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Runes

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Well done, it looks like you found a clue, your curiosity is paying off. The rune picture above is called “wynn” and is pronounced like our English “w” but that’s not all. Like many languages we are familiar with today, runes are “pictograms” or “logograms” in which a symbol is more than just a sound, it carries meaning. For example the rune above, not only forms the “w” sound but it means “joy”. It comes from an ancient alphabet known as the Futhark, some version of which date back to 150 AD, when Vikings set sail from what is now Denmark and Norway to explore (well mostly invade) land as far away westward as Scotland, Iceland, Greenland and even Canada. This alphabet was still in use after the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire, up until 1100AD ….or in another form as recently as 1955, when J.R.R Tolkein published The Lord of the Rings, which we know heavily features runes. But did you know the runic alphabet used by the Dwarves in Tolkein’s anthologies was actually made up by him; while it borrows heavily from the true ancient runic alphabets, his fictitious one was called “Certh”.

You found "Wynn" - didn't you?

First Family: Freyr's family – associated with prosperity and basic needs

RuneNamePronunciationMeaning
FehufWealth, cattle
UruzuAurochs (wild ox)
ThurisazthGiant, thorn
AnsuzaGod, ancestral deity
RaidōrRide, journey
KaunankTorch
GebogGift
WunjōwJoy

Second Family - Heimdall's family – linked to challenges, natural forces, and time.

RuneNamePronunciationMeaning
ᚺ / ᚻHagalazhHail, disruption
NaudiznNeed, constraint
IsaziIce, stillness
Jēraj, yYear, harvest cycle
EiwazeiYew tree, transformation
PerþōpMystery, fate (meaning debated)
Algizz or xElk, protection
ᛊ / ᛋSōwilōsSun, success

Third Family - Tiw's family – associated with society, divine order, and legacy

RuneNamePronunciationMeaning
TiwaztTyr (war god), honor
BerkananbBirch tree, fertility
EhwazeHorse, partnership
MannazmMan, self
LaguzlWater, flow
ᛜ / ᛝIngwazŋ (ng)Fertility god Ing
DagazdDay, clarity
OthalaoAncestral land, heritage

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