Can you read the writing on the wall?
I want to take a moment to talk about myself and something said about my faith that makes no sense once you look at it closely. But to talk about it, I need to set the stage, and to do that, I have to start somewhere else. So, I ask for your indulgence as I take you on a journey. Firstly, I am a long-term follower of the ancient Norse pantheon, and this post is targeted mostly at my "brothers in faith," but I think the rest of the class might want to follow along as well. I don’t think that they are the only game in town, but they suit me and my style well. Now, most of us are familiar with the Runes, at least in passing. I don’t think I need to—at least not in this group—drone on about their use, their meaning, or how they are written. In anthropological terms, the Runes are what is known as a "sacred alphabet": a form of writing believed to be handed down from on high, and sometimes, not by the gods' choice. The Runes are not unique in this respect; there ...