Elder Futhark · Norse · Germanic · Divination · Magic

Elder Futhark — 24 Runes

The ancient alphabet of the Norse and Germanic peoples — a system of writing, magic and divination in which each symbol is simultaneously a letter, a force of nature and a window into the cosmos.

The Elder Futhark is the oldest known runic alphabet — 24 symbols used by Germanic and Norse peoples from roughly the 2nd to 8th centuries CE, when it gradually gave way to the Younger Futhark. The word "rune" comes from the Proto-Germanic *rūnō — meaning "secret, whisper, mystery." In Norse cosmology, the runes were not invented by humans but discovered by Odin, who hung himself on Yggdrasil (the World Tree) for nine days and nights, sacrificed himself to himself, until the runes revealed themselves to him from the depths of the well below.

Section 01

What the Runes Are

The runes are simultaneously a writing system, a magical alphabet and a divination tool — and the distinction between these functions was not sharp in the Norse and Germanic world. A rune carved on a weapon was both its name and an invocation of the force it represented. A runic inscription on a healing amulet was both text and magic. The same symbols used to write poetry were used to summon forces and read the future.

The 24 runes of the Elder Futhark are divided into three groups of eight called aettir (singular: aett — "family" or "group of eight"). Each aett is associated with a deity: Freyr's Aett (runes 1–8, associated with creation and material life), Heimdall's Aett (runes 9–16, associated with challenge and transformation) and Tyr's Aett (runes 17–24, associated with the self and the cosmos).

The name "Futhark" comes from the sounds of the first six runes in order: F–U–Th–A–R–K (Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, Ansuz, Raidho, Kenaz) — exactly as "alphabet" comes from Alpha and Beta, the first two Greek letters.

Odin's Discovery
In the Hávamál (Words of the High One), Odin describes hanging on Yggdrasil for nine nights, wounded by a spear, sacrificing himself to himself, with no food or drink — until the runes revealed themselves. This is the mythic model for all runic initiation: suffering and sacrifice as the price of wisdom.
The Runic Poems
Three medieval runic poems survive — Old Norse, Old English and Old Icelandic — each providing a stanza for every rune. These poems are the primary historical source for the runes' meanings. They speak in riddles and kennings, preserving meaning beneath the surface of the verse.
Historical Uses
Runes were carved on weapons, memorial stones, jewellery, tools and grave goods. They appear in inscriptions from Scandinavia, the British Isles, the Continent and even as far east as the Black Sea. Some inscriptions are clearly magical; most are practical texts — names, dedications, memorial inscriptions.
Modern Revival
Runic divination as a contemporary practice was largely developed in the 20th century — most prominently by Ralph Blum (The Book of Runes, 1982) and by practitioners within Asatru and Heathenry (the modern revival of Norse/Germanic spirituality). The meanings used in divination draw on the runic poems and Norse cosmology.
Section 02

The 24 Runes of Elder Futhark

Freyr's Aett — Runes 1–8 · Creation, Wealth, Vitality
ᚠ
Rune 01 · F
Fehu
Sound: F
Wealth · Cattle · Abundance
The rune of mobile wealth — cattle were wealth in the ancient world, and cattle must be tended, moved and managed wisely. Fehu speaks of earned abundance, the fruits of labour and the responsibility that comes with wealth. Share it or watch it scatter.
Greed, loss, stagnant wealth, poverty through mismanagement. Clinging to what needs to flow.
"Wealth is a comfort to all / yet must every man bestow it freely / if he wishes the lord's favour."
ᚢ
Rune 02 · U
Uruz
Sound: U
Aurochs · Strength · Health
The wild aurochs — the great wild ox of ancient Europe, now extinct. Raw, untamed strength and vitality. The primal life force in its undomesticated form. Uruz speaks of physical power, good health and the strength to begin again after difficulty.
Weakness, illness, missed opportunities, failure of strength or will. The wild power turned against itself.
"The aurochs is proud and has great horns / a very fierce beast / it fights with its horns / a great ranger of the moors — it is a courageous animal."
ᚦ
Rune 03 · Th
Thurisaz
Sound: Th
Giant · Thorn · Threshold
The thorn, the giant, the threshold guardian. Thurisaz is not comfortable — it marks the dangerous transition point, the thorn that draws blood, the giant that bars the way. It can be protective (like a thorn hedge) or destructive. A force to be respected rather than invoked lightly.
Danger, compulsion, the enemy within. The thorn turned inward. Betrayal or aggression.
"The thorn is exceedingly sharp / an evil thing for any knight to touch / uncommonly severe to all who rest among them."
ᚨ
Rune 04 · A
Ansuz
Sound: A
Odin · Messages · Wisdom
The rune of Odin and the divine word — breath, inspiration, speech and wisdom. Ansuz is the rune of messages received, of inspired communication, of the divine intelligence speaking through the human voice. Pay attention to what comes through you and to you now.
Deception, bad advice, miscommunication, divine inspiration blocked. The word turned against truth.
"The mouth is the source of all language / a pillar of wisdom and a comfort of wise men / a blessing and joy to every nobleman."
ᚱ
Rune 05 · R
Raidho
Sound: R
Ride · Journey · Right Action
The ride, the journey, the wheel turning. Raidho speaks of travel — physical and spiritual — and of the cosmic order that makes all movement meaningful. It also speaks of right action, of doing things in the correct sequence and at the correct time. The journey has its own rhythm.
Disruption, delays, a journey gone wrong. Out of sync with the natural rhythm. Crisis or dislocation.
"Riding is in the hall easy / but exceedingly laborious for one who sits up on a great horse / traversing the miles."
ᚲ
Rune 06 · K
Kenaz
Sound: K
Torch · Knowledge · Craft
The torch — controlled fire that illuminates and enables. Kenaz is the fire of the forge, the creative fire of the craftsperson, the light of understanding. It speaks of skill, technique and the ability to create and transform. Knowledge applied with mastery.
The torch extinguished; illness; loss of knowledge or skill. Creative fire turned to destruction. Ulcers and disease.
"The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame / it always burns where princes sit within."
ᚷ
Rune 07 · G
Gebo
Sound: G
Gift · Exchange · Balance
The gift — and the obligation that a gift creates. In Norse culture, gifts bound people together in networks of reciprocal obligation. Gebo speaks of generosity, exchange, partnership and the sacred balance between giving and receiving. It has no reversed meaning — a gift is always a gift.
"Generosity is an ornament of distinction / and proof of the quality of one's soul / and the source of all worldly honour."
ᚹ
Rune 08 · W/V
Wunjo
Sound: W
Joy · Harmony · Clan
Joy — the joy of belonging, of harmony, of being in one's right place among one's people. Wunjo is the joy of the mead-hall, of the clan at peace, of the successful harvest. It speaks of happiness, comfort and the deep satisfaction of being where you belong.
Sorrow, strife, alienation from one's people. Joy deferred or perverted. Conflict within the clan.
"Joy is had by one who knows few troubles / pains and sorrows / and to him who himself has power and blessedness enough."
Heimdall's Aett — Runes 9–16 · Challenge, Transformation, Trial
ᚺ
Rune 09 · H
Hagalaz
Sound: H
Hail · Disruption · Pattern
Hail — destructive weather that cannot be resisted, only endured. Hagalaz speaks of sudden disruption beyond one's control; the hailstorm that destroys the harvest. Yet hail melts and becomes water — the seed of future growth is hidden in the disruption. This too shall pass.
"Hail is the coldest of grains / Christ shaped the world in ancient times / fair weather comes afterwards."
ᚾ
Rune 10 · N
Nauthiz
Sound: N
Need · Constraint · Fire Bow
Need, necessity and the friction that creates fire. Nauthiz is the need-fire — fire made by the friction of the fire-bow in the ancient world. Constraint and hardship reveal what is most needed. The need recognises itself and, in recognising, begins to be met.
The need unrecognised or denied; want, lack, the prison of unacknowledged necessity. Constraint without growth.
"Need is oppressive to the heart / yet often it proves a source of help and salvation / to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it in time."
ᛁ
Rune 11 · I
Isa
Sound: I
Ice · Stillness · Concentration
Ice — beautiful, dangerous, unyielding. Isa is the rune of frozen time, of standstill, of the moment when things cannot move forward. This is not necessarily negative — sometimes everything must freeze and be still so that what is essential can crystallise and clarify.
"Ice is very cold and immeasurably slippery / it glistens as clear as glass / most like to gems / it is a floor wrought by the frost — fair to look upon."
ᛃ
Rune 12 · J/Y
Jera
Sound: J/Y
Year · Harvest · Cycle
The year, the harvest, the turning of the seasons. Jera speaks of the natural cycle: what is sown must be tended, and what is tended will be harvested in its time — not before, not after. Patience and right action bring the natural reward. You cannot rush the harvest.
"Summer is a joy to men / when God, the holy King of Heaven / suffers the earth to bring forth shining fruits for rich and poor alike."
ᛇ
Rune 13 · Ei
Eihwaz
Sound: Ei
Yew Tree · Death · Continuity
The yew tree — the tree of death and rebirth, the tree of bows and longbows, the tree of Yggdrasil itself. Eihwaz is the axis of the worlds, the connection between death and life, the enduring strength that comes from facing mortality. The yew lives for thousands of years precisely because it can die and regrow from its own roots.
"The yew is a tree with rough bark / hard and fast in the earth / supported by its roots / a guardian of flame and a joy upon an estate."
ᛈ
Rune 14 · P
Perthro
Sound: P
Dice Cup · Fate · Mystery
The dice cup, the lot-box, the Well of Wyrd — fate, chance and what is hidden. Perthro is the most mysterious rune, associated with what cannot be known, with the wyrd (fate) woven by the Norns and with the hidden patterns that underlie apparent randomness. Initiation, secrets, the unseen.
Bad luck, addiction, malaise, hidden things that should stay hidden coming to light at the wrong time.
"Perthro is ever play and laughter / among bold men / where warriors sit blithely together in the beer-hall."
ᛉ
Rune 15 · Z/R
Algiz
Sound: Z/R
Elk · Protection · Rainbow Bridge
The elk-sedge, the swan, the protective hand — Algiz is the rune of protection and the connection to the divine. Its shape suggests a person with arms raised in invocation, or the antlers of the elk. It wards off danger and connects the practitioner to higher guidance and divine protection.
Hidden danger, vulnerability, a guardian turned against you. The protection fails or is withdrawn.
"The elk-sedge is mostly to be found in a marsh / it grows in the water and makes a ghastly wound / covering with blood every warrior who touches it."
ᛊ
Rune 16 · S
Sowilo
Sound: S
Sun · Victory · Life Force
The sun — the great sustainer, the wheel of the sun moving across the sky, life force and victory. Sowilo is one of the most purely positive runes: the sun that guides sailors, the warmth that sustains all life, the force that illuminates and conquers darkness. Success, clarity and life force at its peak.
"The sun is ever a joy in the hopes of seafarers / when they journey away over the fishes' bath / until the courser of the deep bears them to land."
Tyr's Aett — Runes 17–24 · Self, Cosmos, Completion
ᛏ
Rune 17 · T
Tiwaz
Sound: T
Tyr · Justice · Sacrifice
The rune of Tyr — the one-handed god of justice who sacrificed his hand to bind the wolf Fenrir for the good of all. Tiwaz speaks of justice, sacrifice for the greater good, the courage to do what is right even at personal cost and the faith that right action will ultimately prevail.
Injustice, imbalance, cowardice before what is right. The sacrifice made in the wrong cause.
"Tir is a guiding star / well does it keep faith with princes / it is ever on its course / over the mists of night and never fails."
ᛒ
Rune 18 · B
Berkano
Sound: B
Birch · Birth · Becoming
The birch tree — the first tree to return to a cleared forest, the great birch goddess. Berkano is the rune of birth, becoming and the gentle power of new growth. It speaks of nurturing, of the hidden seed becoming visible, of the feminine power of containment and growth. New beginnings in quiet form.
Family troubles, infertility in projects or relationships, the new growth blocked or diseased.
"The birch tree is without fruit / nevertheless it bears limbs without fertile seed / it is fair in its branches / high in its crown / it is finely adorned / laden with leaves / touching the sky."
ᛖ
Rune 19 · E
Ehwaz
Sound: E
Horse · Partnership · Trust
The horse — not just any horse but the horse and rider in partnership. Ehwaz speaks of trust, cooperation and the sacred bond between two beings working as one. It also speaks of swift movement, of the shamanic journey on the spirit horse. Progress made in tandem is greater than what either could achieve alone.
Betrayal, broken partnership, the horse lame or the rider lost. Movement blocked by lack of trust.
"The horse is a joy to princes in the presence of warriors / a steed in the pride of its hooves / when rich men on horseback bandy words about it / and it is ever a source of comfort to the restless."
ᛗ
Rune 20 · M
Mannaz
Sound: M
Human · Self · Humanity
The human being — the rune of the self, of humanity collectively and of each individual's relationship to the greater human family. Mannaz asks: what does it mean to be human? To have intelligence, to have community, to have the divine and animal both within you. Know thyself.
Self-deception, isolation, the enemy within. Turning against one's own humanity. Biased judgement.
"The joyous man is dear to his kinsmen / yet every man is doomed to fail his fellow / since the Lord by his decree will commit the vile carrion to the earth."
ᛚ
Rune 21 · L
Laguz
Sound: L
Water · Flow · Intuition
Water, the sea, the lake, the leek — flowing, following its own nature, finding the lowest point. Laguz speaks of intuition, the unconscious, the dream world and the power of going with the natural flow rather than against it. Also the power of growth (the leek pushing upward through water).
Confusion, being lost at sea, poor judgement from ignoring intuition. The water turned stagnant.
"Water to land-dwellers seems interminable / if they venture out on the rolling bark / and the waves of the sea terrify them greatly / and the courser of the deep heeds not its bridle."
ᛜ
Rune 22 · Ng
Ingwaz
Sound: Ng
Ing · Seed · Potential
Ing — the ancient Germanic god of fertility and the people. Ingwaz is the rune of the seed containing all future potential — gestation completed, the hero resting before the next journey begins. A time of completion on one level before emergence on another. The contained energy of something about to begin.
"Ing was first seen among the East Danes / till followed by his chariot / he departed eastward over the wave / so the warriors named the hero."
ᛞ
Rune 23 · D
Dagaz
Sound: D
Day · Breakthrough · Dawn
The day — dawn, breakthrough, the moment when night becomes day. Dagaz is the rune of radical transformation — not gradual change but the instantaneous shift at the threshold. Like the moment of awakening from a dream, or the moment when you finally see what was hidden in plain sight. Complete transformation.
"Day, the glorious light of the Creator / is sent by the Lord / it is beloved of men / a source of hope and happiness to rich and poor / of service to all."
ᛟ
Rune 24 · O
Othala
Sound: O
Ancestral Home · Heritage · Tribe
The ancestral home, the inherited estate, the homeland — what is owned through heritage rather than acquisition. Othala speaks of ancestry, of the gifts and burdens inherited from those who came before, of sacred enclosure and belonging. What has been passed down; what will be passed on.
Exile, loss of heritage, being cut off from one's roots. The ancestral home denied or taken away.
"An estate is very dear to every man / if he can enjoy there in his house / whatever is right and proper in constant prosperity."
Section 03

Reading the Runes

Unlike the I Ching, which has a detailed historical consultation method, runic divination as a formal practice was not documented in detail by the Norse and Germanic peoples themselves — the historical sources mention casting lots and consulting the runes but do not give step-by-step methods. Modern runic divination draws on these references and on the runic poems to build a coherent practice. Approach it as a living tradition that is still developing rather than an ancient received system.

Single Rune Draw
The simplest and most powerful method — hold your bag of runes, formulate your question, draw one rune. Sit with it. Read both its upright meaning and consider if it fell reversed. The single rune often speaks more clearly than a complex spread.
Three Rune Draw
Draw three runes from left to right. Most common interpretations: Past / Present / Future; Situation / Action / Outcome; What to embrace / What to release / What to become. Let the three runes speak to each other — the combination is often more revealing than each separately.
Casting (Runic Lot)
The most historically attested method — cast all or some of your runes onto a white cloth. Read only those that fall face up; those face down speak of hidden or unconscious matters. Runes closer to the centre are more immediately relevant; those at the edge speak of more distant influences.
Aett Reading
Draw one rune from each of the three Aettir — one from Freyr's (the material situation), one from Heimdall's (the challenge or transformation involved) and one from Tyr's (the higher purpose or cosmic context). Three runes that speak from different registers of existence.
Reversed Runes
Not all practitioners use reversed meanings — and several runes (Gebo, Hagalaz, Isa, Jera, Sowilo, Ingwaz, Dagaz) look identical upright and reversed so have no reversal. When you use reversals, they typically indicate the rune's energy blocked, turned inward or expressing its shadow quality.
Making Your Own Runes
The tradition consistently recommends making your own rune set rather than purchasing one — carving them from wood, stone or clay, inscribing each with intention and meditating on each rune as you make it. The process of making is itself the first and most important initiation into the runes.
Section 04

Working with the Runes

Daily Rune Practice
Draw one rune each morning. Read its meaning; sit with its quality. Observe how the day reflects that rune's energy. Record your observations. Over a month, you will have encountered all the runes and begun to understand their living qualities through direct experience.
Galdr — Runic Chanting
Galdr is the practice of chanting or intoning the runic sounds — sustaining the sound of each rune and feeling its vibration in the body. Each rune has a characteristic sound and resonance. This was one of the primary magical uses of the runes in the Norse world.
Runic Meditation (Stadha)
Forming the shape of each rune with your body — a runic yoga. Stand in the shape of the rune and hold it, breathing, feeling the quality of the rune through the posture. An embodied approach to runic knowledge that speaks to the body rather than the intellect.
Essential Reading
Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic by Edred Thorsson — the most serious modern scholarship. Runelore also by Thorsson — deeper historical context. A Practical Guide to the Runes by Lisa Peschel — accessible for beginners. The runic poems themselves, translated — primary sources always.