Rúnatal or í“í°ins Rune Song, Rúnatáls-í¾áttr-í“í°ins (stanzas 138-146) is a section of the Hávamál where Odin reveals the origins of the runes. In stanzas 138 and 139, Odin describes his sacrifice of himself to himself:

Veit ec at ec hecc vindga meií°i a
netr allar ní­o,
geiri vndaí¾r oc gefinn Oí°ni,
sialfr sialfom mer,
a í¾eim meií¾i, er mangi veit, hvers hann af rótom renn.

I know that I hung on a windy tree
nine long nights,
wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin,
myself to myself,
on that tree of which no man knows
from where its roots run.

Vií° hleifi mic seldo ne vií¾ hornigi,
nysta ec nií¾r,
nam ec vp rvnar,
opandi nam,
fell ec aptr í¾aí°an.

No bread did they give me nor a drink from a horn,
downwards I peered;
I took up the runes, screaming I took them,
then I fell back from there

Posted in Hermetica Italica

About Manuel Congo

A renowned Palero, Babalawo, Ajarn and Hougan, Manuel Congo lives in rural Italy, where he spends most of his free time touring on his custom Harley Davidson. An avid ethnographer and noted expert on Italian witchcraft, Manuel has spent decades working for elite clients around the world, conducting investigations in locales as far-flung as Togo and Thailand. He enjoys rainy days, BBQ and blondes.

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