A Study of the Elder Futhark Runes - Heimdall's Aett by Beorc Kano

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

In this, the third part of our study into the Elder Futhark Runes, we will look into the second eight runes, that are attributed to Heimdall. These runes are, in this order, Hagalaz, Nauthiz, Isa, Jera, Eiwaz, Perthro, Algiz, and Sowilu.



This is an excerpt from the Wikipedia artical on Heimdall.

"Heimdall is described as the son of nine different mothers (possibly the nine daughters of Ægir, called billow maidens) and was called the White God. His hall was called Himinbjörg (Sky Mountain) and his horse was Gulltoppr (Gold-top). Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda relates that a kenning for sword is head of Heimdall because Heimdall was struck by a man's head and that this is treated in the poem Heimdalargaldr, a poem unfortunately lost. Similarly, a kenning for head is sword of Heimdall. The meaning may lie in Heimdall also being called "ram", the weapon of a ram being its head, including the horns. Georges Dumézil (1959) suggested that this might also be why Heimdall is called White-god.

Heimdall's nickname Hallinskíði ("Bent Stick") also appears as a kenning for "ram", perhaps referring to the bent horns on a ram's head. Heimdall's nickname Gullintanni ("Golden-Toothed") would refer to the yellow coloring found in the teeth of old rams. A third name for Heimdall is Vindhlér ("Wind Shelter"). Dumézil cites Welsh folklore sources which tell how ocean waves come in sets of nine with the ninth one being the ram:

"We understand that whatever his mythical value and functions were, the scene of his birth made him, in the sea's white frothing, the ram produced by the ninth wave. If this is the case, then it is correct to say that he has nine mothers, since one alone does not suffice, nor two, nor three."

Old Welsh practice, modern French practice and modern Basque practice is to refer to white-capped waves as sheep."

This aett could rightfully be called the Aett of change. Most, if not all, fo the runes deal with some sort of change or lack thereof. It would make sense that since Frey's Aett started with Fehu, the first rune of his name, that Heimdall's Aett would start similarly, with the first rune of his name. This holds true, as the first rune is Hagalaz.



There are very few runes that I see, personally, as almost entirely destructive. Hagalaz, the Rune of Destruction, is one of them. It is commonly called Hail, and that is, actually, one of it's attributes. It heralds natural destruction. We must remember that not all destruction is negative, however, and sometimes the old needs to be torn down to allow for the new, such as the deadfall that is torn down by the blizzard, to decompose and fertilize the forest around it. The positive keywords of this rune are cleansing, purging, room for growth, acceptance, fortitude, past events, letting go, unconscious mind, and testing. The negative attributes of this rune are destructive natural force, chaos and disruption, loss, need for shelter, unresolved matters, blaming others, and excessive nostalgia.

A good use for this rune would be as part of a ward against natural disaster or bad weather.



The second rune of this Aett is Nauthiz, the Rune of Urgency. I have deemed it thus because it seems to denote necessary change is coming, and coming swiftly. The positive aspects of this rune are inner strength, resources, heroism, urgency, growth, change, determination, resistance, and resilience, while the negative aspects are suffering, affliction, necessity, distress, guilt, anxiety, cowardice, constraints, and extremes.

Good uses of this rune are to add haste to other runeworkings, or as a catalyst.



The third rune of Heimdall's Aett is Isa, the Rune of Stillness. It can be literally interpereted as Ice, and represented glaciers in ancient mysticism. It works as a catalyst of stasis or as a force to bring stillness. The positive aspects of this rune include slowing, pause for thought, preservation, stability, focus, detachment, and completion. The negative aspects include cooling of relationships, deceptive beauty, treachery, dangerous path, restrictions, and delay.

A good use for this rune would be as an aid for preserving things, such as being etched into canning jars or cupboard doors, or as a delayed-effect action in runeworking.



The fourth rune of this Aett is Jera, the Rune of Cycles. This is actually one of my favorite runes, personally. It represents the passage of time, the cycle of seasons, and the repetetive nature of existance and it's cycles. The positive meanings of this rune are a year, cycles, passing of time, plenty, fruition, growth, progress, and patience. The negative aspects of this rune include paying price for deeds and the repetition of negative patterns.

This would be a good rune for carving into a fencepost of a garden, over a door of a child's room, or as a force of longevity or cyclic effect in other runeworkings.



The fifth rune of this Aett is Eiwaz, the Rune of Endurance. It acts as an effect on matters needing consistant strength. Positive keywords of this rune include endurance, initiation, change, consciousness, defense, spirituality, strength, reliability, and rebirth, while negative aspects include death, loss, confusion, and hysteria.

This is a good rune to carve into tool handles, or as an effect in runeworking to make the runecrafting endure for long periods of time.



The sixth rune in Heimdall's Aett is Perthro, the Rune of Mystery. It is known also by the name of Chance. It is supposed to represent a dice cup tipped on it's side, spilling the dice out, containing and releasing it's luck (or lack thereof). Positive aspects of this rune include Wyrd, amusement, gaming, success, birth/rebirth, memory, problem solving, and occult knowledge. Negative aspects include delusion, fantasies, failure, that which is hidden, and powers beyond human influence.

A good use for this rune would be to embroider it on a gambler's wallet, or onto an actual dice cup. Perhaps use coasters with Perthro drawn on them when watching an event that you have gambled upon.



The seventh rune is the Rune of Protection, Algiz. It is to represent the Elk or Stag, it's forked arms denoting the forks of the animal's antlers. The positive aspects of this rune include protection, defense, repelling evil, shield, and support. The negative aspects include vulnerability, danger, and forbidden acts.

A good use for this rune is to carve it into a shield, or tattoo it onto a shield arm (the off-hand of someone, i.e. the left shoulder of a right handed person, or the right shoulder of a left handed person).



The eighth, and final, rune in Heimdall's Aett is Sowilu, the Rune of Power. It is arguably the source of the Nazi's infamous Swastika (we will discuss this in a later chapter of this series), and represents the Sun and the Sun's power. The positive aspects of this rune include good health, success, life-giving force, energy, clarity, understanding, optimism, and confidence. Negative aspects are sudden change sweeping things out of way, over-confidence, and burn out.

This rune is excellent for lending power to runecrafts.