Dear Mythology Kids,
Your homework for Tuesday is the following:
1. Read the myth "Lord of the Gallows" pgs. 15-17
2. Read the purple handout in your packet entitled "Runes."
3. Be prepared for a quiz covering #1 and #2 on Thursday.
We took the quiz covering the gods, unusual characters, and Yggdrasil on Friday. In addition, we started our discussion of the Runes. Let me give you some schema regarding Runes, even though you will be reading the purple handout in your packet on the same subject.
WHAT ARE RUNES?
Runes are the letters of the ancient Scandanavian people. According to myth, the Runes were created by Odin. In his quest to obtain more knowledge, he stabbed and then hanged himself from Yggdrasil. As he was hanging, and of course, bleeding to death, the weight of his body forced dead branches from Yggdrasil to land in Gunnungagap. The branches fell in unusual patterns, hence creating the Runes. Originally, eighteen Runes were created, but as the Scandanavian language changed, more letters were required.
Each Rune represents a letter, has a sound, name, and has magical powers associated with it. Odin touches each of the eighteen Runes, and therefore he is given knowledge that other characters in Norse Mythology do not have. For example, one of the Runes taught Odin how to return from the dead. Another teaches him how to woo women. One Rune gives him the power to read and write....... Please read "Lord of the Gallows" for a detailed description of the power that each Rune possesses.
The Runes are placed around this rendering of Odin riding Sleipnir.
