Learn the Viking Runes: Isa

Celtic Knot Works Jewelry Isa Rune Pendant โ€“ Winter, Cold Beauty, Crystallization โ€“ Ancient Traditions

Isa is the Viking rune for ice, a substance that was a very large part of the Vikingโ€™s world. Symbolic of winterโ€™s cold beauty, Isa represents stability and purification.ย 

Understanding Isa: References in the Historical Literature

Ice dominated the Vikingโ€™s landscape for much of the year. Not surprisingly, there are many references to Isa in all three rune poems. These poems speak both of iceโ€™s beauty and its many dangers.

In the Old Norwegian Rune Poem, we read:

Ice is called the broad bridge;

the blind man must be led.

In the Old Icelandic Rune Poem, we read:

Ice is bark of rivers

and roof of the wave

and destruction of the doomed.

In the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem, we read:

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.

What Does It Mean When Isa Appears in a Rune Reading?

By addressing the harsh nature of life, Isa encourages us to build our strength, stability, and endurance. Isa reminds us of iceโ€™s many dangerous qualities. Ice is treacherous, causing the unwary to fall – or worse, break through to the watery depths below. Isaโ€™s appearance in a rune reading can mean you need to pay attention to avoid potential hazards.ย 

Ice is also frozen. Isaโ€™s influence can help you exert control over a situation thatโ€™s getting out of hand, and it can also help calm excessive emotions. Isaโ€™s appearance can also be a warning that youโ€™re getting too frozen in your mindset or attitude. Itโ€™s not good to be set in your ways. Remember that even ice moves eventually. Glaciers, which are composed of hundreds of thousands of tons of ice, move slowly indeed – but when they do, they shape the face of the world. 

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