A Quick Guide to Runes
Just a warning before I begin – this article isn’t meant to give you a complete runic education. Rather, it’s supposed to give you a basic idea of what I’m talking about. If you’re planning to divine with runes or really work with them much at all, I suggest following a couple of my links and getting a more in-depth education. With that:
There are twenty four runes, divided into three groups of eight called aetts. Some people use the twenty fifth rune, the blank rune, which I will also cover. These runes are actually the alphabet, or futhark, of Ancient Norsemen. However, today we don’t just write with them, we use them to gain enlightenment.
The runes, in Norse mythology, were discovered by Odin, the Allfather of the gods. According to the story, he hung himself on the World tree Yggdrasil for days, until he saw the shapes of the runes in the fallen branches.
fehu: wealth, business success
uruz: wild, natural
thurisaz: an obstacle, wisdom gained through adversity
ansuz: leadership
raido: fate, journey
kenaz: inspiration, enlightenment
gebo: a gift, romantic relationship
wunjo: success
hagalaz: disaster, loss
nauthiz: emptiness, need
isa: rest, primal form
jera: change
eihwaz: death, transformation
perth: rebirth, magic
algiz: protection, dilemma
sowulo: energy, light
teiwaz: warrior, a sacrifice
berkana: fertility, healing
ehwaz: energy, transportation
laguz: secrets, hidden things
mannaz: social connections
dagaz: happiness, universal connection
ingwaz: property, land
othel: the center, completion
Remember – these are guidelines. You might call the runes different things, or draw them slightly different ways. And what really matters is how the runes speak to you.
Runes have only a power that angels give them.
I enjoy browsing this page, always find out random interesting facts.
Emily R. from Husky Guide
Ehwaz has to be my favourite rune ever!! I love how it looks like an ‘M’
I was outside a few days ago and a storm was starting I was watching the sky because I like to see the clouds move and I saw these runes in the sky sowulo teiwaz nauthiz I think sowulo was backwards but I’m not sure what does this mean?
That’s interesting. I’ve never heard of runes in the clouds, but I suppose it could happen.
Reversed sowulo: weakness, lack of energy, no sun/warmth
Teiwaz: warrior, sacrifice, perhaps an injury
Nauthiz: want/need, perhaps a binding
I can’t say any more than that… runes are tricky things. They mean different things in different situations.
I was serching and Reversed sowulo could be wrath of god
Teiwaz could be the sky god
and Nauthiz is what you said want or need the first two would make sense though the wrath of the sky god during a storm but what about nauthiz
I don’t usually worry about the wrath of various gods. It’s possible they were just conveniently shaped clouds.