Elder Futhark Runes Part 2: The Final Twelve (Eihwaz to Othala)

BY NICOLE LAU

Introduction

This guide completes the Elder Futhark journey, exploring the final twelve runes from Eihwaz to Othala. These runes complete Heimdall's Aett (transformation and cosmic order) and cover all of Tyr's Aett (spiritual development, community, and legacy).

If you haven't read Part 1, start there to learn the first twelve runes (Fehu through Jera) and the foundational concepts of runic wisdom.

Heimdall's Aett Continued (Runes 13-16)

13. Eihwaz (ᛇ) - Yew Tree, Endurance, Death and Rebirth

Pronunciation: AY-wahz
Literal Meaning: Yew tree
Element: All elements
Deity: Odin, Ullr

Eihwaz is the yew tree—sacred, poisonous, and eternal. The yew lives for thousands of years, its wood was used for rune staves and bows, and it grows in graveyards, connecting life and death. Eihwaz represents the World Tree Yggdrasil, the vertical axis connecting all nine worlds.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Endurance, transformation through trial, death and rebirth, initiation, connection between worlds. You're being tested and transformed through ordeal.
Note: Eihwaz has no reversed position. It always represents transformation through endurance. The yew bends but does not break.

Magical Use: Use Eihwaz for protection, endurance during trials, shamanic journeying between worlds, connecting with ancestors, or navigating major life transitions. A powerful initiatory rune.

14. Perthro (ᛈ) - Dice Cup, Mystery, Fate

Pronunciation: PER-thro
Literal Meaning: Dice cup, lot cup (uncertain)
Element: Water
Deity: The Norns, Frigg

Perthro is the most mysterious rune, its exact meaning debated by scholars. Often interpreted as the dice cup from which lots are cast, it represents fate, chance, and the mysteries of wyrd (destiny). Perthro is what is hidden, yet to be revealed.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Mysteries revealed, hidden knowledge, divination, secrets coming to light, fate unfolding. Something concealed is being disclosed.
Reversed: Secrets kept, mysteries remaining hidden, blocked divination, unwelcome surprises. What is hidden may be better left concealed.

Magical Use: Use Perthro for divination, uncovering secrets, working with fate and wyrd, or accessing hidden knowledge. The rune of seers and mystics.

15. Algiz (ᛉ) - Elk, Protection, Higher Self

Pronunciation: AL-geez
Literal Meaning: Elk, elk-sedge (sharp grass), protection
Element: Air
Deity: Heimdall, Valkyries

Algiz is the rune of protection—the elk's antlers raised in defense, hands reaching toward the divine, the sedge grass that cuts those who grasp it carelessly. It represents the connection between human and divine, the protective force of the higher self.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Protection active, divine connection strong, higher guidance available, sanctuary, spiritual awakening. You are protected and guided by higher forces.
Reversed: Vulnerability, disconnection from divine, protection withdrawn, danger approaching. Examine where sacred connection has been broken.

Magical Use: Use Algiz for protection spells, connecting with higher self, creating sacred space, or invoking divine guidance. One of the most powerful protective runes.

16. Sowilo (ᛊ) - Sun, Victory, Wholeness

Pronunciation: SO-wee-lo
Literal Meaning: Sun
Element: Fire/Air
Deity: Sunna (Sun goddess), Baldur

Sowilo is the sun—source of life, light, and victory. It represents success, the life force animating all things, clarity of vision, and honor that comes from living in alignment with truth. Sowilo is the lightning bolt, the flash of insight, the moment of triumph.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Success, victory, clarity, life force strong, honor, achievement, illumination. The sun shines on your endeavors.
Note: Sowilo has no reversed position. It always represents solar energy and success, though degree depends on context.

Magical Use: Use Sowilo for success magic, healing, gaining clarity, achieving victory, or strengthening life force. Powerful for any positive working.

Tyr's Aett: Spiritual Development and Legacy (Runes 17-24)

The third aett, associated with Tyr the god of justice and sacrifice, deals with spiritual development, community, relationships, and the legacy we leave behind.

17. Tiwaz (ᛏ) - Tyr, Warrior Spirit, Justice

Pronunciation: TEE-wahz
Literal Meaning: Tyr (god of war and justice)
Element: Air
Deity: Tyr

Tiwaz is the rune of Tyr, the one-handed god who sacrificed his hand to bind Fenrir the wolf, ensuring cosmic order. It represents warrior spirit, justice, honor, and willingness to sacrifice for the greater good. Tiwaz is the spear, the arrow pointing upward.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Justice prevails, victory through right action, warrior spirit activated, leadership, honor, noble sacrifice. Fight for what is right.
Reversed: Injustice, defeat, loss of honor, failed leadership, meaningless sacrifice. The warrior has lost their way or fights for wrong cause.

Magical Use: Use Tiwaz for justice magic, victory in legal matters, courage, leadership, or honoring oaths. Carve on weapons or draw before battle (literal or metaphorical).

18. Berkano (ᛒ) - Birch, Birth, New Beginnings

Pronunciation: BER-kah-no
Literal Meaning: Birch tree
Element: Earth
Deity: Frigg, Berchta

Berkano is the birch tree—first to grow after winter, symbolizing new beginnings, birth, and growth. It represents the nurturing feminine principle, motherhood, fertility, and the gentle power of growth and renewal.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: New beginnings, birth (literal or metaphorical), growth, nurturing, fertility, family harmony. Something new is being born.
Reversed: Stagnation, family problems, blocked growth, fertility issues, lack of nurturing. Growth is stunted or care is absent.

Magical Use: Use Berkano for fertility magic, new beginnings, nurturing projects, family harmony, or gentle growth. The rune of mothers and midwives.

19. Ehwaz (ᛖ) - Horse, Partnership, Movement

Pronunciation: EH-wahz
Literal Meaning: Horse
Element: Earth/Air
Deity: Freyr, the Valkyries

Ehwaz is the horse—humanity's partner in travel, work, and war. It represents sacred partnership between human and animal, the trust required for cooperation, and swift movement that comes from working in harmony. Two forces moving as one.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Partnership thriving, trust established, progress through cooperation, movement, harmony between two forces. Working together brings success.
Reversed: Betrayal, mistrust, partnership problems, stagnation, disharmony. The partnership is broken or severely unbalanced.

Magical Use: Use Ehwaz for partnership magic, building trust, facilitating movement and progress, or harmonizing two forces. Excellent for business partnerships or relationships.

20. Mannaz (ᛗ) - Humanity, Self, Community

Pronunciation: MAH-nahz
Literal Meaning: Human, mankind
Element: Air
Deity: Heimdall (father of humanity)

Mannaz is the human being—the self-aware individual within community. It represents human intelligence, social order, cooperation, and the unique position of humanity as bridge between earth and sky, animal and divine. The 'I' in relation to 'we.'

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Self-awareness, community connection, cooperation, human intelligence, social harmony, finding your place. You are both individual and part of the whole.
Reversed: Isolation, selfishness, social discord, loss of self, alienation. Balance between self and community is disrupted.

Magical Use: Use Mannaz for self-knowledge, community building, enhancing intelligence, or understanding your place in society. The rune of human potential.

21. Laguz (ᛚ) - Water, Flow, Intuition

Pronunciation: LAH-gooz
Literal Meaning: Water, lake, sea
Element: Water
Deity: Njord, Nerthus

Laguz is water—the lake, the sea, the flow of emotions and intuition. It represents the unconscious mind, dreams, psychic ability, and the fluid nature of reality. Laguz teaches us to flow like water and trust our intuition.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Intuition strong, flow with circumstances, emotions balanced, psychic ability heightened, dreams significant. Trust your inner knowing.
Reversed: Emotional overwhelm, blocked intuition, drowning in emotions, psychic confusion. The waters are turbulent or stagnant.

Magical Use: Use Laguz for psychic development, dreamwork, emotional healing, or enhancing intuition. The rune of seers and empaths.

22. Ingwaz (ᛜ) - Ing, Fertility, Potential

Pronunciation: ING-wahz
Literal Meaning: Ing (god of fertility), seed
Element: Earth
Deity: Ing (Freyr)

Ingwaz is the seed containing all potential, the god Ing representing fertility and the land's abundance. It represents gestation, the period of internal development before manifestation, and the potential waiting to unfold.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Gestation period, potential developing, internal growth, fertility, completion of cycle, new phase beginning. Something is growing within.
Note: Ingwaz has no reversed position. It always represents potential and gestation, the seed before the harvest.

Magical Use: Use Ingwaz for fertility magic, gestating projects, internal development, or bringing potential to fruition. The rune of seeds and beginnings.

23. Dagaz (ᛞ) - Day, Dawn, Breakthrough

Pronunciation: DAH-gahz
Literal Meaning: Day, dawn
Element: Fire/Air
Deity: Heimdall

Dagaz is the dawn—the moment when night becomes day, darkness transforms into light. It represents breakthrough, awakening, transformation, and the balance point between opposites. Dagaz is the moment of enlightenment, the sudden shift in consciousness.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Breakthrough imminent, awakening, transformation, clarity dawning, balance achieved, new day beginning. The light breaks through darkness.
Note: Dagaz has no reversed position. It always represents breakthrough and transformation, the eternal return of light.

Magical Use: Use Dagaz for breakthrough work, awakening consciousness, achieving balance, or facilitating transformation. The rune of enlightenment and new beginnings.

24. Othala (ᛟ) - Ancestral Heritage, Home, Legacy

Pronunciation: OH-thah-lah
Literal Meaning: Ancestral property, homeland
Element: Earth
Deity: Odin, the Ancestors

Othala is the ancestral homeland, the inherited property, the legacy passed down through generations. It represents roots, heritage, tradition, and the spiritual inheritance we receive from our ancestors. Othala is what we inherit and what we leave behind.

Divinatory Meaning:
Upright: Ancestral wisdom available, inheritance (material or spiritual), roots strong, tradition honored, legacy building. Connect with your heritage.
Reversed: Disconnection from roots, loss of inheritance, tradition broken, homelessness (literal or spiritual). Ancestral wounds need healing.

Magical Use: Use Othala for ancestral work, connecting with heritage, protecting home and family, or building legacy. The rune of roots and belonging.

Advanced Runic Practices

Runic Meditation

To deeply understand a rune:

1. Visualize: See the rune glowing before you
2. Chant: Repeat the rune's name as a mantra
3. Embody: Stand in the rune's shape (rune yoga/stadha)
4. Journey: Enter the rune's realm in meditation
5. Integrate: Journal insights and apply wisdom

Runic Bindrunes

Combine multiple runes into one symbol for specific purposes:

• Overlap: Share common lines between runes
• Intent: Choose runes that support your goal
• Activate: Charge the bindrune with breath and intention
• Example: Algiz + Sowilo = protected success

Runic Galdr (Chanting)

Each rune has a sound that can be chanted to invoke its power:

• Fehu: 'Fff-eh-hoo' (vibrate the F sound)
• Tiwaz: 'Tee-ee-wahz' (sharp, piercing T)
• Sowilo: 'Sss-oh-wee-lo' (hissing S like sun's energy)

Chant each rune nine times (Odin's sacred number) while visualizing its energy.

The Rune Cycle as Spiritual Journey

The 24 runes form a complete spiritual path:

• Runes 1-8 (Freyr's Aett): Material mastery and earthly power
• Runes 9-16 (Heimdall's Aett): Trials, transformation, and cosmic order
• Runes 17-24 (Tyr's Aett): Spiritual development, community, and legacy

This mirrors the hero's journey: from ordinary world, through trials and transformation, to return with wisdom to share.

Correspondences Table: Final Twelve

Further Study

Primary Sources:

• Hávamál (Poetic Edda) - Odin's discovery of the runes
• Rune Poems - Old English, Norwegian, Icelandic
• Sigrdrifumál - Valkyrie's runic wisdom

Modern Practice:

• Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic by Edred Thorsson
• Runelore by Edred Thorsson
• Taking Up the Runes by Diana L. Paxson
• Nordic Runes by Paul Rhys Mountfort

Conclusion: The Complete Elder Futhark

You have now journeyed through all 24 runes of the Elder Futhark—from Fehu's flowing abundance to Othala's ancestral wisdom. These runes are not merely symbols but living forces, pathways to understanding the cosmos and your place within it.

The runes were Odin's gift, won through sacrifice and ordeal. They are tools for divination, magic, meditation, and self-knowledge. As you work with them, remember that each rune is a teacher, a mystery to be explored over a lifetime.

May the runes guide your path. May Odin's wisdom illuminate your journey.

As you deepen your connection with the Elder Futhark and explore the grounding wisdom of the final runes, consider complementing your practice with our Tarot Journaling Prompts to reflect on the ancestral messages that arise, or use the 13 New Moon Rituals to align your runic study with the lunar rhythms that mirror Othala’s cycles of legacy and home. For those called to weave these symbols into daily devotion, our 30-Day Tarot Practice Workbook offers a structured path to integrate ancient wisdom into your modern spiritual journey.