isa ᛁ

Pronunciation: EE-saw

Alternative names: isaz, is, iss, isarz

Translation: ice

Sound: “ee” as in “sleet”

Associated Concepts and Interpretations

Argument

Beauty, perhaps seductive

Calmness

Clarity

Cold (temperature and relationships)

Contraction

Detachment

Delay/obstacle/deadlock

Frost giants/rime-thurses

Ice

Niflheimr

Present moment

Preservation

Renewal

Self-consciousness/ego awareness

Self-control/inner stillness

Standstill/stagnation/stasis/unyeilding

Unity

Verðandi (Norn representing “what is”/present)

Associated Rune Poems

(as translated by Bruce Dickins, 1915; public domain)

A number of interpretations are derived from the various runic poems and those associated with this rune (where available) are included below for further consideration.

Norwegian:

ᛁ Ís kǫllum brú bræiða;
blindan þarf at læiða

ᛁ Isa
Ice we call the broad bridge;
the blind man must be led

Icelandic:

ᛁ Íss er árbörkr
   ok unnar þak
   ok feigra manna fár.
   glacies jöfurr

Iss - Ice
   Bark of rivers
   and roof of the wave
   and destruction of the doomed

Anglo-Saxon:

ᛁ Is byþ ofereald, ungemetum slidor,
   glisnaþ glæshluttur gimmum gelicust,
   flor forste geworuht, fæger ansyne

Is
Ice is very cold and immeasurably slippery;
it glistens as clear as glass and most like to gems;
it is a floor wrought by the frost, fair to look upon

last updated: 04 jan 2022

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. Back-linking and attribution are appreciated, but not required, for use.