Icelandic Magic: Aims, Tools and Techniques of the Icelandic Sorcerers: 1

Lots of information written in a very accessible way, bits of dry humour, illustrations of the staves thoughtful discussions Highly informative and enjoyable

Good! Thank you!

A bit too academic, and needs clearer and more illustrations of the runes and symbols being used, otherwise a god guide.

In the scope of the whole trolldom tradition of the North the small Island of Iceland has stood out in popular culture for a long time. It has been the subject of many scholarly efforts and a plethora of occult books of which only a very few has actually dealt with facts rather than the modern fiction of Norse magic. No matter how exciting the magic built on sagas are, it is always better for a practitioner to stand on ground actually founded by a real tradition. In terms of Icelandic magic this is what this book does. It answers the questions on why, what, where, when and how of the actual practice performed by the Icelanders. In the book Christopher also provides a very important display on how the magic of runic letters were transformed and applied after they have been banned by law. This also explains many of the letter formulas seen in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish books of trolldom and how the idea of runes has been used in a far wider context than what the popularized versions of “runic magic” often claims. All in all this book is written in a way that makes it plesurable to read, well researched and it will serve as an excellent complement to anyone who wants to practice Norse trolldom in general and as a founding base to those who are interested in the Icelandic branch in particular.

Excellent work from a true scholar of Icelandic magic. "Icelandic Magic' details 6 manuscripts, showing how they were designed to work as true grimoires. The 6 texts examined include the famed Galdrabok, originally published by Stephen Flowers. However, Flowers' original lacks the details of exposition offered in this book, as Smith places it the context of the wider field of Icelandic magic. Also included is a manuscript which is presented in English for the first time translated by Smith himself. The work however goes far beyond simply translation and presenting manuscripts, indeed 'Icelandic magic extends into a practical manual of Sorcery and magic. The book is clearly laid out and easy read (including the use of the original staves within the text) An absolute must for anyone seriously interested Northern European magic.

This book is a comprehensive analysis of the methods and techniques of the Icelandic magicians, based upon a selection of the surviving grimoires. It is a fascinating study. The aims of most of the spells, and the simple tools used (generally just the owner's personal eating knife) makes it plain that these practices were largely in the hands of farmers and the poorer members of the population, not the intelligentsia (i.e. priests and nobility) as was generally the case in Europe. This is reinforced by how simple and direct the practice was, in most cases a simple stave and / or incantation sent and directed by the will of the practitioner. This fits very well with the descriptions of Icelandic magic that have come down to us in the sagas. The author's insights are keen and although this is an academic, analytical work rather than a practical one, it is written in a pleasantly clear and uncluttered manner, with great typesetting that really makes it an interesting and refreshing read. Although the information they contain is nearly always fascinating, such analytic texts can often be quite dry to read. This one very definitely isn't, it's a delight and it's enthralling. A broad selection of spells and staves are reprinted from the grimoires (these are photographic reproductions, not copied by hand, to avoid errors) to illustrate the points made in the text. Where incantations are given, they are often given in both the original Icelandic as well as English translation. This is very welcome, as the metre and alliteration of the original language really demonstrates how compellingly beautiful these incantations could be. The relationships between the staves and more recognisable methods of rune magic are discussed, of course, as these Icelandic staves have a style all their own. A tremendously interesting volume that should be on the shelf of anyone interested in the magic or myth of the North.

Iceland is perhaps the most remote area of Europe. Discovered late, it wasn’t effectively colonized till the end of the 9th century. As the author, Christopher Alan Smith, vividly describes, “A sub-arctic island, oft-times battered by the cold waves of the North Atlantic Ocean and storms from the polar region, it is a land of glaciers and volcanoes where the primal forces of fire and ice compete to increase the hardship of the small population. Summers are brief and winters long, while spring and autumn struggle to find any place at all among the seasons. Arable land is hard to find, and even good grazing is at a premium. The earth itself shakes and rumbles from time to time. It is a land of liminality, where the world of men is squeezed and constricted between vast and hostile forces.” A barren place where bad weather beat the land, keeping men so impoverished that they once collected wood for building their homes along the seashore and then constructed these houses with tools —which were considered to be luxury items back then. Yet this unyielding and isolated environment helped to promote an equally unyielding culture of vibrant traditional magic. A tradition, which has endured to this very day, despite climate, scarcity of farm land, Catholic Inquisitions and Protestant persecutions. Cut off and largely forgotten by mainland Europe, the Icelandic people have been able to maintain their native tongue so that a 13th century texts still can be understood and easily read. Their genome, like their language, stretches back through the centuries unadulterated, and is one of the purest to be found. Many Icelanders can refer to their family tree and take note of ancestors that go back as far as their language and localized DNA. So, it is no great surprise that the people of Iceland have held on to their magical practices as well. These practices were preserved within ancient grimoires (magical texts), which were often hidden. Grimories are the rich base, which Mr. Smith taps into for the purposes of his book. With exceptional skill and understanding he delineates the use of spells, runes, charms and incantation, explaining the importance of the words and objects being used and how they relate to the people and times that they were employed in. If you interested in how magic was performed in the past, this is the book for you.

Received well as a present.

I will most likely add more, and refine, commentary. If you are curious to the subject of Icelandic Sorcery this is a boom that is crucial. End of story. I have been into the Icelandic Magic for a few years. It is a tough area to study. Online, so much bad information exists, and books on the subject are few; reliable books in still fewer numbers. My library includes every book from Iceland's Museum of Sorcery, which is in English. I have a very good view of things. - Christopher's book increases their value tremendously. One could 'use' my grimoires easily now, instead of mostly examination of their texts. (I do not practice magic of any kind, but it is a life long fascination from observation.) Before I sign off for now I want to point out: If you read this book you will be able to explain the connections between the Icelandic graphics, and various Runic alphabets. As a Heathen*, this helps make clear academic separation from "wannabee new agers who will throw everything into one meaningless hodge podge" and looking at how things...simply are. *So many people in my religion are victims of bad information, or no information. It is easy to mix up, "Scandinavian Greatness," with Heathen things for some. By all means, we can enjoy both areas highly. The fact that my gods are mentioned a number of times conflates the issue. Answers? — Read Christopher's book. Lastly, my imported grimoires. Christopher worked at this same museum. — FINALLY: A man who says, "I'm just going to have to go see for myself," and frees humanity from being limited to "knowledge" coming from Pinterest, Tumblr, or InstaGram surfing. I may return. I am sure I will need to edit since I'm mobile on a phone.

This book is an essential guide to shed some light on the mysterious world of icelandic magic. This is a must.

An excellent book, well written and very thoroughly researched. As a student of this subject I found the comparisons of multiple manuscripts to be extremely useful in furthering my own studies. The author is very well studied and the content of this book makes that readily apparent. Highly recommended for any who would like a deeper understanding of Nordic magic practices from the Middle ages to the Early Modern era.

This a great academic work on Icelandic staves. This isn’t a “Spell book”. It is however, a great resource for learning about the subject and I would recommend this to work to everyone interested in the topic.

Excellent introduction for anthropology and literature grads.