Dagaz, like The Fool in the Major Arcana, is a card of new beginnings. It is literally the Rune of the sunrise, the beginning of the day. When I teach a beginner’s class on the Runes, I often have people color in the two sides of the Rune green, as if they were hills, and […]
Othala is the Rune of ancestral home. Don’t think of the apartment you’re living in this month; think of the Ten of Pentacles. This is a Rune of the wisdom of the ancestors, a Rune of the home that was built by many generations. This is a Rune of the smell of cookies in gramma’s […]
Laguz is a Rune of water, and is therefore associated with the Suit of Cups. It is the overflowing stream in the Ace of Cups and the river of tears in front of the person on the Five of Cups. Even moreso, it is the Six of Swords, the card of being carried away by […]
Inguz is the Rune of fertility, aligned with about half of the Suit of Pentacles. It is the garden from the Ten of Pentacles. It is the fruit from the Seven of Pentacles. I am hesitant to say that it is the flowers from the Queen of Pentacles because Inguz is specifically a masculine rune. […]
Mannaz literally means “Man” as in “Mankind.” (At the time that the Runes were being named, this wasn’t excluding women because the word for “man” as opposed to “woman” was “wereman.” This is where we get the word “werewolf” from.) Mannaz is a Rune of community, leadership, and society. I associate this Rune with the […]
Sowilo has adopted a number of forms, including the middle one above which very much looks like a Roman “S”. It creates the “s” sound, so this is fitting. One of the names this Rune adopted over the centuries is Sol, which is the Latin word for the sun. This is also fitting, given that […]
We have finally made it to The Third Aett, called Tyr’s Aett. Be ready for a longer read than usual, because in order to understand the Rune Tiwaz, you need to know one of my favorite stories. The shape of the Rune Tiwaz shifts slightly in some younger futharks: rather than a diagonal line on […]
You are probably most familiar with Algiz when it is included in a circle, used in the 1960s as a peace symbol. Algiz is a rune of safety, protection, and stability. This card is the opposite of the Suit of Swords, which is all about the world falling apart around you. I would love to […]
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 […]
Eiwaz is the rune of the Yew tree. It is therefore associated with archery, medicine, and Yggdrasil (the World Tree which, in some translations, is a yew). I therefore associate this card with The Knights of the Minor Arcana generally, and more specifically with The Knight of Wands. Yggdrasil literally means Odin’s Steed. In any […]