Norse Language Lessons

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This rune represents movement and changes. Traveling, a change of occupation or maybe a new dwelling place. Ehwaz tells of a change for the better. Gradual development and steady progress are indicated. This rune may mean a journey, especially if paired with Raidho (short distance), or Lagaz (long distance). With Ansuz Reversed it means visiting a sick relative and with Beorc the changes or travel involves a family get together. Ehwaz indicates that you are going about a problem correctly. If paired with Ansuz, Jera, or Mannaz someone with good judgment is helping you.

Ehwaz Reversed

Ehwaz Reversed in your runecast is a good indication that you are feeling restless or confined in a situation. This is not a really a negative rune even though it is reversed. You are perhaps craving a change. Sometimes a distant journey is involved. This is especially the case if paired with Lagaz. If Raidho is present in the spread, the journey will only be a temporary one. If travel is indicated, it will probably leave you with the feeling of having wasted your time. If Uruz is in the spread, a sudden or unexpected change is indicated. If Ehwaz Reversed is in a negative reading, the advice is to not make any changes in your life now. Be sure that what you are involved in is timely.

Converse: That which appears stagnant will suddenly move. Someone willing or confident will be up to no good.

The Five Keys forged by Wotan, commissioned by Odin, inspired by Loki, all bear a magical rune.

Raido: The rune of journeys, voyages to cross oceans, to explore planets, to bridge the gap between humans and gods. Some journeys do all three at once.

Uruz: Rune of endurance, the endurance of star-spanning empires, of merciless ideologies.

Pertho: Rune of secrets. The secrets of story and sorcery. Of spycraft and skulduggery. The secret of old, dark ledgers and the red dripping from them.

Ingwaz: Rune of new beginnings. Lots of new beginnings are where you least expect them.

Oh, the beautiful working altar! It is a place of magic, with lots of shiny and smelly things on it which make me feel at home. But to the new witch, it can sometimes seem daunting, and even downright scary to look at - almost as if it came right out of some dark fantasy story.

But there’s nothing to be afraid of. Each object on the altar is merely a tool to help visually direct energy. In witchcraft, every tool has its significance and its own symbolism, and it often helps to understand what makes these tools so important. In this series of articles, I will endeavor to lift the shroud of mystery from these tools and assist in helping you understand what each tool is used for, where it comes from, and why we use it.

Runes, Part XX: Ehwaz, the Rune of Momentum

Pronunciation: “Ay-wahz” Meaning: Horse God/dess: Frey, Freyja Element: Earth Tree: Ash

There is a certain relationship that develops between rider and horse. It’s a relationship of love, respect, trust, and faithfulness, all of which can often allow the pair to become as close as siblings. The horse is an animal which has great strength, speed, intelligence, and beauty, inspiring many artists over the course of history, and even prompting beliefs in certain gods (such as the British goddess Rhiannon, or the Celtic goddess Epona - who would even be assimilated into the Roman pantheon).

The rune, Ehwaz, is the horse present in the Futhark, representing quick thought, progress, controlled motion, confidence, and loyalty. This is another rune which indicates coming change or journeys as well as strong personal relationships. Unlike uncontrollable change, however, Ehwaz indicates changes that are fully under your control, making it a positive rune to discover.

Its reverse however, is a bit less positive as it reflects muddled thought, feelings of reluctance or of feeling lost, lethargy, backwards movement, and the like. Consider the impacts of the other runes around it to see if they might be part of what is prompting the lack of movement.

In converse, Ehwaz represents a change in stagnant situations, or individuals who are willing or confident could be up to no good. While ambiguous in its “good or bad” state, Ehwaz in converse is helpful in helping clarify or reveal what may not have been considered before.

Magick

Ehwaz is ideal for helping you regain control of situations in which you feel you’ve lost said control. However, it is also exceptional at prompting movement when situations seem stale, and in matters of love is great at spicing up bedroom life. 

As it represents the horse, Ehwaz is also an ideal rune to use in any spells involving deities of horses.

In hexing or cursing, Ehwaz is great at making someone else feel as if they have lost control over their situation, and at inspiring lethargy or reluctance to act. It’s more subtle in its darker magical aspects in this way.

In Conclusion…

This rune is an iconic symbol in the Futhark, and a reminder that it is possible to move forward so long as you remain loyal and helpful to those who are loyal and helpful to you. It’s a reminder that pride has its uses so long as it does not impede forward progress and is tempered by humility.

In the tarot, Ehwaz’s counterpart can be split between two cards: the Lovers and the Magician. With its connotations of two halves bringing a whole, its link to love, loyalty, and partnership, it’s easy to see how Ehwaz can be linked to the Lovers. Meanwhile, Ehwaz’s intellectual aspects of quick and clear thought, forward movement, and spiritual progress all provide a strong link to the Magician.

As is common in rune castings it is important to consider the other runes and their proximity to Ehwaz, to help determine the most effective method of progress!

Hello friends! I’ve been making a lot of runes lately, and whenever I do that I seem to create a new connection or gain a deeper understanding. A few weeks ago, I was able to dig deeper into Gebo and Ehwaz. They’re both relationship runes - but what is the difference in quality of the relationship?

I’ll post more here: instagram.com/nathanwpyle

oh, hello there new follower! very nice to meet you

??? okay that’s weird, and they followed one after the other. maybe the same person has two viking blogs? but why would a viking blog be following m–

OKAY WHAT THE HECK I WAS WONDERING WHY THIS SIMPLE ASK GOT SO MANY NOTES AND THEN

THERE ARE MORE

Freyr/Freyja’s Ætt

Something about the “Futhark”, Loki again and wonderful childhood memories

Futhark is the name of the old rune alphabeth. The name consists of the first 6 runes. The internet is full of information about the runes and its meanings. I don’t want to talk about that. I just remembered something, I learned from a blacksmith a long time ago. When I was about ten years old, my mother had finally accepted the fact, that my interest in the norse mythology won’t fade away so soon. So, she enrolled me for a holiday camp that focused on the lifestile of the Middle Ages. It was really awesome! We were living in tents and the camp had its own archery teacher, herbal witch and a real black smith. That guy was really well, unusal, at least for a black smith. When you think of black smith’ you think of big, bulky man with more brawn than brain. But he was, well tall, but slender and he was very intelligent and had a lot of stories to tell, especially about the norse gods and the runes and its meaning. In short, he was my hero. I used to sit for hours in his smithy and listen to his stories, while he was hammering away on some sword, or iron pendant. It was awesome. He could tell the old legends about the norse gods so vividly, I really believed they used to be real men. Although retrospective it might not have been the best idea to tell a ten year old little girl stories about gods, who wehre bound to rocks with the guts of their sons and the like. He was never wearing any jewelry except for one strange pendant. It was formed like an ox’s head and engraved in it was a rune. When I once asked him, what that pendant meant, he said something like: “This is the sign of my pledge. The pledge of the black smith’.” Of course I asked him about that pledge and he told me, that in old times in scandinavia a young black smith at the end of his education had to vow that he will never stultify the great god Loki. That he will never see him below the other gods. For Loki is the god of fire and the god of black smith’. Of course, if you are a black smith and work on an open fire most of the day, you don’t want to get on the fire god’s bad side. As sign for that pledge, the first thing the young black smith forges is dedicated to Loki. A sword with the ox sign and Loki’s rune, or well a pendant. I never really tried to confirm that story. But I like it and it’s as likely as any other story. I tried really hard to remember the rune of Loki, but unfortunately I never took a good look to it. So I decided to use my own imagination. Which runes would fit Loki. Here is my choice: Kenaz