Runes

Perthro

Also known as: ᛈPerthro rune*perþōPerthoPerth

Perthro (ᛈ) is rune 14 of the Elder Futhark; its modern keywords are mystery, chance and the unknown.

Perthro is rune 14 of the Elder Futhark — the runic alphabet used roughly from the 2nd to the 8th century — and rune 6 of Hagal's ætt (an ætt is one of three groups of eight runes). It writes the sound "p", and in the Unicode block "Runic" it is ᛈ. Shape: a staff with two angles opening to the right, at the top and at the bottom, like a cup on its side.

The meaning of the reconstructed *perþō is uncertain. The Old English poem (peorð) speaks of play and laughter in the mead hall — perhaps a dice cup or a board game. 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 Perthro is linked above all with mystery, chance and the unknown. Perthro is today the rune of mystery and the unknown. It invites you to accept that not everything can be foreseen — and to meet what is still unknown with curiosity.

As the rune of the day in Cards of the day, Perthro has two short texts. The first: "Perthro is the rune of mystery — even its old meaning is unknown. Look at the unknown today with curiosity, not only with worry." The second: "Not everything is under control, and that can be a relief. Perthro encourages leaving a little room for chance and seeing what it brings." A question worth staying with: "What could I meet with curiosity instead of fear?"

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, Perthro 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 "ᛈ Perthro — I leave room for the unknown" as a reminder of your own intention.

RUNE OF THE DAY