berkana ᛒ

Unicode:

Pronunciation (Proto-Germanic):

BEAR-kah-nah

Phonetic Sound:

“b” as in “birch”

IPA [β]

Translation:

birch tree


Alternative Names

Old Norse, Younger Futhark

bjarkan (ᛒ or ᛓ)

Old English, Futhorc

beorc (ᛒ)


Associated Concepts and Interpretations

Birch

Birth, new beginnings, fertility, family

Clearing away old before beginning anew, purification

Earth mother, female and maternal energies

Growth, healing, nurturing, nourishing

Love, protective, shelter

Rebirth, regeneration, renewal, spiritual reawakening

Rites of passage

Road to the Underworld



Associated Rune POEMS

As translated by Bruce Dickins, 1915; public domain.

Norwegian

Bjarkan er laufgrønstr líma;
Loki bar flærða tíma
Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub;
Loki was fortunate in his deceit

Icelandic

Bjarkan er laufgat lim
ok lítit tré
ok ungsamligr viðr.
Leafy twig
and little tree
and fresh young shrub

Anglo-Saxon

Beorc byþ bleda leas, bereþ efne swa ðeah 
tanas butan tudder, biþ on telgum wlitig,
heah on helme hrysted fægere,
geloden leafum, lyfte geteng
The poplar bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers, for it is generated from its leaves. 
Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned
its lofty crown which reaches to the skies

A list of references is available. Audio associated with this rune is a creation of the author’s and is released to the public domain. Attribution is appreciated, but not required for use or distribution of the audio portions of this page.

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