You may have seen on my instagram that over the last couple of months I’ve really been diving into learning Runes!
I actually bought a set of Runes probably in like 2011 with the intention to learn but never actually did anything with them … until last year in 2022 I felt called to really, finally, actually learn them this time.
If you don’t know, Runes are an ancient form of divination featuring symbols carved onto small pieces of wood / stone / clay / metal, etc. They are said to have Germanic origins but other European cultures, such as the Scandinavians and the Celtics, used them as well (since supposedly back then they all shared more similar languages, belief systems, and heritages).
I’ve found that Runes are mainly associated with Nordic culture as they correlate to Norse Gods, and they are usually explained by Nordic words and use Nordic pronunciations (thought sometimes pronunciations are different and take on more of the English or German version). Runes as symbols super popular in ancient Nordic culture as it was common for people to use these runic symbols to carve onto items for protection, wealth, luck, etc.
Runes as a form of divination are often referred to as the Elder Futhark Runes and have 24 in a set + one blank one (which was said to be added in later on).
I find them super fascinating and I’ve been loving learning about them!
I’ve crossed referenced several books and online resources to make sure I have the meanings of each one right. Some texts vary, which is interesting! But using my own intuition, I’ve ascertained my own interpretation of the Runes based on a middle-ground of what everyone else says they mean.
For reference, these are my sources:
The Nordic Book of Runes by Jonathan Dee
Runes for beginners by Stephanie Bruwer
Rune Pronunciation Video on Youtube
So, here I’d like to share what I’ve learned and give you a super basic guide to Runes.
Connecting with your Runes seems to be like any other divination set; like Tarot or Oracle Cards.
Some say you can clear out the energy by soaking them in ice water (but if you make them yourself out of natural material, they’ll automatically be connected to you!).
Otherwise, you can cleanse them with the smoke of sage (an indigenous practice), you can cleanse them with a selenite crystal, you can bless water and drip the blessed water around them, or just imagine them being filled with beautiful, white light.
Like cards, you can hold the bag of them to your heart (or hold them all in your hand) and thank them and put your own energy on them.
You can also even sleep with them in your bed for a night, but it’s not necessary. It’s all up to you; trust what feels intuitive.
Once they feel energized and aligned you can start to read them.
Here you can hold onto your bag of runes, thank them for their divine guidance (you can also thank the Norse Gods for helping if that feels good to you! But you can also ask your angels or whatever spirit to guide you … you can also even ask the runes themselves to guide you!) then ask your question, and from here you have two options.
You can either pull a few (however many you feel guided to) straight out of the bag, and place them in whatever order you feel called to … or you can gently pour the bag out and close your eyes and pick that way!
Like Tarot, it’s your call if you want to read into reversals of Runes. Runes do have reversed meanings, but trust your intuition. Again like tarot, sometimes a card will come up reversed, but the reversed doesn’t resonate with us, and the upright does, so in that case trust it! But if the reversed feels right, then read it as such. Sometimes we don’t want to accept a reversal because it usually indicates something we are neglecting or need to work on, so make sure you’re being super honest with yourself and not trying to bypass a hard message you may need.
Runes are again much like tarot in that not every message will be super happy and uplifting, but I firmly believe they’re all empowered. Think of the Tower card or the Devil Card, people may not like these cards, but they represent change and upheaval which is very much needed in order to get us to where we need to go. The Runes are similar, they always have your highest good in mind, so don’t fret if you get a seemingly negative rune. Any negative can be a positive based on the way you look at it.
You can align your Runes in a certain order, like “past, present, future” or in a cross, or square where each piece represents something (again like tarot - these are super similar to tarot!), however you can also just intuitively interpret themas a group like you would Oracle Cards. Again, up to you! All forms of divination should be used the way you feel called to. That’s why they’re forms of divination because they’re helping you open up your intuition and receive helpful messages.
When you’re done with your Runes reading, put them all back in your bag, hold them to your heart, and thank them. Of course, make sure you store them somewhere they feel special and loved (like an altar, around other crystals, or in a safe, loving spot).
So if you’ve been reading tarot you can definitely read Runes! (And there’s way less Runes to remember then tarot! So don’t let them intimidate you!)
Alright let’s get into the meanings! Some runes you’ll see have two separate names on them and that’s just because different sources provided different words (both are right!). Also as for pronunciations, I’ve seen written versions that differ from the spoken versions, but I think that may be because of my New York accent and the way I pronounce things, so I adjusted it. For example I saw Berkana said in one location it said it was pronounced Ber-kana but then was spoken as Bear-kana .. and I realized maybe in some accents “Ber” would sound like “Bear” but in New York “Ber” would be more like “Burr” or “Beh-r” , just the same Eihwaz was written as “ah-wos” but said like “ay-waz” so I adjusted the pronunciations based on my own accent, so please keep that in mind.
Also some symbols do not have a reverse meaning as no matter what way you look at the symbol it appears the same.
ᚠFehu: (Pronounced Feh-hoo) Meaning: Cattle / Wealth
Upright: Wealth, money coming, prosperity, finances, good luck, abundance, hope,
Reversed: A loss of finances or even a close relationship, a poor money mindset that needs to be adjusted
ᚢUruz: (Pronounced Ooor-rooz) Meaning: Ox/ Wild Bull
Upright: Powerful, unstoppable force, health improving, strength to overcome obstacles, confidence, endurance, courage, Forde, perseverance, Taurus energy
Reversed: Becoming overwhelmed by obstacles, allowing fear or low-worth to hold you back, not utilizing your strength,
ᚦThuriaz: (Pronounced Thoor-e-sahz) Meaning: The God Thor / Mjolnir / Thorn
Upright: Mighty power, protection, warrior, “thorn” blocking you but in order to project you, the symbol literally represents Thor’s Hammer Mjolnir, the Gods are protecting you from what’s not meant for you, Gods are on your side, leading you to something better
Reversed: Rash decisions (Think Thor in Marvel’s Thor 1), regretting a decision, feeling weak, not willing to accept advice, hidden fears, obstacles, defenselessness
ᚨAnsuz:(Pronounced On-sooz) Meaning: Messages / Communication
Upright: Communication (maybe from spirit - Archangel Gabriel vibes) answers coming to you, helpful advice, careful thought and deliberation, speech, divine message and insight,
Reversed: Lies, trickery, unable to speak, a sign to not listen to others or believe what you hear, miscommunication, misunderstandings, make sure you get all sides of the story
ᚱRaido:(Pronounced Rye-d-ho) Meaning: Journey / Wheel
Upright: The journey will be worth it, things are moving forward , travel literally or travel metaphorically like a spiritual journey, things put into perspective by life journeys
Reversed: Delays but don’t give up, things may be bumpy but don’t lose sight of the bigger picture, blocked path, resistance to this new journey
ᚲKenaz / Kauna: (Pronounced Keh-naz or Cow-na) Meaning: Torch
Upright: Illumination, enlightened, life lessons teaches us, lighting a flame (a passion) positive attitude ,clarity , beacon of truth, finding your truth north, things coming into the light, things making sense, new truths, finding your calling, knowledge, creativity, inspiration
Reversed: Light faded = an ending, so let go and move on, lack vision, instability, or creative rut so find a way to get yourself out of that,
ᚷGifu / Gebo: (Pronounced Gif-foo or Geh-boh) Meaning: Gift
Upright: Gifts, good signs, humanitarianism, charity, something positive, something good being gifted to you, or you gifting others , gifts bestowed to you like your natural talents, blessings, partnerships, luck, fortune
Reversed: N/A
ᚹWunjo:(Pronounced Woon-yo) Meaning: Joy/Victory
Upright: Happily ever after, good fortune, positivity coming, success (See other runes to see in what area of your life) good luck especially in romance, triumph, victory, joy, security, safety, celebration
Reversed: Slow to come together, wait before acting, difficult time, things not working out right now, sorrow, alienation or loss, that temporary Disney moment when the hero doubts or thinks their dream isn’t going to come true right before it actually does!
ᚺHagalaz: (Pronounced Hah-gah-laz) Meaning: Hail
Upright: A storm, forces outside of your control (like weather), divine timing , the universe knows the way, sometimes storms come to clear things out so it may be a difficult time now but it’s happening to help get rid of the old and set you on your path - similar to the Tower Card, unavoidable change, capable of weathering the storm, learn and grow from mistakes, struggles bring strength
Reversed: N/A
ᚾNauthiz/Nied: (Pronounced Now-theez or Need) Meaning: Needs
Upright: Necessary change, friction, a turning point, passing through a learning situation, facing it will be a catalyst for good and help build strength, life lessons, also ask yourself what do you “Need” ? Is it rest, play, work? Assess your needs to take care of yourself
Reversed: Be patient and wait for time of confusion to pass, don’t rush or be hasty, restriction, lack, needs not being met
ᛁIsa/Isaz: (Pronounced Eee-sahs) Meaning: Ice / Fjord
Upright: A freeze - hold off, delays, blessings will slowly evolve, no immediate change right now, wait for the right timing, wait it out, be patient
Reversed: N/A
ᛃJera:(Pronounced Yair-ah) Meaning: Harvest
Upright: Celebration, harvest, reaping awards, cyclic evolution, completion of a project, signing a new contract that will be good news, positive, one year time wise,
Reversed: N/A
ᛇEihwaz/Eihaz: (Pronounced ay-waz or ay-haz) Meaning: Yew / A bow
Upright: The archer, be steady, pick your target, you will hit your mark, opportunities are within your grasp, worries will not manifest, things will work out, you can do it, you have the skills
Reversed: N/A
ᛈPerthro/Perdo: (Pronounced Pear-throw or Pear-dough) Meaning: Destiny
Upright: Chance, secrets, mysteries of life, be discrete rather than showing your hand too soon, strong intuition, especially in dreams, prophecy, a chance can pay off, gambling, dice, fortunate, influences left up to chance, “make lemons out of lemonade” wheel of fortune card (things can change in your favor)
Reversed: Overwhelmed by obstacles, disappointment, don’t take risks right now, or be careful (read the fine print) don’t gamble it all, loss of faith right now (up to you to turn that around!)
ᛉAlgiz/Eolh: (Pronounced Ahl-geez) Meaning: Elk
Upright: Healing and protection charm, powerful protection, put yourself first, enlightenment, fortunate things by manifestation, personal magic, shield against lower energies, the Magician card in tarot
Reversed: Don’t listen to others, seek solitude, self-blame, blaming others, vulnerability, giving your power away to others, helplessness,
ᛋSowilo/Siegel: (Pronounced So-well-lo or Seagull) Meaning: The sun / lightning bolt
Upright: Lightning, personal illumination, warm glow, The sun in Tarot cards, light comes, bad times do not last, happiness, harmony, true love, shining brightly, your time to shine
Reversed: N/A
ᛏTir or Tiwaz (Pronounced Teer or Tee-waz) Meaning: The Warrior, the God Tyr
Upright: Divine masculine energy, success in competition, success in taking action, fight for what you believe in, believe in your heart and you’ll have the strength to succeed, stay true to your convictions, on the up & up, you are capable of conquering
Reversed: Failure, dark before dawn, something dragging you down, “how can you rise up?” , imbalance, lack of passion, lack of taking action, disconnect from divine masculine energy
ᛒBerkana:(Pronounced Bear-kana) Meaning: Birch Tree / Birth
Upright: Birth/ fertility - literally or metaphorically, new beginnings, new project, or pregnancies, children
Reversed: Family problems, friction, anxiety from someone else or yourself, refusal to transform, staying stuck where you are, a step backwards, or an ending “a death”, anxiety, rigid control
ᛖEhwaz/Eoh: (Pronounced Eh-waz) Meaning: Horse
Upright: Movement, physical shifts, a new home, steady progress, change for the better, working together with a team to accomplish things, getting the help you need, think horses pulling a carriage together, trust, loyalty
Reversed: Problems with traveling, stress on a journey, delays, not working as a team, a heavy load you can’t lift all yourself, mistrust, disharmony, restlessness
ᛗMannaz:(Pronounced Mah-naz) Meaning: Man
Upright: Humankind, ask for help from others, good advice from others, humans helping humans, your relationship to other humans, our sense of morals, and values, community, finding your community
Reversed: Not receiving help from others, you are your own worse enemy , isolation, manipulation, watch out for others
ᛚLagaz/Laguz:(Pronounced Lah-gooze) Meaning: Lake / Water
Upright: Tides, ebb & flow, a season for everything, be calm like the water and it’ll flow to you, intuition, love, relax, trust, divine feminine energy
Reversed: Not listening yo your intuition, trying to force, not flow , disconnection from spirit, disconnect from divine feminine energy
ᛝIng/Ingwaz:(Pronounced Ing or Ing-waz) Meaning: Fertility / The God Ing
Upright: Manifestation forces available to you, problems solved, sense of relief, new beginnings via old endings, clear out the old to start a new, new milestone, transformation, or a good time to book a vacation, gestation process allow yourself to transform
Reversed: N/A
ᛞDaeg/Dagaz:(Pronounced Dah-gaz) Meaning: Dawn
Upright: Fun good times, breakthroughs (the dawn arriving after the dark) , awareness and awakening, good time to start a new, playfulness, child-like wonder, inner child, new way of thinking or seeing things from a new perspective, your attitude makes a different , completion of a cycle (like the world in tarot)
Reversed: N/A
ᛟOthel/Othala: (Pronounced Oh-tha-la) Meaning: Inheritance
Upright: Inherited money or inherited traits from elders, family values, family traditions, our lasting legacy,
Reversed: Disputes over money, overturn established principles, too much emphasis on material possessions
(Blank Rune) Wyrd: (Pronounced: Weird) Meaning: Odin’s Rune
Upright: Fate, destiny, everything and nothing, “you determine what get’s filled there” or trust that what’s meant to be can’t be stopped , answers will be revealed in time, hidden mystery,
Reversed: N/A
Hope you enjoyed that! & remember, when interpreting Runes always trust what’s coming to you. The symbols are a guide, but clear your mind and listen for further intuitive messages from Spirit or your Higher Self.
