Rune Pendulum: The 24 Elder Futhark Runes

How to use this board

The Elder Futhark is the oldest runic alphabet: 24 runes, traditionally arranged in three groups of eight, named after its first six letters (f, u, th, a, r, k). The names we use (Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz…) are reconstructions by linguists, worked out by comparing the three medieval rune poems that survive: the Old English, the Norwegian and the Icelandic. None of them deals with the Elder Futhark directly, and the meaning of some runes, such as Perthro, is still uncertain.

It's worth saying plainly: the reflective meanings you'll find here are largely modern interpretations built on those names and poems. We don't know how the people who carved the runes read them. The Roman historian Tacitus, in his Germania, describes casting lots with slips of wood marked with signs, but he doesn't say they were runes. Runes as an oracle took off in the 20th century, helped along by Ralph Blum's The Book of Runes (1982).

Use this wheel for open questions about processes: "What is this moment asking of me?" "What do I need to look after in this stage?" Read the rune's text, look at its shape and think about the image in its name (cattle, ice, birch, day). It isn't an oracle that announces the future; it's an old symbol for looking at your present.

The options

What each answer invites you to consider.

ᚠFehu

Fehu means "cattle," the moving wealth of the ancient world. What resources do you have, and how do they flow through your life? Think about what you earn, what you give and what you hold back out of fear.

ᚢUruz

Uruz is linked to the aurochs, a wild ox that's now extinct. It speaks of raw strength and vitality. Where do you need more energy? Check in on your body too, since it carries everything else you do.

ᚦThurisaz

Thurisaz is the giant, or the thorn in the Old English poem: something that pricks and protects. What's irritating you? That discomfort may be marking a boundary worth respecting.

ᚨAnsuz

Ansuz points to one of the Æsir gods and, depending on the reading, to the mouth and speech as well. What message do you need to hear or say? Pay attention to advice that turns up unasked.

ᚱRaidho

Raidho is riding: the journey and its rhythm. Where are you headed, and at what pace? Check whether the road you chose still takes you where you want to go, or whether the route needs adjusting.

ᚲKenaz

Kenaz is read as "torch": the light that lets you see and work. What might you understand if you lit up a corner you've been avoiding? It also speaks of craft, of what you make with your hands.

ᚷGebo

Gebo is the gift, and the exchange that builds bonds. Is there balance between what you give and what you get? Saying thanks, or accepting help without guilt, is part of the exchange too.

ᚹWunjo

Wunjo is joy, the feeling of being at ease with your people. What pleases you today, even if it's small? Make room for it; joy is something you can grow.

ᚺHagalaz

Hagalaz is hail: it comes all at once and you can't control it, but it melts and turns into water. If something has shaken you, ask what might grow once the storm passes.

ᚾNauthiz

Nauthiz is need, the lack that pinches. What do you truly need? Sometimes hard times teach you what's essential and spark a solution you couldn't see before.

ᛁIsa

Isa is ice: stillness, a pause, something that stops. This may not be the moment to push ahead. What happens if you accept the pause instead of fighting it, and look clearly at what's frozen?

ᛃJera

Jera is the year and the harvest: what's sown in season and gathered in season. What are you growing patiently? Natural cycles can't be rushed, but they can be tended.

ᛇEihwaz

Eihwaz is the yew, a tree that lives for centuries and stays green through winter. It speaks of endurance. What holds you up in hard times? Lean on that.

ᛈPerthro

Perthro is the most mysterious rune: nobody knows for sure what its name meant. Today it's usually read as chance or the unknown. Can you live alongside what you don't know yet?

ᛉAlgiz

Algiz is connected with the elk, or with a kind of sedge, and is read today as protection. What do you need to protect, and from what? Guarding your boundaries isn't shutting down; it's choosing what you let in.

ᛊSowilo

Sowilo is the sun that guides and warms. What gives you clarity and heart? Look for a little light today, literal or not, and notice what's already going well.

ᛏTiwaz

Tiwaz carries the name of Tyr, a god linked with justice and sacrifice. What's the right thing here, even if it costs you? Act with integrity, keeping your eyes on what you value.

ᛒBerkano

Berkano is the birch, one of the first trees to leaf out. It speaks of beginnings and care. What's being born in your life, and how can you give it a safe place to grow?

ᛖEhwaz

Ehwaz is the horse, and the trust between rider and mount. Who do you move forward with as a team? Think about the partnerships that take you further than you'd get on your own.

ᛗMannaz

Mannaz is the human being, a person among other people. How do you see yourself, and how do you relate to your community? Remember that nobody becomes who they are alone.

ᛚLaguz

Laguz is water, the lake, whatever flows. Are you going with the current or swimming against it? Listen to your feelings and your intuition; they're information too.

ᛜIngwaz

Ingwaz carries the name of Ing, a Germanic god. Today it's often read as gestation: something ripening inside before it comes out. What needs more time to incubate before it shows?

ᛞDagaz

Dagaz is day, the light that comes after night. What's shifting in the way you see things? An awakening isn't always dramatic; sometimes it's just seeing clearly.

ᛟOthala

Othala is inherited land, the ancestral home. What did your family pass down that you want to keep, and what would you rather leave behind? You decide which inheritance stays with you.

Frequently asked questions

What do the runes mean?

Each Elder Futhark rune has a name that's also a word: Fehu is "cattle," Isa "ice," Sowilo "sun," Dagaz "day." The reflective meanings used today are mostly modern interpretations based on those names and on three medieval rune poems. We don't know the original divinatory uses, if there were any.

Can runes predict the future?

No. Neither runes nor a pendulum can tell you what's going to happen. You can use them as ancient images that help you look at your situation from a new angle. The value is in what you notice when you read the rune, not in any supposed forecast.

What is the Elder Futhark?

It's the oldest runic alphabet, with 24 signs, used by Germanic peoples in the first centuries CE. Its name comes from the sounds of its first six runes. Over time it gave rise to the Scandinavian Younger Futhark, with 16 runes, and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc, which grew to about 33.

Go deeper

• Pendulum, Tarot or I Ching: How They Differ and Which to Use · Pendulum, tarot and I Ching compared: where each one comes from, which questions suit it best, and how to use all three for reflection instead of fortune-telling.
• Questions to ask a pendulum: how to word them, plus 40+ examples · What to ask a pendulum and how to phrase it: one thing, present tense, no double negatives. Over 40 example questions by topic, plus what not to ask.

Sources

• Old English Rune Poem; Norwegian Rune Poem; Icelandic Rune Poem
• Tacitus, Germania (AD 98), chapter 10
• Ralph H. Blum, The Book of Runes (1982)