Stephen Flowers 2374794 223760184 2008-07-05T17:37:39Z Bloodofox 308199 Added category. {{Infobox Person |name = Stephen Edred Flowers |image = |image_size = |caption = |birth_name = |birth_date = |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |death_cause = |resting_place = |resting_place_coordinates = |residence = |nationality = [[United States|American]] {{flagicon|US}} |other_names = |known_for = |education = |alma_mater = |employer = |occupation = |home_town = |title = |salary = |networth = |height = |weight = |term = |predecessor = |successor = |party = |boards = |religion = |spouse = |partner = |children = |parents = |relatives = |signature = |website = |footnotes = }} '''Stephen Edred Flowers''' (born [[1953]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[Runology|Runologist]] and expert on [[occult]]ism and [[Germanic mysticism]]. The [[Bonham, Texas]]-born author has over two dozen published books and hundreds of published papers on a disparate range of subjects. He is also known by the pen-name '''Edred Thorsson'''. Flowers advocates "'''Esoteric Runology'''" or "'''Odianism'''", an occultist version of [[Germanic Neopaganism]].<ref>''Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology'' (1987), p. 172.</ref> ==Education== Flowers did his graduate work in [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] and [[Celt]]ic philology under professor and scholar [[Edgar Polomé]] at the [[University of Texas at Austin]] from 1973-1984. In 1981-1982 he studied the history of occultism at the [[Georg August University of Göttingen|University of Göttingen, Germany]]. He received his Ph.D. in [[Germanic languages|Germanic Languages]] and [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] Studies in 1984 with a dissertation entitled ''Runes and Magic: Magical Formulaic Elements in the Elder Tradition''. From 1984-1989 he was a lecturer in the Departments of English and Germanic Languages at the University of Texas and was last known to be teaching [[Classics|Classical Philology]] at [[Austin Community College]]. ==History== Flowers has been very active in ''[[Left-Hand Path and Right-Hand Path|Left-Hand Path]]'' occult organizations, and was instrumental in the early establishment of the [[Germanic neopaganism|Germanic Neopagan]] movement in [[North America]]. Flowers joined the [[Church of Satan]] in [[1972]] though he reportedly never became involved with the organization beyond his receiving their newsletter, "The Cloven Hoof."<ref>{{cite book| last =Thorsson| first =Edred| authorlink =| coauthors =| title =Green Rûna - Shorter Works of Edred Thorsson Vol. I (1978-1985)| publisher =|date=1996 | location =| pages =p. 85| url =| doi =| id =ISBN 1-885972-03-2 }}</ref> On November 11, 1983 he founded a small group to explore what he saw as the dark, futuristic undercurrent of Odinism called ''The Order of Shining Trapezohedron'' or "O.S.T." which was closed on January 13, 1984<ref>{{cite book| last =Flowers| first =Stephen| authorlink =| coauthors =| title =Black Runa: Being the Shorter Works of Stephen Edred Flowers Produced for the Order of the Trapezoid of the Temple of Set (1985-1989)| publisher =|date=1995| location =| pages =p. 11| url =| doi =| id =}}</ref>. The O.S.T. served as a segue into his involvement with the [[Temple of Set]], an organization in which he currently holds the degree of ''Ipsissimus VI°''. Within the Temple of Set he served as Grand Master of the [http://www.trapezoid.org Order of the Trapezoid] from January 1987 until June 1996 <ref>"Runes: The Journal of the Order of the Trapezoid" Vol XIV Number 2</ref>. Flowers was one of the original members of the [[Ásatrú Folk Assembly|Asatru Free Assembly]]. In [[1979]] Flowers founded the ''Rune-Gild'', an initiatory order focused on "the revival of the elder Runic" tradition, advocating "[[Rune Magic]]". Flowers currently is the executive officer, or ''Yrmin Drighten'' of the Rune-Gild. As a project of the Rune-Gild, Flowers founded the [[Ásatrú]] organization the ''Ring of Troth'' in [[1987]] (which is now simply called the [[The Troth|Troth]]). Flowers is no longer affiliated with the Troth. Flowers has also has been involved with the [[Armanen-Orden]], the ''Order of the Triskelion'' and other occult orders. Flowers is currently the director of the '[http://www.woodharrow.com Woodharrow Institute of Germanic Studies] and the owner and operator of [http://www.runaraven.com Runa-Raven Press]. ==Work== In addition to being a prolific writer, Flowers is well known for translating obscure texts and manuscripts written in [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], [[Old Norse language|Old Norse]] and [[German language|German]] into the [[English language]], making many of them available to a wider range of readers for the first time. ==Criticisms== Flowers has received criticism for his involvement in occult organizations, most prominently by members of [[Germanic neopaganism|Germanic neopagan]] groups who see such associations as potentially misrepresenting and damaging to their religion. He is also criticized by some Germanic pagans for misrepresenting setian (relating to specific esoteric concepts associated with the Temple of Set) ideas as belonging to Germanic Paganism, particularly in his books that were aimed and marketed at people new to Germanic Paganism, possibly with the intent to influence younger generations of Germanic Pagans into the acceptance of Setian ideals. This argument is in part also based on his past and continuing involvement with the Order of the Trapezoid, a division of the Temple of Set that devotes itself to the study of magical traditions of various cultures.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} In [[1989]], Flowers was expelled from the [[Odinic Rite]] following his ''Open Letter to the Leadership of the [[Asatru]]/[[Odinist]]/[[Troth]] Movement'' wherein he detailed his involvement with the Temple of Set.<ref>Odinic Rite Briefing No.86, 14th July 1989</ref> Sweyn Plowright, a former member of the Rune-Gild who resigned from the organization in [[2000]],<ref name=SWEYNAUTHORSDEN> According to Sweyn's Authorsden.com profile here: [http://www.authorsden.com/sweynplowright]</ref> has referred to the philosophy of Flowers as being "neo-satanic" and antinomian.<ref>{{cite book| last =Plowright| first =Sweyn| authorlink =| coauthors =| title =The Rune Primer| publisher =LuLu|date=2006| location =| pages =pp.98-103| url =| doi =| id =ISBN 1847282466}}</ref> ==Partial bibliography== <div class="references-small"> ====Stephen Flowers==== * ''Runes and Magic: Magical Formulaic Elements in the Elder Runic Tradition'', 1987 ISBN 0-8204-0333-4 * ''The Galdrabók: an Icelandic Grimoire'', 1989 ISBN 0-87728-685-X * ''Fire & Ice: Magical Teachings of Germany's Greatest Secret Occult Order'', 1990 ISBN 0-87542-776-6 * ''Black Rûna'', 1995 * ''Hermetic Magic: The Postmodern Magical Papyrus of Abaris'', 1995 ISBN 0-87728-828-3 * ''Green Rûna: The Runemaster's Notebook'', 1996 ISBN 1-885972-03-2 * ''Lords of the Left-Hand Path: A History of Spiritual Dissent '', 1997 ISBN 1-885972-08-3 * ''Red Rûna'', 2002 * ''Carnal Alchemy: A Sado-Magical Exploration of Pleasure, Pain and Self-Transformation'', 2002 * ''A Concise Edition of Old English Runic Inscriptions'' * ''Travel-Report As it Concerns the Scandinavian Rûs - Ibn Fadlan - Introduction and Commentary by Stephen Flowers'' * ''Johannes Bureus and the Adalruna'' * ''Rúnarmál I'' * ''A Source-Book of Seid (with James Chisholm)'', 2002 * ''Studia Germanica Volume I'' * ''Wendish Mythology: Divinities and Religious Practices of the Western Slavs'' * ''The Magian Tarok: The Key Linking the Mithraic, Greek, Roman Hebrew and Runic Traditions with that of the Tarot'' ====As Edred Thorsson==== * ''Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic'', 1984 ISBN 0-87728-548-9 **''Handbuch der Runen-Magie'', 2003 ISBN 3-908644-63-1 * ''Runelore: A Handbook of Esoteric Runology'', 1987 ISBN 0-87728-667-1 ** ''Runelore : Manuel de runologie ésotérique'', 1999 ISBN 2-86714-123-0 ** ''Runenkunde: Ein Handbuch der esoterischen Runenlehre'', 2002 ISBN 3-908644-64-X * ''At The Well of Wyrd'' 1988 reprinted & retitled ''Runecaster’s Handbook: The Well of Wyrd'', 1999 ISBN 1-57863-136-X * ''Rune Might: Secret Practices of the German Rune Magicians'', 1989, 1990 ISBN 0-87542-778-2 * ''A Book of Troth'', 1989, 1992 ISBN 0-87542-777-4 * ''The Nine Doors of Midgard'', 1991 ISBN 0-87542-781-2 reprinted & retitled ''The Nine Doors of Midgard: A Curriculum of Rune-Work'', 2003 ISBN 1-885972-23-7 ** ''Die Neun Tore von Midgard Ein magischer Lehrplan der Runen-Gilde'', 2004 ISBN 3-935581-59-9 * ''The Truth about Teutonic Magic'', 1991 ISBN 0-87542-779-0 * ''Northern Magic: Mysteries of the Norse, Germans & English'',1992 reprinted & retitled ''Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism'', 1998 ISBN 1-56718-709-9 * ''Book of Ogham: The Celtic Tree Oracle'', 1994 ISBN 0-9754278-4-9 * ''Green Rûna - Shorter Works of Edred Thorsson Vol. I (1978-1985)'',1996 ISBN 1-885972-03-2 * ''Blue Rûna: Edred’s Shorter Works vol. III'' * ''Rune-Song Book & CD'' * ''An Introduction to the Germanic Tradition'' * ''Witchdom of the True: A Study of the Vana-Troth and the Practice of Seidr'' ====Translations==== * ''The Secret of the Runes by Guido von List'', 1990 (trans.) ISBN 0-89281-207-9 * ''Rune-Magic by Siegfried Adolf Kummer'', 1993 (trans.) ISBN 1-885972-00-8 * ''The Secret King: Karl Maria Wiligut -- Himmler’s Lord of the Runes'', 2001 (trans. and introduced) ISBN 1885972210 * ''The Rune-Poems Vol I'', 2002 ISBN 1-885972-19-9 * ''The Practice of the Ancient Turkish Freemasons by Rudolf von Sebottendorf'' (trans.) * ''Strange Tales by Hanns Heinz Ewers'' (trans.) * ''The Religion of the Aryo-Germanic Folk: Esoteric and Exoteric'' (trans.) * ''The Invincible by Guido von List'' (trans.) * ''The EDDA as Key to the Coming Age'' (trans.) ====Other published works==== * Tyr: Myth-Culture-Tradition Volume I: ''The Idea of Integral Culture: A model for a Revolt Against the Modern World'', 2002 ISBN 0-9720292-0-6 * Tyr: Myth-Culture-Tradition Volume II: ''The First Northern Renaissance: The Reawakening of the Germanic Spirit in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries in Germany, Sweden and England'', 2004 ISBN 0-9720292-1-4 * FringeWare Review Magazine Issue #3: ''The Secret of the Gothick God of Darkness'' </div> ==References== <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"><references/></div> == External links == {{commons|Category:Odianism}} * [http://www.newdawnmagazine.com/articles/Conversation%20with%20Dr%20Stephen%20Flowers.html New Dawn Magazine] ''Wisdom for the Wolf-Age: A Conversation With Dr. Stephen Flowers'' - magazine interview * [http://www.woodharrow.com Woodharrow Institute of Germanic Studies] * [http://www.runegild.org Rune Gild] * [http://www.xeper.org/ Temple of Set] * [http://www.trapezoid.org/ Order of the Trapezoid] {{Persondata}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Flowers, Stephen}} [[Category:1953 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Germanic mysticism]] [[Category:Occultists]] [[Category:Setians]] [[Category:Writers on Germanic paganism]] [[it:Odianesimo]]