Uthark: Nightside of the Runes

by Thomas Karlsson

This book is an introduction to runosophy, the wisdom of the runes, and to practical rune magic. The runes are dynamic symbols that characterise hidden forces. The outer shapes of the runes have changed through history, but the principles that they symbolise are today almost the same as during old Norse times. This book does not claim to include a historical description of runes or rune magic. The book offers an introduction to a rune magic that is constructed around practical work with the runes in the contemporary world. The ambition, however, has been that the runosophy in this book shall be deeply rooted in historical Nordic magic.

Genres: Occult, Magick, Divination

137 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Thomas Karlsson (born 1972) is a Swedish occultist and an esoteric author. In 1989, he and six other magicians founded Dragon Rouge, a Left-Hand Path initiatory organization and a Draconian Tradition Order, led by Karlsson.[1] As a book author he concentrates on occult, philosophy and paranormal topics. The Dragon Rouge website cites Carlos Castaneda, Julius Evola and Kenneth Grant as some of the magical writers whose work is read by the order, as are texts by classical philosophers such as Herakleitos, Plato and Plotinos, as well as modern philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Henri Bergson.

Karlsson is also associated with metal bands Therion and Shadowseeds. In the summer of 2007, he has held the first Swedish course ever in Western Esotericism[citation needed] at the Stockholm University. His personal influences include Sumerian mythology, Alchemy, Tantra, the Goetia, and the Qliphoth. In an interview dated in 2003, he claims he experienced astral projections as a child but did not think of them as supernatural experiences until he started formally exploring the occult.

Reviews

[Spider Goddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book. The author has done his homework, as wells as working to properly integrate other systems into the Norse system, instead of the other way around that we most often see. There are some very interesting ideas discussed in this book, and it is definitely worth a read or two.

[S. Harrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives compelling insight into the Runes, not just by presenting them in a different order, but in doing so evoking a different story from them. I'm quite familiar with the reasons for the widely accepted 'FUTHARK,' and I've read general accounts defending different row orders, or the elimination of rows completely. Karlsson gives the most thorough insight into the 'UTHARK,' as well as integrates the Runes back into their cultural context. In educating on the Nordic mythology, the story of the Runes becomes less related to alphabet and more symbolic. Defnitely a worthy read for any devoted Rune scholar.

[Ryan McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating and engaging look at a modern magical system centered around a reinterpretation of the Elder Futhark.

[Joe Crow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting work, here. He makes some plausible arguments for the re-ordering of the elder rune-row, and the explorations of different connections between the various aetts and other conceptual rune-groups are quite useful for my work. He also did a good job explaining some of the later runic explorers' approaches. I found this much more useful than his Qlippoth book. Could have used a few more editing and proofing runs, though.

[Messala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will change the way you see runes and some other things.