From: canders@isr.harvard.edu (Carl E. Anderson)
Newsgroups: alt.magick
Subject: Re: Runes (and Gematria)
Date: 27 Jul 92 21:40:26 GMT
Organization: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

In article <62896@cup.portal.com> Tagi@cup.portal.com (Tagi Mordred Nagashiva) writes:
>Steve:
>I don't know, the whole 'selling point' for gematria -- and the whole
>letter/rune/mystical-correspondence thing -- hinges for me on the antiquity,
>or perhaps ORIGINALITY of the alphabet used.  For example the Greek,
>Roman/English, and Russian (Cyrillic) alphabets are all derived from the
>same proto-Semitic alphabet that eventually turned into Hebrew and Arabic.
>Since it's possible to 'derive' where each letter in these alphabets came
>from, I find it hard to NOT go back to the source.  But that's probably
>just my scientific nature :-) !!  I've always had an interest in the
>history of writing systems.
>
>Response:
>This is interesting to me.  I tend to tear apart magical systems and then
>reassemble them in my own image.  What sells you on originality?
>Why do you think that the source is more powerful?  What about your
>scientific nature leads you to choose older systems?

	If I might be so bold as to add my own response to a question
technically aimed at Steve :)  I tend to like older systems for reasons
woven deep into my personality.  I'm a folklorist and historian by calling,
and have a great reverence for traditional ways and wisdom.  I am attracted
by things which have worked for many people for years and years prior to my
own time, especially if it is within my own cultural heritage.  I'm not
talking about static systems but systems which grow and change within the
cultural context - they grow and change in ways dictated by tradition.
	I'm not going to say this is the "right" or "only" way, just that
it is my way.                     

>Also, doesn't sanskrit factor into the evolution of our language somehow?
>I've heard that the indo-europeans are in some way related to our culture
>and I'm only beginning to find out how.  Thanks.

	Now this is something I can speak about with some confidence! :)
	Indo-European is the name assigned to the languages spoken through
most of Europe, and parts of Asia (significantly India).  These lanaguages
are all descended from a common ancestor, known to linguists as
Proto-Indo-European, spoken about 6000 years ago (it is estimated).
	Sanskrit, the learned lanaguage of Hindus and immediate ancestor of
the modern Hindic languages, is one of the oldest recorded Indo-European
lanaguages.  English is not descended from Sanskrit, but both share a
common ancestor in Proto-Indo-European.  Thus Proto-Indo-European is the
root of the tree, and English and Sanskrit are on separate branches.
	Culture, religion, and mythology are very closely tied to
lanaguage.  There are many elements in Hindu religion which are closely
related to elements in the European paganism - not surprising, since they
share the same source.

>Fascinating.  I've been playing with alphabets and concepts lately and
>have seized quite strongly upon the idea of using Tolkien's elvish in
>some manner.

	Tolkien Elvish is easy to assign number values too, in fact, I
think they characters come numbered.  And Elves worked in base 12, which
should do interesting things to one's numerology!

Good luck with your work,
Carl

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Carl Edlund Anderson	            	"Hefi ek ok aldri sva reitt vapn
canders@isr.harvard.edu			at manni at eigi hafi vidh kommit."
OR
anderso2@husc.harvard.edu			- Skarphedhinn Njalsson 
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