The Wolf's Hook Rune

The Wolf's Hook Rune is one of the most used symbols amongst the Wolf-Tribes of Woden, wherever they may be; the symbolism is not often understood, so I am going to try to make this more understandable to Folkish Wodenists. The shape comes from the infamous 'Wolf-Hook' used to trap wolves, a common thing after the coming of Judaeo-Christianity which sought to break all ties between Heathens and Nature. But through this wanton act of destruction came about the famous Wolfsangel. 

The rune itself is a variation of the Eoh-Rune/Eiwaz-Rune which is symbolic of the Yew-Tree, the tree associated with death found around English churchyards. The Yew-Tree is symbolic of the inevitability of death, which itself leads to heroic deeds of reckless courage. The lack of fear for death leads men to greater and greater deeds of courage. 

Hamasson has shown how the symbol shows the constellation of Orion the Hunter, and as a device used by hunters this link is proven to be true. This is the device of Woden as the Wild Hunter-God, the 'Master of the Hunt'. It is also connected to Herne the Hunter, Lord of the Trees, and Lord of the Animals'. 

In certain parts of Germany this symbol was used as a boundary-marker; this is an important concept since the boundary was a place outside the norm, being neither one area nor another area, but the liminal space between one world and the next. In Germany it was also used within forestry, and this was because the wild forests were outside the bounds of ordered society, where the Heathen dwelt. I have often emphasised that 'pagans' have an association with the village or hamlet, the ordered spaces, whereas the 'heathens' operate outside these ordered places within the wild areas, particularly the ancient woodlands. This is a marked difference.

I have used this symbol as my personal 'logo', placed inside the Germanic Ing-Rune, thus meaning 'Wulf Ingessunu' - 'Wulf - Son of Ing'. The connection to Woden, the One-Eyed Hunter-God of the Teutons, is also very important in this respect. 

The figure of Herne in the Cerne Abbas Giant is connected to Orion the Hunter, as the shape itself shows us. The 'Phallus of Orion' ('Ur-AEon') shown here is called by the name Frigg's Distaff by the Saxons, representing the three central stars of Orion's Belt. There is a subtle play-on-words here for the distaff is the tool which weaves, but it is also the Phallus of Woden as the name suggests. The hill-figure itself, once known as Heil, shows a primal figure of the Hunter-God, God of the Mannerbunde (shown by the primitive club), and the God of the Primal AEon. 

Basically, the Wolf's Hook Rune is used to mark out the boundary between society and the Wolf's Heads that operate outside that society - just as we Folkish Wodenists operate outside this society. We are 'outlaws' whether we wish this or not; this corrupt, rotten and degenerate society has made us 'outlaws', and we have no complaints at all on this point. 

One heathen-orientated group which operates outside this society in a big way is known as the Wolves of Vinland, operating in the USA as the name suggests. Run by Paul Waggener this is a Wolf-Cult of Odin that produces strong and tough menfolk who base their work on power-lifting and fighting - the strengths of the Warrior Caste. Operation Werewolf seems to be a recruiting-ground, but also used to allow others to follow these ways as 'Lone-Wolves'. 

I have to say now that the strength of such groups lies in their ability to bring into play the motto that we ourselves use -

The strength of the Pack is the Wolf

The strength of the Wolf is the Pack

Rugged individualism is allied to its opposite, the pack-instinct, which is the basis for a strong Wolf Brotherhood. The ideas stem from the old Biker Gangs which were opposed to the Old Order and wished to be outside society, even if only when they came together as a group. These produced biker brotherhoods whose members could work closely together and help each other when times required such help. Even though their clothes are not perhaps recognisable as a 'uniform' they were designed to be used as such since they gave the individual a sense of identity with the group, and set them apart from the mass of people. 

From the start, back in 1998, Woden's Folk was linked closely to the Wolf Totem and many of its activists used the Wolf as their totem and within a Wodenic Name. We have also used various mottos and slogans linked to our status as a Wolf-Tribe of Woden -

Wolves Amongst The Sheep!

Rise and Rise Again

Until Lambs Become Wolves!

The first of these states our point that we are not part of the herd, the flock of sheep or 'sheeple', for we take up the Wolf as our Totem of strength, individualism and freedom. The second is a clear indication that although we shall be pushed down again and again, our work hindered and attacked continuously, we shall rise, and rise again until such time as the 'sheep' shall become 'Wolves'. This motto was taken from the Robin Hood film starring Russel Crow but which has been altered from 'Lambs become Lions' to 'Lambs become Wolves'. The Wolf does not and never will lie down with the Lamb! 

It is a fact that constant struggle is the only means to become strong, to gain in strength, but more importantly to hone the Will through self-overcoming. Over and over again we have to face setbacks, and overcome setbacks, and thus hone our strength of Will. This is the great problem, for few are able to carry on against such odds, and most falter and drop away, for when easy victory cannot be found these people have no staying-power at all. The Wolf's Hook Rune acts as a symbol of resistance, and was used thus by the Germans in the Peasant's Revolt; as such it is a Symbol of Wid-Ar, God of Resistance. In fact, as I stated before, this rune was used in forestry, and is not Wid-Ar the Woodland God? 

The rising of such symbols in the Folk-Consciousness is really no coincidence, maybe a 'synchronicity'. This rune has arisen in our times because it is needed, and it tells a message in that its use can be powerful against the Forces of Darkness that rule our lands today. 

The Eohw-Rune (Eihwaz-Rune) is the basis of the IE Root *aiw- which means 'life-force' and 'eternity', as well as the root of the word aeon. Here, once more, we find links with the Yew-Tree, with Orion (Ur-Aeon), but also with the Life-Force, or here an aspect of this force as the Wolf-Force. The first symbolism used at the beginning of tis blog-post, when the three upright staves are of the same length, creates the Symbol SS or 'Double Sig-Runes' - the Lightning and the Sun. This symbolism is also that of the Twin-Serpents, which also relates to the Lightning and the Sun. Here we have a subtle rune-root Aiw-SS ('Aiwaz' - 'Eihwaz')) which is the Life-Force of the Lightning and the Sun. 

The above Edel-Rune is made up of the Double-SS but here the two Sig-Runes face each other; they represent the Black-Sun/White Sun in one aspect. The twin Sig-Runes are here united in the Folk & Land. This rune also represents the 'Rising of At-al-Land'. 

It is clear from the Germanic rune-name Odal that this is a Rune of Odin; the Wolf's Hook Rune is the Rune of Wid-Ar, Son of Woden. Rudolf John Gorseleben stated that Wid-Ar is the god that returns at the end of a 26,000 Great Year Cycle. I have shown in a previous blog-post how Wid-Ar is the 'Wide-Strider', and that this title was one used of Orion in Egyptian Mythology. Orion is a winter constellation linked to Cygnus the Swan which is a summer constellation - the Herne Giant represents the former and the Long Man of Wilmington the latter. 

The Coat of Arms of the Waendel Family shows a jester-like figure (Harlequin) holding a club, very much like the figure of the Herne Giant. And yet, the Long Man of Wilmington has also been associated with Waendel, a figure who as the 'Horned Waendel' may be associated with the 1600 year old Yew Tree in the churchyard of Wilmington. Both figures seem to be somewhat interchangeable at one level. Even in the Wolf's Hook Rune we have this 'interchangeable' symbolism, since this is twin Lagu-Runes which appear to be in motion, moving widdershins as does the Widdershins Swastika, moving against the flow of time. 

Orion is said to be associated with Cyclic Time, with the Cycles of the Ages, and Graham Hancock (the famous speculative writer) sees this constellation associated with the First Time - which seems feasible being the 'Ur-Aeon' (Orion). There is thus an association with the Beginning and the End or the First and the Last. 

There is also a link with the concept of the Last Avatar since the three central stars of Orion ('Belt of Orion') are the Three Magi that led the way to the birthplace of the 'Messiah' in the Christian Bible. These three stars point towards the Dog-Star or 'Wolf-Star' - Sirius. This was in fact named The Wandering Wolf by the Chinese. Sirius is the 'Blue Star' and one of the brightest stars in the Southern Skies. In fact it was called 'Tir' by the ancient Persians, a name which is familiar to us. 

We can see from this that the Wolf's Hook Rune has a far deeper symbolism and far deeper significance that it is usually given. To us today it represents not only resistance to tyranny, but also the 'Wolf's Head' operating outside the boundaries of this corrupt and rotten society. As a boundary-marker it represents the 'Folkland' in which we work outside the norm, away from the society we loathe because of its corruption, degeneracy and tyranny. It represents today the only freedom we have within this society, the freedom to gather in the wild areas away from the masses. 

There is also a subtle link to the famous Saxon Hero, Widukind, since the root-words widu and wudu are often used together or interchangeable with each other. Widu is also the same as 'Wid-Ar'; he is the 'Woodland God' and the 'God of Resistance' (widre/widder). Widukind is an Aryan Archetype just as Wid-Ar is the same type of archetype. Widu-Kind can mean 'Child of the Wood' in a certain sense, and thus connects directly to Wid-Ar. We have also the pairing of Wudga and Hama in the Old English texts, and Witega/Wudga was a son of Wayland the Smith. There are subtle links between all of these archetypes that share similar names. 

The Eihwaz-Rune is made up of two Lagu-Runes, as I have said, and is thus related to fluidity (water); the Root *wad/wat can be found related to 'Water', and Wade or Wate is the father of Wayland the Smith, and gave his name to 'Watling Street' (A5 Trunk Road). 'Water' here is not necessarily the element we know it as, but related to the fluidity of the Life-Force - it is here symbolic. The original meaning of the Aryan Root *wuot (basis of 'Wuotan') was 'all-pervasive' or 'all-penetrating' and referred to the Life-Force or the Universal Force that permeates everything. This is obviously related to the Norse Od which means 'spirit' and refers to this Universal Force or Life-Force - the Spiritual Force. Spirit = Spiral and thus this is a Spiral-Force; on another level the Aryan Root *war/wal is related to the spiral, meaning 'to twist', 'to turn' or 'to coil' and again related to the Coiled Serpent. 

The Winged Coiled Serpent is the Fire-Serpent or Kundalini Serpent which lies dormant at the base of the human spine, awakened by the Woden Initiate - it is the 'Awakening of the Spirit' within Man. Man has lost touch with his spiritual nature, he has amnesia, has forgotten his Divine Origins; locked within the DNA is the Aryan Gene waiting its awakening during the End-Times. 

The term 'Werewolf' is interesting, stemming from 'wer' (man) and 'wolf'. However, the term 'wer' does not mean 'man' in a general sense, but in a specific sense, that of the 'hero'. The term is the same as the Hindu vira which refers to a 'Divine Hero', so the Old English wer refers to a 'Divine Hero', and no ordinary 'man'. Thus 'Wer-Wolf' means 'Hero-Wolf', again referring to the Divine Hero and not to anyone - equality having no place within our weltanshauung. (Unfortunately, due to the influence of 'equality' there are far too many instances of Old English words being mistranslated to cater for this anti-nature idea. We find this in the Old English Rune Poem where too often aethlinga is translated as 'man' rather than its true meaning of a 'nobleman'.) It is also likely that there is a link between the Aryan Root *war and the Old English wer. Thus the link to 'Spiritual Man'. 

Our divine origins are linked spiritually to the Eagle ('AR') but our earthly strength is linked to the Wolf (Warg); here the term warg is an extension of the Aryan Root *war. 

Rise and Rise again

Until Lambs become Wolves!