When most people hear the word rune, they picture angular letters carved into Viking stones. Witch’s Runes may look related at first glance, but they belong to a very different tradition.
Witch’s Runes—also written Witches’ Runes—are a modern divination system built from simple pictograms. Instead of letters with sounds, they use recognizable images such as the Sun, Moon, Rings, Crossroads, Scythe, and Eye. Their purpose is not to write a language, but to help a reader explore a question through symbols.
Witch’s Runes are not Norse runes
Historical Germanic runes, including the Elder and Younger Futhark, were writing systems. They represented sounds and were used for inscriptions, names, messages, and memorials.[1]
Witch’s Runes do not form an alphabet. Their English names have no fixed pronunciation or phonetic value. The Moon means the Moon; the Eye means seeing or awareness; the Crossroads suggests a choice. They function more like a compact oracle than a script.
This difference is important. Witch’s Runes should not be presented as a forgotten Viking alphabet or an unchanged secret system from antiquity. Their documented history is modern—and being modern does not make them less useful. It simply allows us to understand them on their own terms.
A brief, documented history
The history is less certain than many online summaries suggest. Claims that the system was passed down by ancient witches or spread through Europe by Romani fortune-tellers are difficult to support with historical evidence.
One recognizable predecessor appears in Patricia Crowther’s 1981 book Lid Off the Cauldron.[2] Crowther described eight painted stones used for sortilege: a Sun, crescent Moon, two Rings, crossed Spears, a Wave, Birds, an Ear of Corn, and a black stone marked with a white H.
The thirteen-symbol version most people now recognize was established by Susan Sheppard’s 1998 book A Witch’s Runes: How to Make and Use Your Own Magick Stones.[3] This system retained and reworked several earlier images while adding new ones. Other modern versions contain eight, ten, fourteen, or more symbols, so there is no single universal set.[4]
The 13 Witch’s Runes and their meanings
The following meanings belong to the popular thirteen-symbol system used by Shadow Witch’s Runes. They are starting points rather than rigid definitions.
- Sun: beginnings, warmth, vitality, ego, and public identity.
- Moon: intuition, cycles, the subconscious, and receptive awareness.
- Flight: movement, travel, news, progress, or escape.
- Rings: bonds, groups, continuity, and repeating cycles.
- Romance: love, intimacy, harmony, boundaries, and protection.
- Woman: nurturing, healing, receptivity, and creative or inward energy.
- Man: courage, will, leadership, self-reliance, and outward action.
- Harvest: results, reward, sacrifice, learning, gratitude, and fulfilment.
- Crossroads: choice, free will, a turning point, or a leap of faith.
- Star: hope, wishes, blessing, rest, and renewed direction.
- Waves: flow, release, surrender, presence, and trust.
- Scythe: warning, a sudden break, decisive action, danger, or a useful tool.
- Eye: awareness, awakening, judgement, meditation, and spiritual insight.
The names Woman and Man reflect the terminology of this particular modern system. They do not have to describe biological sex. Many readers understand them more flexibly as receptive and expressive energies, or as people and roles shaped by the question.
How to read Witch’s Runes
A simple place to begin is a three-rune reading. Place the runes face down, mix them while holding one focused question in mind, and draw three:
- Past: what shaped the situation
- Present: what is active now
- Future: where the current direction may lead
Start with the literal image before checking a list of meanings. What does a wave, ring, or crossroads suggest to you in the context of the question? Then notice how the three symbols interact. Crossroads followed by Scythe and Star, for example, might describe a difficult decision, a necessary separation, and the hope that becomes visible afterward.
This is not the only method. Some traditions cast the runes onto a cloth and read only those that land face up; others draw one rune or arrange several around a central symbol. The method matters less than consistency, attention, and keeping a record of how each symbol behaves in your own readings.
A reflective tool, not a fixed verdict
Because the symbols are so direct, Witch’s Runes are approachable for beginners. But simple does not mean absolute. A Scythe is not a guarantee of disaster, and a Star is not a promise that every wish will come true.
The runes are most useful when they help you name a pattern, see a choice, or ask a better question. They can support intuition and reflection; they should not replace judgement, responsibility, or practical action.
Shadow Witch’s Runes: a modern interpretation
Traditional handmade sets are often painted on small stones or pieces of wood. Shadow Witch’s Runes translates the thirteen-symbol system into a more tactile art object: each zinc-alloy piece combines a raised metal pictogram with a vivid UV-colour surface, while the matte black reverse carries an embossed triple-moon design.
The design does not attempt to imitate an archaeological artefact. It embraces what Witch’s Runes actually are: a modern visual language in which colour, touch, image, and intuition work together.
Explore Shadow Witch’s Runes →
Frequently asked questions
Are Witch’s Runes the same as Viking runes?
No. Historical Norse runes are letters in Germanic writing systems. Witch’s Runes are modern pictograms created for divination and reflection.
Why are there 13 Witch’s Runes?
Thirteen became the best-known format through Susan Sheppard’s 1998 system and also carries symbolic associations with lunar cycles and modern witchcraft. It is not an ancient universal standard; other sets use different numbers.
Are Witch’s Runes suitable for beginners?
Yes. Their images are easy to recognize, their English names are direct, and a one- or three-rune reading requires less memorization than many larger divination systems.
References and further reading
- “Runes” — The National Museum of Denmark.
- Patricia Crowther, Lid Off the Cauldron: A Handbook for Witches, Frederick Muller, 1981.
- Susan Sheppard, A Witch’s Runes: How to Make and Use Your Own Magick Stones, Carol Publishing Group, 1998.
- “Witch’s Runes History” — Modern Witch University, a comparative overview of several modern systems.