December
09
/ 2020
The existence of mystery schools in the Viking Age (800-1200 CE) is deduced from myth and folklore. The poems of the Edda display the structure and content of cultic texts used within the framework of initiatic organizations. Later, in Medieval Europe, we hear about secret societies associated with the Wild Hunt, Odin, and the Einherjar. Their mysteries centered around the runes, which were already deployed magically in Ancient Germanic times (400-800 CE). The runic alphabet, or Futhark, is found in the archaeological record from the second century onwards. But its roots are far older. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"22351","attributes":{"alt":"Runic inscription carved into bone. Found in Sweden.","class":"media-image","height":"144","style":"width: 610px; height: 144px;","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"610"}}]] Runic inscription carved into bone. Found in Sweden. ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) Origins of
