Letter - M
MANNAZ (Man) Kingship and bloodlines were very
important to the Aryan races of northern Europe. Each individual
belonged to a clan to whom they owed primary loyalty and this extended
beyond this life into the next world. Each tribe erected the mound where
their kin would be buried and had to ensure they carried out the correct
burial rites so the dead did not become 'nightwalkers' haunting the
living.
Letter - G
GYFU (Gift) In tribal
society the giving of gifts had a very special significance. A wealthy
person was judge by the number of frequency of the gifts he or she
gave to those less fortunate. Personal relationships and close
friendships were also cemented by the exchanging of gifts which were
of small value but had a considerable symbolic meaning.
Letter - A
OS (Odin) Often known as 'the divine rune', Os is
sacred to Odin the All-father as the Supreme Being of Norse pagan
religion in its historical period. Odin was regarded by the Romans as
the northern European equivalent of Mercury or Hermes. This rune is
therefore associated with communication through the written and spoken
word
Letter - O
MANNAZ (Man) Kingship and bloodlines were very
important to the Aryan races of northern Europe. Each individual
belonged to a clan to whom they owed primary loyalty and this extended
beyond this life into the next world. Each tribe erected the mound where
their kin would be buried and had to ensure they carried out the correct
burial rites so the dead did not become 'nightwalkers' haunting the
living.
Letter - U
UR (Power) This rune symbolizes the auroch or wild ox, and
ancient breed of European bison dating back to prehistoric times. The Ur rune is
a symbol of elemental power and masculine energy in its untamed form. The ritual
hunting of the auroch was undertaken by young warriors as a test of manhood.
Therefore Ur can be seen as representing the pioneer spirit, rugged
individualism and spiritual strength.
Letter - P
PEORTH (Hearth) This is and ambiguous rune which has been
given several meanings. It has variously been translated as 'hearth', 'fruit
tree' and chessmen'. It would appear to be connected with games and therefore
the power of Wyrd. Alternatively, it can be linked with sacred music, bardism
and the sacred dance.
Letter - N
NYD (Need) Often modern runecasters use a blank rune to
signify Wyrd or 'destiny'. Alternatively, this rune can be used as a substitute.
Nyd is ruled by the Norms who, were goddesses who personified the cosmic powers
of destiny and fate. It is the Norms who record the deeds of mortals on the
scroll of eternity.
Letter - NG
ING (Fertility) This unusual
rune is named after the mysterious god who was seen traveling over the water in
a wagon by the East Danes. They at first thought he was the sea god Njord but he
was later identified with Frey.
Letter - Y
EOH (Death) The death rune is
symbolized by the yew tree, which was also the best wood for carving runes. In
Norse mythology the World Tree Yggdrasil was said to be a yew. For obvious
reasons the yew tree is also a tree sacred to Odin in his role as sacrificed
god.
Letter - Z
EOLH (Protection) As its name suggests, this is a protection rune. It derives its magickal name from as
species of the giant elk which used to roam the forest of prehistoric Europe. It
was used as a warning device to keep trespassers off private property and to
protect the wearer from harm. As it shape dictates, it is also as feminine sign
of the fertility Goddess.
Letter - F
FEOH (Frey) In ancient time this rune signified cattle,
which were commonly used as a form of hard currency among the Indo-European
tribes. This rune therefore represents wealth, but as cattle raids between the
warring tribes were frequent, it is a wealth which can be easily won or
lost.
Letter - W
WYN (Joy) The meaning of this rune is usually rendered as 'joy' or 'happiness', which were highlights in the
lives of the inhabitants of the cold and dark northern regions. Especially near
the Arctic Circle, the winters were long and darkness lasted most of the day.
The coming of spring was therefore a joyous event celebrated with the worship of
the life force.
Letter - J
JERA
Letter - K
CEN (Fire) This is a rune symbolizing the elemental power of
fire. A torch or sacred fire is an universal symbol of the enlightenment found
in most religions. In Nordic mythology the two primal forces responsible for
creation, which brought the physical universe into manifestation, are fire
(masculine energy) and ice (feminine energy).
Letter - T
TYR (Tiw) Tyr, Tew or Tiw was
one of the principal gods of the divine dynasty known as the Aesir, which
included Odin and Thor. He was a deity of war and gave his name to our modern
Tuesday. From its shape the Tyr rune is obviously a phallic symbol. It denotes
'victory in battle' and represents martial values and
attributes.
Letter - B
BEORC (Birth) In rune lore
Beorc signifies the birth tree, which is a symbol of fertility. Its shape
resembles female breasts. Beorc is also known as the 'birth rune' and is
connected with fecundity, children and the Great Mother
Goddess.
Letter - EO
EH (Horse) The horse was
sacred to the fertility god Frey and this divine animal is represented in the
rune alphabet by Eh. Indo-European myth presents the horse as the important
sacred beast and the Celtic and Saxon hill figures of southern England celebrate
this fact.
Letter - L
LAGU (Water) This is the water
rune signifying the lake or the sea. The ocean is symbolically the womb of the
Great Mother Goddess which is the source of all life in the universe. The
association between the tides, the lunar cycle and menstruation is well
known.
Letter - H
HAGEL (Air) Translated this rune's name means 'hail', and it
symbolizes the unexpected spring storms which could devastate the germinating
crops. Hagel therefore represents the delays and limitations which can often
hinder progress, either in daily life or on the spiritual path. These delays had
to be seen in a positive light as part of the natural pattern.
Letter - R
RAD (Wheel) In rune lore this character was associated with
the symbol of a wheel or wagon. The latter was a recurring motif in the Norse
myth and could be either the chariot or the sun which crosses the sky every day,
the magickal vehicles which transported Freyja and Frey, Thor's chariot drawn by
two giant goats of the sacred wagon of the earth goddess Nerthus.
Letter - TH
PORN (Thor) This runic character represents a thorn but also
the magickal hammer of the god Thor which is called Mjollnir. Although a thorn
is on tiny in size it can still cause physical discomfort which is increased
hundredfold if thorns are encountered in large numbers
Letter - D
DAEG (Dawn) The name of this rune refers to the dawn of a
new day. This was an event welcomed in the northern lands especially after the
long nights of winter. Where the sun was worshipped as a symbol of the life
force its rising was ritually greeted each day.
Letter - I
IS (Ice) This is the second primal rune, the opposite to
Cen. It represents the elemental power of water (spirit) which is transformed
into ice (matter) to create physical reality. In the Norse creation myth it was
primordial interaction between fire and ice which triggered this process and
manifested Middle Earth.
Letter - S
SIGIL (Sun) The title of the rune means quite literally 'the
sun', which was and important element of worship in the Bronze and Iron Age
cultures of northern Europe. Symbolically the sun represents the life force but
in the Germanic myth it was regarded as feminine. This gender reversal probably
dates back to the matrifocal of pre-patriarchal times
Letter - /
ODIN