Inside the pouch are flat, polished amethyst stones, each marked with a gold-coloured rune. The stones are roughly rectangular with rounded edges. They come in pale lilac, lavender, violet and deep purple, with whitish bands and translucent patches here and there. Origin: India.
Purple stone, gold sign
Against the purple, the gold signs are easy to read. Lay the stones side by side on a dark cloth or a wooden tray and you will also see how the shades of purple differ. A smooth, flat stone sits well in the palm and does not roll off the table.
The twenty-four signs of the futhark
Scholars call the oldest runic alphabet of the Germanic peoples the futhark, after its first six letters (f, u, th, a, r, k). Known as the Elder Futhark, it has twenty-four signs, each with its own name and meaning.
Runes were first carved into wood, bone and metal. That is why they are angular: a horizontal line is hard to cut along the grain of wood, so the signs are made almost entirely of upright and slanting strokes.
One stone to start the day
Tradition holds that a rune drawn without looking offers guidance. If you are new to runes, start simply. Each morning, take one stone from the pouch without peeking and read up on what its sign means.
In crystal tradition amethyst is the stone of calm, so the set also suits a quiet hour in the evening. Keep the stones in their pouch so they do not scratch each other and strong sunlight does not fade the purple. The pouch fits easily in a drawer or on a bedside table.