The Runes

Fehu

* Meaning: cattle, wealth, movable wealth
* Letter: F
* Deities: Frey & Freyja (fertility gods directly related to livestock)
and Niord (god directly related to wealth)
* Freya wears a necklace called Brisingamen, which is a symbol of fertility. It’s made of gold and amber (both expensive). She earned it by sleeping with 4 dwarves (the 4 elements).
* It represents the creative fire which emerges from Muspelheim.
* Divination: the ability of the individual to create or maintain wealth; the energy to create wealth.

Uruz

* Meaning: the life force of the masculine polarity, the unconscious drive for manifestation.
* Letter: U
* Element: Ice
* contains a primal earth energy - the inextinguishable impulse to be.
* the energy of this rune is indestructible, raw, primitive, and unbelievably strong.
* Symbolism: strength, persistence, durability, adaptability to environmental changes.
* on a higher plane, it represents healing energy, a strong, restorative, recuperative physical process.
* teaches patience, endurance, courage and the application of aggression at the right time and under the right circumstances.
* Associations: growth, the overcoming of obstacles, the force to assert oneself.
* Divination: the condition of your strength, on both the physical and psychological level. New opportunities and encouragement. Sometimes, taking a risk.
* Deity: Thor, the Thunderer

Thurisaz

* Meaning: an ancient name for the god Thor; giant
* Letter: TH
* Element: Fire
* the Giants represent the forces of chaos, and Thor is the one
who keeps those forces under control.
* Active energy directed outwards or passive energy contained or directed inwards.
* viewed as the negative or evil rune.
* This rune is a carrier and can be combined with various other runes to ensure effectiveness in a working.
* It is an easy rune to tap into and the best method for invoking it is through emotion, whatever the nature of that emotion The more emotion, the more success.
* Probably the most dangerous rune in the whole Futhark.
* Divination: the shadow in the unconscious, the repressed collection of garbage amassed throughout life or foisted on us by the environment and its social conditions.
* An excellent rune to use for binding magick.

Ansuz

* Meaning: a god, Odin
* Letter: A
* Represents order
* Element: Air
* It is through air that sound becomes audible.
In an airless environment, sound cannot be heard.
* relates to the ancestors.
* On a higher level, it represents the life energy.
* Used for releasing.

Raido

* Meaning: riding or journey, traveling
* Letter: R
* Divination: creating movement, generating motion, taking charge of situations, being in control, taking the initiative, starting a new venture, decision-making or directing a course of action.
* counsel or advice
* leadership and nobility
* freedom and moral responsibility to the Self (to be in charge of your own path in life).
* the rune of repetitive movement and ritual
* can be used for shamanic traveling to the Underworld.



Kenaz

* Meaning: Torch, light (the torch is a symbol of knowledge, consciousness and intellect)
* Letter: K or a hard C
* Kenaz means “to know, apply and recognize”.
* the ability to seek, gain, apply and recognize, the learning and teaching process
* On a psychological level, the attributes of this tune are clarity of thought, insight, consciousness of the Self, inborn or hereditary knowledge, confidence and trust in one’s own intuition, concentration and determined effort.
* Element: Fire (in its contained form) - fire of enthusiasm and inspiration
* used to gain knowledge, investigate the deeper background of problems, hidden reasons and origins and underlying causes of the effects.
* can function as the light within - a guiding torch when exploring the inner realms.
* can be used as a weapon to expel unwanted influences.
* Divination: the exposure of hidden, unknown, or unacknowledged motives.
* can be used as an astral doorway - a symbol which can be projected through “the veil”.
* can be a beacon that represents our inner light.

Gebo

* Meaning: gift
* Letter: X
* Deity: Odin; sometimes Thor
* marriage contracts, boundary markers
* Element: Air
* Divination: balance and equilibrium (giving and receiving)
* Theme: the preservation of balance, the law of compensation
* agreements, settlements, legal matters; betrothal
* hospitality and generosity
* for each sending, a price has to be paid.
* very useful for binding 2 or 3 runes together for magickal workings.

Wunjo

* Meaning: perfection
* Letter: W, sometimes V
* Deity: Odin, Uller
* Divination: All that is beautiful and wonderful
* one of the most magickally powerful runes
* extremely useful in realizing one’s objectives

Hagalaz

* Meaning: hail (frozen water and air)
* Letter: H
* a negative rune; destructive force
* this rune rules Hel.
* Deity: Hella
* Divination: disruptive forces operating in the unconscious, creating necessary change; unlearned lessons or unresolved problems.
* the realm of Hel can be equated with the personal unconscious, the deepest part of which is connected with the collective unconscious.
* contains a lot of dark feminine power
* a strong connection with negative witchcraft.
* use for extremely negative magick.

Nauthiz

* Meaning: need
* Letter: N
* Deity: Skuld (rules the future)
* can provide a window into what is to come.
* Divination: a person’s own unacknowledged needs (in a reading, what is needed will follow this rune; it can also be a warning)
* can be used to restrict other people
* rules Nifelhel, the realm of the dragon Nidhog, which means “gnawer from beneath”. Nidhog paws at the roots of Yggdrasil in an attempt to destroy the Tree. Nidhog can be viewed as the unconscious shadow, gnawing at the Self.
*teaches us the skill of self-preservation
* relates to the binding of Loki, who is the god of fire.

Isa

* Meaning: ice
* Letter: I
* represents the principle of preservation and resistance to change, counter-force to evolution, slowing down change.
* crystallizes spirit into matter (self-preservation)
* its function is to keep things as they are, to maintain whatever “is”.
* represents the darker side of the Goddess, the sterile barren goddess.
* Divination: a frustrating influence and most often indicates that whatever the question asked or the problem discussed, there is no immediate possibility of change.
* use to cancel any disruptive or aggressive forces, self-defence magick (to freeze someone’s actions).

Jera

* Meaning: year, harvest
* Letter: J or Y
* has an important bearing on time and the divisions of time
* it represents time itself
* Associations: turning of the year at Yuletide, when the sun returns
* Deity: Baldur, Hoder; Frey and Freyja
* everything is on the move, nothing stays the same
* this rune can create gentle change
* Divination: change for the better, the end of a cycle and the beginning of another one; return as a result of a previous action
* contains the mystery of the eternal return
* Element: earth
* strongly connected with fertility
* In magick, it can speed up processes or slow them down

Eihwaz

* Meaning: Yew, the Yggdrasil, the human spine or backbone which supports the rest of the body
* Letter: E
* associated with hunting
* can give you the necessary impetus to take a headlong plunge into the deep end.
* an outgoing rune of action, striving, persistence, and endurance.
* a testing force
* Deity: Odin, Uller
* being in a state of suspension as a result of conflicting emotions or a difficult choice between 2 equally valued opposites
* use in binding magick
* one of the most powerful runes

Pertho

* Meaning: birth, secret
* Letter: P
* the womb of the great Goddess
* Deity: Frigga (goddess who governs birth)
* indicates space
* talents and hidden potential possessed by an individual which have not yet been manifested, as well as abilities inherited from ancestors
* use this rune in meditation
* Divination: an initiation experience, the discovery of a hidden aspect of oneself

Algiz

* Meaning: protection, defence
* Letter: Z
* reminiscent of Tyr’s hand, which he sacrificed to bind Fenris the wolf.
* pointed upwards gives it male influence
* pointed downwards gives it female influence
* females give life; men deal out death
* shielding
* it acts as a powerful conductor, channelling energies from man to the gods
* associated with the Rainbow Bridge (path between Asgard and Midgard - the only way to travel between these two realms)
* use for healing


Sowulo

* Meaning: Sun (as a life-giving force)
* Letter: S
* sun is viewed as feminine to Norse people
* the higher will or intent, the sense of self and self-worth
* the highest force in the self, directing the individual’s evolution along a specific path
* spiritual guidance and leadership
* Divination: direct a course of action or state a positive purpose; it must always be interpreted in conjunction with the adjacent runes
* Deity: Thor (the god of lightning; the symbol resembles lightning); also a connection with Odin because the sun represents one of his eyes (the other represents the moon)

Teiwaz

* Meaning: the god Tyr
* Letter: T
* shape of a spear
* use in magick dealing with gaining justice or to win victory in a conflict
* Divination: legal conflicts, court action
* on a spiritual level, it embodies the values of the spiritual warrior
* associated with death; can be used to design a talisman to communicate with the dead

Berkana

* Meaning: birch
* Letter: B
* a goddess rune (resembles breasts)
* Deity: Berchta (patron of mothers and children)
* the process of gestation and birth
* use for healing, rejuvenation
* very beneficial for women and women’s problems
* birch is one of the sacred trees
* below the birch tree often grows the Amanita muscaria, a well-known “magick” mushroom used in rituals to achieve altered states of consciousness, in which “soul journeys” to the Underworld were taken
* Divination: process of growth, a caring, maternal influence and creativity
* a protection charm for children



Ehwaz

* Meaning: horse
* Letter: E
* implies vehicles and control of vehicles; the persona on a psychological level
* one’s ability to adjust to various situations
* particularly relevant to marriage, partnership, join enterprises of all kinds
* can unify two people in a strong cooperative relationship such as marriage or even a business partnership; co-operation
* the art of adjusting, making the best of a situation
* use in magick to invoke good luck
* represents the astral or etheric body
* Divination: something of a female nature; often relates to one’s own mother or other older females

Mannaz

* Meaning: man, woman, human; ancestors
* Letter: M
* cooperation between people sharing the same environment
* Divination: people in general; the sort of people it means can be figured out by looking at surrounding runes
* use to attract support from one’s peer group in magick
Laguz

* Meaning: lake
* Letter: L
* feminine influence
* Deity: Nerthus (the oldest goddess; worshipped on an island on a lake)
* sorcery
* Element: water ( a transmitting agency or a mediating and conducting principle)
* used to influence others or to evade other people’s dream-states
* waters of life
* Divination: infer whether a particular project has been carried by a favourable tide

Inguz

* Meaning: the god Frey
* Letter: NG
* a fertility rune (female)
* the carrier of genetic material
* can be used as an alternate form to a magick circle
* use it to contain other runic energies within it
* use it for astral projection: imagine this rune on a door and project through it
* Divination: the completion of a situation and the progression to the next stage of the querent’s affairs, depending on the other runes in the reading, transformation, a dark night of the soul
* use during lunar magick

Othila

* Meaning: inherited land; noble
* Letter: O
* Deity: Odin (god of nobility)
* loyalty towards one’s family, tribe or village
* use to invoke Odin in his aspect of wanderer and teacher

Dagaz

* Meaning: day
* Letter: D
* the last rune in the Futhark (usually)
* the dawning of the new day or the midpoint of the day (when the Sun is at noon)
* relates to the division of the day
* a rune of change; cataclysmic change (the situation will change to its mirror image: positive to negative or vise versa)
* the end of an era and the beginning of the next cycle
* it acts as a catalyst initiating change without changing its own nature
* it synthesizes, transmutes and dissolves all opposing polarities
* can function as a Rainbow Bridge in magick
* can transform consciousness
* use for initiation
* use for the 4 or 8-fold division of the quarters to designate the area outside of time and space, or “between the worlds”
* can be used to hide things from view