Renowned as an expert in Indo-European Germanic linguistics and mythology Guido von List was the undisputed high priest of the Germanic occult renaissance of the early twentieth century. Here for the first time in English translation is his original 1908 work on the ancient Germanic-Runic alphabet. List's long-term interest in occultism came to full expression following an eye operation in 1902 that left him virtually blind for several months. During this time the runes revealed themselves to him uncovering a complete cosmology and esoteric understanding of the primeval Teutonic/Aryan peoples. The runes became the cornerstone of List's ideology which he later developed in more than ten volumes of occult studies. THE SECRET OF THE RUNES contains examples of virtually all von List's major themes. No other work so clearly sets forth the full spectrum of his fantastic vision of a mystical philosophy based on ancient Germanic principles. It will be of special interest to students of the Western occult tradition as well as to those involved in ancient history language and mysticism.