Runes

Eihwaz

Also known as: ᛇEihwaz rune*eihwazEiwazIhwaz

Eihwaz (ᛇ) is rune 13 of the Elder Futhark; its modern keywords are endurance, transformation and roots.

Eihwaz is rune 13 of the Elder Futhark — the runic alphabet used roughly from the 2nd to the 8th century — and rune 5 of Hagal's ætt (an ætt is one of three groups of eight runes). It writes the sound "ï", and in the Unicode block "Runic" it is ᛇ. Shape: an upright staff with a hook to the right at the top and to the left at the bottom.

The name *eihwaz or *īwaz means yew. The Old English poem (ēoh) describes the yew as a tree with rough bark, firmly rooted, a guardian of fire. The names of the Elder Futhark runes are reconstructions by linguists, and the rune poems — Old English, Norwegian and Icelandic — were written many centuries later and describe later alphabets. They tell us about a tradition, not about a certain original meaning.

In modern reflective practice Eihwaz is linked above all with endurance, transformation and roots. Today Eihwaz is read as the rune of the yew, a long-lived and hardy tree. It speaks of change that does not cost you your roots, and of strength that outlasts a hard time.

As the rune of the day in Cards of the day, Eihwaz has two short texts. The first: "Eihwaz is the yew, a tree that lives for centuries. Lean today on what lasts: values, people, habits that truly support you." The second: "Change need not mean losing your roots. Eihwaz invites you to grow while keeping what matters most in you." A question worth staying with: "What helps me keep going when things are hard?"

In AstroSensus runes are a tool for reflection, not a prediction. There are no reversed runes and no "blank rune" — the latter is a 20th-century idea, not part of history. In a spread of three or five runes, Eihwaz is always read together with its position and the other runes. The rune can also be your avatar on social media, with the bio line "ᛇ Eihwaz — I endure and I change" as a reminder of your own intention.

RUNE OF THE DAY