Wednesday, December 10


Instructions

Please pick one question to answer and post an in-character reply to this thread, much like you would a homework assignment. It's up to you how much of the essay you want to write!

Note: This is an in-class essay. Professor Reid handed out a list of potential questions about a week before the midterm, so students could narrow down the amount they had to study.

If you think of another essay question that you would prefer to answer instead, simply make an OOC note at the top of your post letting me know what the question is.

Here are a few links to help you out, but please feel free to make up your own answers too. Don't worry as much about accuracy unless you really want to. Have fun with it!

• Making a rune set
• Runes and divination
• Rune meanings
• Norse mythology
• Vikings and all things Norse

You have until the January timeline change to post a reply (so that gives you a few months, real-time). Each character you post with will get ten house points, regardless of the quality or content of the midterm. Grades will be based entirely on the in-character content, though quoting actual snippets of the essay will help me better understand how the character is doing in class.

Additional house points will be awarded to characters who RP studying for the midterm outside of class, or who come to Aileen for advice or help, or anything of that sort.

If you don't have time to post a midterm, no points will be deducted, but please send me a PM letting me know what you think your character's overall midterm grade would be. I'll PM you back with the likely grade your character would receive.

Thanks all!


Midterm question for third-years

1. Pick one rune and discuss the history and meaning of it, using the mythology you've read about in your textbook and our discussions in class.


Midterm questions for fifth-years (pick one)

1. What are the benefits of carving your own runes, and conversely, what are the dangers? Extra points for explaining the correct rune-carving procedure.

2. Describe how runes can be used in everyday life, for protection and security, in Divination, and/or alongside charms and curses.


Midterm questions for seventh-years (pick one)

1. Please give two examples of important moments in history when runes have been used.

2. Why is it so difficult to erase a rune? What precautions can be taken to ensure your safety?

Midterms had finally come to the students of Hogwarts. That meant only a few more days until break, and most importantly only a few more months before all hell would break loose thanks to exams. When that time came, Megan would surely be stressing out over her own OWLs, but she had to get through the midterms first.

After getting the midterm questions for fifth years, Megan studied the ones supplied. Having previously studied for the class, she knew that it was important not to try to memorize everything there was to know about runes, especially if she already knew the information. Rather, only significant information was studied several times, while less important information wasn't studied nearly as hard.

Choosing the first question, Megan looked at it for a few seconds. What are the benefits of carving your own runes, and conversely, what are the dangers? She knew that she had to keep her essay on target, and not run off on wild tangents during the middle of it. After all, she needed to score well, and hopefully raise her confidence for when it came time for the OWL exams.

After writing her name on the top of the sheet, she began to write her essay:

Carving a rune carries its own advantages and disadvantages. Positively speaking, rune making can help with the actual reading of the runes since you can understand the runes that you make and their meaning, especially with continued practice. Even doing so can help create a spiritual enlightenment or ritual with the runes, since you would need to understand exactly what you are trying to say with the runes. Nothing can be implied or assumed when a rune is carved, and without sufficient information on what each rune means, the translation could be lost due to the lack of context of the runes. This would be a disadvantage, since fluency and complete understanding in what you are doing are important before even considering to carve a rune.

As for making a rune, the emotion and what you make the rune on is important to take into consideration. Just like with context, emotions need to be taken into consideration when carving, so the runes don't become jumbled. The material that you use can make a difference. One could use like what the Vikings used to, such as bone, stone, wood, and even parts of an animal. However, there are other materials that can be used like flat stones, clay, glass, or even dough. The difference in material changes how you would inscribe a rune. Naturally, you wouldn't want to carve a rune into glass, unless it is extremely hard. So, painting a rune with paint, like red paint for example, and then using a permanent seal over the paint to keep it intact. In addition, calligraphy, carving, and even burning can be used. Just as important as the rune itself is, but the way the rune is inscribed is important. Here, the artistic nature of rune making would need to be developed, so the translation of the rune could last. Keeping track of the runes and their meanings might help in the overall translations and could help with the experiences of rune making.

To actually make the rune, a few steps would need to be followed. First, the plan how you would make the rune. This way, you can decide on what material to use, and how you would inscribe the rune into the material. Where you place the rune, and how clean it is could impact on how others perceive the meaning. Just like in a piece of art, everything you do can cause a different interpretation to others. So,  you would have the be extremely careful when making a rune to try to convey exactly what you want it to. After gathering the materials, the rune would be inscribed, and energy can be infused if needed through meditations while creating the rune. This process could be a disadvantage, along with the artistic nature of actually carving the rune. But, it could be an advantage, since as time progresses, a rune maker would learn to be precise with the runes that were made.

After finishing up her essay, Megan handed the essay to Professor Reid and left the classroom.

((Any information used was taken from Rune Set))

On December 15, a Great Horned Owl swoops into Megan Ruiz's home and leaves a letter on her desk. The owl is all business, and flies off immediately without asking for treats or pets.

The letter reads:

Aileen Reid
Professor of Ancient Runes
London, England

Megan Ruiz
Ravenclaw Fifth-year
Brighton, England

Dear Miss Ruiz,

I have enclosed your midterm mark and your overall class mark for Runes below.

Please send me an owl if you have any questions.

Thank you for your hard work and participation in class. I believe you'll be pleased with your marks.

Enjoy your holiday break!

Best wishes,
Professor Reid


For the midterm, Megan Ruiz has received... *click here!*

In class so far, Megan Ruiz has received... *click here!*

With all the trouble since Halloween, and with Sasha gone, Figaro's studying for Runes had suffered.  On the day of the midterm he sat in his desk.  Exam days were so strange because they were so absurdly quiet, and the coldest day of the term.  They didn't even have their normal book backs and junk with them.  Just cold rows of cleared off desks, everyone facing front, heads down.

The heel of Figaro's hand held up his head as he stared blearily at what he'd done so far.

Runes are very useful in daily life and for protection and security.  You might think at first that they wouldn't do you much good when there are loads of charms and enchantments to get the job done.  But if you look into it there are some well useful things they are good for. 

One useful rune is to find your name rune.  Finding your name rune means you can use the rune to put your name onto things in a sort of permanent way.  For example, if you put your name rune on a letter, it's definite that you wrote that letter.  Or if you put it on your house, it's harder to break inside for people who are not you.  The rune makes something really really yours if you put it on there.  It's well tricky finding your name rune, but you can go to a scryer in your town and pay them to sort it out for you. 

A second useful rune is the pairing rune.  My mum uses this one for laundry, apparently.  And other things, I guess.  Pairing runes come in a set.  Like sun and moon, left and right, sky and ocean, needle and thread - things like that.  You put one rune on one half of the thing like a sock, and then the other rune on the other thing like the other sock and then those two things will be drawn to each other.  That way your socks will match more often.  Sometimes when people fall in love they make tattoos out of pairing runes as well.

Both of those he'd had to ask for help on when he'd been going over the possible questions last week.  The first he'd got from Kel Adda, who was always a help with homework.  The second he'd got from his 9 year old brother Frank, who was apparently already a bloody talent at everything.  He felt like to fill the rest of the inches requirement for the essay he'd need at least three more uses to stick in there.  He smeared his face with his hand and couldn't remember any other examples.  He knew they were out there floating around, they'd talked loads about specific examples, but he just couldn't remember.

He remembering throwing rocks at Neely.  He remembered barfing slugs during his oral report.  He remembered Sasha helping him carve his own runes.

But in the hour and a half they had allotted to sit and take the exam, this was all Figaro came up with.

So as you can see, you should use runes every day.

On December 15, a Great Horned Owl flies into Figaro Sellaphix's home and picks at the student's shirt until he opens the letter. Then it sits there, watching him, and occasionally pecking at his fingers and pushing a quill towards him to encourage him to write back immediately. After an hour has passed, if Figaro has not written a reply, the owl will hoot in exasperation and leave. 

The letter reads:

Aileen Reid
Professor of Ancient Runes
London, England

Figaro Sellaphix
Hufflepuff Fifth-year
Manchester, UK

Dear Mr. Sellaphix,

I have enclosed your midterm mark and your overall class mark for Runes below.

Unfortunately, your marks do not qualify you for passing Runes at this time. We are at midterms, so a 'D' (Dreadful) is not your final grade, but I urge you to consider whether Runes is an elective you wish to continue taking. If you choose to continue Runes, then you must receive an 'A' (Acceptable) or better on all future exams, and you must complete all assignments on time and with good, thorough answers.

I encourage you to meet with me outside of class if you require any assistance. I realize that this year has been especially difficult for a number of students, but I expect you to take initiative and ask for help when you need it. Do not wait until the last minute to study. With the amount of information we cover, studying a little everyday will help boost your grade more than cramming will.

Please send me an owl as soon as possible so we can discuss your options.

Because your marks are below passing, a copy of this letter has been automatically sent to your parent or guardian.

Best wishes,
Professor Reid


For the midterm, Figaro Sellaphix has received... *click here!*

In class so far, Figaro Sellaphix has received... *click here!*

Percy Dervish was always dependable when it came to his schooling.  He'd always been the reliable one that bullies copied off of.  Of course they'd always have to "dumb down" their writing, so the professors wouldn't immediately recognize Percy's superior knowledge and style.  This year was different though.  This year saw Percy attempting to dumb himself down and become more of a common man.  The brainy Ravenclaw was attempting to shed, or at least mold his bookworm image in favor of climbing the social ladder.  He wanted to be popular and really taste the other side of life.  But still deep down..."PerDer" was a kind, meek, and awkward young man.

Percy shifted awkwardly in his desk, feeling very uncomfortable sitting at the back of the class where he'd tried to force himself to acclimate.  He was always a front row, center of the classroom sitter.    Even the way Percy sat had been altered from the perfect posture to more of a backward lean, more as if he were driving a low rider through the 'hood than taking a midterm.  As the third student in class though, Percy couldn't help but notice his fellow 5th Year Ravenclaw-Megan Ruiz.  He wished he had the courage to talk to her, but Percy still had a long way to go.  Professors on the other hand, had almost unanimously been incredibly kind to Percy.  He was likable and tended to interact with them better than those of his own age group.  And when he felt Professor Reid's eyes, he smiled awkwardly and lowered his head and got right to work, hopefully altering his written style enough to sound more like a "cool kid", instead of a uber geek.

Don't Ruin The Rune by P.A.D.

     Runes can be quite useful in daily life, if caution and careful thought are integrated into the use of the runes.  Take the Fehu rune for example.  If someone is seeking a promotion, a pay raise, or any other number of goals that they seek to achieve then the Fehu (or cattle) rune can be very beneficial.  This rune is very focused on the physical realm and seeks to ground its users, while also helping them to succeed in advancing them.

     The Uruz rune can be quite beneficial in increasing vitality, energy, passion, instinct, feritlity, and passion.  As one might imagine, this makes the Uruz (or aurochs) rune a sought after commodity in the magical love enhancing market.  However, this rune can also be quite useful in a hunting capacity, granting its user a powerful, feral boost as well as harnessing the elemental powers of fire itself.

      The Burisaz rune can bring clarity in times of distress, hardships, or in any search for answers.  We all go through times in which we seek a higher knowledge and the Burisaz (or giant) rune is a very reliable source for fostering our greater intellects to awaken.  However, the Burisaz is a rune to be used with great caution as the lessons that are taught are usually brought on through conflict and dangerous obstacles.

     The Ansuz (or Odin) rune should not be underestimated in terms of decision making, leadership, balance between the mind & body, justice, and discerning various possible outcomes and solutions.  The Ansuz is a very powerful rune and is not one to be trifled with, as it has been told to have addictive properties simply due to its potent nature. 

     When combined with the divination arts, a basic understanding of the characteristics of individual runes is essential or the message of the runes may well be lost.  Rune reading is an exceptionally subjective practice and as such a logbook should be kept when reading runes depicting the following:

Date, time, and casting method.
Question(s) asked.
Order/position of the runes (face up, down, or neither).
The meanings you interpreted from them.
Your general feelings/impressions from the rune reading.

     For best results, the yes/no cast is often preferred where divination is concerned.  Many also simply rely on Odin's rune for the quickest and often easiest path.  Combining the two can be an unbeatable combination.  There are many other methods which are also quite effective, but in my research I have found these to be the most consistent, expedient, and reliable.

Percy bit his bottom lip for a moment as he considered bringing together his topics into a cohesive conclusion, but he didn't want to go over the top.  Actually, he wanted to write another few pages...but he'd already noticed Megan and Figaro were handing in their papers.  If he took too long on his midterm, then he would look like he was overly concerned with his scholastics and prove himself a nerd.  Thus Percy turned his midterm in, fighting his urge to enhance the paper with more information and depth.  Had his attempt to write like a common man and still earn a good grade worked?  He stood up and went to hand his paper in to Professor Reid, offering a faint smile and nod in the process as he mouthed the words "Thank you."  Perhaps it wasn't certain why he did so, but it seemed normal to thank his professors for the time and effort they had put into the assignments as well as the headaches they undertook for their students' sakes.  Percy was grateful and this often made him appear to be a teacher's pet.  He had to try hard to fight that image.

On December 15, a Great Horned Owl flies into Percy Dervish's home, and after stretching its wings, perches on his desk to drop off his letter.

The letter reads:

Aileen Reid
Professor of Ancient Runes
London, England

Percy Dervish
Ravenclaw Fifth-year
Blackpool, England

Dear Mr. Dervish,

I have enclosed your midterm mark and your overall class mark for Runes below.

Please send me an owl if you have any questions.

Overall, you wrote a very nice essay which demonstrates a breadth of knowledge in Runes. My only advice would be to pick one or two runes and write in-depth on those, rather than trying to cover everything.

Your courtesy and hard work in class is, as always, appreciated. Enjoy your holiday break!

Best wishes,
Professor Reid


For the midterm, Percy Dervish has received... *click here!*

In class so far, Percy Dervish has received... *click here!*

As odd as it sounded, Ancient Runes was a class in which Grace could be relaxed. Even during a midterm. Simply put, it was a class that was void of pressure for the overachieving seventh year. That too was odd because the Gryffindor prefect prided herself on being studious and hardworking at everything that she did. That mentality included the classes that had little or no impact on her future career choice.

Yet, that was precisely why Grace had opted to take such a class. In the class that would determine her worth as a healer, she had an insane amount of pressure built up about her performance. She poured her energies into them to the point of exhaustion. It wasn't even that she had to be the best to outdo her classmates but Grace simply wanted to ensure that she would eventually be the best healer she could be. Toiling in such a manner, she told herself, was nothing compared to what she would endure once she left school.

In Runes, she could just be. She enjoyed the class and her appreciation for it came natural. Thus, it translated to doing well naturally enough. When Professor Reid had handed out the topics for the midterm, Grace had glanced through her class notes and done some supplemental, leisurely reading on the topic that interested her. And then she had let it fester.

On midterm day, she entered the classroom and assumed her regular seat. Then she began to write, a purposeful yet serene smile falling over her face as she did so. It was clear that she was intent on using every moment of the class period to write as much as possible on the first essay topic. And every now and then, her head would tilt upwards as she constructed her response in her thoughts first before scribbling them down on paper.

Only one time during the entire essay did her expression become dark with signs of stress. She was particularly thoughtful during the latter portion of her essay which addressed a dark time in history when runes were used.

When one looks at the historical breadth of Runes usage, or the bigger picture, it might be difficult to characterize them as being evil or cause for alarm. Early usage of Runes by might be considered harmless by modern standards. Yet, as is often the case when it comes to fear of the unknown, using Runes was banned in the 17th century. Sadly, their usage would come into prominence again in the 2oth century in one of the darkest times in Muggle history. Leading up to the events of World War II, the runes were revived by scholars in Germany as a means to symbolize a national identity. The runes, particularly the Swastika Rune, became strongly connected with the Nazi movement. The aftermath of war and the atrocities exposed from the holocaust have placed a stigma on the runes that has been hard to wipe away, despite all of the positive ways in which they can be used.

Grace continued to work diligently on the remainder of her essay until just before the period ended. After glancing over her work one last time, Grace stood and headed to Professor Reid's desk to hand it in.

On December 15, a Great Horned Owl swoops into Grace Eddy's home. It drops off the letter on her desk, and takes a ten minute nap before flying off again.

The letter reads:

Aileen Reid
Professor of Ancient Runes
London, England

Grace Eddy
Gryffindor Seventh-year
Gulval/Penzance, Cornwall, UK

Dear Miss Eddy,

I have enclosed your midterm mark and your overall class mark for Runes below.

Please send me an owl if you have any questions.

I was very impressed by your essay and your knowledge of Runic history from the both the wizarding and muggle sides. I hope you continue to show such initiative and thoroughness in your studies.

Enjoy your holiday break!

Best wishes,
Professor Reid


For the midterm, Grace Eddy has received... *click here!*

In class so far, Grace Eddy has received... *click here!*

 Strangely enough, Fergie was actually looking forward to the Ancient Runes midterm. He hadn't been, originally. Runes wasn't a class that he did poorly in, but was still definitely a challenge to the sixteen year old. When Professor Reid had handed out the essay questions the week before, however, his attitude towards the midterm had changed. An opportunity to talk about Divination in another class? This made the entire thing go from a daunting, intimidating task to kind of exciting.

 So when Ferguson entered Professor Reid's classroom on the tenth and sat down at a desk with his parchment, quills, and ink, he was feeling a lot more relaxed than he had for any of his other midterms to date. He could totally do this. A half-grin settled in around his lips as he dipped his quill in the inkwell and began to write.

 Rune casting is a very useful form of divination and can help you find a solution to a wide variety of problems, from a simple yes or no answer to an in depth analysis of the situation and possible outcome. There are several different casting methods ranging from the simple Odin's Rune Cast, using one rune, to the more complicated Nine Rune Cast, or Runic Cross Cast. Personally, however, I prefer the Norns Casting method, which is a little more in depth than the simple yes or no One Rune Cast, and more straight forward than the Nine Rune or Runic Cross Casts.

 To use this method, the caster draws three runes, one at a time, and place them in a horizontal line. The first rune represnts the caster, and the emotions and decisions that lead up to the situation they now find themselves in. The second represents the situation itself and the challenge or choice before you. The third and final rune represents the possible outcomes of said situation, either the best possible outcome or what will happen if no change is made.

 In order to accurately interpret the casting, one must have at least a basic understanding of the runes themselves. If not an expert, it's a good idea to keep a book of rune translations on hand so that you can easily look them up, if you can't recall the meaning from memory.

 Fergie paused, flexing his wrist, and looked his work over. So far, he thought, it was going pretty well. He smirked, self-satisfied. After stretching a little, rolling his shoulders to ease the tension there, he continued writing, adding in details about how to keep a Rune journal. Here was hoping his self-confidence in his work was not misplaced.

On December 15, a Great Horned Owl flies into Ferguson Amherst's home and drops off a letter. It dawdles, and seems reluctant to leave the nice house.

The letter reads:

Aileen Reid
Professor of Ancient Runes
London, England

Ferguson Amherst
Slytherin Fifth-year
London, England

Dear Mr. Amherst,

I have enclosed your midterm mark and your overall class mark for Runes below.

Please send me an owl if you have any questions.

You wrote a good, well-thought-out essay on Rune casting and how it is used in Divination. I'm glad that you've been thinking about how your classes relate to each other.

If you keep up this level of work for the rest of your exams and homework assignments in Runes, you might be able to achieve an 'O' at the end of the year. Enjoy your holiday break!

Best wishes,
Professor Reid


For the midterm, Ferguson Amherst has received... *click here!*

In class so far, Ferguson Amherst has received... *click here!*