The Runic Corner

[Deoridhe]

This is a place for discussion of runes, runic theory, and the effects runes have in people's lives, as well as the moral and magical implications of the meanings of the runes. Once appropriate, a table of contents will go here.

I have reserved a post for each rune; as I complete my info-gather for each one, I'll post it here. Changes will be made to each post as discussion fosters new lines of thought. I may also create archives of discussions outside of Gaia and link to them from here.

Next on the "To do" list is a list of links in this post, both internal to Gaia and external to Gaia.

For right now, I would like to draw your attention to this post on the moral implications of the rune Fehu. I'd love to get input from the Gaia pagan community; you needn't be heathen to put in your two cents.

Thanks!  

[Deoridhe]

Fehu

Kveldulf Gundarsson says:

Galdr-sound: ffffffffff (a hissing f, like the crackle of flames)
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem: "(Money) is a comfort to everyone / though every man ought / to deal it our freely / if he wants to gain approval / from the lord."
Old Norse Rune Rhyme: "(Gold) causes strife among kinsmen / the wolf grows up in the woods."
Old Icelandic Rune Poem: "(Money) is the strife among kinsmen / and the fire of the flood-tide / and the path of the serpent."
Havamal 146: "One is called help and will help you in all sickness / sorrow and affliction."

idea Associated with mobile wealth, fertility, and life energy.
idea Associated with Frey (Frodhi - the fruitful) and Freya (weeps tears of gold on land and amber in the sea)
idea Elemental Fire rune (Muspellheim) - fire often in kennings for gold
idea Woe working - can cause disruption among groups (even close ones), illustrates the poison of stagnant gold as a cause of strife
idea Personally - expressed in the libido, sublimated into energy and creativity
idea Magic - governs the transfer of energy; repeated use increases amount of energy an individual can handle; pairing it with other runes leads the second rune's power to be increased
idea Can be used to awaken personal power and send it our to the world ('path of serpent,' 'wolf...in the woods')
idea Ritually - Hamingja (lifeforce), represented by fire pot or recels-burner
idea Carnelian, green tourmaline, and amber appropriate

Edred Thorsson says:
GMC fehu: mobile property, cattle
GO faíhu: cattle, mobile property
OE foeh: cattle, money
ON fé: livestock, money
Letter: F
Ideographic Interpretation: the horns of bovine livestock
Stadha: Both arms slanted upward, the left being somewhat higher; fingers pointed for directing power, palms pointed out for drawing force. Face toward the sun.

idea Raw, archetypal fire of MuspellheimR; creates the world and destroys it (Surt)
idea Basic force of fertility
idea Force that governs and motivates that which has been, that which is becoming, and that which should be.
idea Mobile power (related to the term 'fee')
idea Connected with hamingja - mobile and transferable magical power
idea Manifest in the otherworldly glow around gravemounds, hills, rings of fire
idea Magical workings: Strengthens psychic powers; channel for power transference or projection (the sending rune); drawing the projected power of the sun, moon, and stars into the personal field; promotion of personal and social evolution; increase in personal monetary wealth.

Ed Fitch says:
idea "Material goods, possessions of the family and folk, ambition satisfied, love attained, status gained."

Michael Howard says:
idea Feoh (Frey)
idea Cattle, hard currency, wealth, easily won or lost (via raids)
idea Sacred to Frey; Frey has the boar and the horse as fylgia (symbol survives as bore's head eaten at Yule in medieval times)

Deoridhe says:
Fehu seems to be, in its most basic form, the rune of life energy. This energy is manifest in cattle, money, and the other trappings of wealth. It also shows its hand in the luck of a person, or the luck of their family. More esoterically, Fehu is the rune of magical or spiritual energy. In all of it's aspects, Fehu is a rune of movement and transference. Since it is a rune of movement, there are extremes of creation and destruction manifest within the concept of Fehu. This rune is half of the original dichotomy - fire (movement) and ice (stasis) - which formed Ginnungagap, which eventually gave us all a home on Midgar. It is a rune associated with luck, success, wealth, and magical power. It is also a rune associated with social discord, and out-of-control experiences and power. In basic rune-workings, Fehu is best paired with something that will regulate it's nature without opposing it.

Moral/Ethical Implications:
The idea that this flow is neither inherently positive or negative seems to be a very Heathan way of viewing the world, as is the idea that there has to be a flow. If one chooses to not control their flow of power and money and influence (or use it for selfish or divisive ends), then distrust, disloyalty, anger, and violence errupt. If one holds to personal responsibility and industriously controls and magages one's flow of energy, then that control becomes easier and easier and the capacity to healthily carry money, power, and influence increases.

Virtues Inherent in Fehu:
Courage
Discipline
Perseverance
Truth

Other Runic Associations:
Isa - ice to Fehu's fire
Ingwas - another rune of fertility
Gebo - the rune of giving wealth (as opposed to Fehu's accruing and movement of wealth)
Sowelo - the sun to Fehu's fire
Mannaz - the rune of people and their relationships (Fehu speaks to one of the relationships between people)

Places where Fehu was seen today:
The filling out of a timesheet - an act required for the movement of wealth
The expensive (or expensive-looking) clothing of the people job hunting in our office
The ability to purchase a variety of office supplies (including cream!)
The warm buzz on my hands when I hold my new runes  

[Deoridhe]

Uruz

Kveldulf Gundarsson says:
Galdr-sound: uuuuuuuuuuuu (oo as in "moon." Prolonged, steady, forceful, like the lowing of a bull)
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem: "(Aurochs) is fearless / and greatly horned / a very fierce beast, / it fights with its horns, / a famous roamer of the moor / it is a courageous animal."
Old Norse Rune Rhyme: "(Slag) is from bad iron / oft runs the reindeer on the hard snow."
Old Icelandic Rune Poem: "(Drizzle) is the weeping of clouds / and the diminisher of the ring of ice / and the herdsman's hate."
Havamal 147: "I know another that is needed by the sons of men, / who want to be leeches." (Kveldulf assignment)

idea Associated with powerful, unconscious-shaping energies that can only be guided by the wise one (Deo: what's the wise one?)
idea Associated with Audhumbla, and through her purification and shaping (also the alchemical process of evaporation and condensation)
idea Shows the path of water rising from the Well of Urdhr, shaping the growth of the World-Tree, and flowing back down from its leaves into the well - endless cycle
idea Associated with Wyrd as an active force and will directed back into the well of Urdhr
idea The unconscious life force - strong and fierce like the aurochs; urus makes the primal energies available for use
idea Represented in the two beasts on the roof of Valhalla: "Heithrun, the goat is called, / who stands in Warfather's hall / and eats of Laerath's limbs. / She fills the vat full of bright mead. / That drink cannot be drained. / / Eikthyrnir, the hart is called / who stands in Warfather's hall / and eats of Laerath's limbs. / Drop fall from ts horn to Hvergelmir. / From there all waters have their way." (Grimnismal 25-26; Laerath is another name for Yggdrasil)
idea Horns of aurochs pointed downward rather than upward; this indicates it's ready to charge (overflowing with ferocity) - horned helms are reminiscent of this, as are drinking horns (drinking from the horn imparts some of the power of the animal to the drinker)
idea Magic - used for healing, because it draws life-force from everywhere and brings it into accordance with the initial pattern of the body (genetic structure); useful to maintain physical body while doing intense spiritual/magical work; can be used to pierce the barriers between worlds; can be used for warding; it either maintains current patterns or sends energies directed toward it back upon the sender
idea Personally - aid in the growth of deep-rooted awareness of the patterns of the world and the wyrd; can be used to bring courage and physical strength; also to enhance independence and leadership skills
idea Woe-working - either use to control another directly or put that person at the mercy of out-of-control forces
idea With other runes - Uruz directs the working toward wyrd and causes it to influence wyrd
idea Ritually - the act of drinking or pouring a hallowed draught
idea Tiger's eye appropriate

Edred Thorsson says:
Proto-Germanic*: urz - the aurochs
Gothic: úrus - the aurochs
Old English: úr - ox, bison
Old Norse: úr - drizzle, rain
Letter: U
Ideographic Interpretation: the horns of the aurochs, or falling drizzle
Stadha: Bend at waist, with the back horizontal and parallel to the ground. Arms and fingertips point toward the ground; the head should be toward the east.

idea Mother of manifestation, represented by Audhumla, the cow, who licked a great icy block of alt to form Búri and was sustenance for Ymir; Audhumla was formed from the rime dripping where Muspellheim met Nifelheim.
idea The patterning and formulating power in the multiverse; the unmanifested pattern of matter
idea The cosmic seed
idea The mystery of the formulation of the self
idea Defines the origin and destiny of all things; the eternal reservoir of archetypal patterning
idea Wisdom and lore, as the pattern of preserved tradition sprung from natural order
idea Vital strength and virility; strong and harmonious organ systems

Ed Fitch says:
"Strength, health, male and female principles uniting, passion, the body, that which is sacrificed."

Michael Howard says:
Auroch or wild ox (ancient breed of European bison)
Elemental power and untamed masculine energy
The pioneer spirit, rugged individualism, and spiritual strength

Deoridhe says:
Uruz is a rune of the untamable but directable forces of the universe. Often, one's wyrd seems a raging beast or untamed river that pulls one to an uncertain end, but with care and attention one can tap into this raw power and use it to fuel one's own will. Uruz is also a rune of recycling; everything that is manifest will become unmanifest in the future; everything unmanifest will manifest sooner or later. At it's core, uruz is a rune of hope and strength, but not in the weak sense those two words can take on. Uruz is not a rune to take on if one wishes for protection or the easing of the burden of wyrd; rather it is a rune to deal with fiercely, and that fierceness will bring further strength and ability to the individual. Uruz is also a rune of patterns, specifically the archetypal patterns that can dominate one's psyche. Uruz reinforces and strengthens those patterns. As such, it is a conservative rune; both in its aggressive and defensive aspects, uruz does not move for change or alteration - rather it protects and maintains what should be. It should be used to either return one to one's proper path, or to deepen one's understanding of ones path, but it is not appropriate if one wishes to change or shift one's wyrd.

Moral/Ethical Implications:
In every society, there is a need for stability and right-thought/right-action. Uruz is the rune that governs and maintains this status-quo. Uruz also represents truth within a community or nation; if either of those entities are built upon lies about the past, then the community is unable to escape those past mistakes. One example of this is found in the book Animal Farm when 'All creatures are equal,' becomes 'All creatures are equal, but some are more equal than others' (paraphrased). This is a blatant re-writing of a past 'truth' that poisons the community as a whole. In the personal sphere, uruz represents the right-thought/right-action in regards to one's personal decisions and environment, including one's body. In order to be the most effective person one can be, good physical and mental health is required; in order to be an effective godhi/gythia or vitki, a strong will is also required. Uruz is also an example/warning to those who seek to lead to respect and be aware of the traditions of those one is leading, and to always keep one eye turn toward wyrd.

Virtues Inherent in Uruz:
Courage
Truth
Fidelity
Self-Reliance

Other Runic Associations:
Dagaz - both cyclical and repeating
Hagalaz - primal energies and patterns
Laguz/perthro - uruz is the movement of the water, laguz is the water itself, and perthro is the well
Isa - antimatter to uruz's matter
Ingwas - both seeds (?)
Hagalaz - the form created by the force of uruz

Places where Uruz was seen today:
The traditions of thanksgiving - specifically the foods consumed
The traditions of a group - a quasi-Christian grace is unappreciated
The flow of energy as decisions are made



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*Reconstructed by Edred Thorsson as a common ancestor of all Germanic languages  

[Deoridhe]

Thurisaz

Kveldulf Gundarsson says:
Galdr-sound: thu-thu-thu (a deep, violent, explosive grunt, pronounced and cut off very sharply, repeated rather than prolonged)
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem: "(Thorn) is very sharp; for every thane / who grasps it; it is harmful, / and exceedingly cruel / to every man / who lies upon them."
Old Norwegian Rune Rhyme: "(Thurs) causes the sickness of women; / few are cheerful from misfortune."
Old Icelandic Rune Poem: "(Thurse) is the torment of women, / and the dweller in the rocks / and the husband of Vardh-runa."
Havamal 148: "I know a third for the event / that I should be in dire need / of fettering a foeman. / I can dull the blades of my attackers / so that they can strike by neither weapons nor wile."

idea References both the race of thurses and their chief foe, Thorr
idea Phallic and aggressive; brute force (frightening in enemies, reassuring in allies)
idea Aimed might, melding primal fire and primal ice to make a violent but guidable reaction
idea Can break barrenness and bring fruitfulness (Thorr is a god of crops)
idea "Torment of women" and "sickness of women" may reference the hymen breaking and the pain of childbirth
idea Main use in the setting of struggle, used for revenge and warding against harm
idea Novice vitki should approach Thurisaz with caution; working with Thurisaz is like picking up a thorny branch barehanded; if you are careful and skilled, you can use it well, but if not, you can do yourself much harm
idea Thurisaz can be used in the raising and guiding of thunderstorms - either as war against them or in aiming the lightning. The latter is not recommended.
idea Personal sphere - p***k your will awake and strengthen your use of force; bring berserker-rage, break the barriers of a closed mind and bring the lightning-stroke of new thought
idea With other runes - warder, aimer, and awakener (a common enchantment method was to p***k someone with a thorn)
idea Agate, bloodstone, hematite, the point of a terminated crystal all appropriate

Edred Thorsson says:
Proto-Germanic*: thurisaz - the strong one, giant
Gothic: thiuth - the good one
Old English: thorn - thorn
Old Norse: thurs - giant
Letter: voiceless 'th' as in 'thorn'
Ideographic Interpretation: the hammer, or the thorn on a branch
Stadha: Stand upright with the left arm bent at the elbow, hand on hip, with the palm grasping the hip bone. Face east or south.

idea Directed cosmic force of destruction and defense
idea archetypal instinctual will, without self consciousness
idea Symbol of lightning and thunder and is equated with Mjöllnir - the destroyer of the etins and protector of Midhgardhr and Ásgardhr
idea Forward-thrusting force of destruction of powers hostile to cosmic order
idea Container of the life-death polarity
idea Projectable form of applied power
idea Can be used to combine runes that are essentially energetic (fehu, kenaz, sowilo) with runes that are primarily pragmatic (uruz, wunjo, berkano)
idea Associated with regeneration and fertilization
idea Cosmic phallic power

Ed Fitch says:
"Irritation, hidden negative forces, hostility, also a portal of transformation, supernatural entity."

Michael Howard says:
Represents a thorn & Mjollnir
Thorn is tiny but can cause physical discomfort; this discomfort is intensified by more thorns.

Deoridhe says:
This is a forceful rune, one that deals with boundaries of strength and what is require to force through them. It has always seemed like a very physical rune to me. You could argue that it represents a very masculine form of force; no dilly dallying around; my way or the highway; lead, follow or get out of the way. Thor in many ways presents as a warm man. He's not too intelligent - you wouldn't discuss fine literature or quantum physics with him - but caring. He is rough, though, and dangerous when he's drunk. His very strength is an unnerving thing. Thor has, to a certain extent, become that which he fights. He needed to. He is what stands between mankind and chaotic ruin - and yet he is a chaotic being. He's also often a figure of fun, mocked by the other gods for his lack of wit. The few times he operates through guile it becomes a means by which he is unmanned (posing as Freya to reclaim Mjollnir). Thor is really a man's man, in the traditional sense of the word, and Thurisaz is a uniquely masculine rune.

Moral/Ethical Implications:
Thurisaz tells us that power is a double edged sort of woe as well as weal, and that any who interfere with true might had best know what they are doing. Indeed, it could be claimed that ever object in existence can work for both woe and weal, so one can never become complacent in power or influence; no matter how ethical and moral one thinks that one is, it is vitally important to keep people around one in order to keep one in check. If no one ever disagrees with one, one can become complacent and the possibility of working woe increases exponentially. Thurisaz also stands as a reminder that sometimes violence is the best solution to a problem, though one must take care to remember that violence is not the only solution to any given problem. Thurisaz is the 'hammer' of the rune set; take care to insure that you don't view every obstacle as a nail.

Virtues Inherent in Thurisaz:
Courage
Discipline
Self Reliance

Other Runic Associations:
Ansuz: the gentle force verses Thurisaz's violent force
Thurisaz can be used to combine runes of an energetic nature with runes of a physical or practical nature

Places where Thurisaz was seen today:
My own thoughts - punching through unhealthy thoughts to replace them with clean growth.
The cold outside - pushing everyone inward.

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*Reconstructed by Edred Thorsson as a common ancestor of all Germanic languages  

[Deoridhe]

Ansuz

Kveldulf Gundarsson says:
Galdr-sound: aaaaaaa (a as in call, a steady rush of wind)
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem: "(God/Mouth) is the chieftain / of all speech,/ the mainstay of wisdom / and a comfort to the wise ones, / for every noble warrior / hope and happiness."
Old Norwegian Rune Rhyme:
Old Icelandic Rune Poem: "(Ase) is the olden-father / and Asgardhr's chieftain / and the leader of the Valholl."
Havamal 149: "I know a fourth, / so that if bonds bind my limbs, / I can get free. / Fetters spring from my feet, / and bonds from my hands."

idea Rune by which Odhinn's powers and the root of his being are manifested.
idea It means "god" and "mouth," indicating this is the lord or poetry and keeper of Othroerir side of Odhinn.
idea Stave of opening (subconscious to receive artistic inspiration, lines of communications, and releases locks and blocks of energy).
idea Soft and cunning passage of air (oppositional to the piercing energy of Thurisaz).
idea Rune of air, related to Odin's changeability of mode and appearance as well as his hermaphroditic nature.
idea Represents endless wandering in search of new knowledge and wisdom, and then teaching it to those who can understand it.
idea Represents galdr-magic, the might of the spoken and chanted word.
idea Breath of life Odin breathed into Ashr and Embla; this breath (ond) is the actual spirit, analogous to the Hebrew ruach, meaning 'soul' and 'breath.'
idea The highest mastery of the magical breath is the magical song which melds the ecstasy of poetic inspiration with the guidance of power. In this trance, one can receive the truths of the hidden thoughts of the world and transmute them into forms which show their might in the deepest layers of the hearers' minds.
idea Also the rune related to Odhinn as the Lord of the Wild Hunt; the passing soul is often felt as a breath of wind. This is thought by many to be Odhinn's oldest form, leader of the horde of rushing ghosts and embodiment of the might of madness shown through his followers as both poetic inspiration and berserker rage.
idea Often used for creative inspiration and reception of Odhinn's might.
idea It works on the deepest level of the mind; brings the ability for magnetic, even hypnotic, speech.
idea Unblocks the channels of self-expression and can be used to overcome the blockages of body and mind caused by fear or trauma, as well as deal with bindings and restraints of every kind.
idea Used in all forms of receptive psychic ability and magic; ought to be called into the vitki's own sphere before any act of galdr magic.
idea Can be used for channeling; be cautious when lending ones body for such.
idea Lapis lazuli is a good stone to use.

Edred Thorsson says:
Proto-Germanic*: ansuz - a god, ancestral god
Gothic: ansus - a runic god name
Old English: òs - a god
Old Norse: àss - a god, one of the Æsir
Ideographic Interpretation: the wind blown cloak of Odhinn
Stadha: Stand upright. Stretch out both arm parallel, pointing them down slightly, with the left arm lower than the right. Face north or east.

idea Ansuz is the mysterium tremendum of the rune row.
idea Instrumental in the creation of mankind; it describes two of the spiritual gifts given to Askr and Embla, anda (breath, spirit, animating life principle) and ódhr (inspired mental activity, inspiration).
idea Stave of Ódhinn as the god of magic and ecstasy.
idea Receiver-container/transformer-expresser of spiritual power and numinous knowledge; the ecstasy that leads to the formation of a body of lore and wisdom (the container-contained equation is common for symbols in the inspired or ecstatic state).
idea Rune of the word, song, poetry, and magical incantation (galdr).
idea Magical ancestral power, handed down for generations along genetic lines.
idea Embodies the death mysteries of the Æsir.

Ed Fitch says:
"Signals, receiving messages, gifts, God, source of divine wisdom, explore the depths, experience the divine, also cloak, conceal, protect, shelter."

Michael Howard says:
Os
Often known as 'the divine rune,'
Symbol of arcane wisdom imparted to human beings from divine sources through clairvoyance or magical vision
Related to bardic teachings, which were an important aspect of the Indo-European shamanic tradition.

Nigel Pennick says:
"The fourth rune is Ansuz, the "godrune." It also carries the newer names As, Aesc, Asa. Its sound is "AA," as in "aah." Ansuz is the rune of divine force. It symbolizes the divine breath that powers existence, of which the gods and goddesses are the most perfect expression. Ansuz is also the divine source within human beings, an energetic controller of consciousness and of all intellectual activities. This rune is names for the ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior), one of the most sacred trees of the Northern Tradition and, specifically in Norse tradition, the tree of life, the World Tree, Yggdrasil, the cosmic axis that links all the worlds of creation. It is a symbol of stability, as the Anglo Saxon rune poem tells us: 'Humans love the ash tree, towering high. Though many enemies come forth to fight it, it keeps its place well, in a firm position.' Ansuz thereby represents the divine order tha tstands firm no matter how difficult conditions become. It is the divine stability that we can rely on in difficult times."

Deoridhe says:
Ansuz is the rune of persuasion and dominance via charisma and the spoken or written word. It is a rune sacred to all who create, be it visual, auditory, or kinesthetic in manner of production. Ansuz is also a rune of overcoming internal boundaries; it is difficult to create purely from a divine source when one is tangled in ones own neurosis or difficulties. Ansuz is the rune of the insane, as well; it has been said that there is a thin line between genius and insanity, and I believe that Ansuz straddles that divide. Ansuz covers a wide range of ideas and concepts, but at its heart, Ansuz is a wind rune; it is free of movement, wide of interpretation, and devastating when employed in full force. I feel Ansuz is best represented as a persuasive essay; in its purest form, an essay of this sort should be able to convince an Eskimo that buying a refrigerator is in his or her best interest. Especially in times as confusing and diverse as these, Ansuz is also a reminder of the gentler ways of approaching a problem and the varied uses of guile and creative force in order to get a point across.

Moral/Ethical Implications:
Ansuz stands as a reminder of the pervasiveness of persuasion and the woe to which it can be used; one would do well to be on guard to those employing its ability to subtly change minds. Ansuz is also a reminder that mind are changed best through gradual persuasion instead of forcefulness. In the area of information gathering, ansuz serves as a reminder that there is no such thing as too much information.

Virtues Inherent in Ansuz:
Truth
Courage
Discipline
Self Reliance

Other Runic Associations:
Thurisaz: oppositional relationship (persuasion vs. force)
Lagaz: elemental/pantheonic relationship (air to water; Æsir to Vanir)
Eihwaz: Ansuz is divine communication and Eihwaz is divine travel via Yggdrasil

Places where Ansuz was seen today:
Inspirationally as I did rune castings for my kindred members.
In the violence of the wind as it ran by, pushing open doors and mangling trees.
Persuasively as I convinced a friend that my interpretation of an interaction between her and a rival occurred as I viewed it.
Creatively as I dissected a recent postulated bindrune.

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*Reconstructed by Edred Thorsson as a common ancestor of all Germanic languages  

[Deoridhe]

Raidho

Kveldulf Gundarsson says:
Galdr-sound: rrrrrrrrrrrr (a rolled r, as in the Scottish brogue or like the sound of a motor starting)
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem: "(Riding) is in the hall / to every warrior / easy, but very hard / for the one who sits up / on a powerful horse / over miles of road."
Old Icelandic Rune Poem: "(Riding) it is said, is the worst for horses / Reginn forged the best sword."
Havamal 150: "I know a fifth. If a goe shoots a shaft / into the host, it cannot fly so fast / that I can not stop it, if I catch sight of it."

idea Tied into images of a horse-drawn wagon or chariot carrying the sun & the practice of currying the dead with horses.
idea Writes forth the cycle of the day - divided into an eight spoked wheel (tie in to Thorr getting Mjolnir back from the Thurses?); Time is relative in this way of living
idea A rune of proportionate and appropriate relationships
idea Rune of ordered movement - in space, time, and the relationship between the two (Most or all boundaries were viewed this way - including the legal ones decided at the Althing.)
idea Rune of rhythm and faring - the beating drum or singing which carries the spakona (female shaman/prophet_ or spamadhr (male shaman/prophet) on the visionquest
idea The "horse" of the poem is both the fylgia and the rhythm of the fairing itself
idea Rune of the final fairing - death
idea Makes you aware of both the rhythms of the natural world and the right times for ritual and social actions in time with nature and shows the power of awareness to these rhythms
idea Used to bring about Justice and Harmony as relative things within society (Ed. Rune for Forseti?)
idea The rune of judgment according to perspective and mitigation or incriminating circumstances; the soul of the law
idea Ritual Work: rules ritual forms, gestures, and movements, including the use of music, dance, knocking, and number
idea Use as a ward when traveling, inscribed on vehicle to keep fairing smooth and swift, used to improve your aim
idea Turquoise and jacinth appropriate

Edred Thorsson says:
Proto-Germanic* raidho: wagon
Gothic raidha: wagon, ride
Old English rádh: a riding, way
Old Norse reidh: riding, chariot
Ideographic a wheel under the chariot as a side view; half a solar wheel (see Soweilo)
Stadha: Stand straight, with the left arm bent at the elbow, palm on hip bone. The left leg should be slanted out, lifted off the ground; the right arm should be tightly at your side. Face south.

idea Cosmic law of right and archetypal order in the multiverse as seen in the daily path of the sun and cycles of nature and humanity
idea The mystery of divine law, manifest in the multivese and humanity
idea Symbol for organized religion when it was built into the world of the Norse; now a rune for the "way back to right"
idea The right order of the initiate's journey throught he paths of the nine worlds of Yggdrasill.
idea Ritual - i.e. arrangement of energy and actions according to a cosmic order for a specific purpose - emphasis on the right ordering of these energies
idea Channeling of force according to natural laws along the right road leading to the right result (see also Pertho)
idea Rhythm and dance in concordance with and to build rapport with the multiverse
idea Spiral development - traditional ideology of the cycles of existence, ever in circles but always rising (or sinking) toward a goal - the point
idea Popular tradition - symbol for the Vehmic Court, a sign of the deep indigenous religious laws of the folk having precedence over those of civil authority

Ed Fitch says:
"A journey, journey of the soul after death, a talisman for luck in traveling, action, message"

Michael Howard says:
"In rune lore this character was associated with the symbol of a wheel or wagon. The latter was a recurring motif in Norse myth and could be either the chariot of the sun which crosses the sky each day, the magical vehicles which transported Freyja and Frey, Thor's chariot drawn by two giant goats or the sacred wagon of the earth goddess Nerthus."

Deoridhe says:
Raidho is a rune of movement and rhythm, both in traveling and music/dance. It is also the rune of active balance - the Mara'kame (shaman) of the Huichol Tribe told anthropologists that in order to be a mara'kame one must have balance, both physical and mental/spiritual; this is the rune that matches most closely with that concept of balance. It is also the rune of natural rhythms which the ritual worker, vitki, or seidhr worker try to be in tune with when doing ritual or magical works. In addition, raidho indicates proportionate responses, in both weal and woe working, and is a mitigating factor in law to keep sentences in tune with appropriate responses according to the laws of the universe. Raidho can be used to bring oneself closer in alignment with natural rhythms and the balance of the world.

Moral/Ethical Implications:
Raidho tells us that the punishment should fit the crime, both in duration and severity. It also tells us that being in tune with the natural rhythms is a valid and useful thing to do and the appropriate state to begin any magical or ritual workings. Raidho is a rune of appropriateness and balance, keeping society from becoming too fanatical in one direction or another.

Virtues Inherent in Raidho:
Truth
Fidelity
Discipline

Other Runic Associations:
Tiwaz - The Letter of the Law to Raidho's Soul of the Law
Ansuz - Used together for creative and/or ritual work when rhythm and proportion are needed
Pertho - Together they arrange things according to the laws of cause and effect
Soweilo - The solar rune to Raidho's path of the sun
Jera - The cycle of the year to Raidho's cycle of the day

Places where Raidho was seen today:
Waking at an appropriate time for maximum awareness
The rumble of stomach to indicate the time for food
Smooth travel between states
The rhythm and flow of conversation with acquaintances


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*Reconstructed by Edred Thorsson as a common ancestor of all Germanic languages  

[Deoridhe]

Kenaz

Kveldulf Gundarsson says:
Galdr-sound: Keh-Keh-Keh (The K sound is hit hard, volume tapering down like the sound of a sharply struck bell. The galdr-sound is neither prolonged like those of most of the runes nor chopped off like that of thurisaz, but fades swiftly to a natural end.)

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem: (Torch) is to every living person / known by its fire / it is clear and bright / it usually burns / when the athlings / rest inside the hall.

Norwegian Rune Rhyme: (Sore) is the curse of children / Grief makes a man pale.

Old Icelandic Rune Poem: (Sore) is the bale of children / and a scourge / and the house of rotton flesh.

Havamal 151: I know a sixth. If some thane attacks me, / with the wood of a young root, / he who says he hates me will get hurt, / but I will be unharmed.

exclaim The dichotomy of the two meanings (torch, sore) is related through the burial practices of the early Germanic people; the poems speak of the readying of the corpse for mound-burial (either through decomposition of the flesh form the bones - house of rotting flesh - or through burning).
exclaim Esoterically, this "readying" speaks to initiation inside the mound/initiation within fire. The former is a dismemberment/initiation rite and can be glimpsed in the lay of Volunder; the latter can be seen in Grimnirsmal when Odin chant runic knowledge after being tortured by fire for nine nights.
exclaim Governs the primal craft of the smile and works of knowledge crafted into action.
exclaim The cleansing followed by transformation (in the Havamal this is the woe-working of a spell reshaped to echo back on the caster and work weal for the target).
exclaim Workings of the mound belong to Freya and Nerthus [Ed. the two goddesses are made equal here, oddly], as illustrated in Freya's purchase of Brisingamen. The fire (fehu) of Freya's passion is transformed, through the skills of the dwarves, into a final and powerful form.
exclaim The power of Fehu controlled and used for shaping.
exclaim Leads to the release of the spirit into other realms.
exclaim Mastery over sexual energies and guidance of emotional power to shape others.
exclaim Tied to the inherited right of kingship and the mounds of ancestors; useful in testing and bringing forth innate/ancestrally given powers.
exclaim Associated with the dragon or wyrm.
exclaim Woe-working: Disintegration without reintegration; rotting sickness like tumors and cancers.
exclaim With other runes: aids the vitki in shaping power and discerning which parts of him/herself s/he wants to involve in the magical working.
exclaim Stones associated with Kenaz: flint, fire agate, fire opal, and smoky quartz.

Edred Thorsson says:
Proto-Germanic* kenaz: torch
Gothic kusma: swelling
Old English cen: torch
Old Norse kaun: sore, boil
Ideographic: flame of the torch
Stadha: Stand upright with the right arm raised at a 45 degree angle, while the left arm is lowered by the same amount. The palm of the right hand faces outward, drawing power, while the fingers of the left hand are pointed, projecting into manifestation.

exclaim Portrays the mystery of regeneration through death or sacrifice.
exclaim A fire rune under human control (in contrast to Fehu which is more primordial).
exclaim Ritually the fire of creation, sacrifice, the hearth, and the forge - controlled fire used by humanity for a final result.
exclaim The ability and will to generate and create; the rune of artists and craftspeople and the technical aspect of magic.
exclaim Knowledge and technical lore are embodied.
exclaim Mystery of the creation of a third from two; opposites bound together aesthetically and the results of that brought into manifestation.
exclaim Human passion, lust, and sexual love as positive things; the goddess Freya finds many correspondences with this rune.
exclaim Important to the concept of kin, especially the traditions which process a unity of the living and dead members of the ground.

Ed Fitch says:
exclaim "'C' (Chalk) Barrenness, poison, noxious vapors, 'man dead' rune."

Michael Howard says:
exclaim "Cen: Fire: This is a rune symbolizing the elemental power of fire. A torche of sacred fire is a universal symbol of 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)."

Deoridhe says:
Kenaz is a rune of drastic and permanent change, both in the sense of dying and in the sense of being initiated into a new way of life. It is also a rune of long and dedicated craftsmanship and/or skill. Knowledge is integral to kenaz, but not knowledge without purpose or direction; rather this knowledge is inexplicably tied into the practical acts of accomplishing something visible in the world, be it the creation of jewelry, a house, artwork, or magic. The drive behind the creation of these objects is, in its intensity and duration, often similar to that of lovers who maintain a strong relationship and keep the fire tended (as one must for anything created to be sustained).

Moral/Ethical Implications:
Kenaz is a rune that illustrates the importance of practical skills in the world. The ability to create something moves from prosaic to holy, and within that shift comes a new level of dedication to the creation of things. Kenaz is also a rune, which illustrates the importance of developing and then using skills; through these practices, the individual becomes stronger and more worthwhile.

Virtues Inherent in Raidho:
Industriousness
Perseverance
Discipline

Other Runic Associations:
exclaim Fehu: both are fire runes.
exclaim Berkano and Ingwaz: all runes that deal with sexuality/creation
exclaim Eihwaz: the Yew rune represents one object upon which an initiation may occur.
exclaim Mannaz: Both runes reference mankind and their place in the universe.

Places where Kenaz was seen today:
exclaim I the unwillingness to allow mood to dictate actions.
exclaim In the handcrafted objects that demonstrate skill and the machined objects which indicate technical knowledge.


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*Reconstructed by Edred Thorsson as a common ancestor of all Germanic languages  

[Deoridhe]

Gebo  

[Deoridhe]

Wunjo  

[Deoridhe]

Hagalaz  

[Deoridhe]

Nauthiz  

[Deoridhe]

Isa  

[Deoridhe]

Jera  

[Deoridhe]

Eihwaz  

[Deoridhe]

Pertho