The Shattered Realm
Fehu, the rune of ‘mobile
property’ and wealth, is, to my mind, intrinsically related to the
concept of
frith. I see it not only as the rune of wealth, but of any
underlying principle that brings essential stability and structure to a
system, culture, community, psyche or life, particularly when it comes
to their unfixed or transitory elements. That gold is the substance that
represented this in the most obviously manifest way in a trade based,
mobile community, makes it the perfect symbol of the ‘base’ rune of the
Futhark.
Fehu’s connection with frith can be seen when you consider that frith
was the underlying societal principle that constituted the ‘very core of
the soul’. According to Vilhelm Grönbech, frith is the element that
‘gives birth to all thoughts and feelings, and provides them with the
energy of life’ and ‘is that centre in the self where thoughts and
feelings receive the stamp of their humanity, and are inspired with will
and direction’. Etymologically, ‘frith’ is connected to words such as
‘free’, ‘friend’, ‘peace’ and ‘love’ and is also connected to the name
of the goddess Frigg, who, being to some degree interchangeable in
function with the Vanir goddess Freyja, shares a certain symbolic
resonance with the Fehu rune. Fehu is the opening rune of Freyja’s Ćtt,
the first eight runes of the Elder Futhark, and as such has an implicit
connection with Vaniric attributes such as wealth and fecundity – both
of which form the essence of the vital laws of attraction that bind
societies and individuals together.
Looking to the Old English Rune Poem, some further correspondence
between Fehu and the understanding of frith can be seen. The poem tells
us that
Wealth is a comfort to every man,
And each man should deal it out freely,
If he wants, before the lord, his lot of judgement.
The implication here is that the principle of reciprocation – a central
aspect of frith - is a vital one. Wealth through trade is reliant upon
it, interpersonal relationships are based upon it and, what’s more,
frith is based upon it. If a person reciprocates what they have, like a
true kinsmen should, the reward they receive reflects the effort they
have put into sharing. The words of the Old Norwegian Rune Poem and the
Old Icelandic Rune poem tell us something more when a man is subject to
greed, solipsism and atomisation, and fails to apply the principles of
frith amongst his peers.
Gold causes strife amongst kinsmen,
The wolf grows up in the woods
Amongst other possible interpretations is that of the wolf in the woods
represents the man who has taken niđing status, becoming a beast-like
man without the soul enhancing, humanising aspects of frith that bound
ancient societies together. Growing up in the woods represents social
castigation, although of course there are other avenues of symbolism to
discover and interpret other than these with a full exploration of Fehu.
~
Bera Cealdecote writes on Money
Stubbington, May 2007.
Paul the Apostle
said, “Love of money is the root of all evil.” On this, as on much else,
he was wrong.
There is nothing inherently good about money and there is nothing
inherently bad about it either. Money is the most explicit
representation of potential in our culture. As such, used wisely, money
is an incredibly potent tool for the achieving of one's ends. Money is
dynamic, it is mobile power, it represents the active principle: the
desire to act, to exert one's will in the world. A love of money and the
power it brings is entirely in keeping with the ancient free culture of
the Indo-Europeans. This notion of mobile wealth is expressed in the
Elder Futhark
by the rune Fehu.
Although the Elder Futhark as we know it today is a reconstruction
devised by modern linguists, the uncommonly precise correspondences
between the Fehu verses in the extant
rune poems and the
equivalent letter's name in the
Gothic alphabet
(Faihu) all suggest that the reconstructed
Proto-Germanic
name “Fehu” is highly likely to be correct.
The importance of this principle to the Indo-Europeans is clear. Any
examination of ancient European literature immediately reveals two key
aspects of their culture, which we might represent by two classes of
person: the Warrior and the Trader. In most circumstances, we find both
these principles combined in the same person. The famous Viking skald
Egill Skallagrímsson wrote, “Björn var farmađur mikill, var stundum í
víking, en stundum í kaupferđum.” Which in modern English means, “Björn
was a great traveller, sometimes as pirate, sometimes as tradesman.” The
Vikings not only raided and pillaged but also set up some of the most
extensive trading
networks in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire. A willingness
to venture into unknown territories in order to trade in exotic goods
has always been found among peoples of Indo-European stock.
Of particular fascination for me is the
Hanseatic League.
This was a loose federation of German trading guilds that dominated
trade throughout northern Europe and the Baltic for approximately four
centuries. Their power, both economic and military, grew so much that in
the 14th century they were able to successfully challenge the king of
Denmark and to influence German imperial policy. They established
trading cities in countries all over northern Europe and managed to win
independence for their cities from the nominal rulers of the territories
in which they were sited. I am particularly intrigued by the existence
of guild enclaves, situated within foreign countries but run according
to guild law rather than the law of the country. One such trading post,
known as a “Kontor” (Counting-House), was based in
Bergen on the west
coast of Norway. A couple of years ago I was happy to get a chance to
see some of the guild buildings, which alone of all the Kontors are
still standing. In just over a month I will be returning for another
look at the Bryggen,
among other things. There is certainly something quintessentially
European about an international trading corporation (but note that the
League was a federation of local trading guilds rather than a single
monolithic “globalised” firm.)
Money also played an important social role in Germanic society as the
bond between lord and retainer was symbolised and strengthened by the
giving of gifts. This system of mercenary loyalty lasted well into the
19th century with the Swiss mercenaries (and arguably continues today in
the form of the Vatican's
Swiss Guard.) In
Honor in German
Literature, George Fenwick Jones writes, “The old Germanic ideal of
service unto death, but only as long as the payments are prompt, lasted
until modern times in the ethics of the Swiss mercenaries.”
However, the key fact about Fehu is that it symbolises potential, i.e.
the ability to achieve an end, and not an end itself. Money can be used
for ill just as easily as for good. A person can harm himself by
misusing money just as easily, if not more easily, than he can help
himself by using money well. More often than not, harm and destruction
come about when money is allowed to become an end in itself rather than
a means to an end. In a healthy society, money is a powerful tool used
to achieve goals but those goals themselves have nothing to do with
money. The goals are determined by the values and ideals of that
society's culture. When money takes the place of an ideal itself, then
the adverse aspect of Fehu is revealed.
Fullar grindr
sá ek fyr Fitjungs sonum,
nú bera ţeir vonar völ;
svá er auđr
sem augabragđ,
hann er valtastr vina.
Fields and flocks had
Fitjung's sons,
Who now carry begging bowls:
Wealth may vanish in the wink of an eye,
Gold is the falsest of friends.
-- Hávamál verse 78 (W H Auden & P B Taylor trans.)
Fé vćldr frćnda róge;
fřđesk ulfr í skóge.
Wealth is a source of
discord amongst kin;
the wolf lives in the forest.
-- Norwegian rune poem
