For Knowledge of Runes and For POWER —

Odin 

The Highest and 

The Oldest 

of all The Gods is Odin. 

Odin knows Many Secrets. 

He gave An Eye 

for Wisdom. 

More than that, for 

Knowledge of Runes, 

and for Power, 

He Sacrificed Himself to Himself. 

He hung from 

The World-Tree, Yggdrasil, 

hung there for nine nights. 

His side was pierced by 

The Point of a Spear, 

which wounded him gravely. 

The Winds clutched at him, 

buffeted His Body as it hung. 

Nothing did He eat for 

nine days or nine nights, 

nothing did he drink. 

He was alone there, in pain, 

The Light of His Life 

slowly going out. 

He was cold, in agony, 

and on the point of death 

when his sacrifice bore 

Dark Fruit : 

In the ecstasy of His agony 

He looked down, 

and 

The Runes were 

revealed to him. 

He Knew Them, 

and 

Understood Them 

and 

Their Power. 

The Rope broke then, 

and he fell, screaming, 

from The Tree. 

Now He understood Mag!c. 

Now, The World 

was His to Control.