Rune Alphabet

  • Learn the Viking Runes: Sowilo

    Sowilo is the rune for the sun. The Vikings were very aware of the sun as a powerful force, especially during the long summer months where the sun never truly sets. They believed that the sun was pulled across the sky in a chariot pulled by two horses, รrvakr and Alsviรฐr. The symbolic meaning of…

  • Learn the Viking Runes: Tiwaz

    Several of the Viking Runes are ideographic, which means the symbol represents an idea rather than a specific letter or sound. Tiwaz is perhaps the best example of this, as the rune looks like the spear itโ€™s meant to represent. Tiwaz is the rune for Tyr, the Norse God known for granting warriors victory in…

  • Learn the Viking Runes: Berkana

    One of the most interesting things about Berkana is the runeโ€™s association with the God Loki. Loki is widely known as a trickster God, but he also gave birth to Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse. Berkana is associated with births, new beginnings, plentiful abundance and, with a form that represents the breasts and belly of a…

  • Learn the Viking Runes: Laguz

    Water was incredibly important to the Vikings, so itโ€™s not surprising the rune for water – Laguz – appears so frequently in their writings. Laguz refers to the oceans, as well as inland waters and woodland streams. Some say Laguz is shaped like a spindle, the tool the Vikings used to spin wool into thread….

  • Learn the Viking Runes: Inguz

    The Viking Rune Inguz draws its name from the mythic hero Ing. Ing appears in rune poems as a sort of harvest God who is born in the spring, dies with the cutting of the crops, and is reborn again the following spring. This pattern explains why Inguz is associated both with fertility and harvest…

  • Learn the Viking Runes: Othala

    Othala is one of the oldest and most widely used Viking Runes. Also called Odal, Othala is the Viking Rune for home, roots, legacy – in other words, being proud of who you are and where you came from.  Othala also has associations with nobility and nation-building – concepts that have strong merit when kept…

  • Learn the Viking Runes: Dagaz

    When you look at the paired triangles that form Dagaz, you might see the shape of a butterfly. Thatโ€™s very fitting for this Viking Rune, which symbolizes daylight, certainty, and hope. Dagaz is strongly associated with inspiration, illumination, and the opening of the mind.  What Does Dagaz Mean? When youโ€™re casting runes and Dagaz appears,…

  • Learn the Viking Runes: Perthro

    Perthro is truly a Viking rune of mystery. No oneโ€™s entirely sure what Perthro represents as an object – some say pears, some say game pieces, some say a drinking cup – but taken all together, the meaning is one of comradeship, gathering and good luck.ย  Itโ€™s important to understand that games of chance were…

  • Learn the Viking Runes: Eihwaz

    Eihwaz is the Viking rune of the Yew Tree. The Yew is an evergreen tree that stands strong and vibrant, even during the coldest, snowiest part of a Norse winter. Eihwaz represents the Yewโ€™s characteristics of strength, resilience, and regeneration.ย  The wood of the Yew tree has traditionally been used for both weaponry and art….

  • Learn the Viking Runes: Isa

    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…

End of content

End of content