate her rules. Freya
seeks to reconcile a homeostasis at all costs
even if it means death to do so. Such is a
fact of life that is unavoidable. If we
pollute the waters that we drink from, then
would it not make sense that we get poisoned as
a result. It may be sad that things die as a
result of our actions but nonetheless it is a
cost we pay when we interact with nature. This
often fatalistic view comes from the
inevitability of natural consequences. Any
species will be superfluous in their evironment
when certain requirements are met. When this
happens a purging occurs, typically by
starvation or plague, and their numbers are
reduced. This happens to all things and
sometimes in the species own short sightedness
they think that they can't be to blame so they
look to other places when their share of the
blame is left untaken.

As far as collective unconscious goes, the

group that creates the belief is the collective
unconscious. This is often the racial or
genetic group that is the source of the belief.
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These people are the people that are the source

points for their faith. Universalism do not
have a collective unconscious because they
believe that all people believe in the same
thing, so to them there is no such thing as
ancestry since all beliefs root from their
belief. This is not true. Collectivism goes
both ways. The belief itself is the conscious
element of the collectivism and is the object
of worship for the people. Whereas the people
themselves are the unconscious element of the
collectivism. This means that people function
on two levels. They have belief and they have
the group, the mind and spirit are composed of
both. However, most people that follow the
lines of spiritualism either follow one or the
other, often neglecting the elements of the
mind that make them whole.
Of they ignore the conscious mind then
they are ignoring the belief and believing in
the group. You can group atheists and
Christians into this category. The believe in
no faith other than what they group believes
and their assertions are often liberal
parroting of others assertions slovenly taken
out of context. Atheists like to say that they
are secular and non religious, however
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according to Jung, the secularists approach
their beliefs with the same religious devotion
that the theists devote to their beliefs.
Let's take a patriot for example. They believe
in their country, they go to marches and pass
out literature for the political aims. This
seems to be rather innocuous activities at the
heart of things, however take for example a
Christian that goes to religious parades,
passes out church literate, and sits in a
church to reinforce their beliefs. This
correlation is almost identical, except one
calls them self a secularist and the other
calls them self a theist. However the function
and vehicle of their beliefs are the same. In
fact, the only thing that is different is what
they call God. God is the mental aspect of
what you believe. It does not matter what you
call it, if you try to say that you believe in
something and that you are non religious then
you are under your own delusions. All beliefs
have a particular religiosity that is devoted
towards them. From the ardent Christians that
believes in the power of their God to the
militant Atheist that denies all Gods and
deities. They have the same devotion poured
into them that make them with the ether of
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religion. If you did not have devotion or

belief in something then one could say that one
is truly non religious, but everyone believes
in something. It may not be a God but it may
be something that is equally focal to the
concept of deity. One can say that some people
worship money, others can say that people
worship women or drugs. When it comes down to
it, all people have some sort of devotion that
they believe in. What would a man be if he had
no devotion? Would he be a man that does
things because his beliefs commands him so? Or
perhaps he would be huddled in a corner trying
to deny the existence of everything because he
does not believe in anything so his very
existence would be questionable.

People that function in the real of the

ego are constantly trying to control their
primal urges. The Id functions as sort of a
child like or animalistic entity. It wants
what it wants and it wants it know. It is not
concerned with how it is to get it and it
thinks that anyway to Rome is the best Avenue.
The ego tries to control these primal urges and
says that you can not rob people to get what
you want and that you should not steal from
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others. Some people who do not have a well
developed ego would not have the control factor
to control these urges and they may act on
impulse to get what they want. They would act
like a child, ever greedily taking the things
that it wants. Or perhaps they would be like
an animal trying to greedily gulp up every
resource without regard. People that function
in the realm of the ego try to control their
existence and seek to be in a manner of realism
about their surroundings. If you need
something you ego would go about thinking how
you can get it from a structured stand point.
That is it operates in the realm of the Aesir,
which can be a personification for it. It
mandates that there must be order to the
thoughts that are in your mind and regulates
itself to promote harmony. This is
representative of the God Wotan and the saying
of his Havamal. The Id is pulling you in all
sorts of direction, however, to consistent and
logical one must operate forth rightfully and
in a manner that is consistent with discipline.
The id is the representation of the giants that
run out of control and dominate the land. The
God Wotan and his subordinates must come down
and put order to a chaotic land. This ego that
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we talk about is self discipline and the

ability to control oneself and the ability for
the tribe to control itself in accordance to
nature's mandate. Without order our world
would cease to function and everyone would be
reduced to mindless animals that consistently
consume and destroy until there is nothing
left.
We have to have a consistent method of
governing ourselves or all would perish in the
flames of wrath that will one day consume this
world. Order and discipline are somethings
that we have to hold onto and promulgate unless
you are a type of person that lives out in a
cabin in the middle of the woods and dispenses
with social contact. Most people would not
envision that lifestyle so they would imagine a
world that they can comfortably fit into.
People have to be consistent with the
mindset that they get into. Dreamers and
fantasy thinkers will always operate in the
world of the Super Ego. They will combine
their notions of control and desire in a manner
where they can be functional, without being
superfluous in any regard. The excess that we
have in our thinking roots itself in the back
of our minds and waits for times of need to
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unleash itself. When a man is in desperate
need and broken down to a point, they will try
almost anything to get what they want, even if
it violates societies rules. Deep inside our
subconscious lies a sleeping beast that is
ravenous and cunning. When it unleashes itself
it is like a wild animal desperate for
survival. The Ego or the God is there to keep
that beast at bay so that we are not sucked
into the beast's world where it rends men in
two.
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Wotan and the Eddas

There is a lot of information surrounding

the nature of the figure that we call Wotan.
In Jung's essay he is referred to as an
archetype, or the soul of the German people.
This is not a far stretch. The ancient German
people once believed ardently in the figure
that is known as Wotan and they made many
tributes to him. This is reflected in the
literature and the legends that surround his
persona. Men would fight and die in his name
so that they could be one of the chosen to
fight in the Ragnarok, the great battle at the
end of the era. Wotan was one of those figures
that defined a people, and the people defined
him. It was the collective unconscious and the
collective conscious coming together to create
a hero for the people and a lighthouse for the
people. Without the figure known as Wotan,
people would have been lost in their primitive
states and society would have been left in the
stone ages. The people that typically followed
Wotan were a hard working industrious people.
Look at the creation of the United States.
Many Germans from the fatherland came over and
built this country. They built the foundations
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on which our society works. They were German
craftsmen and tradesmen that built the houses
and the streets, stone workers that knew how to
make monuments of stone in the midst of the
city. The German people is what America was
about in her infancy. They are the builders of
our society. In fact the German population in
the country was so numerous that when they were
deciding on a national language the vice
president had to break the vote in the senate
to decide that English would be our national
language. The German people of early America
are the builders of our empire, and we owe it
to their memory to resurrect the gods that
their ancestors had believed in. German blood
flows through the veins of our nation, we have
to make sure that blood keeps flowing because
when German people disappear so do their
beliefs and then there would no longer be any
reason for its existence.
Wotan functions on many levels. He
functions on a spiritual level, a physical
level, and finally a creative level. Each of
these levels each reveals a different dynamic
of the being that we refer to as Wotan. The
gods of our faith have many different dynamics
about thim, making them complex entities from
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the conception. They can encompass a broad

array of traits in be strong in one area but
weak in another area. However, that is much
like life, where there is strengths and
weaknesses in all living creatures that depend
on the infinite macrocosm of nature. Even
Wotan himself depends on the rules of nature to
do his will, no one is immune from the effects
of nature so therefore nature is supreme above
all things. One has to realize this. Nature
is purely existence and it is not to be
worshiped, but merely lived in to the best of
our abilities. Our devotion belongs to the
bringers of order that make sense of the chaos
and are able to bring the light to us when we
are in our need of understanding.
On a spiritual level Wotan is the
embodiment of the conscious mind. He is the
law bringer and the creator that makes the
order of the chaos that we live in. Without
his wisdom we would be getting raped and
molested by the forces of the jotuns and we
would be merciless at their force. His primary
agent in defeating these Jotuns is his son,
Thor, who fights the Jotuns with a mighty
hammer that beats them into submission. It
would be logical to conclude that Thor can not
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kill the Jotuns, since it is impossible to
truly defeat the forces of nature, however it
possible to make them subside for a period of
time while they gather strength for the next
onslaught. This battle that Thor wages is
reconciliation with the order that Wotan
establishes. Wotan's remarks on the fight
against the Jotuns are well documented in the
Eddas. He seeks to tame them so that man can
live in peace. After all is that not what the
mind is about, battling the redundant and
ridiculous thoughts that come into one's head
all the time. I am sure that everyone has had
unwanted thoughts at some point in their life
that they could not control and simply needed
to control before they made the person do
something rash or insane because they were
thinking with their Id. Well, Thor represents
that control factor that comes in place to
stifle those thoughts and combat them on an
equal level. If the mind is cognate with the
spirit then it is logical to conclude that Gods
represent the Ego control factor that wages the
fight against the natural elements of the Id.
This fight that is waged is a spiritual and
mental war that one conducts with themself.
Knowing the rules are one thing and following
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them are another. Has there not been the man

that drinks to much and knows he should not
drink to much, then ends up making a fool of
himself? It happens everyday when people
choose not to follow the rules and follow their
desires over their logical control factors that
they have in place that would prevent self
harm. Some people think that it is not so bad
if they do it once, however, once is the
slippery slope to peril. Many alcoholics said
that they would only have one drink. Then they
have another saying that that is the only one
and so one until they have slipped down the
slope and are off the wagon again. How many
times has one heard these stories from these
addicted people? It is redundant when they say
it because you know they will be off running
after the first round.
The Eddas say:
A worse provision
no man can take from table
than too much beer-bibbing:
for the more he drinks
the less control he has
of his own mind.

This verse in the Eddas illustrates the

point that when men organically affect their
20
minds and spirits they loose control of their
faculties. In this verse it illustrates the
point that people can easily be controlled when
they are under the influence of drugs and
alcohol and it is easy to sway that mind
because as it is illustrated they no longer
have control over their faculties. As a God of
Wisdom Wotan knows this and a wise person
following his teachings would use this to his
advantage. People that are drunk or high are
easily provoked or diffused depending on what
one wants to achieve. If it is necessary to
escalate the situation the provoking a drug
addict is a rather simple process as it
involves nothing sophisticate other than cheap
with and subtle provocation. Drunks and
addicts are by far the easiest to provoke
because they have no control over their
faculties and they are like puppets on
marionette stings. If you want to start a
fight between two people as a distraction for
something else just go up to the drunk and tell
him that that the person was saying naughty
things about their mother. This works pretty
well but you also have to assess the person to
see if this kind of provocation would have any
affect. As said they have no control over
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their mind because the alcohol is in control so

it should be easy to pull their strings. This
is an embodiment of Wotan; this is the sign of
a leader's ability to control others. Control
yourself, your allies and your enemies are a
function of a leader. What more can a leader
do when they convince an enemy platoon to
defeat themselves. That is what a leader is
all about, the ability to manage and control
the thoughts of others so that they share the
same vision as himself.
Warriors used to carve Valknuts in the
chest of their fallen comradeship when they had
died. The valknut is a sign that one is
willing to die for Wotan. So one should not
wear the Valknut unless they have that covenant
with Wotan. Dying as a warrior is very
important in our culture. It was not always
the men that had died in the defense of their
people, look at Freydis Eriksdottir, she faced
a horde of Skraelings while she was pregnant
with a sword that she had gotten off of a
fallen comrade. Her vigor and pursuit of
battle was well renowned. She was truly a
person that is worth remembering in our history
books. Wotan is the spirit by which we get our
nature as illustrated by Freydis' courage and
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devotion to duty. When all the men had turned
to cowards she proudly wore the sword and
fought scaring them off. Perhaps the
skraelings were afraid of her war cry, on
nonetheless a woman wielding a sword.
Psychologically Freydis was operating in the
realm of the ID. She was predicating her
actions around the base need for survival. She
was faced with a flight or fight situation and
she chose the conclusion to fight rather than
run as many of her comrades did. She proved
herself as brave as she single-handedly fended
of the raid. Her need for survival was the
functioning of her brain and it overrode her
ego, making her need for survival the primary
focus, thus she had reverted to an animalistic
state, predicating its actions around the need
for base survival which is one of the primary
functions of the Id. So one could say that
spiritually she had taken on the spirit of the
Jotuns and summon all their fury to fight along
side with her. Since the Jotuns are the
cognate with the Id it would be logical to
conclude that she was tapping into some of that
energy to summon the strength that she needed
to defeat the skraeling horde. Survival
instincts are largely an unconscious force that
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roots itself in the lower function of the mind.

That is it regresses to the animal or the child
like archetypes that are known in the Id to
preserve itself. When preservation is at stake
the Id takes control and the regression brings
out the tools that are necessary for survival.
Very few people can fight while in the mindset
of the ego. To fight in the ego means that you
would have to have control over every action
and plan out each move to make sure that it is
correct. Fighting offers you very little time
to evaluate those choices and you are stuck
with the regression where your psyche just acts
on impulse and carries our techniques that have
been imprinted into your subconscious. That is
why fighters train themselves to be able to do
their moves subconsciously so they can do them
with out even thinking. This allows them to be
able to imprint what they know in the the Id
without have to to take the time to process
everything through the ego. Some people call
it muscle memory.
Taciturn and prudent,
and in war daring
should a king’s children be;
joyous and liberal
every one should be
until the hour of his death.
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This line in the Eddas means that people

should be prudent in times of war. They should
make themselves useful and always be willing to
do the common good for their people. It is
necessary for a people to come together during
their hour of need. Without a cohesive society
the their war effort would fall apart as we see
with the modern conflicts in today's world
where the people do not support the conflict
but the government insists on waging it. Their
whole effort falls apart and they achieve
nothing. The only thing that they have is a
few mice surround their ratted flag in a
crumbling building. It's like some wars when
you you are constantly fighting a pointless
battle and then you come to the table and drink
to find that you have no friends at the table
because they all have died in the crusade. How
long could these wars drag on until there is
noone left to fight for them? People should be
daring in war but they should not be stupid,
when you are told to escort a platton of tanks
through a narrow canyon you have to think to
yourself, has someone just signed my death
warrant? Wotan tells us that the sons of kings
should be joyous and liberal, reflecting the
very nature of what it means to lead. If you
 25

cannpt be joyous and liberal when you are

leading then you are not going to have much to
lead. Leaders have to listen to their
subordinates and address the needs accordingly.
You cannot lead while your people suffer, and
they will blame you when they suffer because
you could not address their needs.
It is like the story of the king and the
droughts. One year the king is reigning and
the people are suffering. The fields have had
no rain and were dry as a bone. So he thought
it was a sign from the Gods. That year he
prepared a bountiful sacrifice to appease the
Gods and sacrificed twice the amount that he
would normally sacrifice in order to get
favorable conditions for rain. So it was done
and the next year there was even less rain than
the year before. The people started talking
amongst themselves and they started questioning
the king's leadership because he was not able
to bring the rain. So that year the king order
that ther be a human sacrifice to appease the
Gods so that the rains would come again. When
that was done the waited for the rains to come
again, but they were dissappointed when there
was not even so much as a drizzel. The people
then became irate at the king and asked him why
26
they must suffer for his failures. In turn the
people sacrificed the king at the next festival
and offered him up to the gods. That year the
rain had returned to the people and they were
able to grow the crops again.
This story is about the king not being
able to lead properly and not being able to
handle emergencies and acts of nature properly.
He was so focused on his own interest for
bringing back the rain that he had hurt and
injured his people and turned them against him.
He should have been looking for ways to
irrigate in times of drought rather than
ritualistically offering things. The ritual is
not the thing that makes thing happen, it is
the intent that is behind it. Wotan would
never want us to sacrifice things for the sake
of just getting what we wanted. He would want
us to sacrifice so that we can share with our
ancestors, the spirits and the gods so that we
could come closer together. When nature is
against us we must find a way to make nature
bend to our will so that we can survive. No
amount of faith in the world is going to save
you from the wrath of the Jotuns. The only
thing that would save you from that fate is the
power that is held in the order that we make
 27

out of chaos and the ability to bring nature to

our will on our terms. If we try to plead with
nature, she will just simply be a cruel master
and wash us away in the sea. How many men have
died in the sea trying to plead with it for
mercy. You build better ships that can
withstand the fury of nature so that you can be
prepared for whatever she throws at you.
Another aspect of Wotan is that he takes
on many names while he walks the earth. He
also taken on many shapes to, he has
transformed into snakes, women, eagles, and a
multitude of other things which illuminates the
point that the leader has to take on many
positions to be effective in his position. The
true leader has to be able to mediate with
people and be able to take on the form of
whatever is necessary to achieve the goal.
That means that one has to take on either form
or persona, as we are taught from Wotan.
Taking on form is rather easy, it simply
involves dressing up and taking on the role of
the person that you are emulating. Sometimes
it is necessarry to emulate someone else to get
what you need. Think about, how many people do
you know that misrepresent themselves and tell
you that they are things that they are not.
28
Many people do this for self satisfaction, or
to get a pat on the back so that they can live
the life of something that they are not.
However, this is not done for self
satisfaction, this is done with purpose to
achieve goals that one has set. The form that
you take on has to require knowledge of that
skill. If you take on the form of a carpenter
then you should know some things about building
structures. If you take on the form of the
police officer, you should know something about
law enforcement or otherwise the form does not
work. Knowing the form that you are taking on
is very important because it will help one
blend with what they are trying to assimilate
into. Taking on the form of the perceived
enemy is often important because it provides
one with valuable insider information that
would otherwise be unattainable from other
sources. This intelligence that is gathered is
important in gaining success in the strategic
goals that one is trying to achieve. Without
this data no one would have insight on what
their enemy is doing so they would be essential
blind to their enemy's every move.
Forms that should be taken on are often
inconspicuous ones. In the ancient world the
 29

typical forms that one would take on so that

they would not be noticed by the authorities
were, tradesman, mercenary, artist, bard, and
beggar. These people in the ancient world were
typically the most overlooked forms that people
would take on. Think about how many people do
you think would loiter around you area dressed
as a beggar. Most people don't even pay these
people any mind and they are everywhere. Would
you think that a beggar is an enemy spie.
A mercenary was particularly useful
because back in the day the world was a
dangerous place that lacked any realistic law
enforcement. If you wanted justice you
typically hired a group of mercenaries to do
the dirty work for you. One could find them
anywhere, bars, markets, you name it. Often
mercenaries were valuable sources of
information because it was often that they
would come along information in their
assignments and they would know things that
your typical citizen would not know. A
mercenary could have blended in anywhere in
those times because they were everywhere. One
would look at the bar and there would probably
be two or three groups of mercenaries drinking
waiting for a job to come along their way.
30
Tradesmen were common in those days too,
because they needed people to build things.
They needed blacksmiths, carpenters and ship
builders to create the devices that they used
on a regular basis. Tradesmen are the
foundation of any society. Without tradesmen
there is no society so therefore blending in
with the tradesmen is a common practice when it
is needed because the what they do affords them
a degree of access that is far more covert than
a mercenary. They can be at a place and
reasonably expected to be there with no
questions asked. While some important men are
having a conversation they hardly know the man
poking the door frame with a screwdriver for
the past half hour. They think that he is
working, but all in all he is really gathering
information while pretending to work.

Modern methods of taking on forms requires

a degree of flexibility to adapt to the modern
practices of the modern man. New security
protocols have been put into place which make
it difficult for people to linger for any
lengths of time. After all, if you are have a
conversation and someone is poking the
electrical outlet with a screwdriver for a half
 31

hour, he may arise suspicion because reasonable

people know that it does not take a half hour
to work on an electrical outlet. Same thing
with homeless people, back in the day homeless
people weren't seen as scum and no one minded
them loitering around. However, in modern day
homeless people are seen as something to be
reviled so the typical person will try to scoot
away from a homeless man if they had the
chance.
Taking on the persona is the same as
taking on the form, yet it does not involve any
drastic physical alterations to make the
persona apparent. It simply means taking on
the mind of someone else. Wotan can shift his
form and personality to match those that he
needs to use to get his will done. Taking on
the persona is more akin to thinking like
someone else and taking on the attitudes and
mannerisms of that person or group of people.
Sometimes this is necessary when it is apparant
that you don't want your true affiliation to be
known. This means that you have to think and
act like someone else in order to survive or
achieve your goal. This is a technique of
Wotan when he decieved the giants into thinking
that he was merely a common person rather than
32
the all father. He took on the mannerisms of
something else entirely until the perfect
moment for him to reveal his true self.
Concealing and hiding one's true self may be an
imperative means for the leader to facilitate
himself. If you are a rather unpopular person,
typically you are going to be vilified by the
popular. This is a fact of life, so in order
to survive, one must build up their base by
appealing to the popular while maintaining
their true intentions. This is a maskirovka,
basically a method of shifting you hats to suit
the interests of the time.
Soviet Russia did this when they
supposedly converted from communism and entered
an age of democracy. They just took of their
communist hat and put on their democratic hat.
Little changed in terms of policy, they just
called themselves something else and the people
that were unfamiliar with the internal policies
were appeased for a time. This is the basic
premise of taking on another persona. In
reality, you take on two persona, one is your
concealed and true persona, and the other is
the persona that you are trying to assimilate.
So basically what is happening is that you are
creating two selves and utilizing them to
 33

achieve your goals. Many people that oppose

official policies and regulations of their
governments have to take on these persona. If
they were to maintain their original persona
and openly defy the government then they would
be openly crushed and destroyed. So the people
overcome that obstacle with small achievements.
They conceal their affiliations and make
themselves look like model citizens that would
never look to defy the system. However on the
other hand they are doing small things to help
topple the rigime while maintaining their
lives. They can say in reality that they would
never be unpopular, but in their heart they
know that they are fighting. They just can't
do it openly because they would be mowed down
like fresh grass.
These tachniques that Wotan teaches us are
the technques of subterfuge, they are methods
of fighting in a manner that is consistent with
the mindset of the warrior king. People have
to think in strategic ways to achieve the
things that they want and Wotan teaches us how
to function in that capacity. The archetype of
Wotan is about strategy. There are times to
fight, but mindless fighting in the eyes of
Wotan ends with tragic losses. You may have
34
the arm to take down a hundred men, however it
only takes one blade to take you down. Do you
really want to spend your time fighting
pointless battles and never achieving anything.
It is like fighting for a hundred years over an
acre of land. Thousands of men die for what an
acre? There would be better ways of handling
that battle than sending men into a meat
grinder to get chewed up. Our ancestors that
believed in Wotan knew that they were small
tribes with no standing armies. So when it
came to combat they had to view the situation
differently. Rather than trying to overcome
the position with pure attrition. They thought
of ways where they could win the battle with
the minimal loss of life. If you had a party
of ten men and you lose two men, you have
effectively lost twenty percent of your
readiness. The Roman legions were groups of
men that composed of numbers in the thousands.
The loss of two men in that regard would be
insignificant. So the large standing armies
philosophy is essentially having large numbers
of poorly trained men that are expendable mob
the target. Where as the German philosophy of
fighting was to have a small group of elite
warriors that would bring down battalions of
 35

men. The German method of combat and the the

people appointed to the fight were referred to
as champions. They were the best of their
tribes that were skilled warriors that could
slay beasts and men alike in the fields. They
would be called upon to answer the treat to
their tribe.
A technique that Wotan taught our warriors
was to go into battle naked and paint your body
with wod so that your would appear to be the
color of night. This allowed the warriors to
camouflage themselves in the night. The people
being attacked would think that they were being
attacked by shadows and this would give an
element of suprise to the Germanic warriors
because the Roman troops during the Gallic wars
were used to being attacked by standing armies,
not by naked men painted in dye. How would one
react when he is being attacked by the shadows,
It would certainly suprise the people being
attacked.
Another verse in the Eddas states:
A cowardly man
thinks he will ever live,
if warfare he avoids;
but old age will
give him no peace,
though spears may spare him.
36

This means that people that spend thier

lives trying to avoid combat are going to live
a thousand deaths. They think that they are
going to live on forever just as long as they
keep running from death. However with each
battle that they escape, they die a little on
the inside each time because the time for their
departure will be inevitable. Would it be wise
to die fighting for what one believes in or
would it be better to be stabbed in the back
while one is running away. You cannot run from
every battle and you should not fight every
battle. You have to have the wisdom that Wotan
poseesses to be able to tell the difference
between the battles that one should fight and
one should run. You should not fight every
battle that comes your way because eventually
you will die. There are people out there that
are much stronger than you and when they cross
you, you have to decide whether they are worth
taking on. If it is a battle that you cannot
win then it is pointless to fight because in
the end you will end up losing. The only thing
that you can do is find a way to get stronger.
Wotan is that strength that we find through
wisdom. Why kill a thousand men when you only
have to kill one. It is about thinking smarter
 37

about the situation rather than butting the

head up against a wall trying to brute force a
way through everything. It may be true that
you will live old from running away from a
fight or by turning the other cheek, but
eventually you may not see old age when you get
stabbed in the back by someone who is not
willing to let you go and you could have
defeated in open combat.

Wotan's Rune Song states:

140. I know that I hung,
on a wind-rocked tree,
nine whole nights,
with a spear wounded,
and to Odin offered,
myself to myself;
on that tree,
of which no one knows
from what root it springs.
141. Bread no one gave me,
nor a horn of drink,
downward I peered,
to runes applied myself,
wailing learnt them,
then fell down thence.
These verses illustrate the need for
sacrifice to obtain the things that we want.
Wotan had sacrificed himself on the tree for
nine nights of torture to obtain that which
desired and like him we must do the same.
38
Typically sacrifice is seen as suffering to
become whole. That is that you give up a part
of yourself to make yourself pure. This means
whatever you cherish and whatever you hold dear
to your heart you must be willing to give up so
that you can come closer to that which you
desire. All great men suffer and sacrifice
themselves of themselves to be great. It is
something that we all have to do to get
stronger. The sacrifice is something that is
ritualized to be a symbol of what you are
giving up. Knowledge is probably one of the
greatest pursuits in man's history. Wotan had
to sacrifice on several occasions to get the
knowledge that he sought. There is the time
that he sacrificed himself on the Yggdrasil
tree so that he could gain the knowledge of the
rune stones and then there was the time that he
had to give up his eye into mimir's well so
that he could gain the knowledge of all things.
These were things that he was willing to do so
that his children could learn the ways of
nature and not be blind in the world.
Sacrifice is a holy process that involves
giving up the object to become one with the
holy powers. This means that you prepare the
object and treat it with care and adoration
 39

prior to the offering. When the time of the

offering comes the kill should be as painless
as possible and then when it is dead it should
be cooked and served to those that wish to
commune with the sacrifice and the ones that
they are offering it up to.
Mistreating the object of the sacrifice is
considered in poor taste and could bring bad
hamingja down on the people if they are to
mistreat and object. This means that you
should not abuse the animals if animals are to
be used. The animal should be well feed with
quality feed and should be cared for and
allowed to get plenty of exercise. They should
not be starved or otherwise mistreated because
it would not make sense to give someone
something that is sub standard as a gift.
Sacrifice does not necessarily have to be
an animal sacrifice, it can also be giving up
something that you care about. Giving up
something that you care about would take the
place of the object of the sacrifice and would
have the same effect. Although it is a
different ritual, the principles still remain
the same. Typically when you preform this kind
of sacrifice the object is typically immolated
and burned to ashes. The object still has to
40
be something that you care about. It could be
a trusted weapon, or a valued asset but it is
all the same. It is something that one cares
about being offered up so that they can receive
something in return from Wotan or the deity
that they are offering up to. Wotan is
essentially the center part of the sacrifice,
however to honor the other Gods a sacrifice may
be a sacrifice of the animal that they
represent. Freya and Frey would be a sacrifice
of Pork, Thor would be a sacrifice of Goat,
Wotan would be a sacrifice of horse. So
therefore you see that each deity has an animal
that is unique to them that is expressly
sacrificed to. There are stories and legends
surrounding the Gods and their animals. These
stories can be found throughout the Eddas.

146. Knowest thou how to grave them?

knowest thou how to expound them?
knowest thou how to depict them?
knowest thou how to prove them?
knowest thou how to pray?
knowest thou how to offer?
knowest thou how to send?
knowest thou how to consume?

Essential Wotan is about knowledge. This

verse of the Eddas illustrates the need to know
what to do spiritually. This simple ritual is
 41

not enough to know how to function. One also

has to know the intent behind the function to
understand how to fully utilize the runes and
combine them with the spirit so that they can
be properly used.
The first act that they talk about is
graving the runes. This means that one has to
know how to physically make the runes. This is
the physical act of linking them to the world.
It is the act of making an existence in the
physical plane and linking it with a spiritual
type on the other plane and adapting the laws
of nature into place so that one can utilize
the rune. If the runes did not exist is real
life then they would have no power. The act of
graving gives them the existence to anchor them
into our world and find a root to pull their
power. If a person did not know how to grave
the runes then it would be essentially useless
for them to try anything else because they
would have to come back to the beginning and
start with the fundamentals.
The next part is knowing how to expound
them. This is simply understood by knowing how
to speak them. This goes along the lines of
galdr and makes itself know how to tie into the
magic of the spoken spell. Certain tonal
42
frequencies that are associated with the runes
have their own effect. This is what we call
galdr. Many people incorporate the galdr that
is the spoken spell into their art, like music.
This gives a rich and soothing effect to the
music that can make men into the instrument of
the artist. If one is utilizing the thurisaz
rune then the effect of the spoken spell can
wind the person up into a fury. This are
spiritual spells and have a deepening effect on
the spirit when spoken or sung. Typically one
wants to sing these spells to utilize them so
that they can unlock their power. One can sit
in a circle and sing these spells so that they
can have a deepening effect on the psyche.
These spells can have and effect upon the
psyche that effects the unconscious mind and
causes certain psychological patterns to emerge
from the unconscious mind. These patterns
manifest them self and make themselves apparent
and are heavily used in shamanism. The
shaman's humming and vocalizing during a trance
are with purpose. They are there to enhance
the effect of the trance with the power of the
spoken spell. There is a list of twenty four
spoken spells from the runes and about thirty
spoken spells from the Eddas. I will talk
 43

about the spoken spell from the Eddas first.

The book of spells is the last part of the

Havamal and it lists several spoken spells that
followers of Wotan can do to enrich themselves.
Also the Sigdrifusmal covers more spells that
can be utilized to enric one's self. Typically
these spells were to ask for favorable
conditions so that we would not be left in the
dark when it came to spiritual matters.
When it comes to spiritual matters we have
to look into the mind as it pertains to the
spirit. It is the only way to reconcile what
we know with what we can make up and what we
want. These parts of the brain work in
conjunction with each other to achive the goals
that we want. If may did not want he would not
be human, but if man wants too much then he is
entirely a beast.

147. The songs I know | that king's wives know

not,
Nor men that are sons of men;
The first is called help, | and help it can
bring thee
In sorrow and pain and sickness.
44
This essentially means that men need help and
when they vocalize this spell they are
summoning the help that they need. This could
be referred to as the mourning song where
people express regret over what they have done
and how they deal with suffering and loss.
This verse can also deal with strife and
discord too where people have to be able to
handle strife in a practical manner and summon
the power within themselves to handle the
strife that others bring. This spoken spell is
the power to dispel the strife and bring people
back to a balance where they should belong.
Some people have this talent to be able to
mediate between strifing parties and bring to
peace the differences that are beside others.
This is done through the power of the spoken
spell. It is to bring others into a sense of
understanding about each other so that they can
remedy their strife rather than battle it out.
This is a spell of the mediator that seeks to
make peace with everyone.
Why do you think that they music with the
C note in it at casinos and resorts? It is
there to soothe the people because these
carefully scripted audible sounds have a
particularly soothing effect upon the brain.
 45

It allows people to function without having a

meltdown over something. We might trivialize
the little things, but these little things are
the things that are important in the macrocosm
of existence because they build on the things
that we are familiar with.
Audible sounds have been used for nearly a
millenia to soothe people and make their psyche
fit with the designer’s will. After all how
many people can honestly say they have never
been influeced by music. Music and the spoken
spell are an all-powerful force that helps
people to overcome the obstacles in their path
by enriching their life. Without music our
people would be lost in their strife with
nothing to soothe them or heal their wounds.

149. A third I know, | if great is my need

Of fetters to hold my foe;
Blunt do I make | mine enemy's blade,
Nor bites his sword or staff.

This is a spoken spell where you

intimidate or frighten your foe. This is to
lock them into the helm of terror that warriors
used to frighten their foes so that they could
seem more intimidating or menacing. This
46
fetter that is spoken of is to trap your
opponent into a mental prison where he is too
scared to move. This spoken spell can be seen
being used by all sorts of people in modern
society. If you were a lone person being
overrun by a mob of interlopers and they were
trying to overcome you wouldn’t you be scared?
This fear is used to trap people and to get
them to do what you want them to do rather than
their own strategic will. This could be done
to achieve victory through making the run away
or abandon their post or by have them lock up
in fright so that the kill is even easier.
Ancient warriors would paint the helm of
terror onto their helmets so that the very
sight of it would scare their opponents. This
was simply used to scare and befuddle the
opponent. This tactic has been used by
standing armies many times to achieve their
strategic aims. In fact during the battle of
midway in the Pacific American troops knew that
the Japanese troops were highly spiritual. So
they took skulls of fallen men and fixed them
to the front of their vehicles to frighten the
Japanese to think that somehow it was more than
a simple war, it was a spiritual conflict.
This had a back effect where it only convinced
 47

the Japanese of the wickedness of the American

Marines and they fought harder for their
positions. So one can say that the fear tactic
was very non effective. In history the Romans
had the habit of crucifying people that opposed
their conquest thus making the climate of fear
that they could be next if they did not give
into Rome’s demands.
The point of the verse where it says that
it will make the enemy’s blade blunt is saying
that the enemy will be less effective in
battle. A scared combatant is sometimes better
than no combatant at all. A lot of times the
government wants the average people to be
crippled with fear and have those thinking that
their awesome force will shake down anyone not
adhering to their policy. So therefore anyone
that challenges their policy will be weakened
by the climate of fear and would be less
effective in battle. These concepts do not
have to be applied to open combat, but they can
also be applied to everyday things. When you
are crippled by fear you are less effective on
the field and will produce less. Some people
will do this on purpose for their own selfish
gain and sometimes it will be in your interest
to do it to others. This teaches us the basic
48
fact that people are less effective when they
are overcome with the helm of fear than they
would if they were left alone. People are
social animals and sometimes there are threats
and people trying to get their own aims.
Sometimes they have to step on each other to
get by. This is a fact of nature and there is
no changing it.
150. A fourth I know, | if men shall fasten
Bonds on my bended legs;
So great is the charm | that forth I may go,
The fetters spring from my feet,
Broken the bonds from my hands.

This spell illustrates a similar point to

the last spell, yet it refers to what we do if
the fetters are placed on us. That is if we
are the ones that are frightened. The only
thing that people fear is the unknown. If we
do not know about it, it becomes more
terrifying to us and we bind ourselves and
paralyze ourselves because it is beyond our
comprehension. However a man that understands
the nature of everything is less likely to be
intimidated by these things because he can
reasonable expect what would come from it.
A common thing that some people like to do
 49

in the modern day is tell people that the

racists are out to ruin everything and they use
slippery slope arguments to prove their points.
However, the reality of it is that the average
person never encounters a racist during the
average day and they go about their business
with never encountering such individuals. So
the question is who are these big bad people
that people are supposed to be afraid of? In
fact the only thing that seems to be common
with their claims is that they are interested
in creating a climate of fear, where they can
arrange for an imaginary bogeyman to come and
frighten the people so that they can profit off
of these people’s fears. This is another
method of frighting people to do what they
want. If you sing this spell then you should
come to clarity about the nature of things and
should not be afraid of what is happening.
There is nothing to fear in nature, everything
is explainable.
152. A fifth I know, | if I see from afar
An arrow fly 'gainst the folk;
It flies not so swift | that I stop it not,
If ever my eyes behold it.
This verse is about protecting people from
the venom and lies of others. The arrows are
50
the venom that outsiders spew at the folk in
order to bring them down. During the times of
the Weimar Republic in Germany there was a
great many communists that slandered and made
lies of the people of the folk. When they
realized that their actions were no longer
being tolerated in Germany they fled to
sympathetic countries and hurled their venomous
arrows from the safety of their host country.
It is perfectly natural to revile something
that opposes you. It is even more natural to
make up stories about them in order to vilify
them. People have been doing that to their
enemies since the dawn of time. There is no
honor and such in such actions. Even the most
saintly and angelic person will be made out to
be the spawn of Satan if their enemies lay
hands on them. Look at the story of Rudolf
Hess. Some people say that he was a terrible
man and did awful things. However the things he
did were no different than the actions of the
captors. He was imprisoned for his beliefs
because he would not denounce his leader. They
wanted him to grovel like a peasant when he led
armies.
It is easy to hurl your venom at people
when you are in the position of safety, yet
 51

when that safety net crumbles and everything

comes crashing down those victims that received
the venom are going to look for your head as
was proved in the French revolt when the
peasants took revenge for the things that the
aristocracy did to the local people. You
cannot expect to sit in a fortress forever and
think that you are immune from the people that
you injure. This goes back to being a coward.
You may be able to run from wrath and many
spears but eventually it only takes one to get
you. Do you think you can run forever when the
mob turns on you?

152. A sixth I know, | if harm one seeks

With a sapling's roots to send me;
The hero himself | who wreaks his hate
Shall taste the ill ere I.
This verse refers to the notion of cursing
others and doing works of evil by spiritual
means. If someone sends some bad hamingja your
way you have the power to turn the hate on him.
That means that if you protect yourself from a
curse or a nithing pole, you can send the
hatred back to the sender provided that their
hate is unjustified. This means that people
that raise their nids against you must have a
reason to do so otherwise the energy that they
52
send out risks coming back on them. This is
what the rune Gebo achieves. Carving it on a
sapling’s roots is the basis of the nid and the
pole that is used to erect the curse. Back in
the day men used to graven roots with runes to
protect them from spiritual assaults. It would
be a common place for men that would want to
see you dead would levy curses upon your head
and hurl their venom at you if they could not
strike you themselves. It was a chaotic time
back in the day when men would work the weal
against one another for supposed injustices
that they had perceived.

The spoken spell that is used is the spell

to ward off men’s curses. If a man curses you
and there is no justice for the curse then the
curse will not take hold unless he is willing
to do it in real life. To ward against an un-
justifiable curse the person would ward them-
selves by turning the curse against itself so
that the caster of the curse would be seized by
it rather than the object of the curse. This
is a use of clever sociology. If you are in
the right then the society will not side with
the person casting the curse and his curse will
have no effect because they will see it for the
charade that it is and then it will have no ef-
 53

fect. The more people that believe in the

power of the curse the stronger it will be.
If no one believes in the curse then it will
have no effect because it will be forgotten and
there will be no effect to back up the hate.
It is well said in George Orwell’s book 1984
that men must reserve two minutes of hate in
their hearts for the things that they revile.
If they did not reserve this hate then their
patriotism would be pointless because the hate
would not be there. Curses revolve around the
same themes. If there was nothing to revile
and there was no one to revile it then there
would be no point in the curse because it would
be hollow.

There can be right reasons for cursing a

person and there can be wrong reasons for curs-
ing a person, but the reason is irrelevant.
The only thing that is real in the placement of
the curse is the hate for the object of the
curse. If there were no hate for that object
then the curse would be meaningless. There has
to be hate in the curse otherwise it is point-
less. Typically the form of the nid would be
to create a pole out of hickory, and engrave it
with runes as the Havamal teaches us. Graving
54
it with runes contains the full form of the
spell that one wants to invoke and doing this
requires knowledge of the form of the runes so
that the runes can be graven in a coherent man-
ner. Without the form of the runes then the
spell cannot take effect because it has no con-
nection to Yggdrasil. Once the form of the
spell is graven on the pole then the sacrifice
is necessary to sanctify the ritual and appease
the gift of the Gods in exchange for the spell
that one is looking for. Typically to do this
the practitioner would sever the head of a
horse and affix it to the pole. Once this was
done then the pole would be erected in the dir-
ection of the land spirits to complete the
ritual with a spoken spell.

153. A seventh I know, | if I see in flames

The hall o'er my comrades' heads;
It burns not so wide | that I will not quench
it,
I know that song to sing.
This verse is relatively simple. When
flames and emotions run high in your house,
there is a spell that you can use to quench it.
No man should stand to be burnt in his own
house and this is a good example of not stand-
ing for people doing such against you. This is
well written into the Nine Charges and is some-
 55

thing that is simple to understand. People in

your house are going to try to spread flames
and discord. It may be for trivial reasons or
it may be for reasons that are out of jealousy
or hate. However, the point is that strife can
happen in your own hall, but this song allows
you to sing a song to quench the fire so that
your brothers may not abide by the strife. It
is disappointing to have strife in one's own
house and it is important to never allow strife
to build in your own house. People have to be
able to sit comfortably in your house and not
have strife bring your house down.

154. An eighth I know, | that is to all

Of greatest good to learn;
When hatred grows | among heroes' sons,
I soon can set it right.
This verse basically means that jealousy
can grow amongst the sons of men. This means
that sons will have sibling rivalry for what
ever reason. The sons will want what the oth-
ers have if they cannot have it themselves and
they will go against each other to fight for
what they want. If I am a father and I give
one of my son's something, that son's siblings
are going to want something equitable or else
they will feel cheated and jaded that they can
56
be passed over. This will eventually lead to
jealousy and fire building in the family where
the son becomes bitter with anger and hate be-
cause he was denied something that his brother
got. It is true that not all brothers can re-
ceive the same thing, but favoring one will
cause the others to hate the favored one and
the stress will build up in the family until it
consumes all the lesser brothers to the point
where they will want to take what the favored
brother has. It is important that the father
sets this right otherwise the rage will grow
and grow until something tragic happens and
there would be nothing to stop other than the
eventual outcome of the tragedy that happens
when things are not set right. One might think
that they are putting their eggs in one basket
by favoring a particular son, but if the others
are not taken care of soon the family will be
beset itself with strife and things would be
beyond control.

155. A ninth I know, | if need there comes

To shelter my ship on the flood;
The wind I calm | upon the waves,
And the sea I put to sleep.
This basically means the general mastery
that one has over their environment. If you
are in a storm and there is no hope of making
 57

it though safely, this is a song that one can

chant to soothe those waves and bring the sea
back to calmness. Sometimes the Jotuns ravage
the seas and the sea becomes wild with the en-
ergy of chaos that it seems that there is no
hope for making it though. However, there is
always hope if you know where to look for it.
No man should be left in the ravages of the gi-
ants without hope to make it though. This song
focuses on the power of Thor to calm these bru-
tal Jotuns so that nature can be brought back
to homeostasis. Giants are the bane of order,
and their only mission is to destroy and con-
sume. If the Jotuns were allowed to roam
freely it would seem that there would be little
hope for us and we would be merciless to their
power. Who could stand against the power of
nature? It would be insane to think that you
could stand up against the ravages of nature
alone. One would have to have a champion to
fight for the common man so that he is not
blown away by the storm. Jotuns of every size
and kind thrive on the destruction of all
things that are orderly. It would seem that
the only thing that they favor is the chaos
that they bring. When all hope seems lost one
can rely on the power of the Gods to set right
58
what has gone wrong with nature. This can also
relate to the excesses of men. When men run
like giants and cause disasters the power of
the Gods can overpower them and bring them
back to order. This allows the order of nature
to perpetuate itself and maintain order order
in the cosmos.

156. A tenth I know, | what time I see

House-riders flying on high;
So can I work | that wildly they go,
Showing their true shapes,
Hence to their own homes.
This verse refers to the spirits that run
wild changing their forms and causing a general
nuisance to people. If a place is beset with
these spirits that run wild and play games with
people there is a song that one can sing to
chase them away and show their true forms.
Most spirits are an intangible mass of energy.
This means that they can take on any form that
they please. When they take on these alternate
forms one may be deceived by their appearance.
Singing this song causes them to show their
true self and breaks the illusion that they
have created. It also sends them back to their
own homes or to their grave mound that they had
spawned from. With this song men need not fear
a renegade spirit that wants to play games and
 59

cause mischief. They can send them on their

way where they can cause no more trouble. How-
ever not every spirit means to cause harm.
Some spirits simply want to do what they like
doing or remind them of what they were doing
when the had once lived.

157. An eleventh I know, | if needs I must lead

To the fight my long-loved friends;
I sing in the shields, | and in strength they
go
Whole to the field of fight,
Whole from the field of fight,
And whole they come thence home.
This means that when one is separated in
battle or their friends have been separated
this song calls them back where they can be
once together again. No man should be alone on
the battlefield and this means that when the
fighting is over you can call back your friends
whether they have fallen on been slain so that
you can feast again. It also sends the slain
to their homes in the grave mound where dead
men lie. Every man must have a home and it is
the duty of men to bury the ones that have
fallen because no man should be left to rot on
a cold battlefield. This is the premise behind
the charge that says that we must bury the dead
no matter how they died as respect for the dead
60
that died. No man is so wretched or low that
he deserves to die without being buried or re-
membered.

158. A twelfth I know, | if high on a tree

I see a hanged man swing;
So do I write | and color the runes
That forth he fares,
And to me talks.
This is the act of necromancy that Wotan
conducted when he wants to speak to the dead.
The dead have many tales to tell if one will
only listen. Many times it is not the corpse
that one is speaking to but merely the spirit
behind that corpse. Allowing them to tell you
their tale let's you gain insight on the nature
of how they died and the battles that they had
fought for the common good. This can be done
by entering a trance and communing with the
spirits in a manner that allows you to commu-
nicate with them. In order to do this you
would have to know a little bit about them and
be able to communicate with them in a reason-
able manner. Without knowing anything about
them they could be communicating things that
you do not understand or they could be some
other spirit pretending to be that person.
Also you can not communicate with that person
if their spirit has already moved on because
 61

there would be nothing there to communicate

with. You would simply be speaking with a
soulless body and of course it would not be
able to communicate with you.

159. A thirteenth I know, | if a thane full

young
With water I sprinkle well;
He shall not fall, | though he fares mid the
host,
Nor sink beneath the swords.
This is the rite of baptism or the coming
of a warrior. This means that you can bless a
child as it is born so that it will not fall
into any snares of be sunk by the blade. Tra-
ditionally people would bless their children so
that they would grow up to be strong warriors
and this blessing is what protects them from
the brutal blow of the sword. Heathen society
favors strong men that are not afraid to use
the sword and they need men that are not afraid
of the blade that is being swung at them.
Without this blessing you would have men that
are cowards afraid to face armed men in manner
that would mean to protect themselves from the
terrors of others. It is imperative that men
seek to dare to fight so that they are unafraid
of the enemy's weapon. Blessing a person with
62
a gift of water would mean that people are to
be unafraid.

160. A fourteenth I know, | if fain I would

name
To men the mighty gods;
All know I well | of the gods and elves,
Few be the fools know this.
This verse is about men communicating with
the gods and hallowing divine beings such as
elves and Gods. The elves are divine beings
that can be of a benefit to people but they
have their own means and ways. Sometimes elves
can be regarded as a little snooty, but they
are well meaning. They are the beings that
help mankind when mankind needs it. Without
the elves there would be no one to truly teach
people the ways of magic and divinity. The
elves are our teachers and our benefactors when
it comes to things. They are typically wor-
shiped as creatures on the level of gods but
not quite as powerful. The elves have their
own home in Alfheim that they make into a para-
dise. These elves are light elves and they are
separated from the dark elf companions by dif-
ferent worlds. The light elves are synonymous
with divinity and their cousin elves are syn-
onymous with nature and chaos.
 63

161. A fifteenth I know, | that before the

doors
Of Delling sang Thjothrörir the dwarf;
Might he sang for the gods, | and glory for
elves,
And wisdom for Hroptatyr wise.
Glory is to be given to all things that
one regards as divine. That means glory is to
be given to the Gods and the elves and all
other divine beings that are greater than us.
Hrotatyr the wise is regarded as someone like
Mimir who has vast more knowledge than any liv-
ing thing. So it would be wise to heed it re-
spect and find wisdom in it because it is a
wealth of information. There is no information
like that information that is sought out will-
ingly. Wisdom is something that is earned
through self-sacrifice and deed. It is not
something that is freely given away. Same
thing with strength, strength is gained to
those who work hard at gaining strength and
those that do not seek strength find themselves
growing weaker with each passing day.

Singing these songs is wisdom in itself.

Knowing the secrets of the spells and the
spoken galdr is key to making one's self better
in a spiritual sense. This knowledge is meant
for the men and women that want to find some-
64
thing in their environment that will help them
with what they need to do in their tribe.

162. A sixteenth I know, | if I seek delight

To win from a maiden wise;
The mind I turn | of the white-armed maid,
And thus change all her thoughts.
This spell is relatively simple. It is
about winning over the affections of a woman.
If your heart is true enough and the
relationship was meant to be you can win over
the heart of a fair maiden and change her
thoughts towards you. This spell is not
limited to winning her over, but can also be
used to change her thoughts regarding other
people and things too. This spell uses simple
psychology to change her thoughts and have her
act in a manner that is consistent with one's
line of thinking.
165. An eighteenth I know, | that ne'er will I
tell
To maiden or wife of man,--
The best is what none | but one's self doth
know,
So comes the end of the songs,--
Save only to her | in whose arms I lie,
Or who else my sister is.

This spell is about secrets. Some songs

that are spoken are spoken in a manner that you
would tell no other person about it other than
your sister. This means that you keep things
 65

in your breast and you don't go out telling the

world about your spells and deeds as such
because most people would not care to have it.
It is a private matter that is solely between
you and the divine. There is no need to go
about boasting at the mouth telling every
living thing about your spell. Also this spell
is the spell that indicates self-reliance.
There is no spell better than what the self
knows. So therefore there is nothing that you
can do that you don't know better yourself.
Wisdom comes from the self and flows from your
own mind. If you do not have the will to come
up with your own spells then you will be just
another person grasping at straws. Know
thyself and know thy will, otherwise you will
reside in the well of oblivion and your only
company will be the sharks at your feet.

The runic verse about the runes starts off

with knowing how to graven the runes and how to
speak the runes such as in galdr and other such
mysticism. However, however truly
understanding the runes takes more than mere
graven images and spell crafting to make work.
When Wotan hanged from the tree, he took up
more than the simple art of speaking the runes
66
and scribing the runes. He also took up the
knowledge to intone the runes and to sacrifice
and cut the runes too. The runes are far more
complex than simply knowing what they are.
They are a complex system of knowledge that is
passed down from the generations that tell us
of the world around us. There is no knowledge
that we pass around like this in other places
in the world. The knowledge of the Gods and of
nature is a sacred covenant between the peoples
of Midgard and of Asgard. We are a special and
holy people that is worthy of gaining this
knowledge because it is something that is in
our blood. We do not have to search very hard
to find it, after all it is who we are and what
we hope to be.
To intone runes, it is a relatively simple
process where one takes the runes that they
have graven and they stain them and sanctify
them to the Gods. This can be done by a simple
bot held in place to bless the runes and
consecrate them to the great World Tree. A few
words spoken and something offered up is really
all that is needed to intone the runes. This
sets the runes apart from everything else, so
that while everything else is ordinary, that
would mean that the runes are extraordinary to
 67

the person that has intoned them. It is about

setting aside something as sacred. You have
your normal every day tools, and then you have
your spiritually powered ritual tools that mean
something special to the wielder. If nothing
is sacred to a person then there would be no
need to set something aside. This is where the
non religious people lose themselves because
they find it impossible to hold something
sacred so they disrespect everything in their
blindness. They would be the type of person
that would traipse across or violate a persons
private and sacred space without regard because
it may suit them at the moment.
In a classical setting one may take their
runes to intone them by taking each individual
rune and speaking to the rune, asking for its
power. The person would then cut themselves so
some blood would come out then they would bless
the runes with the blood, providing a physical
link to themselves in the blood. Blood links
are regarded as especially strong links and
people who are bound by blood oaths are
expected to fulfill the oath even at the cost
of their own life. That is the covenant that
they make with the blood oath and a person
violating a blood oath may be tracked down and
68
killed. They may also be declared an outlaw
and hunted down like a criminal. So it is wise
when bound by a blood oath to never break it
since the punishments for violating such an
oath may be severe. Blood is the essence of
the soul, it is also on of the classical humors
of the body that was once thought to be the
basis for life. Blood can be a strange and
mysterious thing, yet everyone wonders in the
presence of blood what mysteries may it hold.
The bond of blood has fascinated writers and
entertainers for many years and many tales,
literature, stories and films were made about
the subject of blood.
The blood bond is perhaps a telepathic
link between on and the things that they
consecrate with blood. Oaths in the past
required to be sealed with a little bit of a
person's blood. This created a link between
the person and what was being consecrated in
the oath. If the person was to violate the
terms of the oath they would be so linked to
the oath that they would be cursed if they
brought shame to the institution of the oath.
The oath to the runes is a two way street,
if you create a link with them then they create
a link with you and the relationship between
 69

the two is a mutual relationship. That

relationship will last eternally until either
the runes are destroyed or the person dies.
This is the power that is behind a person's
blood. Eternal bonding is what links the blood
to things. Some people in popular media are
even seen bonding themselves in marriage by the
blood, by slicing their hand open and mixing
the blood so that their separate bloods can
become one blood. This is a deep and affecting
ritual that allows people to be united by the
blood. This is a sacred bond that not even
gods can tear asunder.
The next selection from the Eddas, comes
from the Sigdrufismal, it is a document that
illustrates the Valkyries instruction to a
young warrior. It contains elements of the
runes and what one should do with them. Unlike
the songs that were spoken, these spells are
inscribed on objects, much like one would
inscribe writings onto a branch. These runes
links us directly to the Gods by connecting us
to the worldview. The runes describe that
worldview and are our interpretation of the
world. Typically one would want to cut runes
and speak songs to make them work properly.
There is no spoken portion of a runic
70
inscription. Speaking a rune would be
incredibly silly since they are cut from
branches rather than spoken out loud. There is
some question about the practice of Galdr.
Some people think that it is the spoken rune,
but this is not true. Runes are not spoken
they are written down and inscribed. Galdr is
the spoken spell that was already covered in
the earlier sections of this book. Even in the
Eddas the text tells us that we should cut our
runes and intone them for the nature of
Yggdrasil. Runes are also not of the Gods,
even though the Gods utilize them. The runes
are something that has been eternally natural
from the great tree. The runes are a
description of nature since time eternal. That
means that the concept of the runes are
possibly the oldest concept in the macrocosm of
the universe. The runes can cover and describe
virtually every spiritual and supernatual
phenomena if it is understood properly. The
runes are eternal in concept. Like the stones
they are scribed upon they meaning lasts
eternally. Even past the destruction of the
Ragnarok the meaning of the runes will be
eternal and the meanings will stand the test of
time.
 71

Many people consider the runes to be

oracular, that is they divine some meaning from
nature as to the eventual outcome of
situations. This is partially true, since the
runes are the representation of the great world
tree they are in tune with the concept of fate.
They are intricately tied in with the web of
wyrd so they can show the outcome of the
situation, however the web of wyrd is far more
complex than that and the outcomes are often
shady and have more outcomes than one can
imagine. For every action that a person makes,
in the web of Wyrd, there are an infinite
amount of possibilities that the web can branch
of into in the future. So therefore the future
that is shown in the oracular process is one
version of what could happen in a multitude of
possibilities that could happen. Even the Web
of Wyrd will show many futures which could
complicate things further. So the question
then becomes, is this indeed the logical
outcome and which one of the possible futures
is the one that is destined to happen. Just
because one has the ability to see in the
future does not mean that they are going to
have it right. To be an oracle means that one
can see many possible futures and have to
72
decipher through them to decide which future is
the logical on that is going to happen. They
key to understanding Skuld is to understand the
basic needs of Skuld. That is, Skuld is the
debt, obligation, or need of the past and
present. What has happened that causes the
future to be the debt of the future?
Understand what needs to happen is a great way
of understanding of what is going to happen.

1. "What bit through the byrnie? | how was

broken my sleep?
Who made me free | of the fetters pale?"

This line is the waking of Sigdrifa. She is

lain down on a bed in her armor on, which has
become tight to her skin. Sigurd slices it off
and takes her breastplate off effectively
waking her up. She is amazed that he made it
though the wall of flame. This intrigues her
and makes her want to know more about Sigurd
since he is the man that knows no fear since he
can pass through walls of flame unhindered.
Her sleep was determined to be broken by the
man that she was to wed, yet when Sigurd showed
his courage, it woke her from her sleep and she
was in love with Sigurd.

He answered:
 73

"Sigmund's son, | with Sigurth's sword,

That late with flesh | hath fed the ravens."

Sigurth sat beside her and asked her name. She

took a horn full of mead and gave him a memory-
draught.

This part of the Edda indicates that

Sigurd is responding to the Valkyrie that he
has just wakened. It is a custom that before
people speak and tell their story that they
receive a horn of mead or ale from the host so
that they can tell their tale. This goes along
with the Havamal's verse about serving the
guest when they stop by and the telling of
stories is common German tradition. Telling
your story of a nice cup of beer is a common
practice in the Old world.

2. "Hail, day! | Hail, sons of day!

And night and her daughter now!
Look on us here | with loving eyes,
That waiting we victory win.

This is a common courtesy to hail certain

runes. In this line they are hailing the rune
Dagaz, that brings about the dawn. In the old
74
day it was very important that people be able
to live to the next day because there was all
sorts of dangers out there that could kill a
person. So living to the next day is very
important. Dawn is also seen as typically the
victory of the night where the darkness is
banished under the rays of the life giving sun.

3. "Hail to the gods! | Ye goddesses, hail,

And all the generous earth!
Give to us wisdom | and goodly speech,
And healing hands, life-long.

This is a reference to the rune Ansuz, the

communication rune. It indicates the ability
to communicate between men and the gods.
Without this communication we would lack the
ability to gain wisdom. It is through proper
communication that we grow wiser. This proper
communication is the key to our understanding
of the world.

4. "Long did I sleep, | my slumber was long,

And long are the griefs of life;
Othin decreed | that I could not break
The heavy spells of sleep."

Her name was Sigrdrifa, and she was a Valkyrie.

She said that two kings fought in battle; one
 75

was called Hjalmgunnar, an old man but a mighty

warrior, and Othin had promised him the
victory, and

The other was Agnar, | brother of Autha,

None he found | who fain would shield him.

Sigrdrifa, slew Hjalmgunnar in the battle, and

Othin pricked her with the sleep-thorn in
punishment for this, and said that she should
never thereafter win victory in battle, but
that she should be wedded. "And I said to him
that I had made a vow in my turn, that I would

never marry a man who knew the meaning of

fear." Sigurth answered and asked her to teach
him wisdom, if she knew of what took place in
all the worlds. Sigrdrifa said:

Sigdrifa went against Odin's favored

warrior who was in battle and slew him. As
punishment for this defiance Sigdrifa was
forced to be only wakened by a man that she
would marry. Then Sigurd came and ended the
cycle of sleep for the young Valkyrie.

5. "Beer I bring thee, | tree of battle,

Mingled of strength | and mighty fame;
Charms it holds | and healing signs,
Spells full good, | and gladness-runes."
76

Sigdrifa is flattering the warrior in this

verse and bringing him beer as comfort for his
journey. However, the beer that she brings him
also contains knowledge of the runes. Should
he choose to accept the beer then the Valkyrie
will teach him the spells and the runes that he
needs to know to fight in battle and be
victorious. This is an offering for
acceptance. When people are offered drinks,
they are expected to tell a story, after all
who drinks quietly?

6. Winning-runes learn, | if thou longest to

win,
And the runes on thy sword-hilt write;
Some on the furrow, | and some on the flat,
And twice shalt thou call on Tyr.

These are runes for battle. Calling on

these runes means to call upon the rune Tiewaz,
which leads warriors to victory. It is also
justice in the courtroom. Sometimes there is
confusion over winning and justice. Justice is
not necessarily winning. Sometimes in the
interests of justice and the image of Tiewaz
you have to lose if one is meant to lose or if
the interest of the conflict resolution is not
in the interest of justice. Justice in a fair
 77

sense is always blind. If one honostly were

not meant to win and justice is not on your
side then somehow one will lose. Scribing the
rune Teiwaz on your weapon does not ensure
victory if it is not in the interest of
justice. It only allies with one if justice is
on one's side.

7. Ale-runes learn, | that with lies the wife

Of another betray not thy trust;

On the horn thou shalt write, | and the backs

of thy hands,
And Need shalt mark on thy nails.
Thou shalt bless the draught, | and danger
escape,
And cast a leek in the cup;
(For so I know | thou never shalt see
Thy mead with evil mixed.)

This verse is about trust. It is about

not betraying trust which is also written in
the nine noble virtues. Trust is a sacred bond
that links men together in harmony. If you
betray trust then you are not honoring your
word. This rune also protects a person for the
mistrust of others and lies from poisoning his
nature. Not everyone is going to be completely
honest with you and they will lie to you if
78
given a chance. This rune heads off those lies
and allows a person not to be veiled under
their lie and makes their lies apparant.

8. Birth-runes learn, | if help thou wilt lend,

The babe from the mother to bring;
On thy palms shalt write them thy joints,
And ask the fates to aid.

Birth runes are symbolic of Berkana.

Berkana means to be born and to grow. These
mysteries are told to us from the birth. So,
being born is a necessity in existence. Even
Gods have to be born, all things in existence
must come to be b being born. Animals are born
unto their mothers and everything that exists
has a begenning. The sun has a beginning, the
earth has a beginning. All things have a
beginning to start their life in existence.
Birth runes are important because it marks the
beginning of something. All things must start
and begin their lifecycle.

9. Wave-runes learn, | if well thou wouldst

shelter
The sail-steeds out on the sea;
On the stem shalt thou write, | and the
steering blade,
And burn them into the oars;
Though high be the breakers, | and black the
 79

waves,
Thou shalt safe the harbor seek.

This rune is symbolic of the rune Nauthiz

and Thurisaz, it represents mastery over nature
so that one can calm the seas and other facets
of nature that manifest themselves. This can
be symbolic of the safety that people need to
find when the giants froth with all their fury.
This rune is about the taming of nature and the
triumph over the elements. Weather working
rituals are common with this rune because it is
symbolic of Thor's mastery of the elements why
he go out to battle the giants that cause the
elements to run out of control. This rune can
bring rain in times of drought and calm skies
when there are thunderstorms. This rune can
also be abused to and bring too much rain when
only a little is need or it can cause so little
rain that the sun scorches the land and causes
much wanted destruction. Great care should be
taken when utilizing weather runes because the
ecosystem is fragile and the slightest
disturbance can throw the system out of sync.

10. Branch-runes learn, | if a healer wouldst

be,
And cure for wounds wouldst work;
80
On the bark shalt thou write, | and on trees
that be
With boughs to the eastward bent.

This is symbolic of the rune Gebo. Gebo

helps against hexes and curses and heaps the
curse back onto the person who is issuing it.
It is the gift rune where the person is
receiving a gift that they do not want or is
against their will. The utilization of Gebo
will cast the curse upon the caster and will
protect the person. It says to cut the rune
from tree branches that have eastward bending
branches. East is symbolic of spring and the
spring goddess who rules over Easter and the
spring holidays for the coming of new life.

11. Speech-runes learn, | that none may seek

To answer harm with hate;
Well he winds | and weaves them all,
And sets them side by side,
At the judgment-place, | when justice there
The folk shall fairly win.

This is symbolic of the rune Ansuz. This

is communication between men and gods. Speech
is something that gives us a dimension in this
world . The link between god and man. Speech
runes are necessary to promote good order and
harmony in the universe. Everything starts
 81

with speech. If you cannot communicate with

your god or other men you are not going to be
able to get what you want from what you are
trying to communicate. Also it alludes to
people not seeking to hate those that cause
harm. This is a very necessary message because
hate can blind and cause strife amongst the
guests. It is not necessary to hate per se,
but it is necessary to react when harmed. Fate
dictates the way we react to situations yet
when it comes down to it the almighty goddess
of fate controls our hand when we are provoked
to action.

12. Thought-runes learn, | if all shall think

Thou art keenest minded of men.

* * * * * *

This is the rune to affect one's memory

and thought. This can be used to keep one
under control and thoughtful at all times.
When we need clarity, we can call upon this
rune to find clarity, and a clear vision for us
to see. Part of the stanza is missing so we
can only conjecture at the rest of the meaning
of this rune.

13. Them Hropt arranged, | and them he wrote,

And them in thought he made,
82
Out of the draught | that down had dropped
From the head of Heithdraupnir,
And the horn of Hoddrofnir.

14. On the mountain he stood | with Brimir's

sword,
On his head the helm he bore;
Then first the head | of Mim spoke forth,
And words of truth it told.

15. He bade write on the shield | before the

shining goddess,
On Arvak's ear, | and on Alsvith's hoof,
On the wheel of the car | of Hrungnir's killer,
On Sleipnir's teeth, | and the straps of the
sledge.

16. On the paws of the bear, | and on Bragi's

tongue,

On the wolf's claws bared, | and the eagle's

beak,
On bloody wings, | and bridge's end,
On freeing hands | and helping foot-prints.

17. On glass and on gold, | and on goodly

charms,
 83

In wine and in beer, | and on well-loved seats,

On Gungnir's point, | and on Grani's breast,
On the nails of Norns, | and the night-owl's
beak.

18. Shaved off were the runes | that of old

were written,
And mixed with the holy mead,
And sent on ways so wide;
So the gods had them, | so the elves got them,
And some for the Wanes so wise,
And some for mortal men.

19. Beech-runes are there, | birth-runes are

there,
And all the runes of ale,

And the magic runes of might;

Who knows them rightly | and reads them true,
Has them himself to help;
Ever they aid,
Till the gods are gone.

Brynhild spake:
20. "Now shalt thou choose, | for the choice is
given,
84
Thou tree of the biting blade;
Speech or silence, | 'tis thine to say,
Our evil is destined all."

Sigurth spake:
21. "I shall not flee, | though my fate be
near,
I was born not a coward to be;

Thy loving word | for mine will I win,

As long as I shall live."

22. Then first I rede thee, | that free of

guilt
Toward kinsmen ever thou art;
No vengeance have, | though they work thee
harm,
Reward after death thou shalt win.

23. Then second I rede thee, | to swear no oath

If true thou knowest it not;
Bitter the fate | of the breaker of troth,
And poor is the wolf of his word.

24. Then third I rede thee, | that thou at the

Thing
Shalt fight not in words with fools;
For the man unwise | a worser word
Than he thinks doth utter oft.
 85

25. Ill it is | if silent thou art,

A coward born men call thee,
And truth mayhap they tell;

Seldom safe is fame,

Unless wide renown be won;
On the day thereafter | send him to death,
Let him pay the price of his lies.

26. Then fourth I rede thee, | if thou shalt

find
A wily witch on thy road,
It is better to go | than her guest to be,
Though night enfold thee fast.

27. Eyes that see | need the sons of men

Who fight in battle fierce;
Oft witches evil | sit by the way,
Who blade and courage blunt.

28. Then fifth I rede thee, | though maidens

fair
Thou seest on benches sitting,
Let the silver of kinship | not rob thee of
sleep,
And the kissing of women beware.

29. Then sixth I rede thee, | if men shall

wrangle,
And ale-talk rise to wrath,
86
No words with a drunken | warrior have,
For wine steals many men's wits.

30. Brawls and ale | full oft have been

An ill to many a man,
Death for some, | and sorrow for some;
Full many the woes of men.

31. Then seventh I rede thee, | if battle thou

seekest
With a foe that is full of might;
It is better to fight | than to burn alive
In the hall of the hero rich.

32. Then eighth I rede thee, | that evil thou

shun,
And beware of lying words;
Take not a maid, | nor the wife of a man,
Nor lure them on to lust.

33. Then ninth I rede thee: | burial render

If thou findest a fallen corpse,
Of sickness dead, | or dead in the sea,
Or dead of weapons' wounds.

34. A bath shalt thou give them | who corpses

be,

And hands and head shalt wash;

 87

Wipe them and comb, | ere they go in the

coffin,
And pray that they sleep in peace.

35. Then tenth I rede thee, | that never thou

trust
The word of the race of wolves,
(If his brother thou broughtest to death,
Or his father thou didst fell;)
Often a wolf | in a son there is,
Though gold he gladly takes.

36. Battle and hate | and harm, methinks,

Full seldom fall asleep;
Wits and weapons | the warrior needs
If boldest of men he would be.

37. Then eleventh I rede thee, | that wrath

thou shun,
And treachery false with thy friends;
Not long the leader's | life shall be,
For great are the foes he faces.
88
Runic Studies
Feoh

F
Wealth is something that is desired by all
men. It is attainable, you just have to work
hard at it and have the orlog for gaining
wealth. It is not something that one gets in
the random draw like a lottery. It is
something that is sought and pursued. Freya is
the deity behind Feoh and rightfully so, she is
the deity that reflects the need for gaining
wealth. Without Freya's love for wealth there
would be no material pursuit in our world for
it. Her desire to get wealth is on of the
altruistic facts that we can see. It echoes
from the valleys and the rivers, the story of
what she did to gain wealth. She exchanged
herself to four dwarfs for a chance to obtain
the Bringinsgamen necklace. A treasure of
renowned value this treasure was valued very
highly by Freya. Wealth is the connotation
with this rune of desire. People desire to
have things that they cannot normally have.
When they gain this wealth they feel a level of
satisfaction. It is something to strive for.
The attainment of the goal is one of the
 89

satisfying themes in this rune. The desire

that is expressed in Feoh is something that we
all must enjoy, but we have to beware to not
let it rule us. We have to hover in the middle
of the extremes when dealing with any rune
otherwise the rune would corrupt us. The
excesses of the rune Feoh is greed and poverty.
These excesses drive men to insanity and is
prevalent in all runes.
Greed and hoarding is common when
expressing this rune. People cannot have
enough wealth and that they need to continually
collect more and more until the point where
their wealth is meaningless. It is a vicious
cycle that goes on and on, where people
continually horde their wealth until their
seams burst and they are living in a mound of
junk. These people can never give things away
and they are living in a never ending cycle of
hoarding useless possessions because they are
afraid of losing some material wealth.
When Odin took up this rune he learned
that it was symbolic of all the qualities of
Freya. She is a person that desires wealth,
and she also exudes some of the qualities of
what it means to have too much wealth.
Sometimes she lives in balance with what she
90
has. However, then sometimes she lives to
extravegance. This goes to show the way that
she lives. No one can be expected to live a
completely pious lifestyle without ever
spending anything. The wealth that one has is
a direct measure of their self worth. This
worth may not manifest itself as a material
wealth. However, it may manifest itself as a
measure of a man when he needs measure himself
with other people. A richer man has more than
a poorer man, so therefore in his sphere he has
more than the man that has not. The man that
has not desires to have what the man who has
something has. This is natural, you can
envision certain emotions with this rune. Some
of them revolve around jealousy, envy, and
greed. However you have to realize that those
emotions are simply Feoh combined with
thurisaz. It is the emotion take out of
control. Thurisaz makes Feoh rune out of
control and ruins the rune, since it revolves
around forces that the user cannot control.
Utilizing different runes with Feoh is
possible in the effect of bind runes. Feoh
combined with Uruz can indicate a stability in
wealth. It essentially means that the wealth
is going to have the stregth and the stability
 91

to endure. Therefore the feoh rune has the

stability and the endurance of the auroch to
rule the rune and it brings the wealth that
lasts for the recipient. This can be desirable
for a person seeking long term wealth or
gaining wealth in a slow manner since it
implies stability. Of course we would never
confuse the work that we have to put behind a
rune for the rune itself. This simply is an
augmentation to the work that we already do.
All runes are representations of the existence
of the Yggdrasil tree so therefore, any rune we
express, we have to act out the effect in real
life. Simply drawing out the rune is useless,
it is the rune that we harness in our hearts
that give it the effect.
Ansuz combined with Feoh can give a person
a golden tongue. It brings wealth in
communication and allows a person to
communicate with the gods and man in an
eloquent manner. This bind rune has the effect
to take men that are shy to speak and make them
into eloquent talkers that fear not the crowd
and the need to speak publicly. It is good for
people that need to give speeches or other
public statements where good oral skills are
necessary. As with all good oral skills having
92
wealth in oration can be just as much a curse
as it is a blessing. If you are too good at
oration then you may come off as shifty or
untrustworthy and you would be despised as the
common politician who is always seen that way.
It is better then to take the rune into
moderation where one can balance the effects of
the rune. It is simple to create a bind rune
in this fashion. All one has to do is is
scribe the rune onto a piece of paper and carry
the rune in their breast pocket when they go to
speak. This would provide them with a wealth
of possibilities in their art. After all, the
rune manifests itself to those who are looking
to have a benefit in their art. However, no
one can predict the effects of the application
of the rune because it would simply be too
difficult to predict the web of wyrd. There,
however, is a logical outcome to the effects of
the runes as patterned by fate.
Combining the rune with Raidho would make
a rune that would effectively give one wealth
and productivity while traveling. It is a boon
when the rune is used in the care because you
may come across some eventful possibilities
while one is traveling. It is like the person
that is looking for a job and they see their
 93

next break advertised on a billboard while they

are in transit. This possibilities can be
opened up by the bind rune Feoh and Raidho.
The theme of this bind rune is good fortune
while traveling. Above all else the rune opens
up possibilities that the person would have
been otherwise inaccessible to. Using the rune
in travel is a portal to good fortune.
Combing Feoh with Kenaz is to say that one
is looking for wealth in the future. Since
Kenaz is a rune that illuminates the future
like a guiding torce, Feoh would modify this
rune by providing wealth to those who seek
things in the future. It is a method to avoid
the cruel nature of the future, sometimes it
may be. After all, no one likes the cruel
effects of fate. Nature can be a cruel
mistress as it unveils the future. Feoh would
likewise open up the future in a wealthy
manner. However, don't forget the nature of
feoh may indicate that there is greed in the
future. Like hoarding and other things. This
is just one of the negative effects that feoh
possesses in that regard. Kenaz is typically
associated with the Goddess Skuld, who is the
fate of the future. This indicates to us two
things. That one, the fate of the future is
94
something being represented. Also, two that
feoh is the wealth rune that indicates desire
for wealth and status. Combining these tunes
together allows us to understand the runes in a
more cohesive fashion. It tells us that the
future can be a beneficial future if Feoh is
involved. However, never forget the dark side
of the rune where it may indicate hoarding or
greed as the outcome of the situation. There
is always a dark side to every rune as
indicated in the mandate of the runes.
Gifts are always well received. Getting a
gift is a boon to every man. In fact in the
Eddas it tells us that the givers should
receive and give alike so that no man is
without a gift. Combining Feoh with Gebo
allows the rune castor the person to allow
wealth when receiving or giving gifts. It is
also useful when applying a protection against
curses and ill will directed towards the
person.
When receiving gifts it is often well to
get a nice gift. If you want to receive better
gifts from people then applying this bind rune
may be appropriate. Also when giving gifts
this rune may enhance the nature of the gifts
that you give. It is always wise to invoke
 95

this rune in the process of giving gifts so

that the person may receive what is due to
them. The proper gifts are the ones that are
dictated by the web of wyrd. You can play with
the fate the weaves its way through the cosmos
by using the rune to suggest that there should
be more wealth to come in one's direction.
Working weal in this manner is beneficial to
the rune castor. It will allow the castor to
ward off curses that work on wealth or allow
them to receive better gifts.
When there is a curse or a nid levied
against the castor there is a degree of control
to where the person can ward off the attack.
If the curse has been levied to affect the
person's wealth then this rune may protect the
castor against the nid. Having the power to
ward off curses of this nature the castor has
the power to protect his meterial and wealth
aspects from the power of the anathema.
Combining Feoh with Wunjo is relatively
easy. Joy is something that we all experience
and keeping in with the same tradition with the
Gebo rune. Combing these two runes together
will allow the rune castor to invoke the joy of
wealth into the hearts of the people affected
by this rune. Imagine it, sometimes the wealth
96
that people receive is not enjoyed, even though
it should be. When a person cannot derive any
joy from the wealth that they receive then it
may be time to use the runes to give the person
a little joy when experiencing the wealth they
have. It happens all the time when people
amass a certain amount of wealth where they
seem that wealth no longer gives them joy.
What ever the reason for the lack of joy that
means they need something to enhance the hoy
that they experience from the wealth that they
receive and they have.
Hagalaz is the start of the second Aett
and it's meaning is typically associated with
trouble and destruction. Sometimes it is
envisioned with the images of hailstorms and
rains coming down and punishing the land.
Combining Feoh with this rune gives the
impression that one is deriving wealth from
destruction. That is, the wealth is generated
off the broken backs of fallen men. Invoking
this rune means that one wants to benefit off
of the miseries of others. All though this may
seem unethical and miserable to do. It is
still an important aspect of nature where
people profit off of others misfortunes. There
has to be someone there to profit off of the
 97

dead and even though this is seen as

dishonorable there is still a certain thing
about it that illuminates nature. Nature may
be cruel at times, but is still keeps moving
along. People are going to be abused and this
rune is no exception. This rune is about
people profiting off of misery and it
illuminates this fact very well.
When using the Naudhiz rune in conjunction
with Feoh, one can express the need for wealth
that they desire. Naudhiz represents the need
behind things, whether we need shelter from the
cold or whether we need what we need to
survive. This need is exemplified in the
Naudhiz rune and is promulgated by our every
day lifestyle. Are there things that one
needs? Perhaps this rune would help people get
the wealth that they need. The primary focus
in this rune is need and not want. People
actually need things when they call upon this
rune. The need for wealth comes out of the
desperate situation. Perhaps invoking this
rune can help the destitute man find a shelter
where he can eat at when all other avenues have
been exhausted. This rune illustrates the need
for people to find what they need, no matter
how destitute they are. It comes down to the
98
situation where all men find things eventually
given time. Essentially what this means is
that when enough time has passed, even the most
wretched man will find virtue if he looks hard
enough. This is the embodiment of this rune.
It makes things happen when you need it the
most. Combing these mysteries is the provider
in nature. Every squirrel finds a nut
eventually and this rune is the one that makes
it happen. Invoking this rune gets you what
you need at the moment. It may not be exactly
what you want, but it is going to be something
that one needs and that is what matters.
The Isa rune is the ice rune that brings
things to a stand still. It freezes the room
and makes things stay the way they are or
freezes progress so that everything has to stay
in the current moment. The chilly effects of
this rune can be seen with the Feoh rune. Say
that one is getting too much wealth or that
greed is running out of control. Combining
these runes will cause the effect to chill the
environment and halt the progress of the greed
or hoard. It is something that arrests the
hearts that have rune out of control. So if
one finds themselves in a situation where the
wealth is rampant and running out of control
 99

and potentially ruining things then the Isa

rune will come and chill it so that it does not
over develop and cause a ruination of something
that may be otherwise good. This is a rune
meant to prevent excesses and extremism. This
excess that occurs can be an excess of the mind
or material, however, nonetheless there is a
need to control the Jotun that causes the
excess to occur. Freezing things in place may
be absolutely necessary to prevent things from
going out of hand. Sometimes it is necessary
to lock things in place so that things do not
get buck wild and lead to ruination.
Combining Feoh with the Jera rune is
effective when a person wants wealth to
continue for a long time. It is necessarily
the nest egg that provides for the person.
Jera provides a continued existence of the
wealth that is provided by the Feoh. This is
good for long term investments and things that
develop slowly. Like the farmer that wants his
crops to be plentiful. He would use this rune
to ensure that wealth was going to come to his
crops in a fashion that would allow for the
best possible result. Long term investments
are something that we need to investment if we
are to look past the short term. There is a
100
certain wisdom in being able to see in the long
term. People would benefit in the longer
scheme of things if they waited for the fruits
to develop naturally. Receiving wealth from
this rune is a long term process. That means
that the rune takes time to develop and cannot
be rushed. If a person is expecting short term
results from this rune then they are sadly
mistaken because this rune is about what
happens in the long rune rather than expecting
instant results. Planting seeds is something
that requires a long term result to do.
Comparing this rune to the seed is something
that is practical because the seed is something
that takes time to develop. Eventually, the
seed will grow and flourish, but first it needs
to be nurtured and go through its development
sequence. This takes times and effort to do so
that it can flourish in the long run.
The moral of this rune is that things take
time to develop. If things are rushed then the
result is going to be premature and arrested in
its development. Flourishing in nature takes
time which is one of the meanings of Jera. It
takes time to develop, like the student
learning to be wise. They have to go through a
trial to eventually be wise. There is no side
 101

stepping wisdom and development. There has to

be time to grow in this regard because the
child must first be a child before they can
grow into the adult.
The Algiz Rune has a special place in this
arrangement as we all know. Algiz is defense
and protection. It is protecting things from
people that would do ill will or otherwise harm
you. Protecting your wealth is extremely
necessary to protect it from being stolen or
usurped. Everything that we earn, gain or
otherwise treasure must be protected from harm.
This is where the rune Algiz comes into play.
Protecting our assets is a number one priority
of all men. We would never want to lose what
we have. We protect everything and it is
something that has been with us since the dawn
of time. Back in the day tribesmen would
protect their kills and furs from unscrupulous
people that would seek to steal from them and
make it their own. Algiz is the vessel by
which we protect ourselves. Without Algiz
people would be stealing from us and we would
eventually starve because there would be
nothing that we could call our own. This
protection is necessary as a law of nature it
defines our existence. A species that cannot
102
protect its own eventually perishes. Protect
what is one's own is necessary to live
according to nature's laws. Ruthless men seek
to take what is ours, but Algiz shields us from
these men by allowing us to take up arms
against them and give them a spear rather than
our food. One has to thing of themselves first
before they can think of anything else. The
primary order of concern should be towards
self, family and tribe. Anything that
threatens one of those three concerns should be
vehemently detested above all things as they
threaten the existence of what we have and
cherish.
Combining Feoh with the rune Eihwaz is
relatively simply. Eihwaz conveys the message
of life and death. It is the spine that
connects the worlds because it is the tree that
makes all things blend together. Life and
death are very important mysteries because life
and death are the perpetuation of the well of
wyrd. When things are born they are given
spirit and life. The life that they are given
is the wealth of ond that blows through the
universe. Combining this rune with Feoh allows
us to see the importance of the wealth in life
and death. When we are born our lives start
 103

anew with the gift of the ond. We are an

extention of the Yggdrasil tree that allows us
to come into existence. Without the Yggdrasil
tree the would be no existence and nothing
would be, making life and death not possible.
The combination of life and death illuminates
the wealth that is found in the instance of
life and death. The wealth that is contained
in life is the wealth of a new being coming
into existence. The is exhalted above all
things and allows us to start a new chance at
the life cycle. Life is a half of a perfect
whole. The wealth that we derive from it is
profound. Life generates new experiences and
the evolution of life marches on into the
future as we gain new abilities and
experiences. Death is also the other half of
the cycle that we call life. Death is the
termination of the body and the closure of a
life cycle. With all lives, death is
inevitable. There is no escaping and it
eventually comes for us all. Death is
something that we all should celebrate, for it
returns us to the tree from which we sprang.
Without death the would be no end to life and
the generation of new souls would cause the
life that exists to over populate. Things have
104
to die to promote the life cycle. It exists as
a perfect balance, a delicate whole that from
which all life springs. All things must die.
Mortals must die and even immortal things must
die. In the legends of the Eddas it even
states that the great Yggdrasil tree will
eventually die. However, even with that death
there is the chance for rebirth with a new tree
that will spring up in the ashes of the former
tree. Life marches on and it finds way to
exist. Even with the mortality of life, the
only true thing that is immortal is the spirit
for life to overcome obstacles that are placed
in its path. Evolution is the basis by which
we develop. Without this primordial fact, we
would not exist.
The rune Perthro is an interesting lot.
It means chance or initiation. This rune when
combined with Feoh is a chance for the rune to
illustrate the wealth that we get from gambling
or games of chance. It could be said that this
rune illustrates the fortune that we derive
from games of chance. Games of chance have
been around since the dawn of time. Every
culture everywhere placed money and freedom on
the chance that they could enrich themselves
through a game of chance. How many people does
 105

one know that would stake large money on the

public lottery? There are many people that are
willing to spend a little money in the hopes
that they will get more money. People even
ruin themselves in this pursuit. This is
another rune that has a dual personality.
There is the joyous aspect where the person
enjoys playing the game, even if they are
losing, and then there is aspect where the
person is completely consumed by the rune and
they are spending every penny they can scrape
in this pursuits to enrich themselves. While
some people have considerably higher luck than
others. In the end there is no real winner to
these games. Only the hosts of the game are
really making the money as the chances of
winning their contests are very small. In the
state lottery there is only a one in one
hundred million chance of winning the lottery.
You have a better chance of dying in a car
accident on the way to the lottery store rather
than winning the jackpot. Yet, even with these
odds people are still willing to stake
everything they have on the chance that they
can win big. Some people lose a little, some
people lose a lot. However, in the end there
is no real winner in these contests as the
106
percentages are so small that victory is
miniscule.
People would then say then what is the
worth of playing these games? Well the worth
is that people sometimes actually enjoy these
games and the game itself gives them joy as can
be seen in the rune Wunjo. Some people are
willing to spend a little money to bring a
little fulfillment to their life. Sometimes
the scratch off cards can be fulfilling to the
people as the pursue the game for hours on end.
If a person has the money to waste on this game
why stop them from playing it if they are
entirely enjoying it? This rune is a
representation of that chance that people play
when they gamble. It affects the game itself
and represents the game. Gambling was often
practiced by our ancestors in a rather
ritualistic way. The game was something that
tested the wits of mean, and sometimes the
material reward was a side note to the
gratification that they got when they won the
game.
In ancient times there was a game that
played that was akin to chess. It was composed
of a king in the center of the board surrounded
by enemy pawns aligned on the four corners of
 107

the board. The objective of the game was to

get the king to escape the board before it was
captured by the pawns. People of all types
played this game. Noble people and peasants
had a copy of this game that they would play
with strangers and friends. It was a game that
illustrated the very nature of this rune. Men
would put up wealth and freedom as evidence of
their worth at this game. Eventually
competence in this game was considered status
amongst one's peers. People would play it for
recognition and then when people could prove
their worth at the game they would have
elevated privileges and status in society.
The sowilo rune is a rune of the sun. It
illuminates the sky and brings light to
everything that exists in the universe. It is
a warm rune and it is full of life. It grants
its life giving rays to things of the earth and
vanquishes the darkness that stalks the night.
When used in combination with Feoh, it is an
intense rune that is full of fire. It is the
warmth of feoh and sowilo joined together that
can vanquish any darkness that comes. Sowilo
is the rune of Balder, who is the God of the
sun. When ever Balder rises each day he
defeats his brother Hoder, and sends him to the
108
underworld. This never ending process is the
cycle of night and day. Each night Hoder comes
and sends his brother to the under world and
brings the darkness of night. This rune
represents the life giving sun as it is
associated with wealth. Everything that lives
looks towards the sun for nutrition and its
life giving force. The sun is the sole thing
in the universe that supplies us with the life
that we need to thrive. The sun comes and
vanquishes darkness and sends it all back to
the underworld for the course of the day. It
is inevitable for the darkness to return, but
eventually as with all things the sun always
comes back and chases away the darkness to
allow all life to flourish.
Also this rune is a rune of health and
good fortune. It brings life to all things so
it has a certain healing quality to it. The
healing that it has can help heal economic
problems and chase away the darkness that is
associated with the misiries of darkness.
Victory is assured when this rune is used
because Sowilo is the inevitable victory of the
sun. Victory in the economic arena is the
notion of this rune when used in the
appropriate manner. Good fortune and a win in
 109

the wealth is a sign for this rune.

When Teiwaz is used it is used to signify
justice of resolution of legal affairs. It
plain and simply is justice. When used in
conjunction with Feoh, it becomes something
that generates wealth as a result of a legal
proceeding. Like being awarded a judgment.
This process is the very nature of this rune.
When inevesting in the legal system to rectify
perceived injustices, sometimes judgments are
awarded. This process lends itself to telling
us that the court is the settler of disputes.
When a person has a grievance they take it up
with an arbitrator who decides in an impartial
manner the terms of the suit. When the
accounts are settled sometimes there is an
award. When the arbiter awards something it is
usually in relation to the damage and the
justice is met with this rune. The wealth that
is awarded from the judgment is this rune. In
effect it is an award that has been given by
the authoritative power. When we are damaged
we all seek compensation for those damages and
eventually we look for justice. Just because
you have someone damage you, does not guarantee
that the court is going to award something. It
simply means that there is an object associated
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with the suit. For example, when a person is
wronged and they file a suit. There is a
perceived injustice. It is up to the court to
decide whether the injustice is great enough to
award a damage. So merely bringing something
to the court does not guarantee an award, there
has to be more of a substance to it to have an
award awarded and it has to be verified as an
injustice before any awards could result from
it.
Berkana is a rune of growth. It
illustrates the womb and what people are before
they are born into this world. All things grow
and develop. When Feoh is used in conjunction
with Berkana that means that there is some sort
of wealth associated with birth or the growth
process. Berkana illustrates the wealth in
things being born. They are new units in the
collective and they are the wealth of the
tribe. To be born is a great honor to the
promulgation of the tribe because they will be
the people of tomorrow and they will be the
ones that will carry on when their parents die.
Birth is a sacred thing that allows all
creatures to come into being and promulgate
themselves. It is adhering to the natural laws
of Yggdrasil. Those that preserve their lines
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are destined to survive. Any group that

protects its lineage is destined to last
throughout the trials and tribulations of time.
As we can see from the past, those that neglect
their lines are destined to go extinct. If
nature is a place where one must protect
themselves from all things that would want to
harm the bloodline then it would be natural to
say that life's destiny is through our
children. If we have no children then we are
effectively dead. We have to do what we can to
preserve our lines at all costs. That is our
wealth and salvation. Our children and their
children is the way that we preserve ourselves
for the future.
Ehwaz is a rune of motivation and travel.
It is symbolized by the horse. When combined
with Feoh it represents the motivation to gain
wealth. Wealth gain is probably one of the
greatest motivators that there is. Everyone is
looking for a way to enrich themselves. The
promise of wealth can make men turn on each
other and otherwise betray their comrades for a
little extra wealth. The motivation behind the
gaining of wealth is hard to explain. There
are many factors that are related to why a man
gains wealth. People have been pondering this
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question for thousands of years. They have
never been able to satisfactorily explain why
men pursue wealth. Be it greed, necessity, or
plan chance. The desire to become wealthy is a
primal force. From the dawn of time the
caveman has always wanted more things than his
fellow cave man. When someone comes along and
promises to share a little extra with them they
are all too willing and eager to do things in
then name of getting that coin or possession.
The police use this method of reward to have
neighbors spy and snitch on their neighbors by
offering up rewards on people. Just for a
little cash you can turn in your questionable
neighbor because you suspect him of doing
something illicit. This can have its problems
too because people will abuse the methods by
which they gain wealth and then they will start
to see rewards everywhere, even if there is no
problem. This is the greed setting in and
twisting the situation. After all, where is
truth and decency when you can make a dollar?
The motivations for wealth are enticing
indeed. When people want wealth they look for
avenues where they can get it. Sometimes they
are caught up in scams that do not suit their
interests. Like people promise a home job that
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will pay a ridiculous amount a year. However,

the only catch is that the work that you have
to do to get paid that much is so extraordinary
that you would never be able to physically meet
the quota. This is another way that this rune
works. It causes scams based on people
naivities and emotions to gain wealth that they
offer you the chance to get wealthy and when
you jump on it you end up getting a lemon for
which there is no return. This teaches us the
basic fact that dishonesty is all around us.
However, we need the acumen to be able to
reason the difference from the nonsense and the
sense that floats around in our world.
The motivation that we face to do things
is tied directly to the wealth that we receive
from doing the thing that we are motivated to
do. Wealth has to be reward to motivation
else the motivation is pointless. Everyone has
their own ideas what rewards should be;
however, the only true motivation is the reward
that we seek. If we are being rewarded with
something that is pointless then people are not
going to have the motivation to do what they
need to do.