The Second Aett

h A-S Name Hagol, Proto-Germanic Hagalaz, Roman letter h

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem Verse:

Hagol is the whitest corn---it whirls from heaven's sky
Rolled by wind's showers---it worths (becomes)water then.

Hagol is the rune of creation. The lines of the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem speaks of the creation of a hail stone and its final transformation into water. Hagol therefore symbolizes not only creation but the process of transformation in life. It is the rune of life change and the shaping energies that brings about that change. It is somewhat symbolic of Wyrd also as what the poem does not say is that the water will again evaporate into the clouds to be sent back down again as rain, hail, sleet, or snow. It is therefore ever going through changes based on laws laid down at the beginning of time. Much as the water in the well of Wyrd goes through its cycles condensing as dew on the World Tree only to fall back into the Well, Hagol goes through its cycles. Many runesters see this rune as symbolic of the "cosmic egg" or a set pattern as in a crystal, but this does not agree with the Northern European view of an ever changing universe.

Hagol can also be seen as a rune of fertility as it falls to the ground to water growing crops. But here it has its destructive tendencies too, leveling crops, and injuring cattle; change is often not without destruction.

In divination, Hagol can be taken that a period of change may be about to take place, or that a new creation in one's life is coming about. In magic it can be used to bring about such change.

n A-S Rune Name Níed, Proto-Germanic, Roman Letter n Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem Verse:

Need is narrow on the chest ---though worths it oft to men's children
To help and heal however---if they listen to it early.

Níed is the rune of necessity and constraint. It is representative of the stresses of everyday life. However, stress, as the rune poem verse says need not be a bad thing. Often, it can signal a need for change, and if this signal is heeded, the changes to be made can lead to healing of mind, body, and soul. It is the rune of the overcoming of all odds. Whereas Wynn is a rune of joy and happiness, Níed is its nearly its opposite. Níed is the "school of hard knocks" where lessons are learned by necessity. It is therefore a rune of struggle, sometimes of the ordeal. Nonetheless it can be used to help fight hardships one endures. In the Sigdrifumal Sigdrifa advises Sigurdh to carve Níed on his finger nails and any drinking vessel to avoid enchantment. Níed can be used to avoid those situations that cause hardship by constraining those very causes. It is also the rune of the need fire, the fire created from a fire drill and used by the ancient Northern Europeans to drive away pestilence and disease and other forms of evil. For this reason, Níed also represents not only the stresses of everyday life, but the ability to overcome them.

In divination, Níed indicates a need that may have to be met or overcome. In spellwork it can be used to overcome such obstacles.

i A-S name Ís, Proto-Germanic Ísa

Ís is overly (i.e., "supremely") cold ---immeasurably slick
It glistens like bright glass---most like gems
A floor wrought of frost---is a fair sight.

The rune verse of Ís is a warning, "beware of that which is beautiful, for it can contain great danger." Its meaning can be seen in such old sayings as "all that glitters is not gold" and "appearances can be deceiving." It is the alluring song of the sirens or the insincerity hidden behind the con man's pitch. It is the beautiful woman or handsome man that uses their physical beauty to achieve dishonest means. It is a warning to look out for things that are too good to be true. It is the cold uncaring individual willing to use deception to achieve their means, and unwilling to change themselves.

On another level, Ís symbolizes the standstill of the frozen sea, the inability to change. It is cold, unyielding and deadly. Some runesters see Ís as a rune of the ego but this is highly unlikely. If it does indicate anything about the self it most likely refers to a cold unchanging individual whose life is at a standstill. It may be that Ís was what brought about the "battle fetters" a condition brought on warriors by a curse to prevent them from taking action.

In divination, Ís can mean, "beware, watch your step," or it can indicate one's life has cometo a standstill. In spellwork, it can be used to bring activities of some kind to a complete halt, to ice it over.

j A.-S. rune name Géar, Proto-Germanic Jera, Roman Letter y (American) g (soft) or j (German)

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem Verse:Year is man's hope---if God lets,
Holy heaven's king,---the Earth sell (i.e. "give")
Bright fruits, ---to nobles and needy.

The rune géar is the rune of the harvest, the reaping of one's labors. It is also a rune of divine aid or the cooperation from the forces of nature. It is the marriage of the sky and the earth, the rains and the soil that along with Man's labors brings about fruits from the soil. This line of thought goes beyond mere agriculture however, and can be applied to nearly any undertaking in life, a project at work, a relationship leading to marriage, the birth of a child. On an esoteric level, Géar represents the completion of a project and the labor that went into it. It also represents the cycles of nature, and reflects the cycles we go through to accomplish great deeds. Géar can reflect gradual growth or change, development of something from beginning to end in a slow process.

Géar also reflects the natural cycles of Wyrd, the laws of Wyrd that governs the growth of plant life, the endless cycle of death in the fall and rebirth in the spring. The lesson of Géar is that no state is eternal, the world is ever changing, and there is no set uniform universe, only the uniform laws of cyclical change that govern it.

In divination,Géar can indicate a project is about to come to fruition, or that it may take a cycle to complete. In spellwork it can be used to reap the benefits of hard labor.

E A.-S.Rune Name Éoh, Proto-Germanic Eihwaz, Roman Letter ie

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem Verse: Yew is outwardly---an unsmooth tree
Held hard, earthfast---fire's herd (guardian/keeper)
Worts (roots) underwreathe (twist) ---wynn on Æthel (i.e. "joy on the estate").

Éoh reflects the quality of the European Yew, a tree that grows to great heights, is nearly indestructible, and has deep meaning for the peoples of Northern Europe. The wood of the yew was used in staves fashioned for protection against all forms of evil, and also in bows, a weapon that commonly was used to protect against the onslaught of an enemy charge. Beyond this however, the yew had deeper meanings, for many believe that the World Tree of ancient belief was a yew (though some said it was an ash). This would explain the use of yew trees in ancient European cemeteries and its connection in folklore to death. In order to reach the gods' realms, the worthy dead would have to journey up the World Tree from our plane here on Earth. Éoh therefore can represent death, or the spiritual death and rebirth of the shaman who makes a similar journey while alive.

Éoh also represents the ability to be hard and fast and ever on our guard against the "fire" that may damage us. By doing so we build strength deep within us so we appear rooted in any stand we make. Éoh gives us the ability to ward and defend ourselves just as the yew tree does.

The verse of the "Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem" for Éoh also contains the names of two other runes, Wynn and Éþel. Usually when this occurs it indicates that the rune contains qualities of the runes mentioned in its verse. Éoh then, drawing on its own symbols and those of Wynn and Éþel; could indicate the joy or ecstasy of death and rebirth in the estates of the gods.

In divination, Éoh can be a difficult rune to interpret. Nonetheless, it can indicate that a spiritual journey is about to be made or that psychic death may be in the making. In spellwork, it can be used as a rune of defense.

p A.-S. Rune Name Peorþ, Proto-Germanic Perthro, Roman Letter p

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem Verse:

Peorþ is always ---play and laughter
Amongst bold men---where warriors sit
In the beer hall---blithe together.

The meaning of the word Peorþ is unknown, but many have taken it to mean 'lot box" and therefore see a link to Wyrd. However, it is important to remember that nothing is truly random, there is a cause for everything even if our mortal minds cannot comprehend it. The laws of cause and effect were set down long ago and the enTíre universe must follow this laws set down in Wyrd. The verse of the "Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem" also stresses the happiness of warriors gaming together. This may be symbolic of warriors going off to face their wyrds, the doom of battle, without out fear, but laughing in the face of death. Taticus speaks of Germanic tribesmen gambling themselves into the point of slavery, and then cheerfully accepting that state.

Even the mention of the Beerhall in the "Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem" brings in the concept of Wyrd. The beerhall was where the ancient Germanic ritual of symbel was commonly held. Symbel is a rite to place one's self into the flow of the events of Wyrd, to better understand one's actions, and act accordingly. (Bauschatz, page 83). Symbel is an Átrú drinking rite in which rounds are made; with the first round the Norse gods are boasted, with the second the ancestors of those present, and after the third participants boast of their own past deeds and then vow to do greater ones. The point of this rite is to place one's self in touch with Wyrd and thereby gain mægen by boasting of great deeds one can accomplish.

In divination Peorþ may mean a stroke of luck or indicate the unknown. It is rarely used in spellwork, but may be used to bring about the outcome of one's wyrd.

x A.-S. rune name Eolh-secg*, Proto-Germanic Elhaz, Roman Letter z

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem Verse: Elk sedge grass has a home ---oftest in the fen
It waxes in water---it wounds grim
and burns with blood---any man
that in any way---dares grab it.

*alternate name Ealh "temple sanctuary"

Eolh-secg is primarily know as the rune of defense, it is the rune of sacred ground, of sanctuary. It's protection is passive, but brings forth painful results. The rune poem verse packs a warning, do not violate warded places. Eolh-secg is related to the concept of the sacred, that dedicated to the divine which cannot be violated. Eolh-secg invokes the divine's protection, and can be used to communicate with the divine. Its rune verse is similar to that of Thorn's, both being defensive runes. The primary difference however is while Thorn is geared to an active defense and can be used offensively, Eolh-secg is oriented towards passive protection. This passive protection is the protection of the gods and that which they make sacred.

This concept of the sacred is linked to the concept of wíh, that which more properly belongs to the realms of the gods and not that of the mundane world. Wíh is a divine state, one that belongs to a higher plane. The alternative rune name Ealh was used of places that were also called in Old Norse vé a word which derives from the proto-Germanic ancestor of the word wíh "sacred." This linkage to the idea of the "sacred" brings with it the awe and fear of the divine, and herein rests the power of the rune Eolh-secg. For the uninitiated, or the unenlightened to attempt to touch the divine could result in dangerous consequences "burning with blood any man that tries to grab it." Ancient Germanic law prescribed the death penalty for those that stole from temples or other holy sites or otherwise desecrated them.

In divination Eolh-secg may indicate a period of safety and security or a time when safety and security is called for, it could indicate contact with the divine or that divine protection is coming. In spellwork its primary use is related to defensive spells and warding. Its defense being passive, while Thorn's is more aggressive.

s A.-S. rune name Sigel, Proto-Germanic Sowilo, Roman Letter s

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem Verse:

Sun by seamen---always is hoped for When they fare hence---over fish's bath
till the brime steed ---they bring to land.

Sigel is the rune of the sun, and therefore is linked to all of the sun's imagery. The Northern Europeans however did not view the sun as masculine like the Greeks and Egyptians, there was no sun god per se. In the Mediterranean regions the sun was often seen as harsh; bringing dry, hot summers. Northern Europeans however saw the sun as a goddess due to the warmth she gave in the often cold north. This warmth was seen as the warmth a mother or wife gives their children or husband. It is a feeling of love and safety. It was the sun's rays that allowed the crops to grow, the same crops that would be stored for the onslaught on winter.

Sigel is a rune of protection and good weather. Strangely, enough it is often connected to Thunor (Thor), god of the thunderstorm, as is the fylfot though this may be due to his role as protector. It is also a rune of beauty, the words used in the Ancient Northern European tongues for beauty were also used of the sun's rays. Overall, Sigel is a very positive rune, although the imagery of its rune poem verse also link it to Lagu whose verse is similar, the difference being Sigel is a safe journey while lagu's is a rough one. Sigel is the opponent to Ís and can be used to overcome any such standstill in life. It is the thawing rays of spring.

In divination, Sigel can indicate a time of safety and happiness, a time of hope and safe journeys. In spellwork it is especially good for ensuring safe journeys or safety in any undertaking. The First Aett
The Third Aett
Additional Runes of the Anglo-Saxon Futhark