Runic Meanings

As with all things on these blogs these meanings are my own interpretations which are added to the usual rune-meanings from the rune-poems; some of the work is from dream-work and intuitive 'flashes' that add to the meanings. As we have pointed out again and again within WF these type of inspirational ideas are not invalidated, and the runes have different levels of meaning. They are not static, or we would never find out anything more about them than the mundane meanings that the rune-poems give us - much of which has come through Xtian eyes. Woden hung upon the world tree in order to gain the runic-knowledge, which was already there; this knowledge was gained to give to his Folk for their use. 

These rune-meanings have been taken from notes that I have made over many years and they will change as more meanings come up, so please look them over at times to see what changes are being made.

THE RUNE-MEANINGS

FEOH - Number 1.

Wealth - The usual interpretation is wealth related either to cattle or to gold; both cattle and gold were really a means of barter or exchange. The Old English Rune Poem tells us to share what we have got, which may seem to be an Xtian interpretation. But we should not dismiss this because there is something in the idea that if you give then you also tend to receive. This is also part of the 'gift-giving' of the Gyfu-Rune, and in both we are talking of an exchange. This does not necessary just apply to physical things, for it can also apply to the mind too; if we give out positive 'vibes' (for want of a better term) then we receive them too. You can test out this theory when driving a car, for more often than not in this corrupt and rotten society very little is left of what is called manners. If you stop and let another car out from a junction it is very often the case that the one you let out will do the same for someone else a little later. If people today were to relearn to use their manners we would have less individualism and aggressive mind-set. As it is we have One Life - Live it - and to hell with everyone else! 

The term 'fee' stems from this rune and again suggests a form of exchange; what we need to remember is that barter of one commodity for another was the first means of exchange, following by the use of a 'token' or 'fee' which made the exchange easier. In the first instance the exchange is direct one thing for another, whilst in the second a 'fee' is exchanged for the object(s), which can then be used to buy something else. The key to this is that Feoh represents a Force of Exchange. 

Father-Rune - In the Abecedarium Nordmannicum (AN for short) the title is (Wealth) first and this tells us that this is the Primal Rune. The Root *fa is that of the Father-Rune or the All-Father who is (from the meaning of the root) the 'provider' and the 'protector'. In today's world the shape of this rune used back-to-back (i.e. the 45 degree staves pointing to left and right) is used to indicate deer or the stag on road signs. We can gleam from this simple observation that the rune is one that glyphs the Horns of Herne who is an aspect of Woden as the Horned One. Horns were seen as a sign of divinity, and their use in the symbolism of 'The Devil' or 'Satan' is simply because the symbolism has been usurped by the Dark Forces for their own use, since the Divine are rulers and the usurpers need this symbolism in  their own usurpation  of the Divine Rulership. As the Primal Rune we can see that the All-Father existed at the beginning of everything. This comes close to the ideas of Tolkien and Illuvater or Eru - the latter name being close to Er, Ir or Irmin. 

Cattle-Raid - This is a primal Aryan Myth where the cattle (or gold) is stolen by the Serpent-Force and is then taken back by the Divine Hero after he does blot to the War-God. A dim remembrance of this can be found in the tale of Jack & the Beanstalk. This Aryan Myth is also concerned with the theft of the Solar Wisdom by the Serpent-Force; this Solar Wisdom is then used (or rather abused) by these powers to achieve the opposite of the destiny of our Folk and Gods. 

The Solar-Race - This rune would also represent the ancient Solar Race (Arya) which is the Primal Race of the Golden Age. The myth about the death of Baldaeg the Sun-God could be seen in this light, for it is through the wiles of the Trickster-God Loki (The Great Liar) that Baldaeg is slain by his brother Blind Hod. This concept should be noted since it is his own kinsman (his brother) who does the fatal act, his 'blindness' meaning that he could not see what he was doing, or rather recognise the folly of his act, and it is Loki the Trickster who craftily makes him do the act. In World War II and other wars brother has been turned against brother, each killing the other blindly - all through the wiles of Loki - the Enemy Within. Baldaeg & the Asmegir await their resurrection in the land called Odainsacre, and there too are the Seven Sons of Mimir waiting to take up their swords for the Final Conflict.

Jack & the Beanstalk - The interesting part that concerns us here is the runic gealdor found in this children's tale - Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum - which follows the vowel-letters of the Roman Alphabet (which could mean that it has been changed) except for the sound Fa. This could have been done by the author of the tale for the simple reason that Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum fits with the metre of the poetic piece, whereas Fa-Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum would not do so. We should note here that in the Chakra system of the Hindus and Tantras the root-sounds often have the sound 'm' at the end. This also applies to such sounds as Om/Aum and also the Tibetan Mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. We have also another case of this in the Xtian ending to all of their prayers - Amen - which is Aum spelt in another way; this ending ('Amen') would seem to come from Egyptian - Amoun/Amon. If you sound the letter 'm' in a low kind of chant it does set up a vibration in the head. 

As Steed (Eye of Woden) pointed out in an article in the magazine the 'Ogre' mentions that he 'smells the blood of an Englishman' and that he would 'grind his bones to make his bread'. Like the Eaters of the Dead in the film Thirteenth Warrior, this refers to the Dark Force that eats the Souls of the Dead. This fits in with Norse Mythology where the Giants turn the World Mill and 'grind' everything, which refers to the act of 'grinding' down the souls of the dead and returning them to the Primal Chaos or Primal Soup, as well as grinding away the Old Order to make way for a New Order.

Fire from Water - The key to understanding this lies in the Icelandic Rune Poem where we find the following phrase - sea's flame followed by serpent's way. The 'sea's flame' is the Agni-Inga Fire which is Fire from Water. The actual wording 'serpent's way' is grave-fish and this refers to what I am going to call the F-Force which can be used in a transformational way. Just let us look at the Agni-Inga Fire -

The following rune (Ur) has the meaning 'drizzle' which refers to the vapour produced when water is heated. We have a set sequence based around the interaction of Ice and Fire -

• Ice is static.
• Through the melting of Ice by the influence of Fire or Heat (horizontal movement) Water is formed.
• Through the further application of Fire-Heat the Water is turned into vapour which moves in an upward motion.

The difference in state is caused by the Agni-Inga Fire; the Fire-in-Matter is the Kundalini-Fire also known as the Serpent-Fire. 

This F-Force is Cosmic Fire which we shall call the Agni-Inga Fire and in the Icelandic Rune-Poem we find reference to the Fire-in-Water and also the Serpent-Way which suggests a linking to Kundalini. There are three levels of this F-Force -

Friction-Fire (Nyd-Fire) - which holds a position in the human body below the navel. (Body)

Solar-Fire - which holds a position around the 'Solar Plexus'. (Soul)

Spiritual Fire - which holds a position around the top of the skull. (Spirit)

In this respect the F-Rune, K-Rune, N-Rune and S-Rune are all connected in some way to each other,and to Fire & Lightning (Electricity). This also goes for the Ing-Rune from which stems the inglenook which is the side of a fireplace. The root-sounds ng and gn ('Inga' & 'Agni') are related and a reflection of each other. (This type of word-play also works for the name Thor which, when written backwards is Roth meaning 'red' - Thor is the Red-Bearded God). Again the RIT (Rad-Rune) is TIR written backwards. Tir is the God of Cosmic Order or Rit.a - no coincidence.

The three levels also correspond to the fire-signs of the zodiac -

Sagittarius (Horse) - Friction-Fire.

Leo (Lion-Light) - Solar Fire ('Throne').

Aries (Ram) - Spiritual Fire ('Crown').

The Feoh-Rune is thus associated with Ingwi-Frey (Inga) and also with his 'sister' Freya, for she is the wearer of the Brosingamen Necklace or Necklace of Fire which is stolen by Loki but retrieved from the waters of a lake by Hama (who incidentally is associated with Aries and the Ram). The Brosingamen Necklace could thus be equated with the F-Force and also to the 'Glory of Light' (Hvareno) of Iranian tradition (Aryan Tradition). The name Brosingamen or Brisingamen is said to mean 'fiery' or 'glowing' and was also worn by Wealhtheow, the wife of Hrothgar in the Beowulf Saga. (*)

(*) Hrothgar is the 'Warband Leader' (Woden as the leader of the Heri), whilst his wife, Wealhtheow,  is the 'Veleda' who foretells the outcome of the battle-plans or tries to influence that outcome through active magic - she is Freya. Freya is also seen as a Walkyrie since the job of the Veleda is to serve up a Horn of Mead to the Warband, symbolic of temporal and spiritual power. The Norwegian Rune-Poem tells us that the 'Wolf feeds in the Wood' which is a reference to the trial undergone by the AEthlinga when he donned the Wolf-Skin and lived in the wilderness of the woodlands as part of his training within the Mannerbund. 

In regard to the two poems linking the rune with 'strife' it cannot be a coincidence that when Woden finds out that Freya slept with 'Four Dwarfs' to get the Necklace of Fire, he gets Loki to get it from her neck whilst asleep. He then confronts Freya and she is told that to amend for this she must cause strife between kinsmen. The IE Root *pei means 'to hurt', IE Root *peik means 'to cut, mark' and OE word feohte means 'to fight', so inherent in the root-meaning is the idea of strife. (This is why we should not dismiss this as being a 'Xtian' interpretation - it may well have had the meaning in its heathen version.)

Moveable Force - The Old English faru and Old German faran both mean 'to travel' or 'to move' and this again tells us that the F-Rune is that of a 'moveable force', The Old English feorh can refer to 'life', 'soul' 'spirit' ans so we can see this as the Primal Force behind life - a spiritual force. The OE fag/fah means 'radiant' or 'bright' - this is the Force of Light and thus the Force of Life - the Divine Spark of the Gods. The Urfeure is the Primal Fire, which we could render Ur-Feoh. 

The Fire-Triangle that we use in survival work is named FAH because it is easy to remember, being the Feoh-Rune. It is necessary to emphasise the letter 'H' rather than using a silent sound, because this allows the letter to be remembered -

F - Fuel

A - Air

H - Heat

These actually link to the stuff we have just done on the Agni-Inga Fire since 'fuel' is the material or physical object, 'air' is the static non-physical essential for combustion, and 'heat' is the movement of hot air which causes the fuel to ignite. This is exactly how the Nine Worlds came into existence -

Ice - static & unmoving.

Fire - the heat (expanding force).

Wind (Woden) - the movement of the air that causes the two to be brought together and thus trigger the 'friction' between Ice and Fire that causes Creation to begin. 

The Fire-Triangle and the Fire-Serpent - At the base of the spine the Fire-Serpent lies coiled and 'asleep', symbolised within an Inverted Triangle. As this is awoken, rising up along the Spinal Column, it reaches the Third Eye which is symbolised by the Eye in the Triangle (an upright triangle) and this is the Fire-in-the-Middle which is the meaning of the term Pyramid. 

The Mannerbunde - Fuhrer of the Mannerbunde -

The Icelandic Rune Poem holds a secret from very ancient times -

Wealth causes kinsmen's strife;
the wolf feeds itself in the wood.

The 'kinsmen's strife' was caused by the age-set known as the Mannerbunde where the young aethlinga-warriors gained their wealth through first the cattle-raid which produced wealth in the way of cattle, then the raids that produced wealth in the way of gold. The 'wolf feeds itself in the wood' refers to the young warriors who led lives in the wildness of the woods, hunting, fighting and stealing to survive. 

The Feoh-Rune is the Leader of the War-Band which is that of Woden; more correctly this should be termed the Fuhrer of the War-Band since the term Fuhrer could be used as the wielder of the Teuton Fury or 'battle-rage' which is the domain of Woden. 

This concept is very, very ancient, and can be found in the figure of Rudra in India and Aesma in Iran (Persia), both of whom were associated with the Cultic Brotherhoods which were Oath Brotherhoods similar to the Germanic Mannerbunde - the Heri - and to the Fian in Ireland. The figure of Cu Chullain of Ulster also represents this form of war-band and warrior-fury. This rune represents Woden in the role of Fuhrer of the War-Band whilst the Os-Rune represents him in another role, as does the Aesc-Rune. 

UR - Number 2

The Ur-Rune is symbolic of the Aurochs which was a huge beast which may have formed part of the Initiation Rites of the young warrior from the Mannerbunde. The beast was hunted and finally slain single-handed by the young initiate, as a test of manhood and entry into the age-set. It is interesting to note that the English Runes retain the reference to the Aurochs whereas the Norse and Icelandic rune-poems substitute for this, a hint that the English Runes are much older than many would have us believe. The glyph of the Ur-Rune may well be that of the shape of the aurochs. 

Strength - The essence of the rune is that of strength and power; this is obvious from the knowledge we have of the aurochs. 

Force of the Wild - This is the moor-stomper associated with the wild, and with the wilderness. 

Ur-Ox - The prefix ur- means 'primal' or 'first' which links this to the Feoh-Rune through this meaning which is shared. It is the 'Primal Ox'. English has lost this prefix but it is retained in the German Tongue -

Ur-spring - source or well.

Ur-sach - first thing, source of anything.

Ur-runst - beginnings.

These examples should suffice to show that this is the Rune of Origins that can give insight into the origin of anything. Indeed, although I have said that the prefix is lost in English we do see here that the alternative or- can be found in the word origin - though this is based on a Latin Root. Interestingly this is related to orient which refers to the East and thus to the 'rising' of the Sun. It is also to be noted that according to the Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language (Skeat 1894) this stems from the Aryan Root *ar- which is also the root of our word Arya or Aryan. 

Orlag/Orlog - We can see by this example how the root ur- and root or- are interchangeable. Orlog or Urlag means 'Primal Law' or 'Primal Layer' which refers to that which is set down for eternity. This links to the concept of Being whereas Wyrd links to the concept of Becoming through its meaning. 

Drizzle - The Old Icelandic Rune-Poem tells us that this rune means 'drizzle' and this could refer to the rime produced from the primal action of Ice and Fire, moved by the Wind, producing a form of 'drizzle' or 'mist'. 

Ud- / Ut- - This root means 'out' or 'to come out of' and is linked to the root *ur which has the same meaning - 'to come out of'. We can see this in the term Ur-spring or Ur-sprung which means 'to spring out of'. In this sense we could link the rune (as some do) with the Well of Wyrd which is the source or origin of all things (Well of Ur-dr). We tend to say this as 'weird', a spelling used by William Shakespeare, but this may create confusion since the Old Saxon is Wurd and the 'y' sound used for the Yr-Rune should be pronounced as a 'u' in 'lunar' or more precisely the French 'lune'. 

There may be some hints at this even in the Xtian phrase 'In the beginning was the Word....' since the 'word' would thus be sound which we could link to source since everything is vibration and the Music of the Spheres. 

It is also noteworthy that my kinsman Veorsson, in a conversation over the link between UR and the Lower Cauldron (Ha-Ra), mentioned that we use the terms urine and urethra linked to the lower abdomen. This seems to be emphasised by the Root *ud- which gives the Root *udero- meaning 'abdomen' or 'stomach'. The alternative Root *ut- gives us 'uterus' - the womb, also in this particular area of the body in the female. 

In this respect, in the Chinese Taoist Tradition (*) the Lower Tan Dien is the Cauldron of Essence which is the 'being' behind things, i.e. 'that which something comes out of'. This fits this theme perfectly. 

The above is a Mayan Stela which I have featured in the articles on the Stone of Ing due to its markings on the two 'heads' at each side of the boat - XX-X, and due to the White Stone shown at the bottom of the boat. We can see this figure is related to the Aryan Thunder-God since he is a red-bearded white god holding two 'hammers' shaped as a 'cross' made of what looks like the 'clubs' in a pack of cards. What I would like to consider here, though, is that the 'arch' at the back, which suggests an 'ark', can be found in various very ancient rock-carvings which have been seen as being early examples of the Ur-Rune. 

The 'crosses' that make up the 'hammers', and the stance of the Thunder-God make that of the 'cross' used by the Xtians, but we must remember that in all things these people did not create but merely usurped the symbolism from earlier heathen sources. This cross is in fact a cube opened up, the cube being symbolic of 'matter' and of the planet Saturn. If we look at the Icelandic Rune-Poem for the Thurs-Rune we find reference to Saturn  and the Ruler of the Thing. We must return to this theme under the Thorn-Rune but as doing this work I am coming to realise that (so far) each rune seems to be merging into the rune prior to that one. This is certainly true of Feoh-Ur-Thorn which fit into a certain pattern of meaning, each blending into the next one. 

(It is also important to note that the boat in the above Mayan Stela looks like two 'poles' around which are coiled 'serpents'. In another post I am going to relate this to the Divine Twins and to the Morning and Evening Star - Venus.) 

Ur-glyphic UR - If we use the glyph as a V which is inverted, this becomes a glyph of the Primal Mountain or Mount Meru (Me-Ru). It is the same symbol as the triangle or the pyramid and is doubled in the Beorc-Rune which can also be related to the 'mountain'. Although this does not feature directly in the Norse Mythology we do find a subtle hint of it in the Myth of Knit Mountain where Woden undertakes a Tantric Sex-Magic Rite of transformation linked to the Three Cauldrons - Odroerir, Son, Bodn. 

The mountain, like the tree, is a male symbolism, as opposed to the female cauldron or 'container' (Graal). We have thus the V as female (the female genital area was glyphed thus in ancient times) and the Inverted V as male - or the Triangle as male and Trikona (Inverted Triangle) as female. The former joined together make the Ing-Rune, and the latter the six-pointed star. 

The V-shape is also connected to the spearhead and thus to the Spear of Woden; the 'spear' which enters the 'container' represents the Mystery of the Graal. This is the fusion of opposites which occurs at the Head Centre, and which must be gone beyond through the leap across the abyss. 

This rune is found in what we have termed the Ur-Fusion of the Ing-Rune which glyphs the male-female sexual act - which produces 'offspring'. This is the V-Inverted V making up the rune Ing. There is also the Kan-Fusion which is the Ur-Glyphic Ur-Rune turned sideways, two being joined together to make the Ing-Rune. 

The V-glyph is also the well and thus the Well of Wyrd as we have stated before; this is a female symbolism, being the 'container'. It is said to be white and also guarded by swans which have a very complex symbolism we shall not go into here. 

Serpent-Force & Serpent-Brain - The Ur-Rune in its usual form may well represent the Serpent moving from the top of the spine, over the crown and ending at the Third Eye - as shown on the Sutton Hoo Mask. This could represent the Kan-Force or Kundalini or it could represent the atrophied Serpent-Brain suggested by some scholars. This is probably the section of the human brain associated with the Berserker-Rage. 

The Cauldron - Turn the rune over and we have a glyph of the cauldron which may thus be equated with the Lower Cauldron or Hara. This is also the Graal which is a 'container' (of the Sang Real or Sacred Blood). 

Ur-Type - I have used this term at times instead of the word archetype since the latter means 'original type' or 'original pattern' and we can see now how this relates to what we have termed Ur-Lag - 'Original Pattern of Law'. The word arch also relates to a bow or something that is bowed or 'bent'. We can see this concept in the 'arch' mentioned in relation to the Mayan Stela shown earlier. In this respect we could relate the themes of original and arch and thus 'ark' which is the origins that are returned to at the time of the catastrophic flood at the end of a world-age or cycle of ages. 

Aryan Root *ar- : This is linked to the Root *ur- and Root *or- and means movement and also to plough. In this regard we can link the Ur-Rune (in shape as well as root-meaning) to The Plough/Great Bear/Big Dipper which is also Woden's Waen or the Waen of Ing. It is also the root of the word Arya/Aryan which is the Folk of the Plough. Indeed, the Seven Stars of the Great Bear are often seen as Seven Oxen. In the story of 'Saint Cuthman' from Steyning we find that he too was associated with Oxen - not surprisingly since he seems to represent Bootes that 'drives' the Waen (Oxen). 

The Seven Dwarves who guard Snow White (the Sleeping-Goddess who represents the Soul of the Folk) may well be the Seven Stars of the Great Bear. It may be important to note that the Great Bear seems to have been originally the Great Boar, both 'bear' and 'boar' stemming from the same root. If so this is certainly associated with Ing/Ingwe and the Constellation of Bootes. 

This area of the Northern Skies seems to have been associated with the Cave of the Mother or Womb of the Mother and the Mother of Revolutions (i.e. the Cycles of the Ages), and thus is definitely associated with the Source of Life - Urspring. This is where the 'Son' is born at the Midwinter Sunstead - also associated with the Birth of HelgiH. 

THORN - Number 3.

This is the third rune also known as Thurs- or Thuraz/Thurisaz and is the rune of -

The Thurs - 'Giants' or Jotun who are the cause of women's anguish and all 'ill-luck' according to the Norwegian Rune-Poem and of 'women's downfall' according to the Icelandic Rune-Poem. It seems reasonable to equate the Thurs with the Jotun who are thus seen to bring 'ill-luck' and misfortune to the world, and also the corruption of women (which we also find in certain texts from Aryan India in regard to the last era of Kali Yuga - it is said that out of the corruption of women comes the corruption of caste). The problem in interpretation of this seems to lie in the term 'giants' for both of these types of being, since this diverts the attention from the essence of these beings - Forces of Chaos. They are certainly 'giants' in form, being a great force of disorder and destruction, chaotic and subversive. This is certainly the negative side of this rune, and its force could be equated with the Atomic Bomb as a mighty explosive force of destruction. There is no doubt that it could be used as a very effective Cursing Rune. 

These are the Giant Forces that draw mankind away from the Divine Light and into the darkness of ignorance and lock mankind into matter and the material world. We could also equate these with the trolls, a name which means 'to draw hither and thither', or put another way to draw mankind away from their heritage which is the Divine Spark placed within our Folk by the Gods. 

Thunor/Thor - The glyph is the Hammer of Thunor in its ur-glyphic form which was originally an axe. Ancient rock-carvings show this glyph and a solar-phallic Axe-God with a solar-wheel. This is thus the Rune of Thor as the Aryan Thunder-God and originally the God of the Axe - Forseti (For/Thor being the same type of root). Thunor is the enemy of the Thurs/Jotun and since he is also of 'Giant Stock' (which the Gods often are) he shares their essence of strength and power). He is the god who upholds World Order and Cosmic Order, and the chief Warrior-God. 

Thor-Roth - He is the 'red-bearded god' who we see on the Mayan Stela shown before, and he holds the Hammer of the Gods (here the 'cross' or 'club') which we shall look into in order to find further mysteries of this rune. 

It should be noted that the Hammer of Thunor should also be seen as a weapon of destruction since it is the destroyer of the Jotun or Forces of Chaos - the enemies of Gods and Men. In this sense it is a weapon of destruction used to uphold Cosmic Order and World Order and not a weapon of subversion leading to destruction. The weapon of Thunor should also be seen as the Lightning-Bolt (Sig-Rune) which is a Bolt of Light which is the weapon that can destroy the Forces of Chaos, since the Jotun 'turn to stone' (become unable to move) when faced by the Light of the Sun (they can only work in the darkness of secrecy and intrigue). 

I said before how this 'cross' is a cube opened out which is the Sign of Saturn, and in the Icelandic Rune Poem we find a reference to Saturnus and to the Ruler of the Thing which refers to Thunor/Thor, but more often to Tiw. Here we see the Thing definitely associated with Thunor through this rune. We need to look at Saturn which is always seen today as a planet of misfortune, especially when related to its conjunctions with other planets. This, of course, links to the meanings of 'ill-luck' and 'misfortune' mentioned here. Saturn is usually the planet associated with Israel, and the conjunction of Saturn (Israel) and Jupiter (Kingship) in 6 BCE as the herald of the Age of the 'Messiah' (Serpent?). 

But....Saturn was the Ruler of the Golden Age also known as Kronus who is said to be sleeping in a cave on an island in the North. So we have (as with this rune) two distinct and opposite meanings to the figure known as Saturn-Kronus - one is the ruler of the Golden Age, the other a figure of misfortune and ill-luck. The cube is also associated with matter and the material world. Looking at images of Saturn on YouTube we find that its north-pole seems to be a swirling hexagon and its south pole an eye. The hexagon can be changed into a 'six-pointed star' (Star of David) or into the snow-flake Hagal-Rune, the latter also having two distinct and opposite meanings - 'hail' (destruction*) and 'heil' (health). 

(*) Hail in the sense of the frozen rain which can cause destruction, and not in the greeting 'Hail' as in 'Heil'. 

It is perhaps relevant to note that the basis of the conflict of opposites that we see throughout history is related to the Hegellian Doctrine -

Thesis vs. Anti-Thesis = Synthesis

This was also known by Karl Marx which seems to suggest that his creation of a conflict between Capitalism and Communism was designed to create their synthesis (into what is today termed Communitarianism). If we look at this in a different way we can see that a conflict between man and woman will result in their synthesis, and who can deny that today the role of the sexes is being 'synthesised'? On another level any form of racial conflict created between opposites (black-white for instance) cannot be in our interest, but can certainly be in the interest of those forces that seek our destruction. 

What we appear to have here could be simplified if we regard the Ur-Saturn as the ruler of the fabled Golden Age, and his being the 'Bound Giant' who is transmuted into 'Satan' - a destructive and chaotic force which brings 'ill-luck' and 'misfortune'. Maybe the Rings of Ice are the 'chains' that bind him? He is most certainly, in this respect, the Lord of the Rings who is the Dark Lord - Sauron. This certainly fits with the Eye of Saturn-Sauron. (Sauron is Saturn gone 'sour'.)

It is also to be noted that Saturday is the day of Saturn, and this day is associated with Loki the Trickster, whose title 'Trickster' we shall later shown can mean 'liar' or 'cheat' and not just a kind of mischievous figure of fun. Loki is a kind of enemy within which should be meditated upon carefully. He could also be seen as a type of Gollum figure (Golem) as in Lord of the Rings. This is a complex figure with two 'faces' or what psychologists may term a 'split-personality'. 

I feel that this is enough to show the twin sides of this rune, though there is certainly more sides than this, as we shall see now. But we need to stop here and consider that all of the runes have two distinct and opposite meanings - two sides of the same coin.

Thorn of Awakening - This can best be found in the Legend of Sigurd-Siegfried where Sigurd awakens Sigdrifa (Brunhilde) with a 'kiss' (from the Sleeping Beauty). Indeed, this hints at a bit more than a 'kiss', since the thorn 'pricks' those who encounter it (as in the Old English Rune Poem). Sigdrifa is the Valkyrie of Sigurd and he thus awakens his Valkyrie or 'Guardian Spirit' through this rite (which it appears to be). This is related to the HE/SHE of Miguel Serrano - male-female union or the 'union of opposites' which is not the end result as in most spiritual disciplines, but a stage that has to be gone beyond. This stage of the 'union of opposites' results in a union with the 'One' (One Ring) or 'God' (Demiurge) or the 'Cosmic Consciousness' (Chaos or the Primal Soup). 

It should be noted that the Sleeping-Valkyrie is found on the top of the mountain (Hindfell), and within a Ring of Fire. Her 'awakening' thus comes at the Upper Cauldron around the Third Eye/Crown area. 

Sleep-Thorn - From the same tale we have Woden 'pricking' Sigdrifa-Brunhilde with the Sleep-Thorn from which only the Greatest of Heroes can awaken her. Again we have equal and opposite concepts within the same rune. 

In the legend Sigurd is drugged and forgets Sigdrifa-Brunhilde, and goes on to wed another Krimhilde, but this is his downfall since he has (unknowingly through being deceived) rejected his own Valkyrie (Fetch) in favour of an earthly wife. This is perhaps the essence of what is happening around us today, where we are being led away from the real 'Self' and thus held in the 'self' or 'ego-self'. We have to slough off the Serpent (S) which is 'earth-bound' in order to become the Elf - the Shining One or Illuminated One thus becoming Immortal as the Gods. 

The Aryan Cattle-Raid - 

The First Warrior who was called Trito ('Third') conducted the first cattle-raid. The cattle originally belonging to the Arya were stolen by a monstrous three-headed serpent Ng(w)hi- ('Serpent') who was anti-Aryan. The task fell to 'Third' to recover the stolen cattle, and to do so he sought the aid of a Warrior-God whom he offered blot to with an intoxicating drink. He too took the drink, found the Serpent, and slew him, releasing the cattle once more.

This is a story related to the children's tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, but in the latter 'Gold' has been substituted for 'Cattle'. We can here see a direct link between Feoh-Ur-Thorn through 'cattle', 'gold', 'oxen, and 'Third' (this is the third rune). We can find symbols of Thunor and  his adversary, the three-tailed serpent,  on the Horns of Gallehus (another work for the future). 

If we meditate upon this tale, based upon Aryan Indian Lore, we can gleam a hint that Thunor is the First Warrior who 'comes out of' the Ur (origins) and is an emanation of the All-Father (Feoh). He is the sworn enemy of the Jotun and the Serpent of Evil (Forces of Chaos and Destruction) and his weapon is the Hammer of Thunor as seen here, and the Fylfot-Swastika which is the potent weapon against the enemies of Gods and Men. He can be seen as the 'third' in a trinity of Magni (Might), Modi, and Thrud (Third), also noting that a by-name of Odin is Thrud. Woden is also the slayer of the Serpent of Evil through the use of the Holy Runes. 

Thorn - This is also a very powerful protective symbol since the thorn protects, as it does on the rose and other kinds of plants and trees. This is why the Hawthorn was a tree planted around a settlement as a protective barrier against entry. The 'prince' (Divine Hero) has to get through a rose-barrier in order to awaken the 'sleeping-beauty' (Valkyrie-Goddess). The rose is seen as red when symbolic of the blood (shed by the thorn), but the true natural rose is white and five-petalled (representing Freya-Venus as the Morning Star). 

Fertilty - Virility : Thurs can also cause 'women's anguish' through childbirth, since this rune is one of fertility and the furtherance of the Folk. The virility aspect is found in the ancient glyphs of the Solar-Phallic Axe-God of the North. 

It is interesting to note that in English as in German the third number in both - Three and Drei - as well as in most IE Tongues, means to twist, to coil, to turn, stemming from *tri which could mean 'going beyond'  or 'complete'. We can find this in the Sanskrit *tri which means 'to go beyond' and 'to complete'. We have here a hint that the Holy Number Three is symbolic of the completion of the union of One (Feoh) and Two (Ur), which tells us that the First Warrior is that which goes 'beyond' the essence of the first two runes to 'complete' the creation designed to come about. We can probably see in this the creation of the Divine Hero through the fusion of God and Man in a mortal form. This is merely my interpretation, as is most of this work.

Fe-Ur-Th : This can be the subject of a meditation upon these three runes, used as a kind of 'galdr' (mantra) repeated over and over through the meditation. The connection of the three runes can then be 'felt'. This can be a very powerful invocation of the idea of the First Warrior which comes out of the 'Place of Origins' through the emanation of Light from the Gods (Feoh - the Divine Fire). Thus we can see the essence of Thor which can be found within these three runes of the First AEttir. 

Feoh - Leader of the War-Band, the Fuhrer, the Leader of the Hari - Woden-Herian, the Wolf-God, the One-Eyed Hunter-God. Wild-Fire, represents the wildness and untamed fire, the 'stampede'. 

Ur - Strength and courage, wildness, the Aurochs (Ur-Ox) as the wild beast that is slain by the young Warrior-Initiate in order to prove his worthiness and manhood. This too is the wild, untamed fury and the superhuman strength that comes from it. 

Thurs - The power of the Daemonic Horde and the protective strength of Thunor the Aryan Thunder-God. This is one of the most powerful runes in the area of 'explosive strength' and also represents the Hammer of Thunor as the weapon the gods wield against the Jotun-Thurs. We have mentioned this rune is reference to the Third  and that this 'completes' and indeed 'goes beyond' which also refers to the process of the Warrior Initiation.

The War-Dance: War, battle, virility and fertility are all interlinked within Teutonic Society and the war-dance/fertility dance was an important part of the ancient Cultic Brotherhoods. In regard to this is a fanciful (maybe) rendering of the first three numbers in German -

Ein - 'in'

Zwei - 'sway' (*)

Drei - 'turn' (leaping turn) (**)

This sequence would give us the steps in-sway-leaping turn which could make up a form of dance suited to war-dance/fertility-dance, moving in a spiral movement around the Walburgen (Spiral Mound). In certain martial arts (Karate, for example) we still find examples of such 'leaps' which involve a complete turn, and history records war-dances involving steps and leaps.  

(*) Zwei is 'two' which could be seen as a two-way movement, i.e. a 'sway' from one side to another. 

(**) Drei has the same root as *tri which means 'to twist', 'to turn' or 'to coil'. As we have seen it also implies 'going beyond' or 'complete'. 

One of the problems that faces us is that in our liberal-minded era the fertility part of our culture is emphasised over the warrior part, and these two are so intertwined as to really be one - for instance the Ride of the Wild Hunt is associated with both war and fertility.

Os - Number Four.

The prefix Os- is used in certain English forenames and surnames - for example Osmond, Oswald, Oswin etc. The Root *os- is the same as *as- and at one level means 'pillar', 'beam' or 'post' which connects this to the World Pillar - Irminsul/Iggdrasil. The Aryan Root *as- means 'to be', 'to exist', 'to live', 'to breathe' and relates to the concept of Being as opposed to Becoming. This is where the symbol of the 'pillar' comes in, being the Sacred Centre around which Becoming revolves. The gods are called Asen-Gods which again is related to these ideas. 

The Os-Rune is related to Woden, hence the reason that the prefix Os- is used in English names. The rune-stave can be seen as a royal banner since it has an upright 'pole' and two pieces that 'flap' as the stave shows. We can go further than that since in some very ancient depictions of gods or god-kings we find them standing in the same pose as this rune - sometimes holding a rod and a ring - the Rod of Authority and the Ring of Power, both kingly symbols, and very ancient symbols at that. Woden is the Lord of Asgard and thus represented by this Rune of Kingship - Sacral Kingship.

There is a Latin word 'os' which means 'mouth' and here we can see a link between this meaning and Woden as the God of Poets and the Rune-Master (Gealdor). The mouth is the means of sending power-words (gealdor) and this is the realm of the god Woden. The mouth is the origin of speech.

The Common Germanic Futhark uses the rune-name Ansuz here which is related to the Ancestors and to the Ancestral God - Woden. I am going to deal with this aspect under the later AEsc-Rune which is the rune of the ash-tree, the ancestral tree as seen from Norse Mythology. These two runes are so closely linked as to be seen perhaps as one, though there must have been a reason why the English Rune-Masters split them into two different runes, with two variations of the symbol. 

Rad - Number Five.

This is one of the runes with the most complex meanings, and which can be seen at so many levels of meaning. All three rune-poems involve the act of riding a horse and the word 'ride' would certainly stem from this root. We shall look at this level first. We have the following Anglo-Saxon terms connected to this -

ridan - 'to ride'.

raede - 'ready' but originally in the sense 'equipped for riding' and especially 'prepared for a raid'. 

rad - 'a road' but also 'a raid'.

We can see from this that the original sense connects to the 'raid' and thus to the ancient Germanic Mannerbunde. We have dealt with the Cattle-Raid under the Feoh-Rune and here we see yet another connection through the Rad-Rune. The raid is thus linked to the horse-riders, which seems to be underlined by the rune-meanings of all three rune-poems. In a raid speed is essential, to get in and get out very quickly, since these would be undertaken by only a small war-band. In the Sutton Hoo burial area there is an AEtheling buried with his horse, and this area gives off a very strong sense of a 'presence' there - I am not the only one to have sensed this. 

Rit - This is the root of Rita which means 'Cosmic Order' or 'World Order' and it should be noted that the god-name Tir is a reflection of this rune-name. Tiw is the God of World Order and Cosmic Order. In reality this means simply Right Order (Rit-Order) and refers to what is divine and eternal, and not some form of human 'right' which in reality is nothing more that a ploy to upturn the World Order. This is also the Rune of Ritual and Rune of Rhythm and Rhyme, all concepts which are related to the rituals done by the Folk. These are all connected to ritual as maintaining the Right Order of Things. 

Raed - This is the rune of right counsel and of the right way of doing all things; it is a rune of good rede or counsel given by the Folk-Elders - there is wisdom in age because more knowledge is accrued. 

Raedan - This again can mean 'counsel' but it is also a term meaning 'ruler' and thus connected to kingship, royalty and sacral kingship. We need here to consider why we refer to a leader as a 'ruler', and that is because this type of Ur-leadership was directly linked to measurement (using a 'ruler'), and more specifically to Sacred Measurement and to Sacred Geometry. There is also a far more subtle link, since in the East there is reference to a 'world-ruler' known as the Chakravartin - a name meaning 'Wheel-Turner'. The Rad-Rune is also a rune connected to the wheel and then to the chariot, which was an earlier method of using the horse in battle. 

Rood - This is the 'gallows-tree' and the Holy Tree connected to the Krist (Hero-God) in the Old English Dream of the Rood. This is not the 'Cross' as see in the biblical version, since it is a living tree which has been 'wounded', together with the Hero-God who hangs upon it. At the top is a Sunwheel and the rood is the 'Tree of Woe' on which the Hero-God bleeds in the struggle for his Folk. In this we see it as the Rood of Self-Sacrifice upon which the Hero-God willingly steps up, and the symbolism here is that of the upright stave (I) which is the 'tree' or 'pillar' and the reversed Sig-Rune (zig-zag) which represents the blood flowing down the pillar. This is also connected to the Sacrificial Bull at the end of a world-age, and the Pillar of Unhewn Stone.

Rod - We are back to the idea of 'measurement' since both the rod and the rood are units of measurement. The rod is also the Rod of Authority representing justice and punishment, and is still found in 'Black Rod' in the British Parliament - though a much-distorted concept today. 

Ridder/Ritter - The Dutch Ridder and German Ritter mean 'knight' and both stem from this root-rune. Both words describe the true and original meaning of a 'knight' who is neither a 'soldier' nor an ordinary 'warrior', but is a Holy Warrior who wages a Holy War for his Gods and Folk. The true knight would have been a 'rider', waging his war on horseback. The original knight was he who waged just war in order to maintain world order, and where this had broken down to right this wrong and instigate a New Order. The idea was usurped by the Christian Church to wage wars for its own ends - since the concept was clearly deeply engrained in our Folk it was distorted for an alien use. 

Red - The German Roth means 'red' and its reflection is Thor - another example like Rit and Tir. The 'Red-Bearded God' (Thunor) is also a God of World Order, and his role is to wage war against the Dark Joten who are the Forces of Darkness and Chaos that seek to break down all order, and to return the world to the Primal Chaos. Red is not only the colour of 'war' but also that of the 'virile youth' and the colour of blood. It is the colour that the runes are stained, since this represents the 'blood' or 'life-force'. 

Rat-Rot - This is the polar opposite to the Rita and to Cosmic Order and World Order since it is related to breaking down, destruction and the return to chaos. The term 'rat' means - 'to leave the falling house' - and this is exactly how the negative side of the rune works; it is a force that breaks down, decays, rots and finally destroys, after which it moves out (of the 'falling house') to another unsuspecting host. The term 'rat' has always been linked to anything suspect and subversive. 

Rata - This is related to 'race' and to the Latin radix which means 'root'; the Old English was wyrt. The original meaning seems to stem from 'a line' or 'a lineage' referring to a house or family, a tribe or nation. The original ideas stem from the origins (roots) of a people which is directly related to race and kind. When we find that the First Man was Askr - the Ash-Tree - then we see how this symbolism tells us so much about ourselves, for we all have our 'roots', in our lineage and in the Earth that we live upon. 

Rota - this is a Latin term meaning 'wheel' and the connection again with 'chariot' is made clearer. We get the terms 'rotate' and 'rotary' from this root, and the Sanskrit ratha means 'chariot' or 'car', stemming from the Aryan Root *ri-. 

Ken - Number Six.

This is another rune with many meanings at many levels, but whose basic meaning is 'Cosmic Fire'. It is also the Fire of the Hearth and the Fire of the Forge, the latter being linked to the idea of transformation and shaping. The Is-Rune (as we shall see) is the static, unmoving 'ice', which is opposed by the Ken-Rune which is a 'broken I' symbolic of movement, energy and change. 

Kan - Rune of the Dragon (Dra = to turn; Kan = Fire); Rune of the Serpent, always symbolic of knowledge ('ken'). The Khan was also the Mongol Ruler, and the Chan was the race of which Votan belonged - the Serpent Folk. The serpent is also symbolic of change and of renewal, since it sheds its skin to renew itself. 

Ken - Rune of knowledge, wisdom and understanding, a rune connected to Woden and the Occult Arts. The Lowland Scots still use the Old English term 'to ken' for 'to know' - the former comes from the root *kan- and the latter from the root *kna-, both interchangeable. We also use the term 'kenning' which is a means to pass on knowledge.

Kin - This is the family, tribe, nation and the race. The ruler-ship of the kin is the 'king', whose name directly relates to his tribe, his being the representative of his kin or people. There is also a link to kind (Nature) too, and our mystical bond between Man and the Soil. This also comes into the old saying Kith and Kin the former stemming from cydda which means 'land' or 'folkland'. 

Kon - The Sacral Kingship, the king or 'konungr' who is the representative of a god upon Earth. This is related to 'fire' and to 'divine fire'. Kon was the son of Earl, and we see from this myth that the Kon arises from the AEthlinga Caste (Earl or Eorlingas), chosen from the 'best blood'. 

Kun - The Kundalini or Serpent-Force/Serpent Fire, also known as the Kandil-Force which has the same roots as our word 'candle'. The rune-stave is that of the Kienspan or 'Pine-Torch' and the pine-cone is symbolic of the Pineal Gland (Third Eye).

Rad -Number Seven

The Rad-Rune is a very complex rune-stave and relates to 'riding' (a horse) and to the 'long mile-path'. This is a rune of the 'knight' (ritter/ridder) and the errand ('Knight Errant') or 'quest, the end result of which is less important than actually undertaking it in the first place. The rune also represents a 'wheel' and thus the 'Solar Wheel', and with this comes the 'Wheel of the Year Rites' related to ritual (rit/rad). This is a rune representing the ever-turning Wheel of Life. 

As Rit this is the Rita which is Cosmic Order which is upheld by the god Tiw or Tyr; Cosmic Order is upheld by ritual. This important point is very often missed, since it was the right rites which maintained order and harmony. This is the Rune of Right Order, justice and of World Order/Cosmic Order. 

The stave also shows the blood (zig-zag) running down the World Pillar (I) and this represents the sacrifice of the 'bull' when one world age ends and another begins. The blood runs down the column into the Earth. We should recall that in the beginning a 'giant' was 'carved up' in order to create the worlds. The 'Sacrificial Bull' comes into the symbolism of Mithras.

The rune also represents the Rood and a look at the Old English Dream of the Rood would be an advantage in understanding this. This features a 'bleeding tree' whose symbolism can be found in this rune. The poem is about a Hero-God rather than the usual interpretation of the Judaeo-Christian 'Jesus Christ'. It has heathen undertones even if it is a 'Christian' text, and the Sun-wheel can be found in the symbolism. The rune connects to this text.