Ur is pronounced Oo-r.

All the books and rune poems indicate that this rune represents the mighty Aurochs, the primogenitor of the modern cow, essentially. It was said to be difficult to domesticate, with large horns, a wild temperament and if you could kill one successfully, it was the measure of a man’s skill and courage to do so. It has associations with rites of passage from childhood to adulthood. The rune itself is almost as if two horns are pointed downwards in a power position, as if the mighty beast is preparing to charge or act in defence, making use of its weaponry to its full potential.

I certainly feel that from contemplating on this rune. I feel the potential of it contained within, the raw power at the heart of it because let’s not forget the associations with the myths of the Northern tradition, the great “Auðumbla”, the primeval cow that provided milk to Ymir. To be fair, the story is somewhat convoluted and a little confusing, but my takeaway from that is that the cow represents a symbol of sustaining life and remaining resilient. Cows provide milk to us all and the amount consumed globally is enormous. The quiet strength of the aurochs then, that wild side of bovine nature, suggests to me that this rune is one that may symbolise the need for strength in those difficult times, whether that be now or in the future. Courage, resilience and strength – the need to tap into those when the going gets tough. The rune suggests, at least to me, that if it were to come up in a divination then I would have the strength I need to see me through the challenges ahead, perhaps in spite of those challenges.

I find the rune can be a comfort in times when the need for self-empowerment is pressing. I can picture that great aurochs with head bowed, stamping its hooves prior to the charge. There are methods promoted by others of spells, bindrunes or charms that may help to support people in difficult times.

Again, depending on how you choose to use the runes for divination, as in the method you use, the interpretation of the rune will be different. If you do single draws, two-rune draws, three-rune draws or the scatter approach referred to by Tacitus in his writings, have a mind to the position of the rune in conjunction with any others and how that relates to yours or your subject’s position. If casting upon the cloth, consider its location from the centre and positioning in respect of the other runes to perhaps help to identify where you will need to focus your inner strength and in respect of what circumstances.

I have been thinking on the runes lately, sleeping with them, dreaming about them, carrying them round with me and the like. If you were to ask me why, my response would be almost entirely UPG – Because it felt like I needed to. It seems like a good way to attune myself to my Futhorc runes

It’s been years since I updated my blog so this is my first venture back into it for some time. Be gentle with me!

In keeping with the easiest way for people to get their head round each rune, I will start at the beginning with Feoh.

Feoh is pronounced FAY-och (As in a Scottish Loch). It is said to have the meaning of “movable wealth” like cattle used to represent. Historically if a household had cattle then they had access to milk, butter, cheese, beef, gelatine, horn, bone, leather/hide and manure, all of which were vital tools in bettering oneself or providing for the family and community. That is the very definition or wealth! The modern word would be “fee” as in the type of wealth used to pay a fee. My initial thoughts on this are that wealth ebbs and flows when we work, when we face significant challenges or when we capitalise on opportunities. The rune presents to me as being a representation of wealth that is due to be paid to others as well as wealth that is received in the form of a transaction, not an act of charity or gifting. It looks to me as if a person is stood in profile with their arms outstretched upwards in a gesture that could mean receipt or indeed dispensing of said wealth and gives the impression of movement which would be in keeping with the meaning of “movable wealth” associated with the rune.

We know from the Futhorc rune poem that it contains the warning that if you wish to gain honour in the sight of the “Lord” then it must be bestowed freely. I feel the “lord” mentioned in the rune poem is as likely to mean the “local lord” as much as it is inferred to mean the Christian God seeing as the rune poem was written long after conversion had taken place. That suggests to me that it is incumbent upon us all to ensure that we are not miserly or overly frugal with our wealth for the sake of hoarding it, otherwise we would be no better than the wyrms that jealously guard their treasure in the myths, legends, and folklore of old. We would not be afforded the respect and honour from within our local communities if we do not benefit them by sharing our wealth with them in some fashion, such as spending our money on community projects or within community businesses.

I perceive this differently to Gifu (X) which is for gifting more generally, as Feoh relates specifically to wealth, particularly that wealth which one would have ready access to, including perhaps cash, tangible assets or indeed knowledge and the earning of it when it comes to receipt. If it presents in a divination, it implies that wealth may be moving either towards, or indeed away from the querent! Consider the position of the rune when it is cast upon the cloth if that is your preferred practice. If it is closer to the middle of the cloth, which represents your spiritual centre, as it were, then it may be that there may be an opportunity forthcoming to earn some form of wealth (Be it monetary or otherwise, such as an asset/property or knowledge/power). The further the rune sits towards the edge of the cloth may infer the likelihood of wealth in some form moving away from you, or indeed a more remote opportunity that requires you to pay close attention to make use of! Interpretation can be a challenge here as we must remember that if presented then the rune is suggesting that you must also share something to benefit from its appearance in a reading. What that something could be may vary widely and thus requires active thought as time goes on to establish in your own mind whether the appearance of it in the reading has shown true for you.

Feoh therefore could represent any number of outcomes, such as an opportunity to earn respect by sharing your knowledge of a subject with a person or persons, or it could mean an opportunity to invest in property or a local community project is coming your way, and this could thus earn you a dividend on a physical or indeed spiritual level.

Consider then the position of any other runes that have been drawn or cast upon your cloth in relation specifically to Feoh. One rune drawn alone can make an interpretation of the meaning of it nearly impossible because of the vast possible meanings and nuances, at least without practice, contemplation on the runes and their individual meanings and then how they relate to one another during a reading.

On the subject of bindrunes, I have seen a few people reflect on preparing a talisman or charm to benefit a person seeking, for example, new employment by combining the Feoh with Beorc (ᛒ) or Wynn (ᚹ) which represent good, yet unexpected outcomes and joy/prosperity respectively. Bindrunes requires careful thought when creating them to ensure that the inadvertent presentation of any other runes in the process is welcomed and deliberate as they will have a bearing on the power and intent associated with the binding.

I’ll probably share some information in due course around rune-casting for the purposes of divination and augury, however I am still exploring this topic myself so I am considering a range of approaches before I settle on one which makes most sense to me. Remember, this is personal practice, and you should do what suits you best. I will talk through the process of how I approach it in a later post, hopefully!