Magin Rose

What does wealth mean to you? Money? Possessions? Perhaps it means having enough to eat or having your friends and family around you?  In some ways Fehu represents that which we need to survive: warmth, nourishment, love – but it also represents that which we value.  The energy of Fehu is that of motion and vitality and, conversely, its negative aspects are those of possessiveness, jealousy and hoarding tendencies.  To give freely of that which you value most is both difficult and the epitomy of generosity.

Fehu is often given the colour attribution of light red but for me its associations with amber, vegetation and gold are particularly strong and I find green and gold are the colours that are most helpful when working with this rune.

Fehu is also a sensual rune – its association with the goddess Freya as well as with bodily comfort and sustenance may account for this.  In Taking up the runes Diana Paxon recommends the use of cinnamon oil for annointing purposes and I have found this particularly true for Fehu.  Tracing the Fehu rune upon the body prior to a massage is an excellent way of connecting with the sensual energies of this warm and vitalising rune.

Pronunciation: fay-oo

Traditional meaning:  Wealth, gold, cattle

Old English Rune Poem:  feoh meaning wealth.

Wealth is a comfort to any man
yet each person must share it out well
if he wants to win a good name before his lord
Translated by Pollington, Rudiments of Runelore

Present significance:  This rune is still very much about disposable wealth and having access to the things that you value (being lucky in life).  Fehu is strongly associated with movement; processes such as the circulation of blood and photosynthesis are particularly appropriate to this rune.

Key terms:  Wealth, redistribution, circulation, dynamism, enthusiasm, prosperity, strife, quarrels (arising from jealousy and avarice).

Number: 1

Gods: Freyja, Frey, Njord

Colour: Light red

Elements:  Fire is traditionally associated with Fehu as the primal fires of creation, the vital flow of life and the warmth of sensuality.  Its connections with wealth, nourishment and fertility also link it in with the element of earth.  The northern tradition incorporates additional elements to those in the Graeco-Roman tradition and venom links well with Fehu in its more corrosive aspect – the fire of the serpent.

Hour: 12:30-13:30

Half month: June 29th-July 14th

Plants: Elder, nettle

World: Vanaheim

Body: Stomach, chest, respiration, flow of blood (the process of energy moving through the body)

Animal: Cat, sow, swallow, wolf, serpent

Mineral: Moss agate, amber, gold

Aroma: Cinnamon, spearmint

Object of power: Necklace

The energy of Fehu must be kept in motion or, it becomes tainted.  This is the meaning behind stories of dragons’ gold being poisoned. (Teutonic Magic: A Guide to Germanic Divination, Lore and Magic)

Journeys with the Elder Futhark – The First Aett

Fehu is the first rune in the First Aett (first 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 Fehu for yourself, the guided meditation provides an accessible way for you to encounter the rune.  Journeys with the Elder Futhark – The First Aett costs £9.00, you will be sent the download automatically via DigitalDelivery following payment by Paypal.

External Links

• Oswald the Runemaker’s in-depth analysis of Fehu
• Oswald the Runemaker’s summary analysis of Fehu
• Freya Aswynn’s video tutorial
• Magin’s discussion of Fehu and dragon lore 2011
• Magin’s July 2011 podcast on The Shamanic Voice:  Written in the Bones, a channeling from a departed northern ancestor known by her tribe for her luck bringing qualities
• Magin’s June 2012 podcast on The Shamanic Voice:  Lady Luck and the Luck Dragon explores ways we can work with luck, including a working using the rune Fehu to meet with your own personal ‘Lady Luck’ or hamingja and the energy of the dragon

- ON TO URUZ -