kenaz ᚲ

Pronunciation: KAY-nahz (alt: COW-nah and KEY-nahz)

Alternative names: ken, kaunan, kauna, cen, kaun

Translation: torch, ulcer

Sound: “K” as in “keepsake”

Associated Concepts and Interpretations

Creative fire/forge

Fire/primal fire

Funeral pyre

Harrow (altar)

Healing/cautery

Hearth/home

Knowledge/enlightenment

Light/illumination/beacon

Love (erotic)/passion

Needfire/heat/warmth

Power

Purification

Technical skill

Torch

Transformation

Ulcer/fever/inflammation

Unity/gathering

Unmaking

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:

ᚴ Kaun er barna bǫlvan;
bǫl gørver nán fǫlvan

ᚴ Kaun
Ulcer is fatal to children;
death makes a corpse pale

Icelandic:

ᚴ Kaun er barna böl
   ok bardaga [för]
   ok holdfúa hús.
   flagella konungr

Kaun - Ulcer
   Disease fatal to children
   and painful spot
   and abode of mortification

Anglo-Saxon:

ᚳ Cen byþ cwicera gehwam, cuþ on fyre
   blac ond beorhtlic, byrneþ oftust
   ðær hi æþelingas inne restaþ

Cen
The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame;
it always burns where princes sit within

last updated: 25 dec 2021

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.