Magical symbols are a fascinating example of the ingenuity of language, communication, and symbolic meaning. They show us human nature's attempt to use them as tools of expression, a divinatory means to understand the forces that exist all around us that shape our lives, and our attempts to influence these forces by signifying our intentions to the divine and the universe. They are an expression of the human spirit. They are part of us.

Magic works because we believe that it works. We believe in the process of signalling and communicating our intentions and desirable outcomes to the forces around us, releasing them into the universe, and having the confidence and belief to make it happen.

The aim of this book is to explore the traditions of magical symbols both from the Norse world, and the Greco-Roman world of antiquity, and its later revival in the Medieval and Renaissance periods.

From the linguistic origins of runes found in the Ancient Italic alphabets in the 1st century B.C.E, to the manuscripts preserved in the Byzantine Empire in the Middle Ages, to the revival and flourishing of both traditions in manuscripts, books, and notebooks during and after the Renaissance, two different cultures from the north and south of the continent give us a glimpse of our collective psyche, the characteristics of the deities that each culture recognised as reflections of our nature, and our belief in the power of symbols and magic.

For the last 120 years, runes have been misused, misrepresented, and misinterpreted to fit into systems of propaganda for extreme and objectionable political agendas. This form of cultural appropriation has done great damage in obscuring and twisting the original and true meanings of the runes. This edition includes an extra chapter that explains this history and sets the record straight for the reader to make informed choices.