ᛇ Eihwaz - Enlightenment ᛇ PV | Akinyi Odera

XXXXXThe distance from her office to her classroom was short. However, especially when lost within her reading material, Akinyi did not hear sudden noises. The thing that did awake her from her slumber within her mind was the sharp click of the door. This was something she’d trained herself to recognize, to pay attention to. It signified an entrance, and oftentimes an entrance was a powerful statement. Akinyi found herself straightening her posture, back a more acceptable position in proportion to her chair.

The click of the door had startled her from the reading, and her focus had been disrupted. Who had entered her classroom while class was not in session, and hadn’t come directly into her office for a chat? She paused for a moment longer, to listen. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing signaling an immediate need for investigation. However, Akinyi was curious. Known to many as Professor Odera, it was unlike her to simply ignore a question, despite it being one posed by her own mind rather than another.

She pushed her chair back, a slight scraping sound heard before she stood and made her way from her office into the conjoined classroom. It was there that she spotted a young boy. One that couldn’t have been very old—perhaps a second year, most likely a first year. He wore the blue robes of Ravenclaw, and sported untidy brown hair paired with sharp hazel eyes. He was found beside one of the many bookshelves within the classroom, to ensure any students had the reading material they desired. Akinyi stepped towards the boy, heels clicking against the floor, making her presence known. She’d been called intimidating before. She was average height, however her nearly constant use of heels boosted this by several inches, added to the fact that she simply did not walk around with a warm smile upon her face.

Her every action was deliberate, planned. Any smile shown to anyone would have to be purposeful. Seeing a young child interested in runes did warm her heart. Although she hadn’t latched onto runes much during her own schooling at Uagadou, it was a fulfilling path to walk along. Someone being interested so young was a positive. “Raidho may also be signifying decision-making or control, with Kennaz—is that what you called it? I know it as Kaunan—representing the search for enlightenment or knowledge. So this could also be put together to mean one’s control over their search for enlightenment.”

Akinyi spoke, managing to catch his interpretation of the runes in the classroom, quiet, discounting the boys words, her own swishing movements as she walked, and the clicking of her heels. “It’s nice to meet you, my dear. May I inquire about your fascination with the elder futhark, or perhaps runes in general?” Although rare, a smile did make it’s way upon her face. Perhaps this child was one to pay attention to.

date ; 11/27/2025 mentions ; @timothy daniels languages ; “english” — thoughts

Classroom of Study of Ancient Runes ; location 484 ; wordcount definitions I pulled from can be found here! ; ooc notes

XXXXXAt the mention of disturbance, Akinyi nearly laughed aloud. A single first year, possibly second year, poking around her classroom and reading some of the tomes on her subject wasn’t nearly as much of a disturbance as some of Akinyi’s own students. It was always refreshing to hear that a student at Hogwarts maintained such respect. As a child, Akinyi had never been the star student, and likely never gave her professors a reason to value her, beyond her work ethic and academic ability. “Do not worry about it, child. I welcome distractions such as yourself.”

She continued to listen, as the boy spoke. He spoke so softly, with a lilt of meekness present in his voice. That wouldn’t do. “Well put. Runes certainly does bring joy to myself through the little puzzle one must solve to decode them. I’m glad to hear they do for you as well.” Akinyi smiled, eyes drifting to the shelves beside the two. They were stacked with books, ones that she could connect with such resources from childhood, to the countless recipes that she translated while an apprentice, each fueling her passion for the very subject she taught now.

She was snapped away from the brief remembrance by the noise of the boy speaking aloud, seemingly in her direction. Akinyi merely nodded at the note that had been made by the author. Such charms to inspire creativity had likely been popular with artists and musicians in the past. It made sense to find such a thing in a book. “I see.” It was the boys next question that made a smile spread across her face, the words bubbling up from within. “Why, it’s all about intention—the objective of the original creator when inscribing or painting the rune.” Akinyi paused for a moment, searching for an appropriate example. This was what made runes so interesting. Not only were they an ancient language, their translations valuable, but the meaning of their author changed their effect entirely. “Take Fehu, for instance. The traditional meaning revolves around rebirth—the direct translation would be of fire, and following a wildfire, there is rebirth. However, fire can also lead to much destruction.” Akinyi paused for a moment, allowing for the young boy to absorb the information. “One’s intention while using Fehu can give wildly different results, depending upon the intent behind the action.” The words came out more solemn. Runes weren’t all fun and games, they could be dangerous. There was a reason students were disallowed from writing runes while in third year, nor fourth year unless with the explicit permission of their professor.

“Does that perhaps answer your question, dear?” She asked, beginning to stand once more. Crouching was fine and dandy, except for the fact that it was a little uncomfortable for her, especially in her heels, which is why she straightened for a moment, before resuming her prior positioning. “I’d be willing to point you in the direction of a couple more books, should you be interested in learning more about the subject.” Akinyi offered, voice warm. Although she didn’t necessarily recall such a passion for runes at a young age, what kind of Professor would she be to not fuel this enthusiasm?

date ; 11/27/2025 mentions ; @timothy daniels languages ; “english” — thoughts

Classroom of Study of Ancient Runes ; location 535 ; wordcount much info pulled from Y1L2 of Ancient Runes ; ooc notes

XXXXXThis was the reason Akinyi had been happy to become a Professor—the joy and passion that shimmered in the eyes of the children she taught, as the avenues opened directly in front of them, and they understood the importance behind her words. “Yes, absolutely correct! You cannot just…say the incantation of a spell for it to work in your favor. You must use the correct pronunciation, wand movement, and have to want to cast a spell. It doesn’t simply happen without reason.” She nodded in agreement with his statement. The understanding had dawned in his eyes moments prior, and that was when she one that what he said would likely be a correct interpretation—thankfully, this boy was bright. He understood exactly what she was putting down.

“Books are a promise I can easily fulfill. If you wish for something to completely translate, yes, that would take some additional searching. Luckily for you, you have come to the right place.” Akinyi rose from her position beside the boy, striding towards the far wall, holding shorter shelves of books. Letting her eyes scan across the spines of the books, she halted once she noticed the title she was looking for. A Guide to Direct Translations: The Elder Futhark. Tugging the book from the shelf, Akinyi returned to the student. “This book will build you to that level—provide you with passages, you can write your translation upon a separate page of parchment. It has the answers in the second half of the book. Not quite only translations, but a similar book guided me towards where I am today.” Akinyi extended her arm while she spoke, offering the guide to the child. Although she began her translating journey with runes once out of school, she found basic guides were often more helpful than one would think.

“As for where to start, you’re in a fantastic place. The Elder Futhark is certainly where I would recommend beginning, which is where you are. Once you feel completely comfortable, we can move to the Younger Futhark, and then maybe the Gothic alphabet. By then, you’ll be far more advanced than many of your peers.” Akinyi nodded in satisfaction, reminiscing on her years at Uagadou, with her language learning. This was similar, but he was starting with magic, rather than various dialects and languages. She was unsure of which approach would work best, but it likely depended on his drive and how long this interest lasted. If it was a short phase, he would likely take her class, but never progress past that. However, if he was truly passionate about Ancient Runes, and continued to learn, he could possibly take larger strides than even Akinyi did.

“You are in a perfect position, don’t fret Timothy. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m delighted to see someone as young as you is so interested in Ancient Runes. I’ll give you a few of the books I recommend to excited third years, and you, my dear, will be perfectly fine.” Akinyi smiled, happy to finally hear his name. Her suspicions had been confirmed, he was a first year. This was an outstanding surprise, one that Akinyi was delighted to hear. This boy was likely ahead of a couple of her inattentive third years, and he didn’t yet know his own academic prowess.

date ; 11/27/2025 mentions ; @timothy daniels languages ; “english” — thoughts

Classroom of Study of Ancient Runes ; location 552 ; wordcount my apologies for the wait, happy holidays! ; ooc notes