ABOUT US

Rune Root is a small multi-medium home studio & ritual practice located in Richmond, VA. Our founder Mac is a weaver of ritual and cyclial embrace.

The offerings of Rune Root are inspired by the natural world and the potent magick of old symbols. Runes are the letters within a series of ancient Germanic alphabets. But runes are not merely letters, they are ideographs each meant to represent a unique thing or concept.

One story from Norse Mythology tells of Odin hanging himself for nine days and nights on a tree, likely Yggdrasil, (impaled by his own spear no less) in hopes to gain the insight of runes. No one was allowed to offer him aid. He envied the Nornir, powerful beings who carved the fate of all into the roots of the world tree using the runes. They possessed a power he coveted so much so that he sacrificed himself in hopes he might learn to work with them.

Havamal Stanzas 138-134 English Translation:

"I know that I hung on a windswept tree
nine long nights,
wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,
myself to myself,
on that tree of which no man knows
from where its roots run

With no bread did they refresh me nor a drink from a horn,
downwards I peered;
I took up the runes, screaming I took them,
then I fell back from there.

Nine mighty spells I learnt from the famous son
of Bolthor, Bestla's father,
and I got a drink of the precious mead,
I, soaked from Odrerir.

Then I began to quicken and be wise,
and to grow and to prosper;
one word from another word found a word for me,
one deed from another deed found a deed for me.

The runes you must find and meaningful letters,
very great letters,
very stiff letters,
which the mighty sage coloured
and the huge powers made
and the runemaster of the gods carved out.

Odin among the Æsir, and Dain among the elves,
Dvalin among the dwarfs,
Asvid among the giants,
I myself carved out some.

Do you know how to carve, do you know how to interpret,
do you know how to colour, do you know how to question,
do you know how to ask, do you know how to sacrifice,
do you know how to dispatch, do you know how to slaughter?"