The Origins of Runic Mysticism and Magic - The Kabbalistic Noble Runes of Johannes Bureus

The Runes of Northern Europe strike us as both monumental and mysterious and have developed various mystical and magical practices around them. But, what are the origins of modern runic occultism? Johannes Bureus (d. 1652) was both among the founders of the academic study of Runes but also the founder of Esoteric Runology. Following the philosophy of Gothicism, Bureus would argue that the Runes held ancient mystical secrets preserved from the confusion at the Tower of Babel and encoded in "Runic Kabbalah." He detailed this Esoteric Runology in his Adulruna Rediviva or The Rebirth of the Noble Runes, a work still unpublished to this day.

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Recommended Readings:

Håkansson, H. (2012). Alchemy of the Ancient Goths: Johannes Bureus’ Search for the Lost Wisdom of Scandinavia. Early Science and Medicine, 17(5), 500-522

The Gothic Kabbalah: Johannes Bureus, Runic Theosophy and Northern Apocalypticism by Susanna Åkerman in The Expulsion Of The Jews – 1492 and after edited by Raymond B. Waddington and Arthur H. Williamson, 1994 Garland publishing, ISBN 081531681X.

Rose Cross Over The Baltic by Susanna Åkerman, 1998 Brill, ISBN 900411035.

[Pontus-Tarantulas]

The "IKEA SEFIRÖT" is the best thing I've seen in a long time. :)

[christinarosen]

Swedish archaeologist here. LOVED this episode.

[TheEsotericaChannel]

A few points I could have made clearer in this episode:

Pre-modern people primarily related to the Runes as a system for writing, not as a system of symbols. Bureus is the first person for which we have evidence for the use of Runes primarily as mystical symbols. If you primarily relate to the Runes as a system of mystical symbols then you are much more historically and spiritually similar to Bureus than pre-Christian Rune-users. That shouldn’t surprise us: he’s closer to us in virtually every sense - historically, religiously, philosophically, anthropologically, etc. - than he was to the Vikings, etc.

Bureus’ mystical system is profoundly Christian, even if a specific kind of hermetic-kabbalisitic Christianity. Aside from his theological and soteriological interpolations, his text abounds in Biblical prooftexts. Unfortunately, this fact is conspicuously ignored and even distorted in contemporary occult discussion of the Adulruna Rediviva. I suspect this is out of other theological agendas or the unfortunate anti-Christian bias of much of contemporary occultism. However, let’s not commit the genetic fallacy. Neo-Pagan spiritual practices descended genealogically from this very Christian form of mysticism aren’t guilty of some original sin. Spiritual practices evolve and often reach religious escape velocity from their origins.

Before mocking the admittedly outlandish mystical positions that Bureus comes to vis-a-vis surviving old Norse religious texts, recall that he was the best educated person on this topic in his lifetime. He employed the most advanced hermeneutical, linguistic and epigraphic tools anyone had access to. Further, his mystical orientation was underwritten by multiple learned streams that we all praise as part of the intellectually high water mark of the Renaissance and that he brought together with truly deft finesse. All that and he still ended up with positions that strike us - and are, to be honest - astoundly at odds with historical Norse religion. Let that inspire intellectual and spiritual humility in us and lead us to question those who unflinchingly provide The Answers™ when we pose honest questions because the historical evidence is simply inconclusive. Finally, while the spiritual creativity of Bureus can and should be praised, I hope it can also equally inspire us to be comfortable with simply not knowing and thus not rushing to fill in those gaps with our own wishes, biases and spiritual agendas.

[JoannaGalacticTutor]

I love how you thread very complex and very skewed ideals, options, notions of magic, esoteric all in one channel and inspire the spirituality of our own unique growth can now begin to bring in all aspects of study and then begin to wipe away much distortions, discriminations, and judgments - thank you for your channel -

[Binarokaro]

I really appreciate what you said about religious and spiritual practices not needing a direct link to some ancient past in order to be fulfilling or meaningful. People always seem surprised when I say that my own religious beliefs are my own wholesale creation, and that I acknowledge them as my own fabrication with no basis in anything in history or established religious practices, because it seems so common to believe that beliefs need to have some kind of appeal to authority, whether that authority is a person or a historical practice, in order to be legitimate.

[Vocatus]

"Innovation in religion is what keeps religion alive." Brilliant !! For me personally, this is one of the most profound and powerful videos you have done. Thank you much

[cemccann]

Love that Bureus is being talked about.

However, we have a few examples in various sagas, for example Egil’s Saga, showing runes being used for magical purposes. Also, the Wooing of Gerd shows runes being used for magical purposes as well.

Particularly three Thurisaz runes along with three other runes believed to be Laguz.

Great video as always!

[frost]

Even the pagan channels never talk about Johannes Bureus, so I'm glad to see you pulled out a unique topic to discuss, making a very fascinating video about the runes.

[michaelshelton]

Dr. Jackson Crawford has many excellent videos on the runes from the historical and linguistic side.

[Survivethejive]

The origin of runic esotericism is Hávamál which describes the esoteric means by which the Highest god acquired knowledge of them and lists 18 runes and song used by him for specifically magical purposes. There are runic inscriptions which invoke gods and ask them to do things. Bureus and others have tried to assign esoteric and magical meanings to runes because this is an attested use in the earliest sources. Even the word rune itself can be translated as “esoteric”

[ErinCampMeeks]

My favorite academic talking about one of my favorite subjects! I swoon! As part of the Norse heathen community, I can’t thank you enough for this episode. The misinformation that many people have about the actual history of rune use as far as we currently know it and conflating later innovations with The Way The Vikings Did It(tm) is a pet peeve of mine.

I notice that you mentioned Flowers as an esoteric scholar working on this material at the end and I’m supposing that you mean Stephen Flowers. I would be very interested in your opinion of his work. He has been becoming increasingly persona non grata within Heathen circles for awhile due to his problematic associations. I’ve always wondered how esoteric scholars without a dog in the fight analyze his work.

[MFLimited]

“ Bauhaus, Bella Lugosi’s Dead is playing in your head right now“… That’s pretty niche, not to mention Gen X. This guy knows his audience.

[QuasarKaraoke]

Loved the visual gags in this one!

I'm one of those people who has primarily absorbed Jackson Crawford's Norse stuff (extremely exoteric), so I'm glad to get a glimpse of this very early esoteric runology. Incredible that Bureus learned the runes from extant 16th century traditions and didn't even have access to the Codex Regius!

[arkemiffo]

This'll probably drown in the comments, but nonetheless. I just wanted to thank you for making an episode on Swedish history in the subject here. I find the esoteric subject to be highly fascinating, and being a Swede myself, this is doubly so.
And to drive your point home. I've always been interested in runes, and the viking era (could be because I lived just 10 minutes bike ride from 3 of them when I grew up). I've unfortunately often been accused of being of a member of a mid 20th century German ideology for wearing rings or necklaces with runes on them, when my own ideology is just about the opposite.

[ninetales]

Active practitioner of esoteric runology(😂) of 40 years now love your work and this is by far my favorite episode! Now if you just bring up the Icelandic museum of witchcraft more often it would be incredible.

[wortrihanha]

Would love to see a conversation between Dr. Sledge and Dr. Jackson Crawford on this very topic.

[colleenk]

The elder futhark changed my whole life! Thanks for another great video.

[TheAlkhemiaStudio]

I also felt the whiplash Dr.Justin felt when saying that the "Thor" rune is also for "Torah"

[virkots]

Oh, I've been hoping you would cover Bureus. Great video as always.

[Meta_God]

I only just made it to the 25th minute but I'm already mindblown.. If these brilliant men of their time felt so compelled to dig this deep into the knowledge that was ancient to them at the time.... and so on and so forth... there's absolutely no telling what we don't really understand about life... I didn't even recognize that so much happened with runes.. I love the way you framed this topic. Great video.