Runes and Magic: Magical Formulaic Elements in the Older Runic Tradition

This work represents one of the few serious works on magical elements in Elder Futhark inscriptions. Although more recent works have come out, this survey is still important because the author deals with details like dates of finds, etc. While some of his conclusions are debated, the value of the work is not.

In comparison to other works on the subject, this work stands out in its attempt to provide some descriptions of formuleic elements in the inscriptions. These formuleic elements provide a basis for better understanding the magical uses of the Runes and their relation to descendant literary and poetic traditions. The MacLeod and Mees misses this important element, for example. Secondly, this work attempts to put magical uses of the Runes into a context of magical theories worked out by sociologists and anthropologists and is still entirely unique in this way.

This is a hard-to-find work but is extremely worth reading.