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Last updated: March 2026
The Elder Futhark consists of 24 runes arranged in three groups of 8 called aettir. Each rune is a symbol with a name, a phonetic value, and a complex range of meanings drawn from Norse mythology, Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon rune poems, and the natural world. In divination, runes are cast or drawn to reflect the current energy of a situation and the most aligned course of action—much like tarot but rooted in Germanic/Norse cosmology and tradition.
History of Runic Divination
The Elder Futhark—named for the first six runes (F-U-Th-A-R-K)—is the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used by Germanic and Scandinavian peoples from approximately 150 CE through 700 CE. Archaeological finds on weapons, jewelry, memorial stones, and everyday objects throughout Scandinavia, Germany, and England show the runes' pervasive presence across both sacred and mundane life.
The Roman historian Tacitus, writing in 98 CE, described Germanic divination using carved wooden lots—a practice consistent with what we know of rune casting. The Norse sagas repeatedly reference rúnakefli (rune staves) and rune carving for magical purposes. The runes were never merely an alphabet; they were understood as forces and mysteries as much as letters.
The word rún itself means "secret" or "mystery" in Old Norse—suggesting that the runes were conceived not as neutral symbols but as gates to hidden knowledge. Their association with Odin, who according to the Eddic poem Hávamál "sacrificed himself to himself," hanging nine nights on Yggdrasil to receive the runes, positions them in Norse cosmology as wisdom won through ordeal.
The 24 Elder Futhark runes are traditionally organized into three families (aettir) of 8 runes each. Each aett is associated with a Norse deity who oversees its themes:
- Freyr's Aett (1–8): Fehu through Wunjo. Themes of material world, fertility, cattle, sacred journey, gift, and joy.
- Hagal's Aett (9–16): Hagalaz through Sowilo. Themes of disruption, necessity, ice, harvest, mystery, cycle, protection, and solar victory.
- Tyr's Aett (17–24): Tiwaz through Othala. Themes of justice, birth/death cycles, partnership, humanity, water/cycles, fertility, dawn, and ancestral inheritance.
Freyr's Aett (Runes 1–8)
1. Fehu (ᚠ) — Cattle / Wealth
Phonetic value: F
Fehu represents mobile, movable wealth—livestock that can be traded, money that flows. It is the rune of material abundance, resources, and the energy required to create prosperity. At its deepest, Fehu asks about right relationship with wealth: what you earn, what you share, what you hoard.
Divination: Financial opportunity, new abundance, energy and motivation, fertility of projects. A favorable rune for material endeavors.
Reversed: Financial loss or stagnation, poor sharing of resources, greed or inability to receive.
2. Uruz (ᚢ) — Aurochs / Primal Strength
Phonetic value: U
Uruz represents the raw, untamed life force—the wild power of the aurochs (the now-extinct wild ancestor of domestic cattle). It speaks to health, vitality, endurance, and the capacity to shape your life through physical and spiritual strength.
Divination: Health, physical strength, new beginnings that require courage, healing, the power to overcome obstacles.
Reversed: Poor health, weakness, missed opportunity, lack of willpower, obstacles to physical wellbeing.
3. Thurisaz (ᚦ) — Giant / Thorn
Phonetic value: Th
Thurisaz is the rune of the giants (thurses) and the thorn. It carries the energy of directed, potentially destructive force—not inherently negative but requiring respect and right use. Associated with Thor's hammer and with protective barriers.
Divination: A need for defense or boundary-setting, powerful but raw energy that requires direction, a challenge that must be confronted rather than avoided.
Reversed: Acting without thinking, vulnerability from exposed defenses, danger from someone else's aggression.
4. Ansuz (ᚨ) — Mouth / Divine Breath
Phonetic value: A
Ansuz is Odin's rune—the divine breath, speech, and wisdom. It is the rune of communication, divine inspiration, revelation, and the power of the spoken and written word. Messages, signs, and synchronicities fall under Ansuz.
Divination: Important messages or communications, divine guidance or inspiration, a teacher or mentor, clarity of understanding, advice being offered.
Reversed: Miscommunication, deception, poor advice, failure to listen or be heard.
5. Raidho (ᚱ) — Wheel / Journey
Phonetic value: R
Raidho is the wheel of right order, the journey taken in alignment with natural law. It governs physical travel but more deeply governs the journey of life and the cosmic order (the Germanic concept of rita, right action).
Divination: Travel (literal or metaphorical), movement in the right direction, a journey unfolding as it should, moral clarity, taking the right path.
Reversed: Journey disrupted, poor timing, going against the natural order, feeling lost or off-track.
6. Kenaz (ᚲ) — Torch / Knowledge
Phonetic value: K/C
Kenaz is the torch—controlled fire that illuminates, warms, and enables craft. It is the rune of knowledge, creativity, and technical skill. The torch as metaphor: the light of understanding that is brought into being deliberately and maintained with care.
Divination: Clarity and understanding, creative fire, learning and mastery, illumination of hidden things, passion and romantic fire.
Reversed: Loss of clarity or direction, creative block, a skill not being applied, a relationship losing warmth.
7. Gebo (ᚷ) — Gift
Phonetic value: G
Gebo is the rune of gifts and the sacred exchange they create. In Norse culture, a gift demands a gift in return—there is no free giving; all generosity creates relationship and obligation. Gebo governs the balance of exchange, partnerships, and the sacred bond formed through genuine giving.
Divination: A gift, partnership, a new relationship or alliance, balance in exchange, sacred contract between people. Gebo cannot be reversed—it is the same from any angle.
Reversed: Not applicable; Gebo is non-reversible.
8. Wunjo (ᚹ) — Joy / Wish Fulfilled
Phonetic value: W/V
Wunjo is joy, harmony, and the fulfillment of a wish or desire. Not wild ecstasy but the deep satisfaction of things working well—the joy of right relationship, belonging, and things being as they should be.
Divination: Joy, success, harmony, a wish or desire being fulfilled, belonging and comfort.
Reversed: Sorrow, estrangement, things not going as hoped, joy deferred or blocked.
Hagal's Aett (Runes 9–16)
9. Hagalaz (ᚺ) — Hail
Phonetic value: H
Hagalaz is the hailstorm—uncontrolled, disruptive natural force that cannot be stopped, only survived. It is the rune of unavoidable disruption, sudden change, and the testing that forces growth. Unlike some runes, Hagalaz is not inherently negative; it is the storm that clears the way.
Divination: Sudden disruption or upheaval, unavoidable change, challenge that will pass, a crisis that ultimately serves growth. Hagalaz is non-reversible in most traditions.
10. Nauthiz (ᚾ) — Need / Necessity
Phonetic value: N
Nauthiz is the rune of need—specifically, the productive tension of necessity that drives development. It is the friction of unmet need that generates innovation and the capacity for endurance. Often associated with fate-imposed challenges.
Divination: A genuine need that must be acknowledged, restriction that forces creativity, an imposed challenge to be endured, the lessons of necessity.
Reversed: Need unmet, constraint without productive outcome, deprivation, the wrong kind of restriction.
11. Isa (ᛁ) — Ice
Phonetic value: I
Isa is pure stillness—ice that stops all motion. Where fire drives action, ice demands pause. Isa is the rune of necessary stillness, of waiting, of the pause in which clarity can emerge. It can also indicate ego-frozen states or a situation locked in stasis.
Divination: Stillness required, a pause or delay, the need to wait, clarity emerging in frozen silence. Isa is non-reversible.
12. Jera (ᛃ) — Year / Harvest
Phonetic value: J/Y
Jera is the cycle of the year and the harvest—the law of cause and effect made manifest in the seasonal round. You reap what you have sown. Jera speaks to right timing, cyclical process, and the justice of natural law.
Divination: A good harvest coming, right timing, long-term results manifesting, natural cycles working in your favor. Jera is non-reversible—but its meaning shifts by context.
13. Eihwaz (ᛇ) — Yew Tree
Phonetic value: Ei
Eihwaz is the yew tree—simultaneously poisonous and immortal, the wood of bows and of coffins, associated with Yggdrasil, the world tree. It is the rune of death-and-continuance: the experience of passing through thresholds without losing one's essential self.
Divination: Passing through a threshold, endurance, the death of what no longer serves, access to deep wells of strength. Eihwaz is non-reversible.
14. Perthro (ᛈ) — Dice Cup / Mystery
Phonetic value: P
Perthro is among the most mysterious of runes—traditionally associated with the dice cup (the vessel from which fate is cast), with the Well of Wyrd, and with things hidden from ordinary sight. It governs fate, chance, mystery, and the unknown.
Divination: Hidden forces at work, the unknown playing a role, chance and synchronicity, looking inward to find what's concealed.
Reversed: Unpleasant surprises, stagnation, hidden things working against you.
15. Algiz (ᛉ) — Elk / Protection
Phonetic value: Z/R
Algiz is the protective rune—the antler of the elk raised in defense, the gesture of protection and warding. It is associated with the Valkyries and with the protective force of the sacred. Used widely as a protection symbol.
Divination: Protection, a protective presence, warding against harm, connection to sacred forces, instincts correctly sensing danger.
Reversed: Vulnerability, warning ignored, protection weakened, someone using a protective relationship for ill.
16. Sowilo (ᛋ) — Sun / Victory
Phonetic value: S
Sowilo is the sun—the victorious light that cannot be extinguished. It is the rune of solar power, victory, clarity, wholeness, and will directed toward its highest expression. Closely associated with success, healing, and the life force at its strongest.
Divination: Success, victory, energy and vitality, clarity of purpose, the sun breaking through after difficulty. Sowilo is non-reversible.
Tyr's Aett (Runes 17–24)
17. Tiwaz (ᛏ) — Tyr / Justice
Phonetic value: T
Tiwaz is the rune of the god Tyr, who sacrificed his hand to bind the wolf Fenrir for the good of all. It governs justice, right order, sacrifice for principle, and the warrior's discipline. The upward-pointing arrow: directed will in service of what is right.
Divination: Justice, sacrifice for the greater good, the courage to do what is right, victory through integrity, legal matters resolved favorably.
Reversed: Injustice, corruption, sacrifice without purpose, defeat in legal matters.
18. Berkano (ᛒ) — Birch / Birth
Phonetic value: B
Berkano is the birch tree—the first tree to leaf in spring, associated with birth, nurturing, and new beginnings. It governs the maternal, the cyclical, pregnancy, new projects, and the healing of what has been damaged.
Divination: New beginnings, birth (literal or metaphorical), nurturing, healing and renewal, fresh growth.
Reversed: Growth blocked, complications in birth or beginning, something not taking root, issues with fertility or nurturing.
19. Ehwaz (ᛖ) — Horse / Partnership
Phonetic value: E
Ehwaz is the horse—specifically the bond between horse and rider, the perfect partnership of two distinct beings working as one. It governs cooperation, trust, partnership, and the capacity to move forward together. Also associated with shamanic journeying (the horse as vehicle).
Divination: Partnership, cooperation, trust, progress made together, harmonious relationship, smooth movement forward.
Reversed: Partnership problems, mistrust, two parties working against rather than with each other.
20. Mannaz (ᛗ) — Man / Humanity
Phonetic value: M
Mannaz is the rune of humanity—the self in relation to others, consciousness, and the social bond that makes human life possible. It speaks to self-awareness, the divine within the human, and right relationship with others.
Divination: Relationships with others, self-awareness, the social dimension of a situation, help from others, one's place in the human community.
Reversed: Isolation, deception by others, poor self-knowledge, the self cut off from community.
21. Laguz (ᛚ) — Lake / Water
Phonetic value: L
Laguz is water in all its forms—the lake, the sea, the flow of life. It governs the unconscious, intuition, the deep psyche, dreams, and the cyclic rhythms of emotional life. Water finds its own level and cannot be grasped.
Divination: Intuition, going with the flow, dreams and the unconscious, emotional depth, fluidity and adaptability.
Reversed: Overwhelm from emotion, going against the natural flow, fear of depth, unhealthy fluidity.
22. Ingwaz (ᛜ) — Ing / Fertility
Phonetic value: Ng
Ingwaz is the rune of the god Ing (Freyr), associated with fertility, stored potential, and the seed holding its power within. Like a seed that needs darkness and time before it can germinate, Ingwaz speaks to preparation, gestation, and the quiet accumulation of energy before release.
Divination: Potential being stored, a project or intention gestating, fertility, a period of preparation before a breakthrough. Ingwaz is non-reversible.
23. Dagaz (ᛞ) — Day / Dawn
Phonetic value: D
Dagaz is the rune of dawn—the moment when darkness ends and light begins, the threshold between night and day. It represents breakthrough, transformation, and the clarity that arrives at the turning point. Dagaz is the rune of awakening.
Divination: Breakthrough, a turning point, awakening, clarity after confusion, a new day beginning. Dagaz is non-reversible.
24. Othala (ᛟ) — Heritage / Home
Phonetic value: O
Othala is the ancestral estate—the land and inheritance passed down through the family. It governs heritage, ancestry, the gifts and patterns inherited from family, belonging, and what is truly yours by birthright (as opposed to what is acquired).
Divination: Heritage and ancestry, home and belonging, inherited gifts or patterns, what has been passed down to you, the deep roots of your life.
Reversed: Ancestral patterns working against you, homelessness or rootlessness, refusing what has been given, discord with family or heritage.
Reversed Runes
Not all runes can be reversed—Gebo, Hagalaz, Isa, Jera, Eihwaz, Sowilo, Ingwaz, Dagaz, and sometimes others are visually identical upright or inverted. Traditions differ on whether to read reversals at all. Two main approaches:
- Reversals as blocked or inverted energy: The rune's upright meaning is present but in a challenged, blocked, or intensified negative form. Similar to tarot reversal interpretation.
- No reversals: Some practitioners read all runes upright, using position within a spread (past/present/future) and the surrounding runes to indicate whether energy is flowing or blocked.
Neither approach is wrong. If beginning, starting with no reversals simplifies the learning process; reversals can be added once the upright meanings are internalized.
How to Cast the Runes
- Single rune draw: Reach into your bag of runes without looking, hold your question clearly, and draw one. This is the foundation of daily rune practice.
- Three-rune cast: Draw three runes and place them left to right as: past/present/future, or situation/action/outcome, or mind/body/spirit. The most flexible and widely used spread.
- Free cast: The traditional method. Hold all runes cupped in your hands, focus on your question, and cast them onto a cloth. Read the runes that land face up and note their spatial relationships to each other. Runes that land close together are more directly connected in meaning; runes that land at the edges are less central to the reading.
- Norns spread: Three runes drawn for Urd (what was), Verdandi (what is), Skuld (what will be)—the three Norns who weave fate at the base of Yggdrasil.
Building a Rune Practice
- Daily single-rune draws: Each morning draw one rune without a specific question. Sit with it. See how the rune's themes appear in the day. This builds genuine familiarity faster than memorization.
- Journaling: Record your daily draws, your interpretations, and what actually happened. After 24 runes, you'll have made personal meaning of each one.
- Work with one aett at a time: Rather than trying to learn all 24 at once, spend a week with each aett, drawing only from that group of 8.
- Read the rune poems: The Old Norse, Old English (Anglo-Saxon), and Old Icelandic rune poems each contain a verse for each rune. These poems are primary sources for traditional meaning and add dimension to modern interpretations.
- Make your own runes: The act of carving or painting your own set, saying each rune's name as you work, is itself a traditional practice of establishing relationship with the symbols.
The word rún means secret or mystery—not because the runes are hidden or withholding, but because what they point to cannot be fully contained in ordinary language. Each rune is a portal to a domain of experience: primal forces, life cycles, cosmic order, human conditions that recur across generations. Working with them over time is less like learning a vocabulary and more like developing a new kind of perception—the capacity to see the forces at work beneath the surface of any situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What materials should runes be made of?
Traditionally, runes were carved on wood (particularly elder wood), bone, or stone. Modern rune sets are made from a wide variety of materials including wood, clay, crystal, ceramic, and resin. The material matters less than your consistent work with the set. Many practitioners feel that making your own rune set deepens the relationship significantly.
Are the Elder Futhark the only runes used for divination?
No, but they are the most widely used in contemporary practice. The Younger Futhark (16 runes, used in Viking Age Scandinavia) and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc (up to 33 runes) are also used. The Elder Futhark's 24-rune system is preferred by most modern practitioners for its completeness and the depth of available interpretive material.
Is rune divination connected to a specific religion?
Historically, runes are rooted in Norse/Germanic cosmology and mythology. Contemporary rune practice is used by Asatru and Heathenry practitioners as part of their religious path, but also by people with no specific Norse religious affiliation who engage with runes as a divinatory and meditative practice. Respectful engagement with the tradition is appropriate regardless of religious background.
- Edred Thorsson (Stephen Flowers), Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic (Weiser Books, 1984)
- Diana L. Paxson, Taking Up the Runes: A Complete Guide to Using Runes in Spells, Rituals, Divination, and Magic (Weiser Books, 2005)
- Lisa Peschel, A Practical Guide to the Runes (Llewellyn, 1989)
- The Old Norse, Old English, and Old Icelandic Rune Poems (various scholarly editions)