Interpreting the Key Words of the Rune Poems

The Shattered Realm

By sifting through the key words of the three extant rune poems I have come up with simplistic and purely 'exoteric' interpretations of their meanings (see Figure 1 below). This method provides a good foundation for gleaming a basic understanding of the deeper meanings behind the runes. Once you have constructed basic interpretations of the rune poems, which are important to study because they provide us with evidence of what the runes symbolised to their organic users, you can use this foundation as a means to study the richer, contextual symbolism of the rune poems, as found in surviving literature and the progresses of archaeology and academia. This kind of study, rather than an over-reliance on other people's subjective interpretations (which can be very useful, but should not provide anything more than a loose reference point) paves the way to developing a genuine, holistic knowledge of the runes.

It becomes clear, when you look at these key words, that many of the runes share certain traits and meanings with others. Reading the poems in their fullness and with understanding can assist you in coming to conclusions about the possible meanings of these connection. For instance, the poem for Elhaz speaks of a razor sharp grass that grows at the edge of water that causes a grievous wound to any who grasp it. This clearly relates to some form of defence, but looking further into that you see that it is thematically related to the key words peculiar to Laguz, Kenaz and Thurisaz. If you then apply these more literal meanings with the subjective esoteric understanding won through studying symbolism and feeling the essence of the runes through guided Rune Work, more becomes revealed about what Elhaz means. For more on Elhaz see this article, which features a parallel between Elhaz and the symbolism of the sword, and this post from my blog.

An Elk Elhaz: Elk's Sedge

The runes' forms also have significance. Elhaz, for instance has a feasible pictographic similarity to the antlered head of the elk, which are a ferocious defensive weapon more than capable of inflicting grim wounds. If you now decide to think about or research the symbolism of the elk, you will perhaps come a bit closer to understanding both the Elhaz rune and the ways in which the ancient Germanic people may have thought. But runes are not truly understood in isolation. Apply, for instance, what you could interpret about Elhaz and then connect those realisations to Laguz, Kenaz and Thurisaz as I suggested above and you may sense some of the greater insights that can open up as you research these interconnections. Then of course, each of those runes interrelates to all of the others in their own unique ways.

Runes need to be studied in as much context as possible, including cultural context and in their interpretative relationship to other runes. Think, for example, about the categorisation of runes into Victory Runes, Wave Runes, Speech Runes, Ale Runes, Branch/Cure Runes, Mind Runes and Aid Runes that Brynhild relates to Sigurd in her Rune Poem in the Völsunga Saga. From the Old English, Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic Rune Poems we can see that Tiwaz is a Victory Rune, Sowilo and Laguz are Wave Runes, and Ansuz is a Speech Rune. Think also of how the runes may relate to the eighteen charms that Óðinn learned in the Hávamál. How do these charms relates to the Merseburg Charms? Which of Brynhild's rune types do these charms belong to? How do all of these things relate to each other?

In essence, a holistic study of all of the possible connections that exists between all of the runes becomes the only option, which in itself will provide enough work to keep you occupied for the rest of your life.

Figure 1.

Rune	OERP Key words	NRP Key words	IRP Key words	Summary
Fehu	Wealth, comfort, deal, freely, wants, lot, judgment	Gold, strife, kinsmen, wolf, grows up, woods	Gold, strife, kinsmen, fire, flood-tide, path of the serpent	Gold, wealth, dealings, free movement, strife, social trouble
Uruz	Auroch, Fearless, greatly, fierce, beast, fights, roamer, courageous	Slag, bad iron, runs, reindeer, hard snow	Drizzle, weeping, clouds, lessener of the rim of ice, herdsman’s hate, shadow, shower	Power, Audhumla, hardness, strength, durability, causality of action, negative energy, shaper of things
Thurisaz	Thorn, Sharp, harmful, cruel, lies	Thurs, sickness, women, few are cheerful, misfortune	Thurs, torment, women, rocks, husband of an etin, Saturn	Sharp, cruel, harmful to women, masculine, malicious energy, hardness
Ansuz	God, chieftain, speech, wisdom, wise, noble, warrior, hope, happiness	Estuary, way, journeys, sheath, swords,	Ase, olden-father, Asgard, chieftain, leader of Valhalla, Jupiter	Odin, speech, wisdom, divine power, higher realm, nobility, war, leadership
Raidho	Riding, Warrior, powerful, horse, road	Riding, horses, Reginn, forged, sword	Riding, blessed sitting, swift journey, toil of the horse	Travel, dynamism, movement, proxy power
Kenaz	Torch, living, person, fire, clear, bright, burns, noblemen, rest	Sore, curse, children, grief, pale	Sore, bale, children, scourge, rotten flesh, whip	Light, fire, pain, clarity, sadness, death, punishment
Gebo	Gift, pride, praise, help, worthiness, adventurer, estate, substance			Reciprocation, value, aid
Wunjo	Joy, few troubles, pains or sorrows, power, blessedness, plenty, towns			Happiness, abundance, community
Hagalaz	Hail, whitest, high, grains, heaven, wind, water	Hail, coldest, grains, Christ, shaped the world, ancient times	Hail, cold, grain, shower, sleet, sickness, snakes	Coldness, shaper of reality and causality, ice, harm, sacrifice of Ymir, devastation from above
Nauthiz	Need, constricting, help and salvation, heed it in time	Need, difficult situation, naked, freeze, frost	Need, grief, bondmaid, hard condition, toilsome work, work	Need, difficulty, proneness, situation requiring work, formative hardship, importance of foresight
Isa	Ice, very cold, exceedingly slippery, clear as glass, like gems, floor made of frost	Ice, broad bridge, blind, need, led	Ice, rind, river, roof of the waves, danger, fey men,	Difficulty, hardship, danger, shelter, pathway, tester, frozen state
Jera	Harvest, hope of men, heaven, the earth, bright fruits, nobles and the needy	Harvest, profit, Froði, generous	Harvest, profit, men, good summer, ripened field, Year	Fertility, hope, peace, prosperity, generosity, fruition, cycle, summer
Eihwaz/Yr	Yew, rough tree, hard, firm in the earth, keeper of the fire, supported by roots, joy on the estate	Yew, greenest wood in winter, burns, singeing	Yew, strung bow, brittle iron, giant of the arrow, Bow	Toughness, protection, defence, depth, flexibility, fuel, regenerative ability
Perthro	Lot-box, play and laughter, bold men, warriors, beer-hall, happy together			Social joy, interaction, lots, causality in motion
Elhaz	Elk’s sedge, the fen, waxes, water, grimly wounds, burns with blood, who grasps it			Grievous defence, untouchability,
Sowilo	Sun, sea-men, hoped for, fare away, sea, ship, land	Sun, light of the lands, doom of holiness	Sun, shield of the clouds, shining glory, sorrow of ice, wheel	Guidance, warmth, hope, consistency, power, holiness
Tiwaz	Tyr, token, troth, noble-men, on its course, never fails	Tyr, one handed, Aesir, smith, blow often,	Tyr, one-handed god, leavings of the wolf, ruler of the temple, mars	Order, war, sacrifice, victory, leadership, surety
Berkano	Birch, without fruit, shoots without seed, beautiful branches, crown, finely covered, loaded with leaves, touching the sky	Birch twig, limb, greenest of leaves, Loki, luck, deceit	Birch-twig, leafy limb, little tree, youthful wood, silver fir	Fertility, fecundity, youthfulness, fortune, guile, attractiveness, sexuality
Ehwaz	Horse, in front of, warriors, joy, noble-men, charger, proud, heroes, wealthy men, exchange speech, restless, comfort			Partnership, dynamism, nobility, reciprocation, valour, firmness
Mannaz	Man, mirth, dear, kinsmen, each, depart, other, commit, decree, frail flesh, earth	Man, increase, dust, mighty, talon-span, hawk	Man, joy, increase of dust, adornment of ships, human	Joy, community, reciprocation, mortality, humanity, dualism, temporality, bonds, duty, endeavour, creativity
Laguz	Water, people, unending, venture out, unsteady ship, sea-waves, frighten, brine-stallion, does not mind his bridle	Water, falls from mountains, a force, gold (objects), costly things	Water, churning lake, wide kettle, land of fish, lake	Fear, uncertainty, compulsion, the unknown, hidden power
Ingwaz	Ing, first, eastward, went over the wave, wain followed on, warriors, hero			Yngvi-Freyr, tradition, activity, dynamism, masculinity
Dagaz	Day, lord’s messenger, dear to men, ruler’s famous light, mirth and hope, rich and poor, useful to all			Hope, joy, happiness, practicality, benefit, valuable, connection with divine favour
Othala	Estate, very dear, every man, enjoy, right, custom, dwelling, property			Tradition, roots, property, possessions, homestead, family, heredity, natural, universal rights