Bindrunes and Galdrastafir
The ways I know how to make them are not the only ways and not all staves look the same. I will brief my process on them, but I’ll first preface by sharing information about different kinds of staves.
I will be using my personal staves with the elder futhark. I must advise that one should know the runes, as well as that there is more than one set of runes. Making staves and bindrunes can be dangerous without studying the runes you will be using.
The majority of the information is directly capped from Justin Foster (tumblr). Support his website and research if you can. Other resources include Sunnyway, Galdrabok, RealRuneMagick, and The Rune Site.
Galdrastafir – Magic Stave. General term for runic staves. Stafir = Plural, Stafur = Singular. Come in many different shapes from simple lines to spoked wheels to cross-shapes.
Superstaves – A very large stave. They look like many different kinds of staves added on top of each other.
Bind Runes – Often a short-hand or shortening of a name, such as a god or person, but also used as a sigil for magical purpose.
Lukkustafir – Luck Staff, Typically a vertical or horizontal singular stave meant to prevent misfortune and bring good fortune.
Typically a simple line with modifiers throughout. Typically meant to prevent misfortune and bring good fortune.
This particular stave is centered on a single vertical line, and additional crossing modifiers are placed on top of it. It also has a base, the horse-shoe looking bottom of it. Supposedly the horseshoe and three lines at the bottom are a “cup” modifier to “capture” and a charging modifier, but that is not official.
Heillahnöttur – Good-Knot, similar to Lukkustafir but still different. They are meant to bring happiness and joy as well as fortune.
There are four staves shown in this image. The first two are near-identical, the second two are “boxier” so to speak.
Lukkustafir and Heillanottur both seem to be share characteristics in that they are usually singular lines with modifiers added to them, horizontal or vertical, with the exceptions of others such as the “boxier” variations.
Rodcross/Rodukross – Rood Cross or Crucifix, Large Christian staves for protection against evil. They tend to resemble a cross, though they do not need to. Sometimes made in honor of a Saint.
“These are often the older galdrastafir, and rarely have any Christian influence. They are characterized more to the traditional definition of stafi, commonly with straight lines intersected with other lines or small shapes. The small shapes are runes in the old sense definition, i.e. a character with hidden meaning. Very occasionally one or more recognisible runes are used, however it is a fallacy to presume galdrastafir are made up of Futhark rune characters.”
“These later aged galdrastafir have greater esthetic value and range from the most simple to very complex and elaborate forms. Some intermix Christian and Pagan elements, or are solely Christian related. Many take the cartwheel form, often with identical rune shapes at the end of each spoke.”
Typically they make a +, X, or “snowflake” shape. Not every single spoke needs to have the same runes on it, as Vegvisir demonstrates.
Bindrunes are used for names, but can also be used for magic. The Bluetooth symbol is an example of a bindrune, for example.
These are made by combining your relevant runes into a single shape or symbol, which is also a common method for sigil work.
There is no 100% evidence for the meanings of these runes, however my interpretation of them are based off
What I personally have written down for these specific modifiers:
Energy output - charges energy outward
Energy can flow in, but not out
Energy flows in and is distributed
Energy sifted out, prevents energy coming in
Amplifies and concentrates
Returns energy back to it’s source, cyclical
Sifts out the unnecessary
“1* Greg Crowfoot differs here. He writes: The rigid-terminal fork acts to both radiate magical energy outwards and prevent return flow. This conflict is a major issue in the understanding the energy flows of many galdrastafir, especially so in the Vegvísir sigil.“ (…) “Whilst these theories about energy flows seem plausable I tend to favour my own or other theories. I believe the inward and outward facing cups are to invoke God or gods. I am also quite confident that a circle usually represents a person or people, with a center circle being the self.”
I would follow in that one should make their own modifiers or find their own meanings in them.
This is my own variation of making a stave. I usually try to make every 2 or 4 staves the same, and the alternate 2 or 4 the same.
The modifiers are added to the spokes of the staves, typically at the end.
Typically the spokes are symmetrical on both the X and the Y axis however each spoke can be symmetrical on either only the Y or only the X axis or further, each spoke can be it’s own different stave as Vegvisir.
Superstaves are essentially extended Galdrastafir.
As I have said, the demonstrated ways of making a Bindrune or Galdrastafir are not the only way, as you can see, but I wanted to share my way of making them as there aren’t many resources on that part specifically. For beginners, I personally recommend sticking to 3 or less runes at a time for a bindrune. For staves, most of the runes are symbolic per the individual, but I would still recommend limiting your use of personal runes until you feel more comfortable in making more of them on a single line until you begin to feel more comfortable in using or making them.
I would also like to point out that while the making of runes should be considered carefully, the “straightness” of your lines dont matter as much, so please don’t feel discouraged by the imperfections of the stave. The spell matters more than the art. You can even see in the Rodcross that some lines are wobbly and do not have perfect symmetry. Even the “against all evil” rune looks a little squished. The purpose is more important than the look. Do not muddle your magic for the sake of aesthetic.
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