Mead of Poetry and Writing a book

and your runic astrology.

Hi awesome human.

As I write the final chapter on the first Runebound book, I keep thinkning to the story of Odin and the Mead of Poetry. I thought writing was just discipline, you know, sit down each day, write that word count, revise until that chapter runs smoothly. And then Void 84 comes along, and I was taught that discipline means showing up on the page even when words are stubborn and dry. It was my first foray into Fiction. Beyond Gurps or ad&d back in the day.

But now, closing out Runebound, this is different, more mythic, more vibrant. Pursuing the mead itself, well… it’s a risk. Plot, shape-shifting to capture those ultimate moments of inspiration. Like Odin from the old myth, who gave up everything to win the mead of poetry, that golden, heady drink that brought the gods' words and inspiration to us mortals on Midgard.

The Story of the Mead:

One day, long ago, the dwarves brewed the mead from the blood of Kvasir (God of poetry) and the honey. A drink that bestowed on anyone who drank from it, wisdom and song. And… importantly, the inspiration. They, however, were betrayed, and the mead was put into the possession of the giant Suttungr, who hid the mead inside a mountain and set his daughter, Gunnlod, to guard it.

The Wanderer Odin once came disguised as Bolverk and worked among the fields of the brother of Suttungr, Baugi, and won the right to beg a drink from the mead. When, however, Baugi refused to give him and tried to cheat him, he deceived him, bored through the mountain, and, in the form of a snake, slipped through to Gunnlod.

He stayed for three nights wooing her and and playing games with her. Eventualy winning three draughts of the mead. Which being Odin were very big draughts. When the cauldrons dried up, he transformed into an eagle and flew towards Asgard, and Suttungr, too, turned himself into an eagle too chase Odin. High up into the world's heavens, Odin just struggled back home, spilling drips of the golden mead on the ground, and they came to us poets, to collect them by cupped hands. That’s how we mere mortals got to have some of the gods mead of poetry.

That's what writing's like, finishing a book's that mad dash, scrambling to grab every drop you can, hoping to make it back alive with your spoils.

75 Hard Challenge For Writers

To follow my own mead, to commit to my art, I adopted the 75 Hard Challenge from authors. Same format as the tiktok thing. Rules are simple. Seventy-five straight days. Miss a day? Start over.

It's not merely about writing more words, it's about showing that you're up to climbing mountains, outsmarting giants, and holding onto the mead when it comes within your grasp.

The Guidelines

• Each day (1,000 words, to sound your own horn)

• Read daily (10–20 pages of craft, myth, fiction, or essay, absorb other people's wisdom, so you are fuelled)

• Spend time studying writing or publishing, studying the way through the labyrinth

• Exercise your body every day to liberate your mind and invigorate your senses. This is not run a marathon everyday. Move your body.

• Keep track of your journey, date each day like a rune

• No rest days; the mead won't await the unready, 75 or restart.

Why It Works

Odin didn’t come to pass on the mead. He schemed, longed, changed, and staked the whole on appropriating it. He deceived giants, persuaded the guard, and fled for dear life through the skies, spilling that which he failed to bear.

That's the nature of the challenge: creativity's not given to you, it's won. The tough, behind-the-scenes work that you do day to day is your own flight on stormy skies, chasing the mead.

Daily Plan (What I Do), Example

• On alternate days I run, my version of run, im not fit enough to run every day yet.

• Get 1,000 words accomplished first, before the day's noise drowns your song

• Read over lunch: fiction, craft, essays, or even the classic myths

• Watch a short video or read an article on publishing after dinner, sharpening tools

• Go for a walk or stretch before going to bed, listen to the muse's whispers

Why Try This?

• Stop waiting to feel inspiration and start to pursue it

• To prove thy devotion to the craft, to prove thyself worthy of the mead

• How to build resilience without killing your passion

• To work on additional projects more cheerfully and purposefully

• To drink deeply from your own magic of creation

As I climb to the end words of Runebound, I'm Odin within the mountain, snake through stone, plundering draughts from the brimmed pot that's guarded by magical wards.

Finishing a book's like that flight: dirty, perilous, but all worthwhile.

This is what I always think about when I'm writing my last paragraphs, and perhaps you'll find this useful when you come to yours:

• Complete the emotional arc, make the audience feel whatever you want them to feel on their way out.

• Echo back to your start, a symbol, a quote, or a recollection can cause the conclusion to feel complete.

• Leave a sense of mystery, keep the world beyond the last page alive.

• Don’t wait until it's just right, write through the chaos and edit later.

If you're in your own end chapter, stick through it. The mead is in you.

This is hard. And that's why this is sacred. Odin didn't await the arrival of the mead, what he risked was anything to gain possession of it. You needn't have ideal circumstances, you just need to want to show up, to change shapes, to ascend, and to soar. If you can follow the mead each day, one day it shall be thine own.

Runic Star Path Forecast: 13–19 July 2025

This is a week of stillness that burns quietly beneath the surface, retrogrades take the stage as Loki / Saturn joins Njord / Neptune and Myrmir / Pluto in reverse, and Odin / Mercury begins its backward dance by Friday. The air is thick with review, revision, and resurrection. You will be asked to see through illusions and face what you have avoided.

It begins in Aquarius under Urd / Uranus’ gaze, asking if you’re ready to cut strings and stand free. Loki / Saturn demands you look at the scaffolding of your life and decide what no longer holds, what you’ve outgrown. By midweek, fiery Aries/Ehwaz lends breath to what has been lying dormant, and the Moon’s meetings with Myrmir / Pluto, Thor / Jupiter, and Urd / Uranus ignite clarity, assertiveness, and a sense of your map forward.

This is the week to own your choices. To step toward your wyrd, knowing you must move, even if the path is not yet clear. The gods gather around the pool, watching, pointing, whispering: now.

Day-by-Day Breakdown

Sunday (13th):

The Moon in Sowelio/Aquarius reflects on freedom, independence, and your personal sovereignty. Loki / Saturn retrogrades today, a long, slow pause that asks: what responsibilities still serve you, and which have become chains? Own your power. Cut what binds.

Monday (14th):

Tiwaz/Pisces Moon softens the air but squares Urd / Uranus and Freya / Venus. Emotions run deep, but clarity gleams beneath the surface. Opportunities arise if you act with integrity. Family, hearth, and home call, tend them.

Tuesday (15th):

Still in Pisces but moving to Berkanan, the Moon opposes Tyr / Mars. Assertiveness meets imagination, a strange mix, but potent. Begin drafting your plan. Make the lists. The vision clarifies.

Wednesday (16th):

Moon in Ehwaz/Aries aligns with Myrmir / Pluto, Urd / Uranus, and Thor / Jupiter. This is the key day. Fire rises, not as rage but as resolve. Assert yourself. Choose what must be done. The gods point, your map glows in your hands.

Thursday (17th):

Moon remains in Aries though now in Manaz, now sparring with Odin / Mercury. Be deliberate with words. Humour softens hard truths today. Keep perspective and don’t take the jest too personally, sometimes truth wears a smile.

Friday (18th):

Laguz/Taurus Moon confronts Myrmir as Odin / Mercury retrogrades. Review what resurfaces, illusions, grudges, doubts. Step into the deeper truth behind appearances. Retrograde asks: what must be reclaimed? What must be forgiven?

Saturday (19th):

The Moon continues in Ingwaz/Taurus, squaring Odin / Mercury. You are asked to choose action, even if imperfect. What do you need to see clearly? Who is pulling your strings, and why are you still dancing?

Oracle Reading: The Runic Frame

The Runic Oracle aligns with the cards drawn in the original transcript, offering you a mythic lens to work with:

Past/Challenge: Nauthiz (Needfire), Like the Devil in the cards, Nauthiz shows where illusion and fear have kept you bound. Where have you danced to someone else’s tune? Where has “need” become an excuse to stay small? Cut those threads.

Support/Present: Odin on the World Tree, Hanging on Yggdrasil, Odin gave himself to himself, seeking wisdom beyond all worlds. This card reminds you that the map lies within you, but the price of insight is your willingness to act. Your choices ripple across the web of wyrd; each one matters. Sacrifice certainty. Step forward. Walk the path.

Path Ahead: Ehwaz (Movement), Judgement’s phoenix rises again. This is resurrection through choice, through decision. Movement forward. You rise, singed, yes, but stronger for the fire you’ve endured.

Final Words

You are not powerless. This is a week of seeing through the illusion of powerlessness and claiming your agency. The gods point. The runes call. The map is in your hands, but it is your feet that must walk it.

Follow along for more on TikTok (@richlisterstoryforge), Instagram, and Facebook: @richlisteruk.

Below are your runic rituals.