Satanism Today - An Encyclopedia of Religion, Folklore and Popular ...

230 Runes
idea of a secret infernal plot, which was one of the
central notions of Satanic ritual abuse ideology.
For Further Reading:
Baddeley, Gavin. Lucifer Rising: Sin, Devil Worship
and Rock’n’Roll. London: Plexus, 1999.
Paul, William. Laughing Screaming: Modern
Hollywood Horror and Comedy. New York:
Columbia University Press, 1994.
Tudor, Andrew. Monsters and Mad Scientists: A
Cultural History of the Horror Movie. Oxford,
UK: Basil Blackwell, 1989.
Runes
Runes refer to the alphabets devised in northern
Europe by the Nordic and Celtic peoples. The
Norse runes are sometimes called the Futhark,
those being the first six letters in that alphabet.
The Irish runes are usually called Ogham. Despite
claims about the originality of these systems of
writing, the current scholarly consensus is that
these systems, like the systematizing of the Irish
and Nordic myths, were imitations of Greek and
Latin models. Currently there is a significant
popular interest in the runes as a system of divination,
particularly among individuals with an interest
in ancient Norse mythology and spirituality,
including Satanists with Nazi leanings.
The classical authors who mention the runes
note they were used for divination, but otherwise
provide no details on the practice. This gap in our
knowledge has been addressed during the last
twenty-five years by popular authors who have
advanced speculative systems for divination by
means of the runes. Sets of runes carved on small
wooden or stone blocks, plus an instruction
manual explaining how to cast and interpret
them, can now be purchased even in chain bookstores
in shopping malls.
For Further Reading:
Davidson, H. R. Ellis. Myths and Symbols in Pagan
Europe. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press,
1988.
In this detail of the 7th century Anglo Saxon artifact known as Frank’s Casket, note the runes above and below the
image of the Adoration of the Magi. (Fortean Picture Library)