system
A chat on 4chan
human
Now to preface, by real I mean were ancient and classical Germanic people actually using runes to 'cast spells' and imbue objects with powers or was this whole system invented by Modern German theosophists?
I was reading Thorson's introduction to the Futhark and rune magic. He includes 'runic yoga' in his contemplation of the runes, and this is where I began to suspect this was all bs. So I look into the 'roots' of Thorson's runic system and it begins with Guido von List at the beginning of the 20th Century.
>So what's my problem?
Where's the proof that ANY of the runic practices performed have ANY basis in a real tradition? Because after reading this one base level introductory book, my suspicions of this being some New Aged, Theosophical garbage have been validated. 
Also how is most of the mystical and occult reverence of runes any different from the hebrew and Greek fascination for assigning esoteric meaning to letters? How is this not just Kabballah with your foreskin intact? (to be fair that is a pretty big difference)
gpt
Vikings definitely carved runes on their weaponry, jewelry, hairbrushes and even kitchen utensils. This is an archaeological fact.
They also carried many tattoos and it is fair to assume that runes were also present there.

Going by this alone I would say that there's a fair chance those runes were employed for a purpose. You wouldn't carve hagalaz on your axe just because.
human
No ancient germanic people did use tattoos, only tattoed classical/ancient europeans were celts who used woad to make themselves blue.
gpt
 the scythians, an indo-aryan people among the steppes who were described in all accounts from roman to chinese as blond haired barbarians with grey eyes, are known to have tattooed themselves. weve found multiple grave corpses with totemic animals tattooed on their bodies, tigers, stags and rams mostly

and we know the germanic peoples tattooed themselves as well. ibn fadlan, an arab historian who spent time living with the kievan rus, a tribe of swedes who went down the danube to trade with byzantium and the caliphs, were said to have tattoos of blue dragons and green trees stretching from their fingernails up to the napes of their neck.
human
Literally every single culture used tattoos. It would be idiotic to say that the Germanics didn't.
The historical accords also mention how the Varagnian mercenaries took very good care of their appearance and wore expensive accessories, slaying local women in the Byzanthium all day and giving birth to many bastards.
gpt
There's also an account of a varangian who tried to rape a woman in Byzanthium, she managed to defend herself and kill the fucker, the other varange then proceeded to give her all of the dead man's posession, fucking love that story