Rune Rationale
by Gravely Goods
What are Runes?
Runes date back to 100 AD and are associated with Vikings and Norse Mythology. Consisting of a 24-letter alphabet, they are used for divination, sigils, and other needs. Runes were originally carved on stone, wood, bones, and other hard surfaces as a method of writing. Today, they are used for personal transformations and spiritual growth.
The runes have differing beginnings. Some say they began in the days when Germanic warbands raided people living south of them, in what is now Italy. Scholars disagree over whether the runes came from an Old Italic alphabet or an Etruscan script. The Norse people, on the other hand, believed that Odin had uncovered the runes while hanging himself for nine days on the world tree, Yggdrasil.
Runes are believed to possess supernatural abilities in addition to their use as a written code. Some of these abilities, protection and healing, runes were frequently utilized in magical charms. Back then, and even today, they might also be utilized to cast a spell. Runes were supposed to have magical properties, a concept that is still practiced.
Rune names and meanings:
-
A - Ansuz (ᚨ)
''God'' - Odin, wisdom, truth, communication, inspiration, deity -
B – Berkanan (ᛒ)
''Birch'' - birth, fertility, growth, new beginnings -
C - Kaunan/Cen (ᚲ)
''Torch'' - revelation, creativity, fire, transformation, regeneration, illumination -
D - Dagaz (ᛞ)
''Day'' - dawn, awakening, awareness, breakthrough, new enterprises -
E - Ehwaz (ᛖ)
''Horse'' - fluidity, partnership, swiftness, trust, teamwork, harmonious relationships -
F - Fehu (ᚠ)
''Cattle/Wealth'' - money, abundance, luck -
G - Gebo (ᚷ)
''Gift'' - love, partnerships, generosity, exchanges, marriage -
H - Hagalaz (ᚺ)
''Hail/Precipitation'' - radical change, loss, transformation, uncontrollable force of nature -
I - Isa/Isaz (ᛁ)
''Ice'' - challenge, stillness, self-control, concentration -
J - Jera (ᛃ)
''Year/Harvest'' - peace, rewards, prosperity, fruitfulness -
K/O - Kaun (ᚴ)
Wound, transformation, regeneration, illumination, fire -
L - Laguz (ᛚ)
''Water'' - flow, sea, renewal, dreams, fantasies, intuition, sensitivity -
M - Mannaz (ᛗ)
''Man'' - friends, self, mankind, social order, intellect, mind, memory, learning -
N – Naudiz (ᚾ)
''Need' - necessity, hardship, endurance, survival, self-reliance -
O - Othila/Opila/Opala (ᛟ)
''Heritage/Possession'' - ancestral, home, plenty, inheritance, legacy -
P - Peorth/Perþ- (ᛈ)
Hearth, magic, mystery, secrets, divination, uncertain, hidden -
R - Raido (ᚱ)
''Ride/Journey'' - wheel, movement, travel, destiny -
S - Sowilo (ᛋ)
''Sun'' - health, energy, mastery, success, wholeness -
T - Tiwaz (ᛏ)
''Tiwaz'' (the god) - Victory, honour, justice, balance, leadership, authority -
U/V - Uruz (ᚢ)
''Aurochs'' (an extinct cattle) - power, strength, courage, creative force, endurance -
W - Wunjo (ᚹ)
''Joy'' - fellowship, hope, harmony, friendship, kinship, comfort -
X/Z - Algiz (ᛉ)
''Elk/Protection/Defence'' - self-defense, divine protection, courage, valkyrie energy -
Y/æ - Eihwaz (ᛇ)
''Yew tree/Yggdrasil'' - stability, reliability, strength, tree of life, eternity, resilience, longevity - TH/þ - Thuriaz/Purisaz (ᚦ)
''Giant/Thord'' - strength, defence, protection, conflict, change, catharsis - ŋ -Ingwaz (ᛜ / ᛝ)
''Ing'' (the god) - unity, harmony, agreement
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