THE
RUNES AND THEIR MEANING
Fehu (F: Domestic
cattle, wealth.) Possessions won or earned, earned income, luck. Abundance, financial strength
in the present or near future.
Sign of hope and plenty, success and happiness.
Social success.
Energy, foresight, fertility,
creation/destruction (becoming).
Fehu Reversed or Merkstave: Loss of personal
property, esteem,
or something that you put in effort to keep. It
indicates some sort of failure.
Greed, burnout, atrophy, discord.
Cowardice, stupidity, dullness, poverty, slavery, bondage.
Uruz(U: Auroch, a wild ox.) Physical strength and
speed, untamed
potential. A time of great energy and health.
Freedom,
energy, action, courage, strength, tenacity, understanding,
wisdom.
Sudden or unexpected changes (usually for the better).
Sexual
desire, masculine potency. The shaping of power and pattern,
formulation
of the self. Uruz Reversed or Merkstave:
Weakness,
obsession, misdirected force, domination by others.
Sickness,
inconsistency, ignorance. Lust, brutality, rashness,
callousness,
violence.
Thurisaz(TH: Thorn or a Giant.) Reactive force, directed
force of destruction and defense, conflict.
Instinctual
will, vital eroticism, regenerative catalyst.
A
tendency toward change. Catharsis, purging, cleansing fire.
Male
sexuality, fertilization. (Thorr, the Thunder god, was of Giant stock.)
Thurisaz
Reversed or Merkstave: Danger, defenselessness, compulsion,
betrayal,
dullness. Evil, malice, hatred, torment, spite, lies.
A
bad man or woman. Rape?
Ansuz(A: The As, ancestral
god, i.e. Odin.) A revealing message or
insight, communication. Signals, inspiration, enthusiasm, speech,
true
vision, power of words and naming. Blessings, the taking of advice.
Good
health, harmony, truth, wisdom.
Ansuz
Reversed or Merkstave: Misunderstanding, delusion, manipulation
by
others, boredom. Vanity and grandiloquence.
(Odin
is a mighty, but duplicitous god. He always has his own agenda.)
Raidho(R:
Wagon or chariot.) Travel, both in physical terms and those
of lifestyle direction. A journey, vacation, relocation, evolution,
change
of place or setting. Seeing a larger perspective.
Seeing
the right move for you to make and deciding upon it.
Personal
rhythm, world rhythm, dance of life.
Raidho
Reversed or Merkstave: Crisis, rigidity, stasis, injustice,
irrationality.
Disruption, dislocation, demotion, delusion, possibly a death.
Kenaz (K:
Beacon or torch.) Vision, revelation, knowledge, creativity, inspiration,
technical ability. Vital fire of life, harnessed power,
fire
of transformation and regeneration. Power to create your own reality,
the
power of light. Open to new strength, energy,
and
power now. Passion, sexual love.
Kenaz
Reversed or Merkstave: Disease, breakup, instability, lack of
creativity.
Nakedness,
exposure, loss of illusion and false hope.
Gebo (G:
Gift.) Gifts, both in the sense of sacrifice and of generosity, indicating
balance. All matters in relation to exchanges,
including
contracts, personal relationships and partnerships.
Gebo
Merkstave (Gebo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Greed,
loneliness,
dependence, over-sacrifice. Obligation, toll, privation, bribery.
Wunjo(W
or V: Joy.) Joy, comfort, pleasure. Fellowship, harmony, prosperity. Ecstasy,
glory, spiritual reward, but also the possibility of going "over the
top".
If
restrained, the meaning is general success and recognition of worth.
Wunjo
Reversed or Merkstave: Stultification, sorrow, strife, alienation.
Delirium,
intoxication,
possession by higher forces, impractical enthusiasm.
Raging
frenzy, The berzerker Rune.
Hagalaz (H:
Hail.) Wrath of nature, destructive, uncontrolled forces, especially
the weather, or within the unconscious. Tempering, testing, trial.
Controlled
crisis, leading to completion, inner harmony.
Hagalaz
Merkstave (Hagalaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition):
Natural
disaster, catastrophe. Stagnation, loss of power.
Pain,
loss, suffering, hardship, sickness, crisis.
Nauthiz (N:
Need.) Delays, restriction. Resistance leading to strength, innovation,
need-fire (self-reliance). Distress, confusion, conflict,
and
the power of will to overcome them. Endurance, survival,
determination.
A time to exercise patience. Recognition of one's fate.
Major
self-initiated change. Face your fears.
Nauthiz
Reversed or Merkstave: Constraint of freedom, distress,
toil,
drudgery, laxity. Necessity, extremity, want,
deprivation,
starvation, need, poverty, emotional hunger.
Isa (I:
Ice.) A challenge or frustration. Psychological blocks to thought or
activity, including grievances. Standstill, or a time to turn inward
and
wait for what is to come, or to seek clarity.
This
rune reinforces runes around it.
Isa
Merkstave (Isa cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition):
Ego-mania,
dullness,
blindness, dissipation. Treachery, illusion, deceit,
betrayal,
guile, stealth, ambush, plots.
Jera (J
or Y: A year, a good harvest.) The results of earlier efforts are
realized. A time of peace and happiness, fruitful season.
It can
break through stagnancy.
Hopes
and expectations of peace and prosperity.
The
promise of success earned. Life cycle, cyclical pattern of the universe.
Everything
changes, in its own time.
Jera
Merkstave (Jera cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition):
Sudden
setback, reversals. A major change, repetition,
bad
timing, poverty, conflict.
Eihwaz (EI:
Yew tree.) Strength, reliability, dependability, trustworthiness.
Enlightenment, endurance. Defense, protection.
The
driving force to acquire, providing motivation and a sense of purpose.
Indicates
that you have set your sights on a reasonable target and can
achieve
your goals. An honest man who can be relied upon.
Eihwaz
Reversed or Merkstave: Confusion, destruction,
dissatisfaction,
weakness.
Perthro:
(P: Lot cup, vagina.) Uncertain meaning, a secret matter, a
mystery, hidden things and occult abilities. Initiation, knowledge
of
one's destiny, knowledge of future matters, determining the future or
your
path. Pertaining to things feminine, feminine mysteries including
female
fertility, and vagina. Good lot, fellowship and joy. Evolutionary
change.
Perthro
Reversed or Merkstave: Addiction, stagnation, loneliness, malaise.
Algiz (Z
or -R: Elk, protection.) Protection, a shield. The protective urge to
shelter oneself or others. Defense, warding off of evil, shield,
guardian.
Connection
with the gods, awakening, higher life.
It can
be used to channel energies appropriately. Follow your instincts.
Keep
hold of success or maintain a position won or earned.
Algiz
Reversed: or Merkstave: Hidden danger, consumption by divine forces,
loss
of divine link. Taboo, warning, turning away, that which repels.
Sowilo (S:
The sun.) Success, goals achieved, honor. The life-force, health. A time
when power will be available to you for positive changes in your life,
victory,
health, and success. Contact between the higher self
and
the unconscious. Wholeness, power, elemental force,
sword
of flame, cleansing fire.
Sowilo
Merkstave (Sowilo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition):
False
goals, bad counsel, false success, gullibility, loss of goals.
Destruction,
retribution, justice, casting down of vanity. Wrath of god.
Tiwaz (T:
Tyr, the sky god.) Honor, justice, leadership and authority. Analysis,
rationality. Knowing where one's true strengths lie.
Willingness
to self-sacrifice. Victory and success in any competition
or in
legal matters. Tiwaz Reversed or Merkstave: One's energy and creative
flow
are blocked. Mental paralysis, over-analysis, over-sacrifice,
injustice,
imbalance.
Strife, war, conflict, failure in competition.
Dwindling
passion, difficulties in communication, and possibly separation.
Berkano(B:
Berchta, the birch-goddess.) Birth, general fertility, both
mental and physical and personal growth, liberation.
Regenerative
power and light of spring, renewal, promise of new beginnings,
new
growth. Arousal of desire. A love affair or new birth.
The
prospering of an enterprise or venture.
Berkano
Reversed or Merkstave: Family problems and or domestic troubles.
Anxiety
about someone close to you. Carelessness, abandon,
loss
of control. Blurring of consciousness, deceit, sterility, stagnation.
Ehwaz (E:
Horse, two horses.) Transportation. May represent a horse, car,
plane, boat or other vehicle. Movement and change for the better.
Gradual
development and steady progress are indicated. Harmony,
teamwork,
trust, loyalty. An ideal marriage or partnership.
Confirmation
beyond doubt the meanings of the runes around it.
Ehwaz
Reversed or Merkstave: This is not really a negative rune.
A
change is perhaps craved. Feeling restless or confined in a situation.
Reckless
haste, disharmony, mistrust, betrayal.
Mannaz(M:
Man, mankind.) The Self; the individual or the human race. Your
attitude toward others and their attitudes towards you.
Friends
and enemies, social order. Intelligence, forethought, create, skill,
ability.
Divine structure, intelligence, awareness.
Expect
to receive some sort of aid or cooperation now.
Mannaz
Reversed or Merkstave: Depression, mortality, blindness,
self-delusion.
Cunning, slyness, manipulation, craftiness, calculation.
Expect
no help now.
Laguz (L:
Water, or a leek.) Flow, water, sea, a fertility source, the
healing power of renewal. Life energy and organic growth.
Imagination
and psychic matters. Dreams, fantasies, mysteries, the unknown,
the
hidden, the deep, the underworld. Success in travel or acquisition,
but
with the possibility of loss.
Laguz
Reversed or Merkstave: An indication of a period of confusion in your
life.
You
may be making wrong decisions and poor judgements.
Lack
of creativity and feelings of being in a rut. Fear, circular motion,
avoidance,
withering. Madness, obsession, despair,
perversity,
sickness, suicide.
Ingwaz (NG:
Ing, the earth god.) Male fertility, gestation, internal growth. Common
virtues, common sense, simple strengths, family love,
caring,
human warmth, the home. Rest stage, a time of relief, of no anxiety.
A time
when all loose strings are tied and you are free to move
in a
new direction. Listen to yourself.
Ingwaz
Merkstave (Ingwaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition):
Impotence,
movement without change. Production, toil, labor, work.
Dagaz (D:
Day or dawn.) Breakthrough, awakening, awareness. Daylight
clarity as opposed to nighttime uncertainty. A time to plan or embark
upon
an enterprise. The power of change directed by your own will,
transformation.
Hope/happiness, the ideal. Security and certainty.
Growth
and release. Balance point, the place where opposites meet.
Dagaz
Merkstave (Dagaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition):
A
completion, ending, limit, coming full circle. Blindness, hopelessness.
Othala (O:
Ancestral property.) Inherited property or possessions, a
house, a home. What is truly important to one. Group order,
group
prosperity. Land of birth, spiritual heritage, experience and
fundamental
values. Aid in spiritual and physical journeys.
Source
of safety, increase and abundance.
Othala
Reversed or Merkstave: Lack of customary order, totalitarianism,
slavery,
poverty, homelessness. Bad karma, prejudice, clannishness,
provincialism.
What a man is bound to.
Blank Rune There is no historical support for a "Blank
Rune" in runic divination.
It
was invented in the 1980's. It should not be used in a rune casting.
If you
bought a rune set with a blank piece, save it in case you lose
another
rune piece, but don't use it in rune casting.
