Jotun's Bane Kindred has been thinking about what sort of banner we'd like to make. We have created multiple designs...and talked about it a lot. We're still looking to make a Kindred Banner, but along the way we decided to create a bindrune that represents our Kindred...and then work that bindrune onto a Bindrune Banner.

We wanted to incorporate a Jera, Berkano, and a Kenaz rune. Rod suggested turning the Berkano on its back, and extending the Kenaz off the bottom. But we had trouble figuring out where to put the Jera, and make the bindrune balanced and connected. This was my poor attempt at figuring out where to put the Jera...



Rod thought about it a bit more, and came up with this rough computer sketch of how we could alter the Jera slightly to make it work. I think its really nice looking from a design standpoint. And, as Rod pointed out, "At the intersection of the Berkano and Kenaz there is an internal Gebo "gift" which is an added bonus."



We wanted to have the bindrune banner done by Pagan Pride Day on August 2nd...and so I had a week to make it. With my wife Jennifer helping me, we went to the fabric store and bought the materials we would need. I drew out the bindrune with a rular on paper...and then began cutting out the pattern...



Here is all the pieces cut out, and ready to use to cut the material for the bindrune itself....



Jennifer put something on the back of the material I cut the bindrune pieces from, that allowed me to iron the bindrune onto the banner material...



But then it was time to hand-stitch the bindrune onto the banner material. I wanted this to be permanent...and I wanted it to look hand-made. Not like something you would buy at the store or make with a machine. And yes, Chieftain's know how to sew. I had to reach back to my home-ec class from 7th grade, but it came back pretty quickly.



The finished deal...still in its hoop...



And this photo shows the hand-stitching...



Jennifer then hemmed the banner, leaving a sleeve for a pole through the top. And she added a fringe to the bottom (leaving the double-thick banner material unhemmed at the bottom, so we could add more to the banner eventually). I altered a curtain rod we had around the house with a saw, and added some cord. The finished banner...ready to represent our Kindred...


So what do you think of the bindrune? Anyone see any other runes of symbolism embedded in the design?

Mark

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Mark Ludwig Stinson
Chieftain of Jotun's Bane Kindred
Heartland Hof and Hall Fund

Nothing wrong with a man knowing how to sew. I do my own sewing whenever I need to and can, though I don't know how to use a machine.

Anyway, the design is balanced and attractive. I don't understand any of the symbolism, but as a shape it is pleasing to the eye. It's clean, simple and, to the best of my knowledge, unique, which in my estimation maximizes it's impact on all levels.

-Max-

Thanks, Max (especially for admitting you can sew as well).

Jotun's Bane Kindred = JBK =

A bind rune is a combination of two or more runes. They are extremely rare in Viking Age inscription, but are common in pre-Viking Age and in post-Viking Age inscriptions.

Sometimes the stems of runes will be formed together into a wheel, or side-by-side. And sometimes the runes will be combined into a single complex shape or rune. This is sometimes used for the purpose of rune-magic. When you combine runes in this way, additional runes will often appear, and these can contribute to or detract from what you are trying to do.

When forming the bindrune, you can turn or somewhat alter the runes, to help them fit together properly...and in this case, we turned two of them on their side...and altered the Jera somewhat.

Mark

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Mark Ludwig Stinson
Chieftain of Jotun's Bane Kindred
Heartland Hof and Hall Fund

The banner looks good
Brett

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“One of the common failings among honorable people is a failure to appreciate how thoroughly dishonorable some other people can be, and how dangerous it is to trust them”
Thomas Sowell

Very Cool.

It's interesting to hear about this bind rune thing.

I've always been fascinated with runes and code alphabets and things, and used to use one of my own design. Back when I was in the Army I combined three letters in my made-up alphabet, M, A and X, into one design in the same way you describe a bind rune, and put it on all my equipment so I would know if someone was being funny and trading things out behind my back.

Makes me think twice about "metagenics".

Quote:

{smile}

That's cool you created your own "bindrune" of your name. Can you show us what it looked like, Max? Maybe draw it in the computer, or draw it on paper and take a photo of it? I'd be curious to see what you came up with...

Mark

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Mark Ludwig Stinson
Chieftain of Jotun's Bane Kindred
Heartland Hof and Hall Fund

I would like to start by saying that this looks great! (Even if it was made by the hands of a man ) No really, it looks VERY well made and should last many a good year!

Now, I see quite a few other runes in this design. I see the sōwilō (S), the īsa- (I), a sideways naudiz (N), and wunjō (W), possibly a ingwaz (NG) with the modification of the jēra- (J), a gebō (G), a laguz (L), and my mind wants to see the ō‏ala- (O) in the middle tying it all together. There may be more than that, but that it what I see right off the bat.

Being someone who fell in love with the runes the very first time that I saw them and knowing that there are some deeper meanings behind the runes this lead me to start thinking about what words (english) could be made from the letters I saw (excluding JBK) and I plugged them in to a anagram maker website… this is what I found.Wings Long(s)
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And a few other nonsense words…

I think that you and Rod hit the nail on the head with this banner! From what I see nothing but good come from the design, and all english tranlations that I got just further tie the banner together.
Again great job!!!

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I can't remember anything about the alphabet anymore, except that it was some kind of "geometric" thing, but I remember distinctly the end design. It was simply a combination of the three characters, one on top of the other, and the end result was very simple.



I would put it on the DNS tag on whatever piece of equipment I was laying claim to, that way I could find it again if anything was stolen or had to be piled back into the supply cage. Also, since nobody else knew what it was no body could yell at me for defacing government property...

-Max-

Tom,

Thanks for your input. Rod really did all the thinking on this one, and I did the stitching. So he really deserves full credit for the design.



Max, I see the "x," and I see the "m." Is the "a" missing its cross-bar....? I like the simplicity of it, and the way that you used it to mark your stuff.

Mark

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Mark Ludwig Stinson
Chieftain of Jotun's Bane Kindred
Heartland Hof and Hall Fund

What my mind sees there is not the runes but a path leading from 2 mountains with a rising sun. The below is going to just be some free form interpretation so please pardon the sentence structure and spelling.


With the lay out of the runes it appears as such in my minds eye

kenaz is the lamp that illuminates a vision lending its power to break through the Ice

Isa is there at the base of berkano, the stagnation that yall had to go through to realize the promise of a new beginning manifest with berkano

Berkano, Growth, new beginnings which is funny that I see Jera in there as a sun with out the sun there is no growth

Jera basically a bountiful harvest and what is a bountiful harvest but a Gift in Gebo that is hidden in the middle of everything.

Carl

Interesting interpretation there. I liked it.

craig

I liked that as well, Carl...thanks for coming up with that. I like how you made comparisons to how we established ourselves, and our progress.



In a sense, it does look very much like a sun rising over a mountain range, with possibly a river flowing from the mountains towards the person viewing the bindrune.

And alternative idea that Rod suggested, was that it looks like Berkano is devouring Jera...suggestive of the "Jotun" (Jera) being devoured by its "Bane" (Berkano). With the "Kindred" (Kenaz) supporting, and serving as the foundation for all of this.

Mark

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Mark Ludwig Stinson
Chieftain of Jotun's Bane Kindred
Heartland Hof and Hall Fund