I recently got my Amethyst Runes and started getting more into it. It was pretty hard to find some good information online, so I thought Iâd share with you guys what I found! I just write down what I have in my book of shadows, and this is just what I found, so there may be things that I wrote wrong or that doesnât fit your believes. I request you look up on this subject yourself too, but this right here might give you a head start.
Runes are symbols which may be used in divination. They are very old and there are many theories as to how or when they originiated, but itâs well known that they were used in Europe.
The word itself comes from the old norse word âRunâ, and the old german word âRunaâ, which translates to âwhisperâ or âsecretâ. Runes are closely tied to Odin and according to ancient germanic people they were created by him.
The runic alphabets are called âFutharkâ, after the first six runes, which are Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, Ansuz, Raido and Kenaz. While the elder furthark has 24 characters, just like our alphabet, there are also other versions of the Futhark which range from 16 to 33 characters.
I have to say, I had a really hard time looking up the meanings of every rune. While some runes have the same meaning everywhere, others seems to have a different meaning every time. I chose what was either mostly named or felt right for me. Feel free to share what you found out about them, or how you use them in the comments below!
Every rune is associated with a letter of our alphabet, so I decided to include them and write them right beside the name. I donât have the sources to post pictures of every rune (nor the space), but you can easily look them up youself online and get in touch with them.
Fehu - F
âFay-whoâ
The Cattle - Wealth, Prosperty, Financial Matters
Uruz - U
âOo-roozeâ
The Aurochs - Strength, Courage, Vitality, for that matter also Health and Recovery
Thurisaz - TH
âThoo-re-sawsâ
The Thorn or The Hammer - Destruction, Anger, Violence, sometimes a Warning or Protection
Ansuz - A
âAwn-soozeâ
The Deity or The Antenna - Wisdom, Communication, Thoughts, Words, Signals, Learning, but also Truth or a Leader
Raido - R
âRye-thoâ
The Wagon - Travels and Journeys, maybe even an inner journey
Kenaz - K
âKee-nawsâ
The Torch - Light, Inspiration, Creativity and Knowledge, but for other also Hard Work
Gebo - G
âGay-boâ
The Gift - A Gift or Generosity, but for another matter also Love, Marriage or Partnership, by seeing the love of another person as a gift
Wunjo - W
âWoon-yoâ
Joy - Happiness, Harmony, Comfort, as well as Victory o Productivity
Hagalaz - H
âHaw-gaw-lawsâ
The Hail - Destruction, Force, Disruption, Chaos, Drama, Hazard, Fury, Anger, can be associated with The Tower from the Tarots Major Arcana
Nauthiz - N
âNow-teeseâ
Need - Constraint, Neccessities, Distress, Delay, Patience
Isa - I
âEe-sawâ
Ice - Stagnation, Standstill, Frozen, Stuck
Jera - J/Y
âYare-aweâ
Harvest - Rewards, Success, Accomplishments, also associated with Earth
Eihwaz - EI
âEye-wawsâ
Yew - Either Reliability, Stability and Trustworthy, or Constricted, Protection, Pain, Perseverence (by looking at it like a bow). The meanings are pretty split with this one.
Perth - P
âPer-thâ
The Cup - Destiny, Fate, Magic, Mystery, The Unknowable
Algiz - Z
âAll-geeseâ
The Elk - Protection, Self Defense, Shield, Standing Up For Something
Sowelu - S
âSoe-wee-looâ
The Sun - Good Fortune, Power, Energy, Health
Teiwaz - T
âTea-wawsâ
Týr - Victory, Justice, Honor, Higher Spiritual Power, or Focus and Responsibility
Berkana - B
âBear-kaw-nahâ
The Birch - Birth, Beginnings, Fertility, (Personal) Growth, Nurture, Family
Ehwaz - E
âAy-wawsâ
The Horse - Transportation, Movement, Travel, maybe also Trust or Loyalty
Mannaz - M
âMawn-nawsâ
The Self - Person, Human, Man, Identity, Culture, Individual
Laguz - L
âLaw-gooseâ
The Water - Lake, Sea, Ocean, mostly the Flow, also Intuition, Proohetic Dreams and Feminity
Inguz - NG
âEen-gooseâ
Seed or The God, Ing - Common Sense, Internal Growth, Potential, Fertility, Success, Masculinity
Dagaz - D
âThaw-gauseâ
The Day - Awareness, Breathrough, Transformation, Evolving, Growth, Changes
Othila - O
âOa-thee-lawâ
Ancestral Property or Homeland - Property, Home, Family, Legacy, Possessions, Inheritance
The Blank Rune
No one really knows how or when it came into the set, but at somd point, the blank rune has been occasionally beed added and used in a reading. Using the blank rune or not is personal preference. It can be useless to you or help you, itâs your choice whether you keep it or not. If you do, it should be read and used based on intuition. Consider itâs placement and the relation and connection to other runes. Some runes sets doesnât even include the blank rune.
It may represent Odin or Fate.
Please note that these are just the names of the runes that I prefer, there are a lot, lot, LOT more other pronounciations or names for each rune, but adding them in here too would be too much.
Runes also have reversed meanings, but that is sonething I havenât got into by now. Just research for yourself a little bit, learn some more and stick to what feels right to you.
Now to casting them. There are many different ways to cast runes. You may simply pull runes out of a bag with your eyes closed, or you dump some or all of them on the ground. You can do simple Tarot Spreads with your runes or look up different ways to use them.
You can use the runes in magic as well! You may use fitting runes in a spell, or write with then in your book of shadows, or draw them on your altar, wand, etc. There are many things you can do with runes, just take your time and get closer with them!
I hope you liked this little lesson and that it may help you an your way.
Lotâs of love your way, Laura đ