Trollrún: A Discourse on Trolldom and Runes in the Northern Tradition Paperback – June 21, 2021

Make no mistake, this is an academic text. Absolutely remarkable in its depth and research, this is not for the casual reader who is looking for a light quick read. Anyone seriously interested in Scandinavian folk history, magic, runes, and Norse mythology should have this on their shelf. Be prepared to take copious notes and take your time - the information is dense, fascinating, and crucial to a true understanding of Nordic cosmology. You should come to this book already having at least a basic familiarity with the sagas and Eddas - the author expects you to keep up and will not waste your time with 101 material. I purchased the book because I was interested in diving more deeply into the traditional uses of rune magic and healing - not the dubious divinatory system they are promoted for in witchy circles today. Did not disappoint, exceeded all expectations. I am very glad that Amazon had this paperback edition available, but I intend to acquire the gorgeous hardback edition at some point.

I love this book, I’m taking a ton of notes. If you want to know how the northern German people actually practiced their spiritual traditions get this book. This is a witches take on the subject, but the author utilizes modern scholarship. This is not wicatru, only a deeply uninformed person could get that from this book. If you are only interested in upholding old fashioned ideas that originated from poor scholarship, then don’t buy this book. If you like this book I would recommend Simek’s dictionary of the northern tradition and Kivilhaug’s the seed of Yggdrasil.

If you want to read a vast amount of folklore, this is a good source. However, some caveats for heathens...I've been a reconstructionist heathen since the 80s. When I see "northern tradition," I hark back to what we used to call Wiccatru = Wicca + Asatru. And when you combine that with titles including "troll," it's usually eclectic witches who focus on the darker side of this cosmology. Which is fine - just a heads up for heathens considering this book.I also take issue with a number of theological/cosmological points which might bother other heathens, and I'm not excited to think about readers thinking these are facts. I'd suggest not taking this book as your only source. A few examples:Heid/Gullveig is Angrboda, and each time Gullveig was set on fire, she gave birth to one of Loki's monster offspring.Gullveig is also the Moon, even though Mani is the -male- god of the moon, and Gullveig is female.Thor is descended from Loki.Jord is the mother of Thor and father of Frigg, as well as being Nidhoggr.And one thing I see a lot of that has become a pet peave - Odin in the Hanged Man pose from the Tarot. Here it's the cover art, and the author states that this form of hanging was repeated by worshippers at Uppsala to honor Odin and seek wisdom. This is silly. First, that pose is from the Renaissance, which started about 400 years after the Uppsala temple was destroyed, and was used to defame people who evaded the law, similar to hanging in effigy. Second, every indication in the sources is that Odin hung by the neck and was speared, and we have stories where this form of sacrifice WAS carried out on humans who died from it as a sacrifice to Odin.The Hanged Man idea seems to go along with some "northern tradition" practitioners using various forms of pain/torture to induce ecstatic states. Again, do what you want - I'd just prefer accurate info (as accurate as we can get with limited source material), and again, a heads up for heathens considering the book.I'll add that it was common for the Christians who wrote what "lore" we have to stay out of trouble with the church by writing of the gods as if they were just normal people who became legendary and were worshipped by stupid pagans. This author takes these stories as facts and calls into question gods and spirits being more than human. I know many heathens don't believe the gods or other entities are real, but I don't know any who believe they were from Troy and invaded Germanic lands.

I have studied the Runes for over 35 years and still find things to make me think in this book. A very good resource for both historical, and practical information. Not for beginners, but a worthy tome for ones library on the Runic Powers.

Another masterpiece from Frisvold. I have read multiple other books of his and have learned so much from his well researched and channeled mystical wisdom. This is not light reading, but if you are a serious student of the occult, get this book. It's an in depth study of nordic tradition, which in my opinion is one of the most mysterious and misunderstood. This book also came at an uncanny perfect time for me, definitely sent by the Gods. Skål!