elder futhark interpretations

Click on the image of any rune to view interpretations garnered from multiple sources and personal reflection/meditation.

freyr’s aett

Freyr’s Aett represents and reflects on the life cycle: survival, search for meaning, and the realization of happiness and wisdom. The Aett represent basic needs for developing and living a fulfilling life.

hagal’s aett

Hagel’s Aett reflects and represents those external forces acting upon us, acts and forces of nature. These are the events and influences that are unavoidable in life (both hardships and luck), as well as the ephemeral elements of the life experience.

tyr’s aett

Tyr’s Aett reflects on the visible world and otherworld; connections between deity, natural forces, and humanity; it involves those internal forces as opposed to the external forces of Hagal’s Aett. The runes represent realization of knowledge and wisdom, the interconnectedness of humankind, and those things needed to real full potential of one’s “inheritance”.

References used (in part) for the interpretations within these pages can be found by clicking the button below. Some interpretations are based on shamanic journeying, visualizations, and personal reflection.

Above are links to a revised approach towards understanding the Elder Futhark with an attempt to minimize the dualistic dichotomies apparent in most books and sites on runes. They will be added, in order, after I have spent time consulting a number of experts as well as reaching out to the spirit world and adding my own personal interpretations based on those experiences and the insight gleaned from those ecstatic states.

While a number of experts will argue that some runestaves have negative or reversed “murkstave” interpretations of a given rune, with no clear agreement on which or the method of determining when a rune should be read with the myrkur definition — in my thinking there is no real reason to consider a rune to have negative or positive connotations embedded in the interpretation. In most cases, “positive” and “negative” are relative terms.

Is hoarding wealth always a negative thing, as implied by many interpretations of the first rune fehu (ᚠ)? Or is it acceptable to hoard wealth as a short term strategy to save to buy a house (for example)?

There are a number of other counter-examples in the various texts interpreting runes, with runes that, overall, are difficult to find a positive interpretation for when they come up, if you limit yourself to thinking that things are good or bad.

As I said in one of my posts, I see runestaves as lampposts illuminating ørlǫg and wyrd, guiding us along the path, rather than acting as oracles of fate and doom. Runes allow us to look within ourselves, reflect on the workings of the world, help us seek a path forward that is most right for the collective and individual.

Please understand, I do not claim to be an expert on runes. I can recommend any number of resources if you are looking for a more educated and traditional group of interpretations. The interpretations within these pages are mine and may not reflect accepted interpretations in the larger community. Additionally, I am not currently affiliated with any Heathens and my interpretations are not necessarily in alignment with various Heathen teachings as a result.

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The interpretations found within these pages have been modified over time to reflect new and better understandings of the runes based on usage, reflection, and additional information made available. The pages linked to on this page are part of a living record, which has evolved and will continue to evolve over time.

This page was last updated on 21 nov 2022.