Note: This post was first published in my newsletter on 12 January 2022.

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When I was creating the magic behind the Vaness Kinley, Witch PI Series (and let's face it; that's a continual work in progress), I had to decide what kind of witchcraft to include. There's really no rhyme or reason behind Nessa being a rune witch; it's just what seemed like the right fit for her when she stepped forward and introduced herself to me.

Figuring out how rune magic works was the real trick. Nessa confessed that she had one simple rune spell she used, and from there, I'm building out her magic as she grows into it.

There are plenty of guides out there to runes. I chose to simply pick runes that seemed to fit the magic, then build spells around them. Nessa's illumination spell, for example, is based on the lightning shaped rune called Sowulo (Sowuli in the image below). I didn't know when I chose it that the rune literally stands for the sun and its energy.

Happy coincidence, right?

But that coincidence runs deeper. When I needed another spell, this one for healing, I chose the hour glass looking one, Ingwaz, and added incantation lines to it. Only later did I learn that Ingwaz is the name of that Anglo-Saxon rune and is used as a symbol of life.

I'll likely not consult the official meanings the next time Nessa needs a rune spell. The coincidences are pretty interesting though, right?

As far as incantation lines go, those differentiate the runes used for divination and those used within the story world for rune magic. Ingwaz, for example, must be closed on the top and bottom, then refined by other markings before being activated as an actual spell. Creating the rune magic system has been an interesting journey of discovery, and it will continue to evolve over the four books in the series.