Ehwaz
A steed, a lover, a dream, a nightmare, a union the loss of Self and the embrace of the Other through whom you come to know yourself again. All these things are encapsulated by the Ehwaz rune which represents both the speeding stallion and the divine twins.
Both the horse and twins are known throughout many cultures for their magical, other-worldly qualities. The horse is wild and powerful, its speed and grace speaks to us of the untameable force of nature; yet man enjoys an intimacy and partnership with horses that can make horse and rider seem almost as one. Our ancestors read the movement of horses as a form of divination and they are associated in mythology with sovereignty, fertility and, of course, the ability to journey through the worlds. The close partnership of horse and rider has already hinted at the importance of partnership for the Ehwaz rune; its associations with twinship take this further. Everyone is fascinated by twins; two lives formed entwined together, sharing experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Twins have often been thought to bring luck and good fortune to their tribes. The Algiz rune is often linked to the Alcis, a pair of divine twins worshipped by the Germanic tribe of the Naharvali. The shape of the Ehwaz rune itself is a mirror image, sometimes likened to two horses heads, a pair of divine horses gazing at each other.
Ehwaz is a rune of speed and connection, it removes boundaries, drawing like to like, spanning the barriers that hold us apart. It is particularly associated with the Fetch, a key component of the Germanic soul complex which might be best understood by the modern mind as the personal power animal, anima/animus, or shadow self. The Ehwaz rune is often a complicated rune to work with because it represents both our power and our weakness; it is the rune of witches and trance workers who journey to the hidden places at the edges of the worlds and the depths of the soul.
Traditional meaning: Partnership, horse
Pronunciation: eh-wahz
Number: 19
Gods: Frey, Idun, Frey
Colour: Silver, yellow, green
Hour: 08:30-09:30
Half month: March 30th – April 14th
Plants: Apple, ash, ragwort
Body: Back
Animal: Horse
Mineral: Iceland Spar
Aroma: Grapefruit, Pettigrain
Object of power: Box
Journeys with the Elder Futhark – Ehwaz
Ehwaz is the third rune in the Third Aett (third and final family) of the Elder Futhark. I have developed a series of recorded journeys to help you experience the energies of the runes in an accessible way. There are three downloads available for purchase covering the first, second and third Aetts. Each download comes with a PDF guide explaining what to do and giving the rune correspondences; a track to open sacred space and a track to close it; and eight rune journeys. Take a journey to encounter the rune Ehwaz for yourself, the guided meditation provides an accessible way for you to encounter the rune. Journeys with the Elder Futhark – The Third Aett costs £9.00, you will be sent the download autmoatically by DigitalDelivery following payment by Paypal.
- BACK TO BERKANO - ON TO MANNAZ -
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Perthro
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Algiz
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Sowilo
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Berkano
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Mannaz
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Inguz
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Dagaz
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Othala
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