The runes whisper through time, their shapes etched in stone, wood, and memory. They are not static symbols but living forces, vibrating with the currents of fate and transformation. They speak in paradox—rooted in ancient wisdom yet always evolving, bound to the past yet unfolding anew in each seeker’s hands.
There is no historical evidence that the runes themselves are gendered, yet modern practitioners often feel the pull of masculine and feminine qualities within them, drawn from their mythological and cultural contexts. Rather than imposing rigid categories, the lens of gender can serve as a key—one that unlocks deeper layers of cultural wisdom and personal insight. But the runes, like the gods and spirits who move through them, are rarely what they first appear to be. The deeper we travel into their mysteries, the more they dissolve our assumptions, revealing themselves as archetypal forces that transcend human binaries. By exploring these energies through the lens of gender, we can weave a richer relationship with the runes, drawing upon them for healing, magic, and oracular wisdom.
In this article, we will explore how the runes help us rediscover our cultural heritage through a strong resonance with the masculine and feminine archetypes of the divine in balanced partnership. We will see how certain runes, like Teiwaz and Berkano, may seem to fit neatly into gendered categories at first, only to challenge and disrupt those associations upon deeper engagement. Finally, we will examine how the runes themselves can act as disruptors of gendered archetypes, opening new ways to explore identity and expand our understanding of self beyond conventional binaries.
Teiwaz and Berkano: A synthesis of the sacred
Teiwaz and Berkano stand as the first two runes of the final Aettir, the last rune family in the Elder Futhark. This placement is no accident—it signifies a point of synthesis, a culmination of wisdom gathered through the previous rune cycles. These two runes are often seen as embodying the divine masculine and divine feminine in their most mature forms, representing the ultimate refinement of these energies.
Astrologically, their energies are particularly potent in March and April each year. These runes invite us to consider not only the interplay of masculine and feminine forces but also how they evolve within us over time. They are not static roles to be assigned but dynamic forces that mature, transform, and integrate as we deepen our work with them.
Teiwaz: The rune of the warrior
Tiw is a guiding star; well does it keep faith with princes; it is ever on its course over the mists of night and never fails. – Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
Teiwaz (ᛏ) is the rune of the warrior, of discipline, honor, and sacrifice. It is sacred to Týr, the one-handed god of justice and war, known for his unwavering commitment to the greater good. Týr embodies the journey of the masculine through its initiatory rites—king, warrior, priest—each stage requiring a deepening of integrity, wisdom, and self-sacrifice.
The shape of Teiwaz is dynamic and directional, pointing ever forward like a spear. This same shape appears in the astrological glyph for Mars, the warrior planet, as well as in the traditional symbol for the male principle. Teiwaz does not hesitate; it acts. It brings clarity and decision, moving through obstacles and carving out a path where none existed before. Its power lies in the ability to bring change, often through the willingness to stand in truth, no matter the cost.
Healers will find the masculine in both its dynamic and static forms when working with Teiwaz. It can surge through the body as a fiery energy, quickening the pulse and driving action, or settle into the bones as a cool, implacable force that demands we heed our own truth. This dual expression reminds us that the warrior’s path is not just about movement and battle but also about stillness, resolve, and knowing when to hold our ground.
When we dive deeper into the origins of Teiwaz, we find in the murky linguistic past the possibility that Týr may have originated as a hermaphroditic deity. We are treading on very thin historical ice here, yet there are other precedents—such as the Vanir deities Njörðr and Nerthus, who may have once been aspects of a singular asexual divine force. It is possible that these truly ancient deities hark back to a time when our ancestors worshipped gods who were considered non-gendered or gender-fluid, reflecting a worldview more attuned to the fluidity of nature itself.
What we do know for certain is that Týr’s unwavering quest for truth would never allow him to deny a part of himself or be anything other than in integrity. Who knows—perhaps our ancestors, in their deep wisdom, already understood what modern science confirms: that every fetus begins as female before differentiating. The warrior’s path, then, is not merely about embodying the masculine but about embracing the fullness of being, beyond the confines of our biological, woven and linguistic skins.
Berkano: The rune of renewal and transformation
Birch bears no fruit, yet without seed it brings forth shoots; it is beautiful in its branches, high-crowned and finely adorned, laden with leaves, reaching into the sky. – Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
Berkano (ᛒ) is the rune of the divine feminine, of birth, renewal, and the unyielding force of life. Like the birch tree it is named for, Berkano is a pioneer—one of the first trees to return after fire or devastation, embodying resilience, adaptability, and the tenacity of life itself. It is the essence of Spring, of the Earth Mothers, of the abundance of nature.
Yet Berkano is far more than the gentle, innocent maiden often associated with the birch. This rune encompasses the full spectrum of the feminine, including the Dark Mother—the one who shelters, protects, and, when necessary, destroys in order to make way for new growth. It is the womb and the tomb, the nurturer and the fierce protector.
The Norse Rune Poem for Berkano references Loki, when it could have instead pointed to any of the many Germanic earth goddesses—such as Berchta, whose name is strikingly similar to Berkano. The ostensibly male deity Loki, a shape-shifter, a breaker of norms, even a mother who has given birth, embodies an aspect of Berkano often overlooked—the ability to shift, adapt, and become what is needed for survival. His transformation into a mare to birth the 8-legged horse Sleipnir speaks to an ancient understanding of fluidity in both form and role.
The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem also emphasizes an important aspect of this rune: that the birch does not bear fruit, yet it still finds a way to bring forth new life. Life finds a way, regardless of limitation.
Where the arrow of Teiwaz flies in a straight, unstoppable line, Berkano loops, duplicates, and circumnavigates. It teaches us that survival is not always about force but about flexibility, adaptation, and the wisdom to find another path when the old one is blocked. Berkano calls us to embrace the wholeness of the feminine—not just as a force of creation, but as a force of metamorphosis, breaking through boundaries and limitations to foster deep, lasting renewal.
Working with Berkano invites us into the healing arms of the feminine. It holds the sacred space in which grief can be witnessed, trauma can soften, and life can re-root itself. This is not healing through control or solution—it is healing through presence, patience, and profound inner listening. Berkano restores us by reconnecting us to the cycle of life, reminding us that we are not broken—we are becoming. For those carrying wounds of the feminine or seeking to reclaim its wisdom within, Berkano offers a steady, sheltering presence. It is the breath between contractions, the silence before the sprouting seed, the place where new life prepares itself in the dark.
Beyond binaries
If you’ve spent time with books on the runes, you may have noticed that many assign genders to the symbols. These associations can be beautiful and insightful—they can help us access long-held cultural archetypes and begin our journey with the runes in a meaningful way. But they are not the destination.
As we deepen into rune practice, we find that these ancient symbols rarely sit comfortably in the categories we try to place them in. Instead, they invite us to step beyond binaries, to explore a more fluid and expansive understanding of who we are and what it means to be whole. Teiwaz and Berkano, like all the runes, are not just masculine or feminine energies—they are transformational forces that speak to the complexity of being.
When we meet the runes as living, disruptive, imaginative teachers, they open portals to new ways of being that don’t rely on fixed identities. In their presence, we are not asked to choose a side—we are invited to integrate, to become, to awaken. The runes know who you are becoming, even before you do. Let them lead you there.
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