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On these pages you will find both practical and personal bindrunes.
Amulet pendants and keyrings are handcrafted from windfall wood
and non-toxic materials in my own workshop in Buckinghamshire, England.
I am assuming you know something about runes already. If not, you can
learn all the basics by visiting the main Runemaker website at
http://www.runemaker.com. If you are just interested in the meaning of each rune start with
http://www.runemaker.com/futhark/reading.shtml.
 Practical bindrunes
These are used as talismans with a particular objective such as improved
health, business or financial success, harmony with a partner, love from a
special person, help with weight loss, personal protection, safety and security
of your home and personal possessions, etc.
The example on the left is a bind for personal wealth and security.
To learn more about practical bindrunes and see some examples,
click here,
or use the "practical bindrunes" link in the menu bar above.
Personal Bindrunes
These are amulets where the bindrune is compiled from your personal initials to
form a kind of runic monogram.
They are used to reinforce one's personality and emphasize the positive
qualities of the psyche.
This bindrune includes Kauno, Jera and Tiwaz, representing the initials CJT.
To find out how these are constructed or browse the Personal Bindrune Gallery,
click here or use the "personal bindrunes" link in the menu bar above.
The Futhark (or Futhorc)
 Futhark is the name for the rune row, or full
rune set. It does the same job as our alphabet. Due to changes in pronunciation over the centuries, the Anglo-Saxons came to call it
the Futhorc, but it's basically the same word.
How did this name come about? Same way as the name alphabet came about, I guess. The word alphabet is made up of the first two
letters in the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Beta. Those were the Greek names for A and B. I guess everybody knows that.
So naming the rune set follows the same principle. We take the first six runes Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, Ansuz, Raido and Kauno - put
the sounds they represent together, and they make the word Futhark. (The Th sound is represented by just one rune, Thurisaz).
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Rune-inscribed Brooch
This recently-discovered 8th Century brooch is a good example of the six rune Futhark inscription used as a magic formula.
It was recently sold at auction by Christies, and I got a mention in the catalog as the researcher.
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Why are these the first six runes? I don't know. Nobody knows. You might just as well ask why did the Greeks decide to have
Alpha and Beta as their first two letters? Why didn't they choose Omega and Delta? I don't suppose anyone knows the answer to
that, either.
The fact remains that the ancients most frequently wrote the rune set in the order I have put them in, with Fehu, Uruz,
Thurisaz, Ansuz, Raido and Kauno as the first six.
There are many examples of this on rune relics and monuments. Writing the full Futhark on large objects was used as a magic
formula for invoking rune power. On smaller items like jewelry and tools there wasn't room for the full Futhark, so the
first six runes spelling "futhark" were inscribed instead.
I am often asked to translate runes into modern letters, which isn't as easy as you might think. The Anglo-Saxons (and I'm
talking here about the people who lived in Eastern Britain from 400-1000AD) didn't use the same sounds we
do today. They had some we don't use, and we have some that they didn't have. In any case, here is a table giving my own
rendering of the letter equivalents:
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