“One of the most remarkable, and extremely fascinating stories from Norse mythology about the significance and magical power of Divine language is the story of Odin discovering the runes.

A determined seeker of knowledge and wisdom, the Norse god Odin observed the Norns –three mysterious sagacious maidens who create the fates of all beings by carving runes into the Yggdrasil tree trunk. He ached for their powers and wisdom and decided to undertake the task of coming to know the runes.

Runes are not just simple letters, but the symbols of some of the most powerful forces in the cosmos. ‘Rune’ means both letter and secret, or mystery. These letters, called runes, allow one to access, interact with, and influence the world-shaping forces they symbolize.

Thus, when Odin sought the runes, he wasn’t merely attempting to acquire a set of arbitrary representations of sounds. Rather he was uncovering an extraordinarily potent system of magic! The key to engaging the cosmic resonance.

Odin decided to undertake a most severe form of penance, or tapas (self-sacrifice), by piercing himself with a spear and hanging upside down on a branch of Yggdrasil (the Great Tree of Life arising from the Well of Urd, its roots and branches reaching out to create the reality of the Nine Worlds). He hung himself from the Tree and stared attentively into the depth of the Well of Urd.

Since the runes’ origin is in the Well of Urd with the Norns, and since the runes do not reveal themselves to any but those who prove themselves worthy of such fearful insights and abilities, Odin steeled his will and hung himself from a branch of Yggdrasil, and gazed downward into the deep waters below. This was a formidable shadow work, and he forbade any of the gods to grant him the slightest aid, not even a sip of water. He kept peering downwards and called to the runes with his force of Will.

He survived in this state, teetering on the precipice of the living and the dead, for nine days and nine nights. At the end of the ninth night, he perceived their shapes and their depth. He had realized the runes!

The runes had accepted his sacrifice and shown themselves to him, revealing to him not only their forms, but also the secrets that lay within them. Having obtained this knowledge, Odin ended his ordeal and arose, the All-Father.

Having been initiated into the mysteries of the runes and equipped with the knowledge of how to wield the runes, he became one of the mightiest and most accomplished beings in the cosmos.

Words create reality, not the other way around! Language is an inescapable structuring element of perception. Words don’t merely reflect our perception of the world; rather, we perceive and experience the world in the way that our language demands of us. Thinking outside of language is literally unthinkable, because all thought takes place within language itself – hence the inherent, godlike creative power of words. The runes and other letters/secrets such as matrika or the Malini alphabet are meaningful symbols that can facilitate communication between a human being and the invisible powers that animate the visible world, providing the basis for a plethora of magical acts.”

Paraphrased from “Journey into the Heart of Reality”