Wicce's Tarot Collection -- Second Opinions

The Rune Casters of Merlin
by Kirk McLaren of Amulets by Merlin
www.amuletsbymerlin.com
a guest review by Laura Jackson

Kirk McLaren, the "Merlin" of Amulets by Merlin, has created a different kind of rune stone...a rune WITHOUT a stone! He shapes his sturdy, beautiful little runes in bronze or silver, finishes them with care (polished to a warm
glow with no rough spots or sharp edges), and sends them naked into the world in a tiny, potent handful. There are 24 runes plus a "blank" rune in each set. The individual runes, all about 1/16" thick, range in width from Isa's 1/8" to Dagaz's 3/4" and range in height from the blank rune's 1/2" to Inguz's 7/8". Wunjo may be considered typical, with dimensions of about 3/8" wide and 3/4" high. I can pile all 25 runes in the palm of one hand and completely close my fist over them, and I don't have very large hands. However, Merlin's Rune Casters are not delicate, overly dainty pieces, meant primarily for show. They are strongly-made working runes, designed and crafted for a lifetime of use.

Kirk is perhaps better known for his Tarot Casters (to be reviewed at a later date) than his more-recent Rune Casters, although he noted to me in a November, 2000 email that runes were actually his inspiration for Tarot Casters. Regarding the genesis of the Rune Casters, he said, "In '97, my partner Tony suggested that I create a set of Runes in the same fashion [as Tarot Casters]. Instead of making them as the letters on a tablet, she suggested that we go to the source. 'The originals were light,' she told me. It makes sense to make the runes simply as what they are, shapes of light. In the process of casting the pieces (lost wax casting) the metal is heated until fluid so that the metal may be poured into the flask. At that point the runes are indeed light, in that they radiate a beautiful glow. I have been producing the Rune Casters for about three years now."

Those familiar with rune lore know that there are alternative shapes for some runes. The Rune Casters generally use Germanic shapes instead of Old English shapes. However, Inguz uses the Old English linked X shapes (one atop the other) instead of the Germanic square, and Hagalaz uses the H-with-slanted-crossbar shape instead of the alternative N or "asterisk" shapes. The blank rune (more accurately "absence of rune" and not part of a traditional rune set) is represented by a circle and is the only non-angular shape in the whole set.

The two-part shape of Jera (where traditionally the two parts are not linked together) presented an interesting structural problem, which Kirk solved by creating a small bridge to link the two parts. The bridge (which is not in the same plane as the two V-shaped parts of Jera) is fairly easy to ignore, so the integrity of the rune's overall appearance is maintained. Another sort of problem was posed by Gebo (an X shape) and Nauthiz (a single vertical line with a slanted crossbar). In early versions, the vertical line and crossbar of Nauthiz were about the same length, which (if orientation were ignored) made the rune's appearance identical to that of Gebo. Kirk solved this problem by increasing the length of Nauthiz's vertical line so the two runes look different regardless of orientation.

Rune Casters have several unique features or quirks as compared to rune stones:

Rune stones can present as hidden (with the rune invisible on the underside of the stone) when cast or pulled from a bag. Rune Casters are truly naked to the world and can never present as hidden.

Those Rune Casters without vertical-axis symmetry can present as left-right reversed. Mirror image orientation is never seen with rune stones (unless the rune is presenting as "hidden" but the stone is transparent). This means that a set of Rune Casters has a greater number of distinct orientations than a set of rune stones, although it's not the case that each individual Rune Caster has a greater number of distinct orientations than its corresponding rune stone.

Rune Casters are relatively easy to distinguish by touch when being pulled from a bag. Rune stones are not as easy to distinguish by touch, especially if the rune is painted on, and not carved into, the stone.

Rune Casters, with their angular shapes, can become entangled during the drawing or casting process, while rune stones (obviously!) cannot. Kirk's comment is, "...at times they get tangled in each other. Life is like that, and it seems fitting that the runes [Rune Casters] would reflect that."

Finally, I have the intuitive sense that Rune Casters, once cast, insist on more attention to their relative orientation and distance from each other than rune stones. Perhaps this is because there are no stone "barriers" to keep the rune shapes "isolated"?

For his Tarot Casters, Kirk has written an illustrated explanatory booklet (which comes with purchase of the Tarot Casters) and an illustrated online casting manual (which can be accessed at his Amulets by Merlin website). Corresponding materials are not yet available for the Rune Casters, although
the online Tarot Casters instructions can be adapted for use with Rune Casters. Kirk is working on a Rune Casters manual, but with progress being slowed by the need to address the "entangling" and "relative orientation and distance" issues. He told me that he's very, VERY interested in comments, questions, and insights from users of the Rune Casters.

To me, the Rune Casters seem to call for use of an additional "piece": a querent's rune or question rune. This piece would be cast along with the other runes and would be a focal point for interpreting the flow of the casting. Kirk made for me a single silver rune with a bail, which was designed as a pendant but which makes a perfect querent's rune amid my bronze Rune Casters. However, any small object of appropriate size and personal significance would serve nicely.

P.M.H. Atwater's Goddess Runes (New York: Avon Books, 1996; ISBN 0-380-78292-8) has excellent instructions and examples for interpreting rune castings, including use of a querent's rune, in a way that seems highly compatible with the Rune Casters. The Goddess Runes consist of 14 "messenger" rune stones with male and female versions of a "question" rune stone, so the book can't be used to interpret individual Rune Casters. However, it does illustrate how to use relative orientation and distance in interpreting runes.

Atwater suggests turning over any rune stones that land upside down (with the rune side hidden), while making sure to maintain the stone's overall position in the cast. I would suggest doing the same with Rune Casters that land with left-right orientation reversed, taking care to turn the rune on its vertical axis to maintain its orientation with respect to the other runes. Since not every Rune Caster has distinct left and right orientations, and since relative orientations and distances among 25 runes provide a great deal of flexibility in interpretation, I really don't see the need for adding to the complexity with different interpretations for left and right orientations. In fact, some people may prefer to further reduce the complexity of the cast by drawing a "mini-bunch" of Rune Casters from a bag (all at once, to avoid inadvertently selecting individual runes by feel) and casting only the drawn runes.

Rune Casters have a wonderful feel when cupped in the hand. They stir up easily with a finger, and are a delight to the senses of touch, sight, and hearing when poured from one hand to the other. And they're exactly the right size -- big enough to be easy to use, small and light enough to tuck into a pocket for travel. They would grace any rune collection, but I can't imagine anyone *just* leaving them on a shelf!

The Rune Casters are available on the Amulets by Merlin website in bronze (current price $35) or silver (current price $70). The cost of the bronze version is in line with the prices I've seen for rune sets painted or carved on semiprecious stones. The silver version would make a fairly big dent in the wallet, but the cost works out to $2.80 per rune, which is very reasonable when compared to the cost of silver charms or pendants of similar size. The Rune Casters come packaged in a small plastic bag (which even the most fanatic collectors will probably not want to keep!), so prospective owners will need to buy or make a suitable leather or fabric bag for permanent storage.

To see the complete set of Rune Casters, go to the website, click on "Catalog" upper left corner), then scroll down the left column a bit and click on "Rune Casters." The last time I checked the site, the photograph still showed the version with Nauthiz and Gebo having the same shape, but Kirk tells me that that purchasers will have the differently-shaped Nauthiz in their sets. Contact Kirk through the
website for information regarding the cost of individual Rune Casters, with or without bails.

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