INTRODUCTION

A Magical Text

The book you hold in your hands is an entirely pragmatic and practical work of magic. It is not primarily intended to be a historical study or a scientific study of Icelandic magic. This text is a magical one, and the book itself is a magical object. In this work are revealed some of the most powerful forms of magic known from the annals of the Icelandic “black books.” Various secrets of these books are revealed here, and the book itself contains many more mysteries to be unlocked. When these mysteries, or unknown aspects, are discovered and the riddles unraveled, a rush of magical power will be made available to you. This is why the mysteries are present—not so much to hide things from you as to provide you with power. As an owner of this book, you have been chosen by fate, or örløg, to make use of its magical power. Use it wisely.

Although this is not primarily a historical study, the would-be practitioner of galdor-sign magic should be aware of the history of this form of magic and the cultural context in which it originated.

Built into many of the spells of the book are certain mysteries or secrets—words written in runes—for example. These mysterious elements suggest that the practitioner learn the meaning of these elements and that there is something about the information that should remain hidden or secret. If something is deliberately kept secret, this charges the object of secrecy with additional powers not attainable in any other fashion. The fact that there are so few real secrets in the world today leads to the feeling that there is little magical power in the world either.

This is a complete workbook. Part 1 of the book provides the contextual background for the tradition itself. It contains enough history for you to know about the heritage you are working with, and it contains historical examples of the practice of Icelandic magic. Based on a solid historical foundation, it demonstrates to you how you can become creative within the system in a traditional way. The final chapter of part 1 describes the basic procedures for both the ancient and modern practice of galdor-stave magic. Part 2 of the book, which is titled Gray-Skin, constitutes a working set of actual galdor-magic spells. The title alludes to the Gráskinna, a semi-mythical grimoire that is said to have been used by several legendary Icelandic magicians of the past. In the Gray-Skin section of the present book you will find a selection of traditional spells (translated from the Galdrabók and other manuscripts) along with several new spells that have been composed based on the principles of the tradition. A number of pages have been left blank for you at the back of this book so you can add your own records of successful magical workings within the system. When these are added you will have created another true book of magic, unique to yourself.