Runes
Sowilo
Also known as: ᛊSowilo rune*sōwilōSowuloSowelu
Sowilo (ᛊ) is rune 16 of the Elder Futhark; its modern keywords are sun, clarity and energy.
Sowilo is rune 16 of the Elder Futhark — the runic alphabet used roughly from the 2nd to the 8th century — and rune 8 of Hagal's ætt (an ætt is one of three groups of eight runes). It writes the sound "s", and in the Unicode block "Runic" it is ᛊ. The shape is a broken line of three strokes, like a flash or a ray of the sun.
The name *sōwilō means "sun". The poems call the sun the light of the world (Icelandic) and the hope of seafarers (Old English). The doubled, angular shape was taken over by the SS in the 20th century — in Germany that sign is banned. 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 Sowilo is linked above all with sun, clarity and energy. Sowilo is today the rune of the sun: clarity, warmth and the energy to act. It encourages noticing what gives you strength, and sharing that light with others.
As the rune of the day in Cards of the day, Sowilo has two short texts. The first: "Sowilo is the sun. Do something today that gives you energy — step into the light, talk to someone warm, finish a task you enjoy." The second: "The sun lights everything equally. Sowilo invites you to look clearly at one matter and see it as it is." A question worth staying with: "What gives me energy today?"
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, Sowilo 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 "ᛊ Sowilo — I walk towards the light" as a reminder of your own intention.
In the 20th century two sharp Sowilo side by side became the emblem of the SS; in Germany that sign and confusingly similar ones are banned (§86a StGB). AstroSensus never places two Sowilo together, and our single rune has a rounded, calm shape. Sowilo itself remains the rune of the sun in the inscriptions and in modern paganism.
RUNE OF THE DAY
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One rune a day in Cards of the day — with its meaning and a question to reflect on. No AI, free.
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Your rune as an avatar
A sign of your own that reminds you of your intention — for a profile picture on any network.
In the 20th century this rune was misused by extremist movements, so its avatar always keeps the ring and the bio line says what it means.
