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Magical Soul · 01-07-2013, 10:21 AM

Early and first thing in the morning after breakfast was the best time for Ancient Runes, the students will have open fresh minds and full stomachs. The classroom was arranged traditionally, Ab made sure nothing was hazardous to the kids when he redecorated the room. The desks and chairs were neatly organized in parallel five rows, that's one side of the big classroom. As you walk through the door and to your left is the professor's desk and blackboard. Professor Botros is sitting on his chair writing something on a parchment.

For this lesson, there is a small pile of mysterious tools next to each desk, it hardly reaches up to your knees. A piece of cloth is draped over to conceal what's underneath it. "Do not touch the pile next to your seat" is written on the blackboard behind the professor. If you do try to remove it with your hand, you'll feel a slight pinch. Do not touch.

Greet your new teacher, take a seat, write your name and year on the piece of parchment set on your table, and wait for the lesson to start. Please stay quiet and do not speak.

ooc:The class has officially STARTED. Don't announce your arrival but pretend you've been here all along. ^.^

Class progress:
- What are runes? What does the word 'rune' mean?
- Who is the person in the drawing? What is he holding? Why would we discuss them both in class?
- Identify some of the runes on the blackboard, and find their meanings.
- The solution to the trick question, rune of Uruz, and activity time!
- Extra question (courtesy of Gryffindor Captain) and Activity is still in progress!
- The End.

FireboltAvis88 · 01-09-2013, 05:10 PM

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.

TakemetotheBurrow · 01-09-2013, 06:22 PM

SPOILER!!: Professor

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magical Soul

Ab turned from miss Potter to another Hufflepuff and nodded enthusiastically, "Yes. Correct. Does this hammer have a name though?" Smiling at the little girl.

Okay, enough answers. Botros lifted himself off the boy's desk and went to stand by Mr. Turner. "Most of you gave great, correct answers. To sum it all up I'll rephrase them." They didn't need to go into details about Thor, this was not History of Magic. "Thor, Thorr, Thunar, or even Donar is the person in the picture. His name means "The Thunderer" which, as we'll see soon, is legit." He leaned slightly on the boy's shoulder, again. "He is son of Odin and Jord. The Hammer-God of thunder and lightening, agriculture and craftsmanship. Thor also is the God of defense and strength, and we'll focus on this today." He stole a glance toward the piles, with a smile on his face. "His magic hammer is known as Mjöllnir, as some of you mentioned it means The Smasher, the Crasher or even The Destroyer." It depends on which source you refer to. "It's forged by the Dwarf Brokk, hits everything that Thor aims at and always comes back to his hand. Thor can reduce its size to hang it around his neck instead of always carrying it around with his hand." Useful.

"He, the Almighty Thor, is champion of the Gods and enemy of the Giants, also a protector of mankind." He smiled at the boy who mentioned this. "He has a magic belt called Megingjardar, which means "Strength Increaser", and drives a chariot pulled by two Giant male goats." They, unfortunately were not going to see those in class. "With all those weapons, Thor forms an invincible power and champion against his enemies." Pause. ""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." As Brokk, the dwarf who created this hammer, had described it."

"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." Motioning at the picture behind him for evidence. "There are so many legendary stories about Thor, his bravery, his strength and the victorious battles he went through."

Botros paused, leaning on his desk. "The main reason we're discussing Thor and his hammer, is the fact that most of his power and control of Thunder and Lightening comes from runic magic that the dwarf who made Mjöllnir etched on it, and then was magicked by his father, All-father, and father of runes Odin." He went to the blackboard and drew a set of runes. "It's very difficult to know what exactly is written on the Mjöllnir that gave this incomparable strength but most resources point at the direction of this set of runes." He pointed at the blackboard. "Who can define some of those runes, and tell us their meanings."

ooc:- Do not edit your answer after you posted it.
- Class will resume in about 10 hrs.

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."

DecemberMoon · 01-09-2013, 06:30 PM

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.

Emzily · 01-09-2013, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magical Soul

Botros paused, leaning on his desk. "The main reason we're discussing Thor and his hammer, is the fact that most of his power and control of Thunder and Lightening comes from runic magic that the dwarf who made Mjöllnir etched on it, and then was magicked by his father, All-father, and father of runes Odin." He went to the blackboard and drew a set of runes. "It's very difficult to know what exactly is written on the Mjöllnir that gave this incomparable strength but most resources point at the direction of this set of runes." He pointed at the blackboard. "Who can define some of those runes, and tell us their meanings."

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.

SweetPeea · 01-09-2013, 06:43 PM

SPOILER!!: Professor!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magical Soul

..... Tor? Botros had to chuckle faintly at the name before the girl fumbled with her words and said it right the second time. He nodded, smiling widely because she too offered something new to the answer. "Aha! The mystery of Mr. Summers has been solved." He glanced at Alec and gestured toward the girl, "Thor is one of Odin's most famous sons. Great job, miss." Was it just him or were Hufflepuffs acting like Ravenclaws in his class? Not that he minded!

Okay, enough answers. Botros lifted himself off the boy's desk and went to stand by Mr. Turner. "Most of you gave great, correct answers. To sum it all up I'll rephrase them." They didn't need to go into details about Thor, this was not History of Magic. "Thor, Thorr, Thunar, or even Donar is the person in the picture. His name means "The Thunderer" which, as we'll see soon, is legit." He leaned slightly on the boy's shoulder, again. "He is son of Odin and Jord. The Hammer-God of thunder and lightening, agriculture and craftsmanship. Thor also is the God of defense and strength, and we'll focus on this today." He stole a glance toward the piles, with a smile on his face. "His magic hammer is known as Mjöllnir, as some of you mentioned it means The Smasher, the Crasher or even The Destroyer." It depends on which source you refer to. "It's forged by the Dwarf Brokk, hits everything that Thor aims at and always comes back to his hand. Thor can reduce its size to hang it around his neck instead of always carrying it around with his hand." Useful.

"He, the Almighty Thor, is champion of the Gods and enemy of the Giants, also a protector of mankind." He smiled at the boy who mentioned this. "He has a magic belt called Megingjardar, which means "Strength Increaser", and drives a chariot pulled by two Giant male goats." They, unfortunately were not going to see those in class. "With all those weapons, Thor forms an invincible power and champion against his enemies." Pause. ""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." As Brokk, the dwarf who created this hammer, had described it."

"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." Motioning at the picture behind him for evidence. "There are so many legendary stories about Thor, his bravery, his strength and the victorious battles he went through."

Botros paused, leaning on his desk. "The main reason we're discussing Thor and his hammer, is the fact that most of his power and control of Thunder and Lightening comes from runic magic that the dwarf who made Mjöllnir etched on it, and then was magicked by his father, All-father, and father of runes Odin." He went to the blackboard and drew a set of runes. "It's very difficult to know what exactly is written on the Mjöllnir that gave this incomparable strength but most resources point at the direction of this set of runes." He pointed at the blackboard. "Who can define some of those runes, and tell us their meanings."

ooc:- Do not edit your answer after you posted it.
- Class will resume in about 10 hrs.

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!

Expecto-Penguin · 01-09-2013, 06:56 PM

SPOILER!!: Le Prof

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magical Soul

Belle heard the professor almost falling, Belle turned her head quickly. "Oh my, professor are you alright?" she asked very worried. But he did have his cane so he was fine it looked like. Belle was glad her answer was right. She felt relieved. At least she knew something from never really taken runes before.

SPOILER!!: Le Prof Second Question

Okay, enough answers. Botros lifted himself off the boy's desk and went to stand by Mr. Turner. "Most of you gave great, correct answers. To sum it all up I'll rephrase them." They didn't need to go into details about Thor, this was not History of Magic. "Thor, Thorr, Thunar, or even Donar is the person in the picture. His name means "The Thunderer" which, as we'll see soon, is legit." He leaned slightly on the boy's shoulder, again. "He is son of Odin and Jord. The Hammer-God of thunder and lightening, agriculture and craftsmanship. Thor also is the God of defense and strength, and we'll focus on this today." He stole a glance toward the piles, with a smile on his face. "His magic hammer is known as Mjöllnir, as some of you mentioned it means The Smasher, the Crasher or even The Destroyer." It depends on which source you refer to. "It's forged by the Dwarf Brokk, hits everything that Thor aims at and always comes back to his hand. Thor can reduce its size to hang it around his neck instead of always carrying it around with his hand." Useful.

"He, the Almighty Thor, is champion of the Gods and enemy of the Giants, also a protector of mankind." He smiled at the boy who mentioned this. "He has a magic belt called Megingjardar, which means "Strength Increaser", and drives a chariot pulled by two Giant male goats." They, unfortunately were not going to see those in class. "With all those weapons, Thor forms an invincible power and champion against his enemies." Pause. ""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." As Brokk, the dwarf who created this hammer, had described it."

"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." Motioning at the picture behind him for evidence. "There are so many legendary stories about Thor, his bravery, his strength and the victorious battles he went through."

Botros paused, leaning on his desk. "The main reason we're discussing Thor and his hammer, is the fact that most of his power and control of Thunder and Lightening comes from runic magic that the dwarf who made Mjöllnir etched on it, and then was magicked by his father, All-father, and father of runes Odin." He went to the blackboard and drew a set of runes. "It's very difficult to know what exactly is written on the Mjöllnir that gave this incomparable strength but most resources point at the direction of this set of runes." He pointed at the blackboard. "Who can define some of those runes, and tell us their meanings."

ooc:- Do not edit your answer after you posted it.
- Class will resume in about 10 hrs.

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.

FearlessLeader19 · 01-09-2013, 07:04 PM

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.

Somnium · 01-09-2013, 07:29 PM

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.

natekka · 01-09-2013, 08:08 PM

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.

lemon · 01-09-2013, 08:15 PM

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.

DaniDiNardo · 01-09-2013, 08:39 PM

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!

Deezerz · 01-09-2013, 08:53 PM

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.

Weasley174 · 01-09-2013, 09:17 PM

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.

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!

Anna Banana · 01-09-2013, 10:10 PM

Old runes? Younger runes?

Ehh...Sierra had no idea that there was even two different categories, much less what the difference between the two might be. She was just lucky to be able to match a symbol and call it anything related to Runes.

She raised her hand, because she at least knew how to call out the names of the runes in the Elder Futhark. "Erm...there's a reversed Algiz in there," she pointed out, because it looked upside down to her. She peered at her textbook, eyed the way it looked in there, and then decided that yes, it must be reversed. "...and it means hidden danger or a warning."

lemon · 01-09-2013, 10:38 PM

Text Cut: Botros

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magical Soul

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.

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.
* 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!

DARN IT. She was so close. "I must have mixed them up, then," she deducted. "So the ones I named ARE in Elder Futhark, but I was supposed to name them in Younger Futhark? Like maðr and iss?" Why were there SO MANY? This why she was never going to be a cursebreaker like her Gran, nope. Too many runes.

Well, at least she tried. Mmhmm. And she ignored that comment about the resourceful Slytherins because she COULD. And because she didn't like Snakes. Cough.

OH LOOKIT. A hammer. Weaponry, anyone? Alice was much more eager about the tool than she should have been, and tried to lift it up anyway, to no avail. It wasn't supposed to DO that. She was a Beater. They were supposed to be all muscular and fit and whatnot. Maybe if she etched those funny runic lines on her arm with a quill and some ink, she would be able to lift it? Because apparently, they gave her power?

Or something.

After making a moue at the demon hammer, the lioness walked over to the basket full of runic wands. She then selected a Gandr and made her way back to her seat. Did he really expect them to chant that over and over again? Because.. well.. he sounded funny. With a sigh, though, Alice set down the wand and began to chant the weird words with the Professor. "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.."

This felt ODD. And it sounded even weirder.

Somnium · 01-09-2013, 10:52 PM

Taylor listen to what the professor was saying and took notes-- including the Uruz stuff-- since it was easier to remember if you wrote it down yourself instead of just reading it in a textbook. Tay listen as he explained what he wanted to do and glanced at the sticks... erm... gandr. She was interested in the lesson because of the history... and she usually hated history so the professor was an amazing one! Taylor made her way up to the basket chanting, "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..." with the professor. Tay randomly picked one since the teacher basically said it didnt matter what one you use. Taylor turned and went back to her desk. She laid the gandr down and glanced at the hammer that she had to try to lift up. Tay sighed then looked at the professor then back to the hammer. She got ready to fail as the professor said they would when they try it without the gandr. Taylor glanced around the classroom real quick before turning to her hammer.

LilFox06 · 01-09-2013, 10:56 PM

Break open a metal box using some sticks? Anya raised a brow and shot a glance over at the Gryffindor Captain. She bet a Galleon that Alice wouldn't have any problems. Except, not really, she didn't have a galleon on her. And... if she did, that money would go toward sugar quills. Why? Because... she ran out of them instead of saving them for when she was in school. Dumb move on her part.

Anyway. Something old frank, something young frank. She totally could pretend she knew what was going on. She'd... ... ... Kurumi wasn't in school anymore. She needed a new person to steal notes from. Hmm... maybe she'd take West's. He seemed to be on top of things...

She fought the urge to skip up to the front and casually walked. She picked up a stick. Er... sorry... wand. Hopefully the Professor wasn't a mind reader. That might be awkward.

So. Um. Chanting now, right? "uruz uruz uruz..." she mused like she was in a yoga class. What was next? ~~Shark Bait Uu ha ha.~~ "u u u u u u u u u..." Erm... was she doing this right? "u u u u u u r r r r r r... u u u u u u u u u.."

Yeah. That sounded... chanty. Heh.

She then smiled happily at the Professor because she managed to keep the Shark Bait bit in. Then she returned to her seat. She stared at her stick... and the hammer... this should be fun.

DaniDiNardo · 01-09-2013, 10:59 PM

O____O

...

"Erm...no...I don't think I'd like that very much if you did Professor." She admitted. Her answer had the potential to be as good as just about anyone else's; she just chose not to share it. That didn't mean she should have been left out of the whole credit giving thing!

She tried to look attentive as he spoke but she could already feel her brain shutting down. Even more stuff she didn't need to or want to know--hellooooooo. New wand? Now she was paying attention. Lex eyed the thing curiously as the Professor went on speaking but chose to ignore everything he was saying about the snakes and West in general.

Bloody know-it-all.

Moving on! And by the looks of it, to something far more interesting. A hammer! Lots of stuff could get done when one had a hammer. Lex gripped it firmly and began yanking but the thing wouldn't budge! Harder maybe? She gave it another hard tug but still nothing. Finally, right before giving up she gave the thing a frustrated kick that only seemed to backfire when she suddenly felt her foot throbbing. MMmmmmmmmm. "This isn't a very good hammer you have here Professor. It hurts people." She complained.

Fine. It could be that way! The girl headed over to the basket while doing that little chanting thing with the Professor and took a random grab at a wand. Even on her way back to her seat she was still chanting. "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.."

FireboltAvis88 · 01-09-2013, 11:00 PM

Alyssa listened as Professor Botros revealed his sneakiness. It never dawned on her that they would be interpreting the runes according to the Younger Futhark, since they had always been learning about the Elder Futhark for the like...ever. But it definitely was something new to learn.

She listened to the Professor's instructions. Cool! Now they were going to get to practise lifting up Thor's hammer? Super Cool!! She looked down at the hammer next to her desk. It looked light enough. She reached down to pick it up and almost pulled a muscle in her back.

'Whoa!! the Professor was right. But hey it was worth a try.' Alyssa thought to herself.

'Guess I will need that wand after all.' she laughed to herself as she made her way to the basket containing the wands while chanting the Galdr for Uruz at the same time.

"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
"

As she continued to chant, she leaned down and picked up one of the wands and then returned to her desk. LIFT OFF TIME!!

Somnium · 01-09-2013, 11:13 PM

Taylor sighed and wrapped her fingers around the handle. She shifted her weight and made sure her fingers were in a good place to pull. Tay had a strong upper body but she knew, because the teacher said so, that the hammer wouldn't come up even if you try really hard. Taylor tugged up on the hammer and without it being a surprise, the hammer didnt even move a nanometer let alone get lifted up. Her hands slipped off the handle. They were red from trying to pull on the handle. Tay shook her hands, getting the soreness from the tug to stop throbbing. Taylor looked down at the hammer again and sighed. There isnt much harm in trying again... is there? She rubbed her fingers a little bit then wrapped them around the handle again.

FireboltAvis88 · 01-09-2013, 11:25 PM

Alyssa studied the runic wand in her hand. Smiling to herself, she wondered whether she could get one for herself. She made a mental note to ask the Professor where he had found these. But first back to the task at hand.

According to the Professor, she was supposed to hold the runic wand with both hands while holding the handle of the hammer at the same time and then attempt to lift it while chanting the galdr. ‘Easy peasy.’ Alyssa thought to herself. First she needed to practice saying the galdr. So she took a deep breath and said.
“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”

…..and then again….

“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”

Now that she was familiar with the chant, it was time for her to perform the spell. Holding the wand tightly with both her hands, and sliding the handle of the hammer between her clenched palms, Alyssa started chanting the galdr to the rune Uruz.

“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”

As she chanted she watched the runic wand in her hand start to glow. Alyssa continued to chant the galdr, each time raising her voice louder and louder, each time seeing the wand glow brighter. It was time to lift the hammer!!
Alyssa continued to chant the galdr as she began to lift the hammer at the same time.

“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”

Alyssa tightened her grip on both the wand and the hammer and pulled as hard as she could. The hammer slowly but surely lifted off the ground. “Cool!” Alyssa said….and the hammer fell crashing back to the ground. She had forgotten that she had to continue chanting the galdr.

Alyssa sighed she would have to try again.

DarkStorm · 01-09-2013, 11:44 PM

Text Cut: Professor

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magical Soul

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

"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."

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!

He listened as the professor went on and on about the two versions of runes.. both Elder and Younger. Harvey kind of zoned out through one of them cause he wasnt really interested in it. Wooo some kid thought outside the box, WHAT!? 5 points for that? sheesh! Oh wells whatever the professor liked. He then turned his attention back to the professor as he mentioned doing some sort of activity. Oo they were going to do some sort of activity now? this was cool, he then looked down as a hammer and a box appeared next to him as the professor said it would. Oh they werent going to be able to lift it? Well Thor was a strong guy so it would be obvious that only he would be able to lift it. Once he was allowed he stood up and he tried to lift the hammer, he tugged and he tugged but he couldnt get that hammer off the ground. He looked at his hands that were white from having tried to pull the hammer with all his might, and they were hurting as well. So he rubbed his hands up and down his thighs to get rid of the soreness and to get the blood flowing into his hands again. He then went upto the desk chanting as he went 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.." he continued chanting again and again as he picked out an Uruz wand, and continued chanting as he went back to his desk. He felt silly but he knew that it needed to be done if he was going to be picking up the hammer.

FireboltAvis88 · 01-09-2013, 11:55 PM

Alyssa placed the runic wand on her desk and rubbed her hands. They were getting clammy just from holding both the wand and the handle of the hammer at the same time. She rubbed her palms against her robes to dry them before she picked up the runic wand again. 'Remember Lyssie. Concentrate on lifting on the chant and lifting the hammer. Do not let anything break your concentration. Celebrations can happen AFTER you have successfully completed your task.' Alyssa reminded herself.

Holding the wand in both her hands, she reached down and grabbed hold of the handle of the hammer making sure that she had a proper grip on both the wand and the hammer. She first started chanting the 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"

As the wand started to glow again, Alyssa continued to chant the galdr louder and louder, taking a quick breath before repeating it again.

"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"

She kept repeating the process, until the wand’s glow almost blinded her. It was time for her to attempt lifting the hammer. Taking a deep breath, she continued chanting the galdr, raising her voice even louder.

"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"

Bending her knees a little bit, Alyssa pulled on the handle of the hammer as hard as she could, while continuing to chant the gladr. She was almost out of breath, but she was determined that she was going to break that metal box.

"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"

She called out as she lifted up the hammer until it was raised over her head and with all her of might, she sent it crashing down against the metal box.

"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"

Lissy Longbottom · 01-10-2013, 12:10 AM

Alex was convinced this professor had totally lost his mind. Was that a real chant? He doubted it, they all sounded like monkeys! Still...POINTS. Alex needed POINTS sadly, and that required making a fool of himself in front of the whole class. At least they were all there with him on this embarrassing escapade!

He walked up and began to chant "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" as he picked up one of those runic wand...things. He glanced at the professor, as if looking for some sort of nod to show he was doing it right despite the fact that he felt like he was a dying whale.

"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"

He headed back to his seat and continued to chant. This was so odd. One of the strangest things he'd done at Hogw--

Actually, no. He'd probably done stranger.

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