Some runes are used more commonly in their merkstave form, which will also be noted.įreya’s aett is the first family of runes in the Elder Futhark. Please note that not all runes have merkstave forms, which will be clearly stated in the following descriptions. Both terms are correct in relation to magical texts, although they may have different meanings when it comes to divination. The regular form of the rune is variously referred to as standard or upright. In all these cases, the merkstave form suggests an opposite or negative meaning compared to the standard rune, however this can be very different depending on the context. In magic, generally we use the term merkstave to denote a rune that is in any way opposite to its standard form : either standing upside down, mirrored left to right, or in some cases turned by 90°. In divination, merkstave refers to the position or orientation of a rune when it is drawn. Thus merkstave refers to the dark side of the stick, the one without a carved letter/rune. The “stick” part comes from the original practice of carving the runes onto pieces of wood, which is also the origin of the German word for letter, “Buchstabe” (literally “beech stick,” referring to the beech wood sticks used). It refers to the dark, or other, side of the rune.

Literally, merkstave means “dark stick” in Old Norse/Germanic. This is a term that is not generally used by Muggles, except those who practice divination with runes but in magic and spellwork, the merkstave position of runes plays an important role. I also need to introduce the concept of “ merkstave ” to you today. Today we will begin with the runes of the first aett, which is named after Freya. We will spend the next three lessons studying the three aettir and their runes in great detail. Each aett is associated with a specific Germanic deity, whose name begins with the first rune of that particular aett. This word is derived from the Old Norse word for clan or family. One such set is called aett, with the plural form being aettir. The runes of the Elder Futhark can be grouped into three sets of eight runes each. I know that you are still coming to grips with the sounds of all 24 runes, but it will get easier as you use them, so keep practising.īefore we start discussing today’s runes, let me introduce you to the concept of a ett (pl. We will be covering the first eight runes of the Elder Futhark today.

Meaning of the elder futhark runes