ANCR-301 Lessons

Introduction
Welcome, class. Today we will be taking a brief respite from the later futharks and touching on a broader concept. Many of you are likely familiar with this concept, or have seen examples of the phenomenon, even if you cannot put a name to it. Our topic today is ligatures, also known as bindrunes or bandrúnir (sing. bandrún). We have touched upon their existence earlier, but there are quite a few specifics that bear mentioning.

Brief Basics and Example
To recap our knowledge, as well as use the basic definition to go more in-depth later, a ligature is a combination of two or more runes written as one. There are many ways to do this, such as connecting the symbols on the most superficial levels, through almost cursive-like mechanisms. However, when ligatures are used magically, it’s much more common to see multiple runes focused around a single “staff,” rotated a certain number of degrees if need be, to accommodate this. Below, you can see an example of the latter.

To the left is an example to show you just exactly how complex bindrunes can be, even for the most experienced runologist. At a glance, are you able to identify how many runes are contained in this ligature? Do you know their names and their meanings? Do you have the foggiest how all of those meanings might work together?

In truth, the last question is very difficult to answer, even with context such as knowledge of the inscriber’s intent and context. Which, as you may imagine, is rather hard to come by thousands of years after the fact. However, at the very least, you can become adept enough to answer the first two queries. Merlin knows that once you are able to sort through the visual puzzle and spot a rune, you will hopefully have absorbed enough to be able to name it. Unless, of course, you are as dozy as a drink-sodden House Elf.

Hopefully you have already made your guess as to which runes are inscribed here. It may surprise you, but the total number of runes “hidden” in this ligature is eight. If you were off, ensure that you pay attention to the following explanation, as some of the runes may have escaped your notice due to slight distortion of proportions, which is not only allowed in bindrunes, but additionally does not affect the potency of the magic in any way.

Included here, we have, in alphabetical order: Algiz, Ansuz, Gebo, Ingwaz, Othala, Raido, Tiwaz, and Wunjo. All of these runes have been squeezed together to fit along the main, central staff -- the central straight line -- though, in this example, none of them have had to be rotated to fit, which increases the level of difficulty in identification. If even after the answers have been revealed to you, you are unable to locate each of the runes listed, refer to the eight diagrams below where each rune is highlighted. As you can see, Ansuz and Algiz  have been stretched significantly, and in comparison, Gebo and Ingwaz seem quite small.

As for the intent and magical meaning of this rune, fortunately, it is a simple matter of research. This ligature, known affectionately as “The Initiate’s Bindrune” has been used over a long period of time by many different magi, and there is very little debate about its meaning. On the whole, the intent is to magically enhance and fortify a person as they journey towards new discoveries, venture in search of new knowledge, and undergo the changes necessary to do so.

With that information in mind, it is a simple thing to look up the meanings of Algiz, Ansuz, Gebo, Ingwaz, Othala, Raido, Tiwaz, and Wunjo (protection, insight, sacrifice,  common sense, heritage, journey, justice, and emotional reward, respectively), and then combine them to create a more nuanced joint meaning. However, for obvious reasons, we are not frequently able to work backwards like this. Moreover, how can we be sure that this bindrune does not also contain Isa or Laguz? The answer to both of these conundrums is, unfortunately, hard work and thorough testing. This Initiate’s Bindrune has only been solved after hundreds of years of study, testing, and confirmation by numerous scholars and wizards. The process is quite difficult and often also dangerous, as testing various meanings of runes is a difficult process involving spellwork that can rebound. More, sometimes there is no other choice than to make a hypothesis, bring the bindrune with you in a situation that will prove or disprove your hypothesis, and hope that the bindrune has the effect you think it has.¹ However, back to the topic at hand. After identifying the runes, the next step is to decipher what magical effects and importance each rune has, if any. Just as with normal runic magic, each activated rune plays into the intended magical effect.

General Information
Ligatures are commonly found in all three of the futharks, but there are nuances to each script. To complicate matters further, during periods in which language (and scripts) were changing, some ligatures were created that used runes from multiple futharks.² You will likely not have sat in on classes above your year, but Professor Morgan’s discussion of the Halstatt and La Tené periods regarding the tomb of Vix is pertinent to our discussion today. In her lesson, she discussed how “eras” of history are fluid, and one does not neatly pick up where another leaves off.³ Similarly, the time periods we have given for the start and end dates of the various futharks are not set in stone. Many geographic, social, and political factors shaped when one script shifted to another and start and end times can differ from country to country or even in smaller regions.

Because of this overlap in periods, deciding if the rune has been imbued with magic is quite difficult. In theory, it is no more complex than checking any other runic inscription for magic. There is no separate spell specifically for bindrunes; one only needs to use the standard, Enchantment Revealing Spell. However, there exist some complications specific to a situation in which this spell is used to examine bindrunes. Due to the mixing between Elder, Younger, and Anglo-Saxon, there have been ligatures made up of one (or more) magical runes and one (or more) non-magical runes. Naturally, theories abound on all sides of the argument as to why this is. Some posit that the specific part of the ligature could have been damaged, thus disrupting the magical effect, while others maintain that this lack of magical effect is due to the inherent non-magical nature of the two younger alphabets.⁴ Interestingly enough, though, there is a third party playing Devil’s Advocate that suggests that perhaps the ligatures were never fully activated to begin with, owing to the extreme difficulty of correctly activating bindrunes, which we shall discuss in just a moment.

Unless you mean to make a career out of runology, you only need to worry about the practical side of this problem. Be wary that with a bindrune, there is a much higher likelihood to get a “red” reading, as there are more parts to go wrong. Moreover, in a bindrune, one or more runes may have been activated completely correctly despite the red reading due to one incorrectly activated rune.

Many of you may already be chomping at the proverbial bit to harness this more complex, and some say more powerful, form of magic. However, I would caution you with a final explanation about one of the above-mentioned theories that so many bindrunes are incorrectly activated. As you will remember from Year Two, the concentration required to imbue runes with magic is quite high. More, the more runes you are attempting to imbue at the same time, the higher the level of concentration. This same issue applied to ligatures. Even though it is, technically speaking, all part of one rune, the caster must ensure that they are keeping all meanings in mind, as well as how they are connected. If we look back to our earlier example of The Initiate’s Bindrune, it would not be enough for the caster to hold the eight separate meanings in their mind as they cast the spell, but instead imagine the eight meanings as part of a large web, where many of the meanings are connected with many others. You must keep the overall effect in mind, how the meaning of each individual rune contributes to the whole, as well as how those individual meanings are related to each other. 

Closing
For now, that is all the time we have for the complex topic of ligatures. It is not something I expect anyone, least of all the casual student, to master easily or quickly, but if you find that your interests lie with these fascinating phenomena, know that there is still much to study and you will have a lifetime of discovery ahead of you. Your assignments today will include your midterm and a practical assignment, in which you will have some bindrunes whose meanings you must decipher. We will not be attempting to imbue our own just yet, though. For your midterms, you will have one test of your translation skills of both Younger Futhark and Anglo-Saxon Futhork, (the distinction between the two scripts will be marked) as well as an essay, where you have a chance to show me what you have learned so far this year.

Footnotes:
1. The case of Kurungin Norton is notable here. The Australian runologist theorized that a particular bindrune granted the user the ability to fly. After extensive analysis via spellwork, nothing was left but a practical test. Unfortunately for Norton, his leap off of the Bunda Cliffs was rather calamitous. Though in one bit of luck for him, the Skele-gro used on his legs to knit all of his leg bones back together was much more successful.
2. Objects and artefacts with more than one of the Germanic runic scripts are also referred to as “transitional”, a term we will be using later on in the year.
3. Should you like to read the original discussion, find the lecture here, in Year Four, Lesson Five of Ancient Studies.
4. Though it remains to be seen if it is even possible to do this -- to intentionally or accidentally deactivate only part of a rune after it has already been activated.

Original lesson written by Professor Venita Wessex
Image credits here