Things You'll Need:
- Wooden branch
- Carving knife or saw
- Steel wool or fine sandpaper
- Marker or wood-burning stylus
- Wax or varnish
-
Step 1
Choose an alphabet for your runes. The runic alphabet evolved through three major stages and contained 16 to 33 characters depending on how each group chose to personalize their alphabet. The Elder Futhark stage includes 24 runes and is commonly used today for casting and other forms of divination.
-
Step 2
Select a branch from a soft-wood tree, such as alder, that is at least 30-inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Runes are often made from clay or stone, but history indicates that runes used for casting were originally wooden, so wood is the preferred medium.
-
Step 3
Dry and season the branch by leaving it outdoors exposed to the elements until there is no trace of green left in the center of the wood when it is cut. Allow the wood to dry and season naturally so the wood retains its natural composition. The amount of time it takes to dry and season wood depends on your climate and the type of wood you are working with.
-
Step 4
Slice the branch into sections about the thickness of a checker piece, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick.
-
Step 5
Sand any rough edges and polish each one with steel wool or extremely fine sandpaper until both sides are smooth.
-
Step 6
Write a rune glyph on one side of each wooden round until the rounds depict each glyph in your chosen alphabet. Use any method that leaves the glyph visible on the surface of the round, such as a marker, a wood-burning stylus or a carving knife.
-
Step 7
Finish your rune set by applying wax or three coats of varnish to both sides of each round.
