Uncovers the ancient Egyptian origin and magical power of the runes• Reveals the lineage of the runes by tracing their historical journey from Egyptian hieroglyphs through the Semitic Phoenician language to northern Europe• Draws on stories of the Norse sagas to show the runes' spiritual attributes by looking at the physical characteristics of the objects that represent them• Illustrates the initiatory nature of the runes and how they, like Egyptian hieroglyphs, reveal mysteries of passage through life, death, and the afterlifeThis book reveals the alphabet secrets in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and traces their journey to the frozen north, where they came to be known as the runes-twenty-four magical symbols, each with their own unique story and power. Judith Dillon illustrates how the runes became not only an alphabet for communication but a spiritual portal to enlightenment.Drawing on Norse sagas and runic poems, Dillon reveals the spiritual and divinatory attributes of each rune by examining the physical characteristics of the objects chosen to represent them. The meaning of rune is "secret," and she notes that, in addition to the gift of an alphabet, each symbol represents a secret taught to a few initiates through trade guilds that moved over Phoenician trading routes.Dillon also shows how the magical properties of runes are demonstrated through mythological tales. Just as we see in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, or Spells of Coming Forth by Day, these rune mysteries were taught to initiates to reveal ritualistic wisdom of passage through life, death, and the afterlife. More than an alphabet, the runes contain the promise of a return to the light.