For the Germanic peoples, poetry was a sacred art, one that had its origins among the gods. The Prose Edda tells of its mythic origins in the blood of a slain god that was mixed with honey and brewed by dwarves into a magical mead that transformed the drinker into a skald or scholar. It fell into the hands of giants who would have kept it unused and useless, but Óðinn liberated the mead from them and brought it to Asgard, where he distributes it to his chosen poets among gods and mortals.
In its technical aspects, early Germanic poetry consisted of lines that alliterated on stressed syllables in a particular structure. Such poetry appears in all of the early attested Germanic languages (except for Gothic, from which no poetry survives at all). One of the earliest attestations of this poetry is in the late Proto-Germanic runic inscription on one of the golden Horns of Gallehus. In Old English, it is seen in works like Beowulf and the Old English Rune Poem. In Old Saxon, it is found in the Heliand. In Old High German, it is in the Hildebrandslied fragment. In Old Norse, it is found in Völuspá and the other poems of the Poetic Edda, and the skaldic poetry of the Norse features innovative meters (many including rhyme) based on the older forms.
Many in the Rune-Gild take up this sacred art, whether they are working in Germanic verse forms, other traditional forms, or with modern approaches.
Eirik Westcoat
Eirik Westcoat writes poetry mainly in Old Norse and Old English meters to bring the old gods and old ways to today’s Midgard. His skaldic and scholarly quests began with a flash of gnosis wherein he realized that Óðrœrir—the Poetic Mead of the Æsir—is absolutely, truly real. He has published two major books: Viking Poetry for Heathen Rites (2017), a book of Asatru religious poetry, and Eagle’s Mead (2019), a book of esoteric initiatory poetry and prose. He is a Master in the Rune-Gild, and that latter book presents a rare poetic look at the process of runic initiation. He also has published scholarly articles on the Old Norse galdralag poetic meter, the meaning of the valknut, and the authority of poets in Old Norse literature. Eirik holds a PhD in Icelandic Literature with a dissertation about the kraftaskalds, poets in post-medieval Icelandic folklore who perform supernatural feats through improvised poetry. Links to his various books, available poetry, and his scholarly works may be found on his blog: www.theskaldiceagle.com
Fire and Ice
Carve the Fuþark
Hanging from a Tree
P. D. Brown
P. D. Brown was born in York in 1957 and grew up in Kendal. He currently works as a countryside ranger in Scotland. In the 1980s he started to rework traditional ghost stories, myths, legends, and the early history of mediaeval Britain as tales for oral recitation to live audiences. He has produced five CDs and one book, The Hidden Door, all featuring traditional stories. His published poetry is in two collections: A Crown of Runes features a sonnet for the thirty-three runes of the Anglo-Saxon futhorc; Dark Fruit of an Ash, speaks of the natural world and its decline, and the strangeness of the familiar. He hopes to soon produce a third: Nine Runes and Thirteen Moons. Storytelling and prosody have merged in recent years to produce works of narrative verse. He has carved and sited six of nine planned runestones.
https://www.facebook.com/halfmanhalfmyth
http://www.scop.co.uk
The Ravens Speak
Beorc
Day Breaks and Night Falls
Andy Syddell
I awakened to the Runes around 1982 when I professed as Heathen and was taken under the wing of a well-known practitioner, who has remained a dear friend and inspiration to this day. In 1985, I obtained a copy of the eagerly awaited Futhark by Edred Thorsson, which really put me on the right path and formed a very firm base for a lifetime of study. I joined the Gild in 2015, under the tutelage of Master Christopher Smith, and was made Fellow in 2020.