SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post - Ancient Runes Lesson I

Magical Soul · 01-09-2013, 10:07 PM

Text Cut: Isa

Hmm. Botros stared at the rune set for a long time before nodding, "It could be Isa from the Elder Futhark, yeah." He'll take that as a correct answer.

Text Cut: Algiz

Quote:

Originally Posted by RachieRu

Now runes. Clement was kind of good at runes. Kind of good meaning it was more when he bothered really. He did enjoy the less though. He looked up at the runes, trying to remember if he could recognize any of them. Hmm. He wrote one down a minute, copying it out a few times to see if it would jog his memory. Ooh. "That first one..." He mused, raising his hand, before he continued. "I think that it is Algiz." He thought, and kind of hoped he was right, because it could be a bit embarrassing. To be new and to be wrong in class. That wasn't the start he really needed at Hogwarts. "And it comes from the common german name for Elk I believe." Hmm. He had learnt something at Beauxbatons apparently. "I think it means...protection?" Maybe? He wasn't too sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EW_FAN

Harvey always remembered one such rune, cause he could never forget it for some reason. It was that first little rune.. he put up his hand as had been instructed "Professor the first one Algiz.. the rune for protection.. as like a shield would protect you. " yeah he always liked the sound of that, cause no matter in what form... everyone always needed protection. He was just glad that some didnt need protection from people ~~him~~, he hadnt seen how she was doing.. so he decided to take a look. There she was.. she was thinking hard and waiting to answer, he turned his attention back to the professor. He was hoping they could hang out soon, cause he was a little scared that.. she didnt want to be friends anymore. But she had agreed to it over the summer, but.. she was allowed to change her mind. But how would he tell her to meet him? there was no way to tell her.. cause she could just avoid the message.. pretend she never got it. The only way was a chance meeting, yup. As he was waiting.. Harvey decided to make some notes on what the professor was saying before about Thor, his hammer, that belt of his and all that Jazz.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hpfan18

While Belle was quickly taking notes, there was a lot of them in fact...she looked up and noticed the professor wrote runes on the board. He wanted the class to define them. Hmm...it did seem hard. Belle did not have her textbook handy with her. She left it back in the room. Belle was thinking.... what runes could it be written on Thor's hammer or commonly know as the Mjöllnir. Belle had no clue...

Belle really thought hard about it. She did not know if she should raise her hand. Belle did not want to make a fool out of herself. Belle then raised her hand, "Professor could one of them runes mean dealing with Protection and Safety?" Belle asked entirely unsure. At least she tried to answer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazinga

Minerva looked at these symbols. Wanting to sigh she tried to remember previous classes. She knew she had seen them before, but what did they mean. Pulling her book close to her she put her nose into it and began to look.

When she found one she was looking for she put her hand up, "Sir, the one that looks like a bird foot print, the line going up with the three coming out of it. It is an unclear rune, but it says that it possibly means Elk." That was the best she could do and hoped it was right.

Nodnodnod. "Algiz represents the divine might of the universe. The white elk was a symbol to the Norse of divine blessing and protection to those it graced with sight of itself." So yes, they were correct. Kind of.

Text Cut: Laguz

"Correct defining of Laguz, yes." However, is it the right answer? Not so much. But they all would be rewarded for their good thinking and efforts.

Text Cut: Nauthiz

"Yes. Nauthiz represents the need, the fire, and in every way related to necessity, constraint and the inevitability of human suffering. Yes." Again, it was not what he wanted to hear. But it was correct in a way.

Text Cut: All runes/some runes are correct

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ ExpelliarMOOSE

"Professor" Oakey started by rasining his hand then pointing his finger to the board "Two of those six runes are Algiz and Nauthiz, you also have their reversed versions aswell. Also known as Merkstaves, Algiz means Defense, or warding off evil. Algiz reversed, doesn't make much sense to me as to why it would be included in Mjolnir unless it were used to repel something?" He paused for a moment and looked to Sophie beside him and nudged her. She helped him with Charms last term, and was going to return the favor for her in Ancient Runes. "Nauthiz means need, but could also have a meaning of endurance, which would be important to an all powerful hammer. Nauthiz reversed means a constraint of freedom, this could be seen as to why the hammer always returns to Thor." was he rambling, was Sophie listening. She better be listening cause Oakey was gonna use her during his representation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireboltAvis88

Alyssa listened as Professor Botros explained who Thor was and the importance of the Hammer. Then she sat forward as the Professor showed them a series of runes and asked them to identify what they were. Alyssa looked at them before raising her hand and answering.

"Professor from left to right, the first one is Algiz and it is the rune that represents Protection or shield. The second one is Isa which means Ice. It represents a challenge or frustration. I am having problems with the 3rd one." Alyssa frowned looking at it before moving on to the 4th rune.

"The fourth rune is Laguz which usually represents flow, water, sea and the renewal of power." When Alyssa looked at the 5th rune she realized what the 3rd rune that had confused her earlier was. It was just the reversed of the 5th rune.

"Professor the fifth rune is the Rune Nauthiz which represents delays or restrictions strength, innovation and self-reliance. The third rune is also Nauthiz only it is reversed or a Merkstave. A reversed Nauthiz usually represents constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery and laxity."

Alyssa cranked her head sideways to study the last two runes. The sixth rune looked like Isa too but there wasn't a merkstave for Isa but she knew that it could still be positioned in opposition position. Would that mean that it would represent the exact opposite of the upright rune. She decided to give that rune a pass.

"Professor the last rune is the merkstave for Algiz and it usually represents hidden danger, consumption by divine forces, loss of divine link."

As to why it was etched on Thor's weapon, Alyssa looked at the meanings before continuing.

'It would make sense that these runes would be etched on Thor's hammer or the mo...mollnir since it represented Thor's strength, and gave him his magical powers. Considering Thor's history where he was cast out by Odin for a time and had the hammer removed from his possession must have frustrated and distressed him. He had to live like a mortal....or muggle. He had lost his divine link with the magical powers he was used to having."

This was where it got interesting. Alyssa finished off her response to the question. "Of course we all know that Thor got his Hammer back and once he had that, his powers were renewed. I guess the etchings on the mo...mollnir was kind of telling people what Thor's fate was going to be."

'That is one smart hammer. Yay for Muggle movies. Thor had been one of Alyssa's favorite Avenger movies.' Alyssa thought to herself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DecemberMoon

The twelve year old grinned widely when the professor said her answer and suggestion of the Uruz rune was really good. She quickly remembered her modesty though and returned to a neutral expression so as not to seem boastful. She like listening to these stories, but she was anxious too, anxious to learn how to use runes!

She stared at the set of runes displayed before them and listened to the students who seemed to know what they were. From what they said, it did make sense that they were from the younger futhark runes and not the elder, but she didn't have enough time to look them up before they'd all been named. Still wanting to contribute, she raised her hand to say, "Professor, I think they've all been described now, but I did notice that the arrangement of them is very artistic. They look to be inverted and layed out in the perfect balance. Maybe the order of the runes helped to make the properties work so well together." That seemed like a valid observation to her, but then again she was always noticing things like composition and color - being the artsy type that she was.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow

Ella BEAMED up at the Professor and considered his other question. The name of the hammer? Hmmm...she wasn't exactly sure of that. "Erm I...it's something..." Something with an M, yeah? She couldn't recall the exact name, though. "I'm sorry Sir, I only know it starts with an M."

...And then her classmates answered for her and Ella scribbled down the name in her notes. Mjöllnir....she'd remember that now.

The blonde continued to scribble notes until they were asked another question. Ohhhh! Runes. Ella could definitely identify some of those. Raising her hand, she waited for her turn. "Professor, the first rune up there is Algiz and it...I believe it represents protection. Oh and the one that is a line? Well that's erm...it's Isa and it represents a challenge."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emzily

Umm.... umm... ummm...

So, this was where the subject got extremely difficult. They made his eyes a little sore, so he went straight to his textbook. Okay... five minutes after the question had been asked, Theodore felt comfortable raising his hand. "Algiz... Isa... uhh, dunno the next one... Laguz... Nau - Naudiz... Isa again.... and I dunno the last one either..." Cos he couldn't find it.

Or maybe he was looking in the wrong place.

As for the meanings, pfft, he didn't know, nor could he be bothered to look.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetPeea

Violet felt a sigh of relief escape her lips when the Professor had approved her answer. She felt a smile creep upon her face in the process and couldn't help but feel proud of herself. In her head she had a mental dance party about pleasing the Professor!

But she knew when to let it go after the Professor went on with his lecture. And once again, Violet began scribbling away down on her parchment, and making sure to pay attention very carefully to what the Professor was saying.

And it was when he was asking them about a particular rune he was holding, Violet lifted her head and looked at the odd scripture. She squinted her eyes just a little bit as she began thinking to herself. Violet continued to study them for a while and then when she felt pretty confident raised her hand.

"Sir, I believe that first one, Algiz, means Elk & could very well represent the divine might of the universe." she went on,"The second & second to last rune are both I believe Isaz, meaning Ice and could been seen as the destruction of doom by some.." She paused at the third and said,"I'm not entirely positive what the third one is, but it does look like the fifth rune, just in reverse.." But she continued,"The fourth rune is Laguz, which is literally, Lake or Ocean..and could be concerned with things feminine, such as the moon, the tides, water in general, and intuition or precognitive abilities.." Next,"The fifth rune is Naudiz, which means Need..associating with Necessity, Want or Desire...." She cleared her throat a little,"I did say before that the second to last rune, could be Isaz like the second...And the last rune..." She paused looking intently,"I believe is...Kalck? Which means..Chalice.."

Violet then paused for a moment saying,"Now..What these could all mean together Professor..I'm not entirely sure....I'm sorry.." And with that she leaned back in her seat a little bit, feeling a little tired after all of the talking she had just done..feeling like she was almost teaching a lesson herself. What credit she gives to each of these Professors in any school who take their time to learn ALL of these things beforehand to go on and teach it to a class! Bravo! Bravo to all of them!

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Jory studied the runes on the board then raised his hand. "The first rune, the one from the left, is Algiz,'' he began. "It means protection. The next one is Isa meaning ice. Er... the fifth one is Naudiz and it represents needs.''

The boy put his hand down, frowning at the other two. He couldn't remember their names much less their meanings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubbles

New Thor information. So freaking cool! Peyton hung onto every word the man said. She thought of Glenn, her beaters bat, and how awesome it'd be if she could shrink it down to hang around her neck. *___*

then the Professor went on and said something this Brokk dwarf said...*siiiigh*...Cooool.

Peyton then knew what she wanted for Christmas. She wanted a Thor. ^.^

Okay, back to the lesson. The girl squinted her eyes at the board and raised her hand. "I think one of them is Algiz and...another one is Isa..." she said. She didn't quite recognize the others without looking into her textbook.

Botros enjoyed each one of those replies, they were mostly well-thought and when Prefect Gunter mentioned something missing or incorrect, the professor beamed at him. This boy was on the right track, with a lot of potential. "Great effort, I appreciate the thoughtful moments you took to try and decipher this set of runes." He was proud of them. It was probably the most difficult question today, but soon they'll all be rested.

Text Cut: Silent ones

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustAlice

Okay... SLOW DOWN... what? Aurora was lost... she looked up at Richard, feeling kind of guilty he'd been sent to the front, and raised her eyebrows. Did he understand this? Did ANYONE understand this? Because it was all going over her head a little bit. She was taking notes as fast as her quill could move but she was painfully aware that half of them would be unreadable... Sigh.

OH WAIT SHE KNEW WHO THOR WAS!!! He was in the Avengers! Yep, Aurora had read one of those comics... she preferred the Black Widow though...

OFF TOPIC, BRAIN.

Okay, Thor, thunder, runes, a hammer with an unpronounceable and unspellable name...

dwarves?

Aurora's head was starting to hurt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charely Potter

It sure felt great for Wade to get the right answer and some recognition for it too.. Oh boy, here comes the long notes. It sure was impressing on how Botros made one of the awesome Gods in Norse mythology seem so.. dull.. it was too much for Wade hearing all that information! Was anyone actually writing all of that down?

Looking around at the seemingly concentration looks of everyone around him.. Hmm. Wade lazily scribbled just a few more into his notes.

SPOILER!!: Wade's notes

Wade had looked up at these er- runes? Squinting slightly, those are runes? The first and last were clearly broomsticks, second and sixth was a wall, third and fifth was a scale, and the fourth was a hook.. or cane.. Yeah, he had no clue. Meanings? Heh, all of them together sound like a rough game of Quidditch.. Hmm.. So Wade then looked at the nearby window wondering on the best time to do some flying.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForeverYours

Right then. Bliss felt like a useless potato. That's right, a useless potato. She had absolutely no clue what any of the runes meant. No clue at all. Ancient Runes just wasn't her strong point and it wasn't because she didn't enjoy the lessons, she did actually. It was the fact that she just didn't...understand. She'd have to get a tutor or one of her friends to teach her. Otherwise she'd be clueless FOREVER. And ever.

She really didn't want that to happen.

MELLOW.

There were always the silent ones, Botros offered them a gentle sympathized look. They probably didn't have a proper breakfast before coming over his class.

Text Cut: Alice/lemon

He was nodding as the captain talked but when she mentioned her last conclusion… well, that wasn't so correct. Botros pursed his lips a bit, "You were doing fine until you mentioned Younger Futhark." Oops. "The rune names and meaning you just mentioned are mainly in Elder Futhark alphabet. When you say those are written in Younger Futhark, you're supposed to list them in that specific alphabet. So are they, or are they not in Younger Futhark?" He smiled at the girl and wanted to pat her arm for trying but she was, like, aaaall the way away from his desk. So.. later, maybe.

Text Cut: Alexa/DaniDiNardo

He raised his eyebrows at this Gryffindor, not convinced. "Would you like it if I said I'd love to give you credit for your answer but everyone else beat you to it?" He paused before adding softly, "It's alright if you find difficulty locating those runes in your textbook. All you had to do was try." Poor kid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry174

Laura had no idea what was going on and so she just looked around and sighed. "Well the first one is a football team I think it says on the Runes, "It says that Liverpool FC will be the Kings of Europe whenever they want to be." Laura had no idea if she was right of not but it was worth a guess.

Botros blinked at the girl. Was she having a fever today? He shook his head, "I'm sure you're in the wrong class, dear. Please pay more attention to what we're discussing." She was not doing this on purpose, was she?

Text Cut: Juliet

Aaaah. Exactly. Botros smiled, raising his eyebrows at the girl. "Great question. Are they Elder Futhark?" He deflected the question at the rest of his class. And soon enough someone raised the same question with much more details...

Text Cut: West & Dylan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tegz

LEGIT.

THE PROFESSOR SAID LEGIT. West was pleased now. Next thing he'd say that Thor had swag, which was true, and it would show that this old awesome man was down with the Wizarding youth.

Also, had anyone else noticed that Thor sounded rather like a Gryffindor? No? Just West?

The thirteen year old was sitting FORWARD in his seat, eager. Not wanting to miss anything even if at this point it wasn't new information. He was nodding along with everything, eyes alight.

MAYBE if he played his ~~cards~~ runes right, he'd get to blow things up with runes in class! YEAH!

Defining the runes? Could he say them all? He knew them all. West wrote them down. Algiz, Isa, Nauthiz merkstave, Laguz... and then he stopped and eyed them. Oh. Clever. His hand went uppppppppp.

"So professor? My answer sort of depends, I guess, if we're working from the Elder Futhark or the Younger one, the Scandinavian one." He traced in the air the first four symbols."If its Elder Futhark we have Algiz, Isa, Nauthiz, Laguz, and then Nauthiz merkstave, Isa, and Algiz merkstave, but Mjollnir? That's a Old Norse word, 8th Century!" He wiggled forward on his seat. "So it could be the Younger Futhark Runes, maðr, iss, ár, lögr, nauð iss again, and then ýr!" West's tongue tripped over the strange-sounding words with ease. Not that he'd gone into meanings cos well, important tangent right?

And he had to knowwwwww before he could answer more anyways.

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE Govoni

Dylan smirked, rather pleased that he'd been told how great his answer was. It was the COMICS, man. Epic stories of greatness with THOR and his amazingly powerful hammer!

...And his parents had thought he wasn't learning anything useful...Hmph. Take THAT, parents.

Deciding it might be a good idea to take notes, the Captain fished down into his bag. Breaking out his notebook, a quill, and an inkwell, he began quickly jotting down facts that had been mentioned by the Professor. It was easy to do this since the material was still fresh in his mind...

SPOILER!!: Dylan's Ancient Runes Notebook

Pausing, Dylan turned to look at an over-excited West Odessa. Something that had caught his attention about what his (hope-to-be-again!)Chaser was saying...He'd mentioned the Younger Futhark. No one else had, which was weird.

Elder Futhark couldn't be used for this effectively. It was wrong.

Hand-raising because it's polite..."Just to do an add-on to what Odessa was saying, if I may...I think the appropriate form in this situation would be the Younger Futhark, since Mjöllnir is an Old Norse word...Elder Futhark was before that time and not used in their runic alphabet."

Stare.

"What's your opinion, Sir?" Dylan was genuinely curious.

Who was this kid? Botros listened and nodded along to the young Slytherin, impressed. "The Nauthiz merkstave is the third one," he corrected quickly, not wanting to interrupt the boy's stream of thoughts. But once he was done talking, Botros clapped for him. "That's very accurate and thoughtful. Great thinking--" He squinted his eyes at the parchment, "--West Odessa." Brilliant kid.

Then the Slytherin captain spoke, Botros nodded at him, smiling. "My opinion is exactly what you just said, actually." He glanced to the rest of students and… yeah, not many were finding this understandable. "Let me try explaining this to the others."

Botros lifted himself off the desk again and went to one corner of the blackboard to explain what had just been said.

"In the original Old Norse manuscripts the name of Thor’s hammer is spelled either mjǫlnir or mjǫllnir." He wrote the foregin words before carrying on, "Many modern Thor’s hammer researchers try to feature the word Mjollnir in the Elder Futhark runes, simply replacing each letter with a corresponding rune." He pointed at the set of runes. "The procedure is incorrect. Mjolnir is an Old Norse word. Old Norse developed in the 8th century as Odessa just pointed out. Due to its difference as compared to its earlier form, Proto-Norse, Vikings were to reform their runic writing system." The professor shot a smile at the Slytherin boys before extending it to the rest of class, "As a result, they adopted the Younger Futhark." Mhmm. "By the end of the 8th century the Elder Futhark was not in use any more. So if we were to write the name of Thor’s hammer in the Elder Futhark runes, we would have to reconstruct it in Proto-Norse. Like this..." He turned toward the board and wrote, melð[u]nii̯az down.

"However, all of you should keep in mind that all of this is just a theory. Researches and studies are still in progress up till this moment." He paused and chuckled. "I admit that my earlier question was a bit of a tricky one, I apologize for confusing you." They were quite adorable handling the script though. Even the most professional researchers made the mistake of trying to decipher this script in Elder Futhark - Abraham didn't think it was a big mistake actually, it was just not what it is.

"Anyways, five points to Mr. Odessa for his great answer and thinking." And he was such a small kid!

Pause. "It's very interesting that Slytherins are the ones who detected the trickery in that question, eh?" Very cunning people, Botros beamed at Odessa, the Snake Captain and Juliet.

Ab stood straighter and concluded, "The correct answer is how Mr. Odessa put it." He wrote the answer on the blackboard for everyone to see.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackboard

Thor's Hammer Alleged Runic Script:
Younger Futhark Runes: (from left to right)
maðr: man
iss: ice
ár: plenty
lögr: water
nauð: constraint
iss
ýr: yew

"We have one more thing to discuss before we do a small activity and then wrap this lesson up." Some were already growing bored and huffing. Botros felt sorry for them.

Walking to his desk, he lifted his magical wand up in the air for everyone to see. "This is a magical wand. And like someone already mentioned, runes offer magic or enhance magic without wands." He smirked and continued, "But that's not entirely true, because instead of the traditional runestones, we're going to use runic wands in order to use runes this term." He paused, lowering his wand and waiting for the imaginary impressed 'ooohh's to die down.

No? Nothing? Well, okay.

"A runic wand is called a gandr." The professor tapped the top of the two baskets he took out from his desk a while ago and fished out a long wooden stick with a flat side. "They look closely like our magical wands, but with carvings etched all over them." He lifted the runic wand in the air, "However they're not as powerful, varied, or effective as magical wands. They're not nearly as easy to reign either." Nothing matched a magical wand. Not even a gandr. "It's important to add that one Gandr is crafted for one sole rune. We're not going to go through the making of a Gandr, but you all must know it's a very delicate and advanced level of Runology. Thirty years into this fascinating field of study and with great difficulty I can barely make a successful Gandr." He was dead serious.

"Because all runes are more powerful united and in some way they strengthen and complete each other, it's always better to carve all runes on the Gandr regardless of which rune it's made for. The wandmaker then adds a carefully calculated number of the desired rune to mark this Gandr to its rune." He lowered the runic wand into the basket and stepped away from it.

"When you hold a certain runic wand and start chanting the Galdr appropriated to the rune it's marked to, the symbols on your runic wand will start to give a visible golden glow. Depending on how bright this glow is, you'll know whether your chanting is working or not – whether you are connected with this rune or not yet." Botros went to the blackboard and erased the history and origins of the word 'rune'. They must've written that down. He wrote then, 'Uruz' in the middle and scribbled something beneath it before turning around and facing the kids again.

"Uruz is our rune for today. It's the rune of life force, physical health, and courage." They didn't have to write this down, it's all in the textbook. "While Thurisaz is the main rune associated with Thor, some scholars also mention Uruz, with its energy that governs raw primal power, survival and endurance, it's almost a perfect fit for the Norse god of Thunder."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackboard 2

Uruz
oor-ooze
“Mind over matter – matter over mind”
Physical or mental strength, health.
Color: Dark Green
Element: Earth
Associated gods: Thor, Urdl
***
Galdr:
uruz uruz uruz
u u u u u u u u u
u u u u u u r r r r r r
u u u u u u u u u
***

Brief analysis: Terminations, new beginnings. An opportunity disguised as a threat. Physical development, mental and bodily health. Power.

When reversed: Failure to think clearly. Ill-health or lack of mental fortitude. Beware signs of weakness, or threats to your person or position.

With a wave of his magical wand, the professor removes the cloths off the piles and widened his smile. Beside each desk, now, sat a replica of Thor's hammer and a metal box. "With the help of a runic wand, Uruz Galdr and the fake hammer of Thor, I want you all to try and break this metal box in two halves." Not that they could smash it into bits. "You can go ahead and try to lift the hammer now, see how impossible it is. It's nowhere near Thor's Mjöllnir and yet no one can lift it off the floor on their own." Cute little kids.

"After you tested your hammer, you come over here, pick a Gandr from the basket – they're all Uruz wands so don't get too picky, and return to your desk to practice the Galdr a few times without the wand." Botros looked at as many students as possible before he went on, "Then you'll have to grab the wand and the handle of your hammer in both hands, chant the Galdr carefully with great focus in order to be able to lift it and break the metal box into two." Inside they'll find a wooden box with something for each one of them.

Oh right, there was a kid sitting on his desk. Ab turned toward Richard and stared at him for a long moment, "You can go back to your hammer, mister Turner." He approached the boy closer, "I hope you know by now that I don't tolerate intimate gestures between my young students." In front of younger students! Botros moved aside to let the Slytherin go back to his desk if he didn't have anything else to say.

"As you all come and pick your runic wands, I want you to chant with me the Uruz galdr chant." he cleared his throat and started expecting them to chant along, "uruz uruz uruz... u u u u u u u u u... u u u u u u r r r r r r... u u u u u u u u u.." Over and over again, without breaking a sweat. It was easy!

...

"If anyone needs help or has a question, feel free to raise your hand and I'll come over." Sooner or later, depends on what's left of his energy. He could feel his knees getting sorer already.

ooc: - OKAY, activity time! In order to get full credit, you need to make 4 posts:
* 1 post where your character walk up to the basket and take a runic wand while they chant the Galdr with the professor.
* 2 posts where they try to lift the hammer and crash the box. (they should grab the runic wand with both hands WITH the hammer's handle, chant the galdr, the runes on the wand should glow stronger as they chant harder and louder and that's when they can lift the hammer. Once they stop chanting, the hammer falls to the floor again.)
* 1 post where they succeed in cracking the metal box and open the wooden box inside to find a small pendant in the shape of Thor's hammer.
- Each post needs to be at least one paragraph long (1 paragraph = 5 sentences).
- Please title your post with the number of posts you're at (e.g. post #1, post #2...etc)
- You have about 24 hours to complete this activity.
- Feel free to help each other out, but ALL metal boxes should be broken. You cannot share your box with someone else.
- I'll try to be around as much as possible if your charrie needs help.
- Have fun!

01-09-2013, 10:07 PM	#164 (permalink)
Magical Soul Kappa Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: GMT +3 Posts: 14,519 x6	Dalliesa \| Ab-Bot \| Hogwarts Trojan War \| Text Cut: Isa Quote: Originally Posted by the fastest seeker Ooops! The Professor did notice. Cassia smiled weakly at the man. Not a very good impression was it. "Sorry, Sir." She echoed. But it really wasn't her fault that the lesson was too early for her. Glancing down on the desk she checked if she had drooled. Mopping the surface with her sleeve just for good measures. But nope she hadn't drooled or anything. So maybe she could make up for her little nap. She will try. Looking at the runes the professor showed them. Cassia squinted her eyes at them then reached for her textbook. One of them was familiar. The straight line. Flipping through the pages, Cassia found it and raised her hand enthusiastically. Well as enthusiastically for someone who just woke up. "Professor, the straight vertical line is the Isa rune." She spoke. "It's the rune of ice." And it's the same one she mentioned last term. Heh..Good that professor was dead. She could rewind the only piece of info she knew about. Hmm. Botros stared at the rune set for a long time before nodding, "It could be Isa from the Elder Futhark, yeah." He'll take that as a correct answer. Text Cut: Algiz Quote: Originally Posted by RachieRu Now runes. Clement was kind of good at runes. Kind of good meaning it was more when he bothered really. He did enjoy the less though. He looked up at the runes, trying to remember if he could recognize any of them. Hmm. He wrote one down a minute, copying it out a few times to see if it would jog his memory. Ooh. "That first one..." He mused, raising his hand, before he continued. "I think that it is Algiz." He thought, and kind of hoped he was right, because it could be a bit embarrassing. To be new and to be wrong in class. That wasn't the start he really needed at Hogwarts. "And it comes from the common german name for Elk I believe." Hmm. He had learnt something at Beauxbatons apparently. "I think it means...protection?" Maybe? He wasn't too sure. Quote: Originally Posted by EW_FAN Harvey always remembered one such rune, cause he could never forget it for some reason. It was that first little rune.. he put up his hand as had been instructed "Professor the first one Algiz.. the rune for protection.. as like a shield would protect you. " yeah he always liked the sound of that, cause no matter in what form... everyone always needed protection. He was just glad that some didnt need protection from people ~~him~~, he hadnt seen how she was doing.. so he decided to take a look. There she was.. she was thinking hard and waiting to answer, he turned his attention back to the professor. He was hoping they could hang out soon, cause he was a little scared that.. she didnt want to be friends anymore. But she had agreed to it over the summer, but.. she was allowed to change her mind. But how would he tell her to meet him? there was no way to tell her.. cause she could just avoid the message.. pretend she never got it. The only way was a chance meeting, yup. As he was waiting.. Harvey decided to make some notes on what the professor was saying before about Thor, his hammer, that belt of his and all that Jazz. Quote: Originally Posted by hpfan18 While Belle was quickly taking notes, there was a lot of them in fact...she looked up and noticed the professor wrote runes on the board. He wanted the class to define them. Hmm...it did seem hard. Belle did not have her textbook handy with her. She left it back in the room. Belle was thinking.... what runes could it be written on Thor's hammer or commonly know as the Mjöllnir. Belle had no clue... Belle really thought hard about it. She did not know if she should raise her hand. Belle did not want to make a fool out of herself. Belle then raised her hand, "Professor could one of them runes mean dealing with Protection and Safety?" Belle asked entirely unsure. At least she tried to answer. Quote: Originally Posted by Bazinga Minerva looked at these symbols. Wanting to sigh she tried to remember previous classes. She knew she had seen them before, but what did they mean. Pulling her book close to her she put her nose into it and began to look. When she found one she was looking for she put her hand up, "Sir, the one that looks like a bird foot print, the line going up with the three coming out of it. It is an unclear rune, but it says that it possibly means Elk." That was the best she could do and hoped it was right. Nodnodnod. "Algiz represents the divine might of the universe. The white elk was a symbol to the Norse of divine blessing and protection to those it graced with sight of itself." So yes, they were correct. Kind of. Text Cut: Laguz Quote: Originally Posted by Steelsheen "Nuuuu I live in Wales!" the youngun almost beamed until she suddenly remembered she wasnt supposed to tell a MAN where she lives, forgetting for a moment that this man was a Professor or that she technically doesnt live there for now. "Uhm... okay." she mumbled meekly when she was corrected, setting her gaze back to her desk. Wow she is just winning favorable impressions with the Professor today isnt she? She went on to write on her notes the name of Thor and the hammer.... Myu-myu. Yeah she cant pronounce it much less spell it. And obviously she needs to start reading her textbook. SPOILER!!: Botros She shifted her gaze up when she heard scribbling on the board. Okay this she can handle, and one of them was a very familiar etching used in vessels around her island "The one in the very middle is Laguz..." she beamed, point POINTING at the board "It means water and represent flowing life energy, growth and healing." And of course beams Quote: Originally Posted by Princesspower Sarah took more notes as the teacher talked. She then examined the runes. "There is Laguz in the centre, it looks like a backwards 1. It is a rather negetive rune that shows that one is always going to be insecure and powerless. It could also mean that somethings pleasant is about to be revealed. It could also mean a woman, beach, ocean or social oppostion" Sarah said raising her hand. She always wondered why she took subjects like ancient rune sand divantion even though she did believe in them. "Correct defining of Laguz, yes." However, is it the right answer? Not so much. But they all would be rewarded for their good thinking and efforts. Text Cut: Nauthiz Quote: Originally Posted by PotterHeadforLife Kat did like Runes. She didn't have a lot of problems with the class, but sometimes she was just lazy. Everyone seemed to have gotten it correct. That wasn't a surprise. Though West had a lot to say. Good boy. Now, Kat turned her attention to Botros and looked at the things he showed them on the blackboard. More runes and time for brainstorming. Kat examined them for a while. She recognised all of them. Algiz, Isa, Laguz, Nauthiz, Isa AGAIN, and the upside down Algiz called Yr from the Younger Futhark. HEH, it sounded weird. But Botros asked for 'some'. "Nauthiz, the rune for need." Right? Quote: Originally Posted by Unalii Taylor raised her hand, "Professor... If I ain't mistaken the third to the right is Nyd... Which means Neccisity and desire." She was so sure that she was wrong that the last word was barely audible. "Yes. Nauthiz represents the need, the fire, and in every way related to necessity, constraint and the inevitability of human suffering. Yes." Again, it was not what he wanted to hear. But it was correct in a way. Text Cut: All runes/some runes are correct Quote: Originally Posted by DJ ExpelliarMOOSE "Professor" Oakey started by rasining his hand then pointing his finger to the board "Two of those six runes are Algiz and Nauthiz, you also have their reversed versions aswell. Also known as Merkstaves, Algiz means Defense, or warding off evil. Algiz reversed, doesn't make much sense to me as to why it would be included in Mjolnir unless it were used to repel something?" He paused for a moment and looked to Sophie beside him and nudged her. She helped him with Charms last term, and was going to return the favor for her in Ancient Runes. "Nauthiz means need, but could also have a meaning of endurance, which would be important to an all powerful hammer. Nauthiz reversed means a constraint of freedom, this could be seen as to why the hammer always returns to Thor." was he rambling, was Sophie listening. She better be listening cause Oakey was gonna use her during his representation. Quote: Originally Posted by FireboltAvis88 Alyssa listened as Professor Botros explained who Thor was and the importance of the Hammer. Then she sat forward as the Professor showed them a series of runes and asked them to identify what they were. Alyssa looked at them before raising her hand and answering. "Professor from left to right, the first one is Algiz and it is the rune that represents Protection or shield. The second one is Isa which means Ice. It represents a challenge or frustration. I am having problems with the 3rd one." Alyssa frowned looking at it before moving on to the 4th rune. "The fourth rune is Laguz which usually represents flow, water, sea and the renewal of power." When Alyssa looked at the 5th rune she realized what the 3rd rune that had confused her earlier was. It was just the reversed of the 5th rune. "Professor the fifth rune is the Rune Nauthiz which represents delays or restrictions strength, innovation and self-reliance. The third rune is also Nauthiz only it is reversed or a Merkstave. A reversed Nauthiz usually represents constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery and laxity." Alyssa cranked her head sideways to study the last two runes. The sixth rune looked like Isa too but there wasn't a merkstave for Isa but she knew that it could still be positioned in opposition position. Would that mean that it would represent the exact opposite of the upright rune. She decided to give that rune a pass. "Professor the last rune is the merkstave for Algiz and it usually represents hidden danger, consumption by divine forces, loss of divine link." As to why it was etched on Thor's weapon, Alyssa looked at the meanings before continuing. 'It would make sense that these runes would be etched on Thor's hammer or the mo...mollnir since it represented Thor's strength, and gave him his magical powers. Considering Thor's history where he was cast out by Odin for a time and had the hammer removed from his possession must have frustrated and distressed him. He had to live like a mortal....or muggle. He had lost his divine link with the magical powers he was used to having." This was where it got interesting. Alyssa finished off her response to the question. "Of course we all know that Thor got his Hammer back and once he had that, his powers were renewed. I guess the etchings on the mo...mollnir was kind of telling people what Thor's fate was going to be." 'That is one smart hammer. Yay for Muggle movies. Thor had been one of Alyssa's favorite Avenger movies.' Alyssa thought to herself. Quote: Originally Posted by DecemberMoon The twelve year old grinned widely when the professor said her answer and suggestion of the Uruz rune was really good. She quickly remembered her modesty though and returned to a neutral expression so as not to seem boastful. She like listening to these stories, but she was anxious too, anxious to learn how to use runes! She stared at the set of runes displayed before them and listened to the students who seemed to know what they were. From what they said, it did make sense that they were from the younger futhark runes and not the elder, but she didn't have enough time to look them up before they'd all been named. Still wanting to contribute, she raised her hand to say, "Professor, I think they've all been described now, but I did notice that the arrangement of them is very artistic. They look to be inverted and layed out in the perfect balance. Maybe the order of the runes helped to make the properties work so well together." That seemed like a valid observation to her, but then again she was always noticing things like composition and color - being the artsy type that she was. Quote: Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow Ella BEAMED up at the Professor and considered his other question. The name of the hammer? Hmmm...she wasn't exactly sure of that. "Erm I...it's something..." Something with an M, yeah? She couldn't recall the exact name, though. "I'm sorry Sir, I only know it starts with an M." ...And then her classmates answered for her and Ella scribbled down the name in her notes. Mjöllnir....she'd remember that now. The blonde continued to scribble notes until they were asked another question. Ohhhh! Runes. Ella could definitely identify some of those. Raising her hand, she waited for her turn. "Professor, the first rune up there is Algiz and it...I believe it represents protection. Oh and the one that is a line? Well that's erm...it's Isa and it represents a challenge." Quote: Originally Posted by Emzily Umm.... umm... ummm... So, this was where the subject got extremely difficult. They made his eyes a little sore, so he went straight to his textbook. Okay... five minutes after the question had been asked, Theodore felt comfortable raising his hand. "Algiz... Isa... uhh, dunno the next one... Laguz... Nau - Naudiz... Isa again.... and I dunno the last one either..." Cos he couldn't find it. Or maybe he was looking in the wrong place. As for the meanings, pfft, he didn't know, nor could he be bothered to look. Quote: Originally Posted by SweetPeea Violet felt a sigh of relief escape her lips when the Professor had approved her answer. She felt a smile creep upon her face in the process and couldn't help but feel proud of herself. In her head she had a mental dance party about pleasing the Professor! But she knew when to let it go after the Professor went on with his lecture. And once again, Violet began scribbling away down on her parchment, and making sure to pay attention very carefully to what the Professor was saying. And it was when he was asking them about a particular rune he was holding, Violet lifted her head and looked at the odd scripture. She squinted her eyes just a little bit as she began thinking to herself. Violet continued to study them for a while and then when she felt pretty confident raised her hand. "Sir, I believe that first one, Algiz, means Elk & could very well represent the divine might of the universe." she went on,"The second & second to last rune are both I believe Isaz, meaning Ice and could been seen as the destruction of doom by some.." She paused at the third and said,"I'm not entirely positive what the third one is, but it does look like the fifth rune, just in reverse.." But she continued,"The fourth rune is Laguz, which is literally, Lake or Ocean..and could be concerned with things feminine, such as the moon, the tides, water in general, and intuition or precognitive abilities.." Next,"The fifth rune is Naudiz, which means Need..associating with Necessity, Want or Desire...." She cleared her throat a little,"I did say before that the second to last rune, could be Isaz like the second...And the last rune..." She paused looking intently,"I believe is...Kalck? Which means..Chalice.." Violet then paused for a moment saying,"Now..What these could all mean together Professor..I'm not entirely sure....I'm sorry.." And with that she leaned back in her seat a little bit, feeling a little tired after all of the talking she had just done..feeling like she was almost teaching a lesson herself. What credit she gives to each of these Professors in any school who take their time to learn ALL of these things beforehand to go on and teach it to a class! Bravo! Bravo to all of them! Quote: Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 Jory studied the runes on the board then raised his hand. "The first rune, the one from the left, is Algiz,'' he began. "It means protection. The next one is Isa meaning ice. Er... the fifth one is Naudiz and it represents needs.'' The boy put his hand down, frowning at the other two. He couldn't remember their names much less their meanings. Quote: Originally Posted by Bubbles New Thor information. So freaking cool! Peyton hung onto every word the man said. She thought of Glenn, her beaters bat, and how awesome it'd be if she could shrink it down to hang around her neck. ___ then the Professor went on and said something this Brokk dwarf said...siiiigh...Cooool. Peyton then knew what she wanted for Christmas. She wanted a Thor. ^.^ Okay, back to the lesson. The girl squinted her eyes at the board and raised her hand. "I think one of them is Algiz and...another one is Isa..." she said. She didn't quite recognize the others without looking into her textbook. Botros enjoyed each one of those replies, they were mostly well-thought and when Prefect Gunter mentioned something missing or incorrect, the professor beamed at him. This boy was on the right track, with a lot of potential. "Great effort, I appreciate the thoughtful moments you took to try and decipher this set of runes." He was proud of them. It was probably the most difficult question today, but soon they'll all be rested. Text Cut: Silent ones Quote: Originally Posted by JustAlice Okay... SLOW DOWN... what? Aurora was lost... she looked up at Richard, feeling kind of guilty he'd been sent to the front, and raised her eyebrows. Did he understand this? Did ANYONE understand this? Because it was all going over her head a little bit. She was taking notes as fast as her quill could move but she was painfully aware that half of them would be unreadable... Sigh. OH WAIT SHE KNEW WHO THOR WAS!!! He was in the Avengers! Yep, Aurora had read one of those comics... she preferred the Black Widow though... OFF TOPIC, BRAIN. Okay, Thor, thunder, runes, a hammer with an unpronounceable and unspellable name... dwarves? Aurora's head was starting to hurt. Quote: Originally Posted by Charely Potter It sure felt great for Wade to get the right answer and some recognition for it too.. Oh boy, here comes the long notes. It sure was impressing on how Botros made one of the awesome Gods in Norse mythology seem so.. dull.. it was too much for Wade hearing all that information! Was anyone actually writing all of that down? Looking around at the seemingly concentration looks of everyone around him.. Hmm. Wade lazily scribbled just a few more into his notes. SPOILER!!: Wade's notes - Thor was awesome with his hammer, "Mjöllnir" - Son of Odin & Jord - Protector of mankind - Can control thunder and lightning, to shock enemy's pants off if needed - Wears dresses in battle and leaves his red hair wild and free - Also has a special belt, "Megingjardar" that gives him extra strength - Has giant goats for pets, and uses them for transportation - Would have been in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff at Hogwarts - Uses runes Wade had looked up at these er- runes? Squinting slightly, those are runes? The first and last were clearly broomsticks, second and sixth was a wall, third and fifth was a scale, and the fourth was a hook.. or cane.. Yeah, he had no clue. Meanings? Heh, all of them together sound like a rough game of Quidditch.. Hmm.. So Wade then looked at the nearby window wondering on the best time to do some flying. Quote: Originally Posted by ForeverYours Right then. Bliss felt like a useless potato. That's right, a useless potato. She had absolutely no clue what any of the runes meant. No clue at all. Ancient Runes just wasn't her strong point and it wasn't because she didn't enjoy the lessons, she did actually. It was the fact that she just didn't...understand. She'd have to get a tutor or one of her friends to teach her. Otherwise she'd be clueless FOREVER. And ever. She really didn't want that to happen. MELLOW. There were always the silent ones, Botros offered them a gentle sympathized look. They probably didn't have a proper breakfast before coming over his class. Text Cut: Alice/lemon Quote: Originally Posted by lemon Alice was following along a LITTLE, but as soon as Professor Botros neglected the weaponry talk for more runes stuff, she went back to being clueless. How did runes even give anything power? They were just a bunch of tiny lines, right? But she did recognize a few of them, so her hand flew up. "The first one, there, that's Algiz. I think it means.. elk? That deer type thing? And it stands for.. divinity.. or protection." Was that right? "The next, Isa, is ice, and stands for self-preservation and such." And she didn't know the rest. Too confusing. "I think they're in the form of Younger Futhark, as well, Professor. Scandinavian runes." YES. HER FIRST FULLY DECENT ANSWER IN THIS CLASS. She felt accomplished. He was nodding as the captain talked but when she mentioned her last conclusion… well, that wasn't so correct. Botros pursed his lips a bit, "You were doing fine until you mentioned Younger Futhark." Oops. "The rune names and meaning you just mentioned are mainly in Elder Futhark alphabet. When you say those are written in Younger Futhark, you're supposed to list them in that specific alphabet. So are they, or are they not in Younger Futhark?" He smiled at the girl and wanted to pat her arm for trying but she was, like, aaaall the way away from his desk. So.. later, maybe. Text Cut: Alexa/DaniDiNardo Quote: Originally Posted by DaniDiNardo Dear. Sweet. MERLIN. The picture part of the class wasn't so bad, it was starting to give her hope about this class even if she didn't know who the dude in the picture was but now he was doing the same thing Runes Guy did while he was alive--showing squibbly letters and expecting people to know what they were! Perhaps even worse, he thought they knew what they meant. Okay. After hearing the responses of her classmates she was beginning to correct herself. He was doing all this under the impression that she knew this stuff but the blank look on her face should have been enough to convince him otherwise. She tried doing that listening thing, hoping to take someone's answer and make it her own but they were saying a bunch of stuff and nothing was sticking in her memory bank long enough for her to repeat. Besides, after doing a check off she was almost sure that every rune had been accounted for. *"I'd love* to offer a response as well Professor," she lied, "but it would seem that everyone else already beat me to every. single. one of them." Then she tried putting on a remorseful face but inside she was happy dancing. Surely he wouldn't want her simply repeating what everyone else was saying so he wouldn't require an answer from her. She was safe! He raised his eyebrows at this Gryffindor, not convinced. "Would you like it if I said I'd love to give you credit for your answer but everyone else beat you to it?" He paused before adding softly, "It's alright if you find difficulty locating those runes in your textbook. All you had to do was try." Poor kid. Quote: Originally Posted by Harry174 Laura had no idea what was going on and so she just looked around and sighed. "Well the first one is a football team I think it says on the Runes, "It says that Liverpool FC will be the Kings of Europe whenever they want to be." Laura had no idea if she was right of not but it was worth a guess. Botros blinked at the girl. Was she having a fever today? He shook his head, "I'm sure you're in the wrong class, dear. Please pay more attention to what we're discussing." She was not doing this on purpose, was she? Text Cut*: Juliet* Quote: Originally Posted by hjhm . . . blink blink... Juliet stared at what the professor wrote on the board and she began identifying it even though it's completely blank right now. Is it the oldest rune created? There are tons of them right depending on which century, right? Wait. Was she making sense right now? Or is she trying to make sense out of this? "Are those the Elder Futhark?" because if that was correct then hooray! And as for the follow up question to identify and define..... Pass! Aaaah. Exactly. Botros smiled, raising his eyebrows at the girl. "*Great question. Are* they Elder Futhark?" He deflected the question at the rest of his class. And soon enough someone raised the same question with much more details... Text Cut*: West & Dylan* Quote: Originally Posted by Tegz LEGIT. THE PROFESSOR SAID LEGIT. West was pleased now. Next thing he'd say that Thor had swag, which was true, and it would show that this old awesome man was down with the Wizarding youth. Also, had anyone else noticed that Thor sounded rather like a Gryffindor? No? Just West? The thirteen year old was sitting FORWARD in his seat, eager. Not wanting to miss anything even if at this point it wasn't new information. He was nodding along with everything, eyes alight. MAYBE if he played his ~~cards~~ runes right, he'd get to blow things up with runes in class! YEAH! Defining the runes? Could he say them all? He knew them all. West wrote them down. Algiz, Isa, Nauthiz merkstave, Laguz... and then he stopped and eyed them. Oh. Clever. His hand went uppppppppp. "So professor? My answer sort of depends, I guess, if we're working from the Elder Futhark or the Younger one, the Scandinavian one." He traced in the air the first four symbols."If its Elder Futhark we have Algiz, Isa, Nauthiz, Laguz, and then Nauthiz merkstave, Isa, and Algiz merkstave, but Mjollnir? That's a Old Norse word, 8th Century!" He wiggled forward on his seat. *"So it could be the Younger Futhark Runes, maðr, iss, ár, lögr, nauð* iss again, and then ýr!" West's tongue tripped over the strange-sounding words with ease. Not that he'd gone into meanings cos well, important tangent right? And he had to knowwwwww before he could answer more anyways. Quote: Originally Posted by THE Govoni Dylan smirked, rather pleased that he'd been told how great his answer was. It was the COMICS, man. Epic stories of greatness with THOR and his amazingly powerful hammer! ...And his parents had thought he wasn't learning anything useful...Hmph. Take THAT, parents. Deciding it might be a good idea to take notes, the Captain fished down into his bag. Breaking out his notebook, a quill, and an inkwell, he began quickly jotting down facts that had been mentioned by the Professor. It was easy to do this since the material was still fresh in his mind... SPOILER!!*: Dylan's Ancient Runes Notebook* Dylan Montmorency Slytherin Sixth Year Ancient Runes Lesson One: Thor and Mjöllnir "He is champion of the Gods and enemy of the Giants, also a protector of mankind." "He has a magic belt called Megingjardar, which means "Strength Increaser", and drives a chariot pulled by two Giant male goats." "It shall never fail, no matter how big nor how hard that which it smites may be; no matter how far it is thrown, it will always return to your hand; you may make it so small that it can be hidden in your bosom, and its only fault is the shortness of its handle." "Thor is a size-shifter, he is terribly heavy and hot. Although he is sometimes over-hasty in judgment, he is a totally reliable friend and battle companion. He has wild red hair and beard, always dresses in battle dress." Pausing, Dylan turned to look at an over-excited West Odessa. Something that had caught his attention about what his (hope-to-be-again!)Chaser was saying...He'd mentioned the Younger Futhark. No one else had, which was weird. Elder Futhark couldn't be used for this effectively. It was wrong. Hand-raising because it's polite..."Just to do an add-on to what Odessa was saying, if I may...I think the appropriate form in this situation would be the Younger Futhark, since Mjöllnir is an Old Norse word...Elder Futhark was before that time and not used in their runic alphabet." Stare. "What's your opinion, Sir?" Dylan was genuinely curious. Who was this kid? Botros listened and nodded along to the young Slytherin, impressed. "The Nauthiz merkstave is the third one," he corrected quickly, not wanting to interrupt the boy's stream of thoughts. But once he was done talking, Botros clapped for him. "That's very accurate and thoughtful. Great thinking--" He squinted his eyes at the parchment, "--West Odessa." Brilliant kid. Then the Slytherin captain spoke, Botros nodded at him, smiling. "My opinion is exactly what you just said, actually." He glanced to the rest of students and… yeah, not many were finding this understandable. "Let me try explaining this to the others." Botros lifted himself off the desk again and went to one corner of the blackboard to explain what had just been said. "In the original Old Norse manuscripts the name of Thor’s hammer is spelled either mjǫlnir or mjǫllnir." He wrote the foregin words before carrying on, "Many modern Thor’s hammer researchers try to feature the word Mjollnir in the Elder Futhark runes, simply replacing each letter with a corresponding rune." He pointed at the set of runes. "The procedure is incorrect. Mjolnir is an Old Norse word. Old Norse developed in the 8th century as Odessa just pointed out. Due to its difference as compared to its earlier form, Proto-Norse, Vikings were to reform their runic writing system." The professor shot a smile at the Slytherin boys before extending it to the rest of class, "As a result, they adopted the Younger Futhark." Mhmm. "By the end of the 8th century the Elder Futhark was not in use any more. So if we were to write the name of Thor’s hammer in the Elder Futhark runes, we would have to reconstruct it in Proto-Norse. Like this..." He turned toward the board and wrote, melð[u]nii̯az down. "However, all of you should keep in mind that all of this is just a theory. Researches and studies are still in progress up till this moment." He paused and chuckled. "I admit that my earlier question was a bit of a tricky one, I apologize for confusing you." They were quite adorable handling the script though. Even the most professional researchers made the mistake of trying to decipher this script in Elder Futhark - Abraham didn't think it was a big mistake actually, it was just not what it is. "Anyways, five points to Mr. Odessa for his great answer and thinking." And he was such a small kid! Pause. "It's very interesting that Slytherins are the ones who detected the trickery in that question, eh?" Very cunning people, Botros beamed at Odessa, the Snake Captain and Juliet. Ab stood straighter and concluded, "The correct answer is how Mr. Odessa put it." He wrote the answer on the blackboard for everyone to see. Quote: Originally Posted by Blackboard Thor's Hammer Alleged Runic Script: Younger Futhark Runes: (from left to right) maðr: man iss: ice ár: plenty lögr: water nauð: constraint iss ýr: yew "We have one more thing to discuss before we do a small activity and then wrap this lesson up." Some were already growing bored and huffing. Botros felt sorry for them. Walking to his desk, he lifted his magical wand up in the air for everyone to see. "This is a magical wand. And like someone already mentioned, runes offer magic or enhance magic without wands." He smirked and continued, "*But that's not entirely true, because instead of the traditional runestones, we're going to use runic wands in order to use* runes this term." He paused, lowering his wand and waiting for the imaginary impressed 'ooohh's to die down. No? Nothing? Well, okay. "A runic wand is called a gandr." The professor tapped the top of the two baskets he took out from his desk a while ago and fished out a long wooden stick with a flat side. "They look closely like our magical wands, but with carvings etched all over them." He lifted the runic wand in the air, "However they're not as powerful, varied, or effective as magical wands. They're not nearly as easy to reign either." Nothing matched a magical wand. Not even a gandr. "It's important to add that one Gandr is crafted for one sole rune. We're not going to go through the making of a Gandr, but you all must know it's a very delicate and advanced level of Runology. Thirty years into this fascinating field of study and with great difficulty I can barely make a successful Gandr." He was dead serious. "Because all runes are more powerful united and in some way they strengthen and complete each other, it's always better to carve all runes on the Gandr regardless of which rune it's made for. The wandmaker then adds a carefully calculated number of the desired rune to mark this Gandr to its rune." He lowered the runic wand into the basket and stepped away from it. "When you hold a certain runic wand and start chanting the Galdr appropriated to the rune it's marked to, the symbols on your runic wand will start to give a visible golden glow. Depending on how bright this glow is, you'll know whether your chanting is working or not – whether you are connected with this rune or not yet." Botros went to the blackboard and erased the history and origins of the word 'rune'. They must've written that down. He wrote then, 'Uruz' in the middle and scribbled something beneath it before turning around and facing the kids again. "Uruz is our rune for today. It's the rune of life force, physical health, and courage." They didn't have to write this down, it's all in the textbook. "While Thurisaz is the main rune associated with Thor, some scholars also mention Uruz, with its energy that governs raw primal power, survival and endurance, it's almost a perfect fit for the Norse god of Thunder." Quote: Originally Posted by Blackboard 2 Uruz oor-ooze “Mind over matter – matter over mind” Physical or mental strength, health. Color: Dark Green Element: Earth Associated gods: Thor, Urdl * Galdr: uruz uruz uruz u u u u u u u u u u u u u u u r r r r r r u u u u u u u u u * Brief analysis: Terminations, new beginnings. An opportunity disguised as a threat. Physical development, mental and bodily health. Power. When reversed: Failure to think clearly. Ill-health or lack of mental fortitude. Beware signs of weakness, or threats to your person or position. With a wave of his magical wand, the professor removes the cloths off the piles and widened his smile. Beside each desk, now, sat a replica of Thor's hammer and a metal box. "With the help of a runic wand, Uruz Galdr and the fake hammer of Thor, I want you all to try and break this metal box in two halves." Not that they could smash it into bits. "You can go ahead and try to lift the hammer now, see how impossible it is. It's nowhere near Thor's Mjöllnir and yet no one can lift it off the floor on their own." Cute little kids. "After you tested your hammer, you come over here, pick a Gandr from the basket – they're all Uruz wands so don't get too picky, and return to your desk to practice the Galdr a few times without the wand." Botros looked at as many students as possible before he went on, "Then you'll have to grab the wand and the handle of your hammer in both hands, chant the Galdr carefully with great focus in order to be able to lift it and break the metal box into two." Inside they'll find a wooden box with something for each one of them. Oh right, there was a kid sitting on his desk. Ab turned toward Richard and stared at him for a long moment, "You can go back to your hammer, mister Turner." He approached the boy closer, "I hope you know by now that I don't tolerate intimate gestures between my young students." In front of younger students! Botros moved aside to let the Slytherin go back to his desk if he didn't have anything else to say. "As you all come and pick your runic wands, I want you to chant with me the Uruz galdr chant." he cleared his throat and started expecting them to chant along, "uruz uruz uruz... u u u u u u u u u... u u u u u u r r r r r r... u u u u u u u u u.." Over and over again, without breaking a sweat. It was easy! ... "If anyone needs help or has a question, feel free to raise your hand and I'll come over.*" Sooner or later, depends on what's left of his energy. He could feel his knees getting sorer already. ooc: - OKAY, activity time! In order to get full credit, you need to make 4 posts: 1 post where your character walk up to the basket and take a runic wand while they chant the Galdr with the professor. * 2 posts where they try to lift the hammer and crash the box. (they should grab the runic wand with both hands WITH the hammer's handle, chant the galdr, the runes on the wand should glow stronger as they chant harder and louder and that's when they can lift the hammer. Once they stop chanting, the hammer falls to the floor again.) * 1 post where they succeed in cracking the metal box and open the wooden box inside to find a small pendant in the shape of Thor's hammer. - Each post needs to be at least one paragraph long (1 paragraph = 5 sentences). - Please title your post with the number of posts you're at (e.g. post #1, post #2...etc) - You have about 24 hours to complete this activity. - Feel free to help each other out, but ALL metal boxes should be broken. You cannot share your box with someone else. - I'll try to be around as much as possible if your charrie needs help. - Have fun! Last edited by Magical Soul; 01-09-2013 at 10:45 PM.