Perthro is the well from which people would draw the water to make beer. Perthro is the cup you drink from while you tell ridiculous stories with your friends at the tavern. Perthro is the empty dice cup you ignore in your hand as the dice roll across the table. Perthro is that moment before the dice come to a stop, that anticipation, that unknowing. As a roleplayer, Perthro is the card of some of the most cherished moments of my life.
While Perthro is literally a cup, it isn’t really all that much like the Suit of Cups. Cups is a compassionate, tender suit. Perthro is often a bit rougher, though no less caring. Perthro is almost the opposite of Temperance: rather than a lone angel pouring out the cup, Perthro is a rune of the gathering after a hard day to share those cups.
Perthro represents the mystery of what the dice will say when they come up, similar to The Wheel of Fortune. For this reason, some people associate it with divination itself. Who knows which card or Rune will fall next?
Divination:
When I see this Rune in a reading, I think of two things: the moment between when you cast the dice and when you either cheer or lament, and the companionship of the people around you as you throw those dice.
If the rest of the reading appears to be about a project, then this Rune is similar to the Knight of Pentacles, contemplating the Pentacle in his hands while standing in front of his recently planted fields. Everything you can do to make it successful has been done. The rest is down to fate.
If this is about a relationship, it is the caring, back-slapping relationship of good friends. There really isn’t a Tarot card that lines up with this feeling, though the Ten of Pentacles comes close.
Use in Magick:
Okay, I admit it, I bless my dice with this Rune. While playing poker or other card games, I trace this Rune with my finger into the backs of the cards. What can I say? I want the luck! I also want the companionship that this Rune embodies. I’m not just blessing the cards or the dice to win the game; I’m blessing them to help me become closer to the people around me, who are playing with me.