Welcome to Gaia! ::

This article is copyrighted to "The Book of Runes" by Francis Melville. Please feel free to add anything you deem necessary!

1. Fehu

The word fehu means cattle. Cattle were the principal source of food and clothing to all the Germanic peoples. Their horns also provided drinking cups, while their dung fertilized the land for crops.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Money, success, wealth, status, power
Esoteric- Generative energy, mobility, creativity, destruction

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- f
Deity- Frey
Tree- Elder
Plant- Stinging Nettle
Animal- Cat
Bird- Swallow
Astrology- Aries
Color- Light red
Element- Fire


2. Uruz

Uruz means aurochs or urus, the mightily horned wild ox that roamed the forests of northern Europe for millennia until it was finally hunted to extinction during the seventeenth or eighteenth century.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Strength, courage, skill, determination
Esoteric- Generative power, initiation, soul shaping, spiritual progress

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- u
Deity- Njord
Tree- Elm
Plant- Sphagnum moss
Animal- Aurochs
Bird- None
Astrology- Taurus
Color- Green
Element- Earth


3. Thurisaz

This rune is called Thurisaz in the Germanic tongue and Thurs in Old Norse, both of which mean giant, while the old English version, Thorn, means thorn as we understand it today

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Obstacles, difficulties, protection, stubborness, pride, vanity, heroic, effort, patience, endurance
Esoteric- Opportunity to deflate the false ego, spiritual courage, protection of the sacred

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- th
Deity- Thor
Tree- Blackthorn
Plant- Briar/thistle/bramble
Animal- Snake
Bird- Albatross
Astrology- Mars
Color- Red
Element- Fire/Earth


4. Ansuz

The Germanic word Ansuz means god, as does its old English equivalent os, which also means mouth. The Ansuz rune therefore means the mouth of a god, or that which issues from the mouth of a god.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Advice, communication, contemplation, inspiration, authority, tradition, blessing
Esoteric- Initiation, divine inspiration

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- a
Deity- Odin
Tree- Ash
Plant- Fly agaric
Animal- Wolf
Bird- Raven
Astrology- Mercury
Color- Dark blue
Element- All


5. Raido

Raido means wagon and shares the same root as the old English words for ride and wheel (rad in German). It therefore has connotations of travel, journeying, and moving foward.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Change of direction, movement, progress, travel, relocation, habit breaking, rhythm
Esoteric- Ritual journey, personal destiny

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- r
Deity- Thor
Tree- Oak
Plant- Arnica
Animal- Goat
Bird- Eagle
Astrology- Sagittarius/Jupiter
Color- Bright red
Element- Fire/air


6. Kenaz

In old German Kenaz means torch, as does its Anglo-Saxon equivalent Ken. The Old Norse for this run is Kaun, which has the meaning of sore, ulcer, or boil, while the Gothic is Kusma, which translates as swelling.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Knowledge, skill, controlled energy, successful idea, painful healing, sexual attraction
Esoteric- Spiritual illumination, inner guidance

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- k
Deity- Wayland
Tree- Pine
Plant- Mullein
Animal- None
Bird- Owl
Astrology- Venus
Color- Pink
Element- Fire/Earth


7. Gebo

The word gebo means gift. It is derived from the same root as the modern English words gift and give. In the old Germanic traditions, the offering of a gift was not necessarily a straightforward affair.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Gift, opportunity, love match, partnership, sacrifice, obligation
Esoteric- Karmic union

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- g
Deity- Odin/Frigg
Tree- Ash/Elm
Plant- Wild Pansy
Animal- Ox
Bird- None
Astrology- Pisces
Color- Deep Blue
Element- Water


8. Wunjo

Wunjo is the joy rune. The Anglo-Saxon rune poem explains the runic meaning of joy: "Joy is needed not by those who have little want and sorrow and have increase and bliss."

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Joy, good news, celebration, success, reward, harmony, family, tribe, emotional release
Esoteric- Inner connectedness, spiritual well-being, universal family

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- w
Deity- Frey
Tree- Ash
Plant- Flax
Animal- None
Bird- None
Astrology- Leo
Color- Gold/Yellow
Element- Fire/Earth


9. Hagalaz

Hagalaz is generally considered to be one of the most ominous of the runes because its name means hail, one of the most destructive of all weather forms. However, it also bears the seeds of regeneration.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Misfortune, damage, shock, short-term distress followed by long-term rewards
Esoteric- Powerful natural forces, evolution, regeneration, cosmic union.

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- h
Deity- Ymir
Tree- Yew
Plant- Lily of the Valley
Animal- None
Bird- Goose
Astrology- Uranus
Color- Ice Blue
Element- Water/Earth


10. Naudhiz

The tenth rune goes by the name of Nyd in Old English and Nauths in Gothic. It translates as need, necessity, and distress. Naudhiz warns us to consider our deepest needs but to guard against compulsive desires.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Personal needs, self-preservation, invention, beware of greed, excess, and impatience
Esoteric- Spiritual needs, deliverance from distress, self-mastery, transcendence

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- n
Deity- Nornir
Tree- Beech
Plant- Bistort
Animal- Squirrel
Bird- None
Astrology- Capricorn/Saturn
Color- Black
Element- Water/Earth


11. Isa

Isa has the same meaning in all the old Germanic tongues: ice. Ice represents stasis, the ceasing of all flow, the arresting of all movement. Isa therefore suggests obstacles and hindrance.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Stasis, frustration of plans, obstacles, imposed rest, stillness
Esoteric- Inner stillness, initiation, appreciation of the present, acceptance, surrender

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- i
Deity- Verdandi
Tree- Alder
Plant- Henbane
Animal- Reindeer
Bird- Snowy Owl
Astrology- Moon
Color- Black
Element- Earth


12. Jera

The number 12 signifies the solar cycle of 12 months. Appropriately, it is also the number of Jera, the rune whose name means year, the full solar cycle. In the Old Germanic tongue, jera also means harvest.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Reward, abundance, fruition, maturity, growth
Esoteric- Right action, natural law

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- y
Deity- Frey
Tree- Oak
Plant- Rosemary
Animal- None
Bird- None
Astrology- Point of Fortune
Color- Light Blue
Element- Fire


13. Eihwaz

Eihwaz means Yew tree, one of the most revered trees among the northern European peoples and considered by some scholars to be the symbol for the world tree yggdrasil rather than the ash.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Flexibility, endurance, protection, change, empowerment, problem solving
Esoteric- Magical empowerment, psychic protection, spiritual attainment

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- Somewhere between e and i; seldom used in writing
Deity- Odin
Tree- Yew
Plant- Mandrake
Animal- Hedgehog
Bird- Heron
Astrology- Scorpio
Color- Black
Element- Earth


14. Pertho

Pertho is the most difficult to interpret of all the runes because even its mundane meaning is uncertain. It has been translated variously as apple tree, pear tree, chess piece, dice cup, fate, game, dance, hearth, and v****a.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Mystery, chance, unpredictable event, sexual encounter, faults or mistakes exposed
Esoteric- Feminine mysteries, unfolding of fate, karma, initiatory event, incubation

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- p
Deity- Nornir
Tree- Elm
Plant- Belladonna
Animal- Woman
Bird- Heron
Astrology- Saturn
Color- Black
Element- Water


15. Algiz

Algiz has been translated as elk, protection, swan, and sedge grass. The Gothic word alhs, meaning sanctuary or temple, may come from the same linguistic root.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Protection, sanctuary, prayer, friendship, trust
Esoteric- Mystical communication with the divine, guardian spirit, absorption of protective cosmic energy, faith in the divine.

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- z
Deity- Heimdall
Tree- Yew
Plant- Angelica
Animal- Elk
Bird- Dove
Astrology- Virgo
Color- Gold
Element- Earth/Air


16. Sowilu

Also known as sigil in Old English and sol in Old Norse, Sowilu is the sun rune. The sun is a principal focus of worship in all Pagan religions, and even in Christianity, Jesus is linked to the sun in his role as the Light of God.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Success, vitality, good fortune, popularity
Esoteric- The higher self, the spiritual will, enlightenment, divine blessing

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- s
Deity- Baldur/Sonne
Tree- Juniper
Plant- Chamomile/mistletoe
Animal- Lion
Bird- Eagle
Astrology- Sun
Color- Yellow
Element- Fire


17. Teiwaz

Teiwaz was the original creator god of the Germanic peoples, who later became known as Tyr. His name is related to the sanskrit word dyaus, meaning divine, and to Jehovah, a Hebrew name for God.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Victory, honor, justice, law, balance, self-sacrifice, righteousness
Esoteric- Magical equilibrium, selflessness, spiritual purity

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- t
Deity- Tyr
Tree- Oak
Plant- Wolfsbane
Animal- Wolf
Bird- Crow
Astrology- Libra
Color- Red
Element- Air


18. Berkana

Berkana, or Beore in Old English, means birch tree. This graceful tree has the poetic name lady of the woods and is probably the only tree to be found throughout the entire area peopled by Germanic tribes.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Nurturing, nourishment, mothering, fertility, beauty, healing, growth
Esoteric- Earth mother, spiritual growth and sustenance

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- b
Deity- Nerthus/Freya/Frigg
Tree- Birch
Plant- Motherwort
Animal- Bear
Bird- Swan
Astrology- Cancer
Color- Green
Element- Water/Earth


19. Ehwaz

Ehwaz means horse in all the old Germanic tongue. In some respects, the horse came to be an even more important animal to the Indo-European peoples than cattle.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Travel, partnership, marriage, self-control
Esoteric- Inner journeys, astral projection

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- e
Deity- Odin
Tree- Ash
Plant- Ragwort
Animal- Horse
Bird- Albatross
Astrology- Gemini
Color- White/Yellow
Element- Air


20. Mannaz

Mannaz translates as human and represents the mystery of each human being's relationship with other humans, the rest of creation, and the divine will.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- The self, family member, friendship, association, rational intelligence, race memory
Esoteric- Transcendental counsciousness, the individual as microcosm, shaman, spiritual healer.

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- m
Deity- Heimall
Tree- Holly
Plant- Mandrake
Animal- Man
Bird- Hawk
Astrology- Aquarius
Color- Red
Element- Water/Air


21. Laguz

Laguz means body of water, sea, or ocean and is the root of the modern English word lake. The rune looks like the carved prow of a viking longship and represents a vehicle used to navigate water.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Journey across water, fluidity, imagination, intuition, artistic creativity
Esoteric- Soul journey, psychic power, initiatory dream

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- l
Deity- Njord
Tree- Willow
Plant- Leek
Animal- Seal
Bird- Duck
Astrology- Moon
Color- Green
Element- Water


22. Ingwaz

This rune is dedicated to the mysterious god Ing, whose origins are unclear. He is generally believed to predate the Germanic tribes and became associated with the fertility god Frey.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Potency, latent energy, sexual heat, orgasm, union, fruition, goal
Esoteric- Intense creative activity

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- ng
Deity- Ing/Frey
Tree- Apple
Plant- Self-heal
Animal- Boar
Bird- Cuckoo
Astrology- Black moon
Color- Orange
Element- Fire


23. Othila

Othila means homeland or ancestral property. It contains a sense of homecoming and returning to one's roots and represents appreciation for and reconciliation with the ancestral spirits.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Homeland, ancestral property, family home, inheritance
Esoteric- Ancestor spirits, sacred enclosure, universal truth

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- o
Deity- Odin
Tree- Hawthorn
Plant- Daisy
Animal- Salmon
Bird- RAven
Astrology- Moon
Color- Yellow
Element- Fire


24. Dagaz

Dagaz means day and signifies both beginnings and endings. The shape of the rune is an angular form of the lemniscate, the horizontal figure eight that symbolizes eternity.

Divinatory Meanings:
Mundane- Security, certainty, clarity, dramatic change
Esoteric- Higher level of consciousness, path of destiny

Correspondences:
Phonetic Value- d
Deity- Oestre/Verdandi
Tree- Rowan
Plant- Clary sage
Animal- Deer
Bird- Skylark
Astrology- Half moon
Color- Light Blue
Element- Air