ANST-501 Lessons

The professor stands at the front of the classroom dressed in a long, billowing green cloak. Instead of her usual wand, she firmly grasps a gnarled staff. The staff seems to almost pulse with ancient magic and the emerald ensconced at the top of the staff glows slightly. Beside her, another woman sits comfortably on an extra chair, looking on with amusement. Seeing some burning questions on students’ faces, the professor sets the staff down, smiling mirthfully as she beckons to the class to take their seats. 

Ah yes, I see you all appreciate the outfit? My family has always had a bit of a flair for the dramatic - including our Norse ancestors. Yes, my family is at least partially descended from the Norse. This cloak and staff are family heirlooms passed down through the generations, usually to the seventh child in the family. I rarely ever have a chance to show it off, so please pardon the indulgence.

I apologize, but I won’t be able to pass the staff around for you to hold it or see its details more clearly. It has been used to focus magic by members of my family for generations, and I’m not entirely sure what would happen if someone from outside of the bloodline were to touch it. Best be on the safe side, wouldn’t you say?

Norse Magic

Theatrics aside, we have a few more things to cover in respect to Norse magic today. During our last class we spoke about sei∂r, the type of magic practiced by the Volur, which utilized a form of spell weaving, along with incantations as part of songs. However, as we noted, there were other forms of magic commonly used among the Norse, namely runic magic.

So, to discuss this topic today, I have brought in a guest who is an expert specifically on Norse and germanic runes: Mathilda Stevens, former professor of Ancient Runes here at Hogwarts. Please give her your complete attention, as you will be tested on all of the material that she presents to you.

Hello everyone, and thank you, Professor Salvatrix, for inviting me today. I am honored to not only have been invited to speak in some of your Ancient Runes classes, but other extracurriculars! 

Let’s begin with some definitions. The word “rune,” plural “runes,” is derived from the Old English word “run” (pronounced something like “roon”), which refers to a mystery or secret, and similar etymologies (that is, histories of word origin) can be found for the related words in other Germanic languages. It could thus be said that the Germanic runes are the original magic writing system (also referred to as script) when referring to European magic! At the very least, they are the first one recognised as such by European wizards, although we now recognise that other cultures developed their own magical scripts much earlier. Of course, the word “rune” now applies to many other cultures and scripts, but this where our study of them started.

The exact origins of the Germanic runes (from here on in simply referred to as “runes” to make matters easier) are unclear, but we do know that they first appeared in Europe towards the end of the second century CE. Over the next three centuries, they spread throughout the area populated by Germanic tribes. During this period, the so-called Elder Futhark became the standard version of the script.

The term “Futhark” is similar to our term “alphabet” (which is derived from the first two letters of the Greek script, alpha and beta) or indeed the reference to our own script as the “ABC”, in that it combines the sounds or letterforms of the first symbols of the script.

The Elder Futhark was in use across much of Europe north of the Alps from around 200 to 800 C.E. Towards the end of this period, changes to the languages in different geographical areas also affected the use of the script, so that from about 700 onwards, we generally speak of two new variants of the runes, the Younger Futhark (YF) in modern day Scandinavia (the land of the Norse people) and the Anglo-Saxon Futhork (ASF) in Frisia (Northern Germany) and the British Isles. These younger scripts remained in use for much of the Middle Ages: the ASF was eventually replaced by the Roman script (the alphabet we still use today and which you are currently using) towards the end of the 12th century, while the YF continued to be used in Scandinavia (though mostly for decorative purposes) until the 19th century.

The first magical use of runes we can find is in the form of amulets for protection and inscriptions on weapons, intended to give strength and victory to the owner. Each rune of the Elder Futhark has a name, and these names link them to their magical potential. While the runes of the Elder Futhark fell out of everyday use by the 8th century, their magical potential was such that they continued to be used by the magical community for several centuries, until the rapid changes of the Renaissance and Reformation finally pushed them towards the brink of extinction. If it hadn’t been for the work of Sofia Schreiber, who standardised our understanding of the magical powers of the runes, we may not even be aware of their magical potential now.

Another use of the runes that continues to this day is the use of the Elder Futhark runes in divination, something I am told you have the opportunity to learn about in Third Year Divination, so I will for the moment limit myself to say that this use of the runes has been practiced since the dawn of runic writing, and that it continues to use the main meanings of the runes as passed down from the time of the ancient Germanic tribes.

Besides the use of the Elder Futhark runes in charms for protection and similar forms of enhancing spellwork, the runes of the Anglo-Saxon Futhork and particularly the Younger Futhark were also used as a means to record information on spells, charms, rituals and potions. These texts became endangered when the Norse countries became Christianised during the Middle Ages, so the ancient Norse wizards, known as the Nordic Magi, gave their tomes of magical lore to Rowena Ravenclaw for safekeeping. If any of this piques your interest, I eagerly advise you to enroll in the course I used to teach, Ancient Runes. Your current instructor, Professor Wessex, is kind enough to frequently invite me to lecture on specific topics pertinent to my areas of expertise, but is no slouch herself! Her talents simply lie in a different geographical region of the world.

Thank you, Mathilda, for your time. It is so good to have you visit us here at the castle again!

Before we conclude our discussion on the Norse people, there are a few famous Norse magical practitioners I would like to introduce you to - well, at least to their stories.

Erik the Red and Thorbjǫrg the Völva

One of the most famous tales passed down through the generations of the Norse people is that of Erik the Red. Erik the Red - and, in turn, his son Leif Erikson - were some of the greatest explorers of the Viking Age. After being banished from his homeland, Erik the Red was the first man to bring the Norse people to Greenland, via Iceland. His son, Leif, is credited with bringing the Norse to other parts of North America, specifically Newfoundland in modern day Canada, and both of them doing this at least five centuries before Christopher Columbus “discovered” America!

Wherever the Norse went, so too did the Volur, as the Norse people depended upon their wisdom and magic for survival. When reading the Saga of Erik the Red, an entire chapter is devoted to the arrival of a Völva named Thorbjǫrg. The settlement in question had suffered through famine due to failing crops, a strange disease had claimed many lives, and the leaders were seeking a glimpse of the future - would the settlement survive, or should they abandon it?

The story continues to explain how gracious and respectful the hosts were to Thorbjǫrg. Despite arriving during a time of great famine, a feast was hosted in her name, and she had her every need attended to. This testament to the respect the Volur were given reinforces how critical their services were to the Norse people. Thankfully, using her divinatory powers, Thorbjǫrg performed a ritual. Through song, dance, and the participation of one of the settlement’s villagers, a man named Gudrid, she was able to reassure the settlement that the famine would soon end. She saw that some creature had been destroying the crops and how the settlement would thrive should they be destroyed. Therefore, she and the rest of the village elders saw to the eradication of the pests so the next season of crops would be successful, and the famine would end. Some have hypothesized these creatures may have in fact been Chizpurfles, while others have proposed that there would not have been enough magical crops to sustain them and they were, in fact, some other species of magical pest that is likely extinct today.

The Saga of Örvar-Oddr

The saga of Örvar-Oddr depicts another Völva, albeit an unnamed one, who used divination to predict the death of the titular hero. She told the hero that he would one day be killed by his horse. Terrified by this prospect and determined to avoid his fate, the hero killed his horse and fled his homeland. After his many adventures, Örvar-Oddr became sentimental and returned home. While strolling through the countryside, he tripped over the skull of his horse, hit his head, and died.

Whether this story is an accurate account of a real event or if it is simply a fable is not entirely clear. What it does demonstrate, however, is one of the basic tenets of Sei∂r that up until now has not been discussed. This is that only the Volur are able to reweave or change destiny. A non-magical person, no matter how heroic or intelligent, cannot avoid fate. 

Now, please do not feel too sorry for dear Örvar-Oddr. The Völva predicted that he would not die until he was 300 years old, and that is indeed what came to pass. Living to 300, especially at that time, would have been quite the achievement, which goes to show just what the magical practitioners of this time were capable of! According to the earlier parts of the saga, the man was exposed to a large amount of magic, though mostly runic magic. 

Conclusion

And that concludes both our lecture for today as well as our discussion on the Norse people. Next class is our final class for Year Five - I can hardly believe it - and we will discuss a few more interesting points from ancient Europe. Until then, enjoy today’s quiz, and start reviewing for your finals!

Image credits here
Original lesson written by Professor Liria Morgan
Guest lecture by Professor Matilda Stevens