In the frozen streets of Halmstadt, Vidar—a disgraced young scribe—finds himself cast out, with no allies and nowhere left to turn. Forced into the city’s impoverished depths, where desperation runs as deep as hunger, Vidar experiences a bleak existence. Then, everything changes in a single, desperate moment when he taps into the forbidden power of a rune. This one act sets off a chain of events that might alter his fate forever. Rune work is the realm of the guild. Only trained rune scribes know their secrets, and for anyone else, using them is a death sentence. What power do such laws hold over a man with nothing left to lose? When an ancient beast from legend spreads its wings and rains fire over the city, Vidar realizes that his forbidden discovery may be the key to saving Halmstadt. With only the knowledge he’s scraped together and an unbreakable determination, he must master the runes and unlock their power to bring the city back from the edge of ruin. Can Vidar uncover the truth behind the runes and forge his own destiny, or will he become just another forgotten name in Halmstadt’s bloody history? Runes of Discovery weaves thrilling magic, unexpected revelations, and a pulse-pounding journey, perfect for readers craving epic battles, rich mysteries, and a hero who risks it all.

Reveals the ancient oracle based on the runic Elder Futhark alphabet of the Norse.

Tap into the age-old, secret power of runes to create a better and more enriching life. Generally associated with the ancient Northern Europeans, runes are magical symbols that convey the story of creation, life, destruction, and rebirth, and how these forces constantly affect our many levels of being. Runes connect with your body, mind, and spirit, as well as the environment, and are ideal for use in psychological integration, spiritual growth, healing, and magic. Learn the history of runes and the meanings and associations of each symbol. Then discover a wide variety of ways runes can help you find answers to personal questions, increase self-awareness, relieve stress, gain a sense of personal empowerment, and clear out blockages in your life. As you work with these mystical tools you’ll find within them the power to transform yourself.

Both an alphabet and tools of divination and magic, Norse runes are beautiful and iconic. Learn their meanings and how to use their magic.

What are the Runes, and are they actually good for magic? In The Runes: A Grounding in Northern Magic author, illustrator and artist James Flowerdew brings together a lifetime of learning and experiences with the Runes. Complete with a unique set of illustrations, The Runes is a great beginner's guide to this writing system, which was also and can still be used for magical purposes. Full of direct references to genuine ancient texts - as well as ripping yarns, poignant anecdotes and a good dose of humour - this book attempts to demonstrate not just the surface of Rune magic, but the underlying principles and culture that inform them alongside some general magical practice. The Runes are much more than a historical alphabet. They are a key to the wisdom of the ancient peoples who used them in language, life and magic, with these surviving writings not only clarifying these uses, but providing at least the bones of what you need to use them yourself today. A mixture of elegant and coarse, gentle and gritty, sombre and witty, the Runes are not to everyone's taste - but they echo a very real and relatable cosmology. A world view that doesn't hide the warts, but that finds plenty worth loving at the same time. Step into the world of the Runes on steady feet, and start a spiritual journey from which you may never wish to turn back.

Was America truly unknown to the outside world until Christopher Columbus "discovered" it in 1492? Could a people gifted enough to raise the Great Pyramid more than 4,000 years ago have lacked the skills necessary to build a ship capable of crossing the Atlantic? Did the Phoenicians, who circumnavigated the African continent in 600 bc, never consider sailing farther? Were the Vikings, the most fearless warriors and seafarers of all time, terrified at the prospect of a transoceanic voyage? If so, how are we to account for an Egyptian temple accidentally unearthed by Tennessee Valley Authority workers in 1935? What is a beautifully crafted metal plate with the image of a Phoenician woman doing in the Utah desert? And who can explain the discovery of Viking houses and wharves excavated outside of Boston? These enigmas are but a tiny fraction of the abundant physical proof for Old World visitors to our continent hundreds and thousands of years ago. In addition, Sumerians, Minoans, Romans, Celts, ancient Hebrews, Indonesians, Africans, Chinese, Japanese, Welsh, Irish, and the Knights Templar all made their indelible, if neglected, mark on our land.

What do our myths say about us? Why do we choose to believe stories that have been disproven? David M. Krueger takes an in-depth look at a legend that held tremendous power in one corner of Minnesota, helping to define both a community’s and a state’s identity for decades. In 1898, a Swedish immigrant farmer claimed to have discovered a large rock with writing carved into its surface in a field near Kensington, Minnesota. The writing told a North American origin story, predating Christopher Columbus’s exploration, in which Viking missionaries reached what is now Minnesota in 1362 only to be massacred by Indians. The tale’s credibility was quickly challenged and ultimately undermined by experts, but the myth took hold. Faith in the authenticity of the Kensington Rune Stone was a crucial part of the local Nordic identity. Accepted and proclaimed as truth, the story of the Rune Stone recast Native Americans as villains. The community used the account as the basis for civic celebrations for years, and advocates for the stone continue to promote its validity despite the overwhelming evidence that it was a hoax. Krueger puts this stubborn conviction in context and shows how confidence in the legitimacy of the stone has deep implications for a wide variety of Minnesotans who embraced it, including Scandinavian immigrants, Catholics, small-town boosters, and those who desired to commemorate the white settlers who died in the Dakota War of 1862. Krueger demonstrates how the resilient belief in the Rune Stone is a form of civil religion, with aspects that defy logic but illustrate how communities characterize themselves. He reveals something unique about America’s preoccupation with divine right and its troubled way of coming to terms with the history of the continent’s first residents. By considering who is included, who is left out, and how heroes and villains are created in the stories we tell about the past, Myths of the Rune Stone offers an enlightening perspective on not just Minnesota but the United States as well.