Drawing runes in combat is risky. But they have their uses. The gods, on the other hand, can do all sorts of magic, without the aid of runes. Aesir can tap into their ancient source directly, if they're powerful enough.

[Meja unsheathes one of the short swords on her back and shows the blade to the camera. Light gleams off of the fairly reflective Asgardian steel, displaying several runes down the blade itself.]

All Valkyrie carry rune blades as our primary weapons.