The Meanings of Each Rune Stone: A Comprehensive List

Rune stones have long been revered for their mystical qualities and symbolic meanings. Each rune is a letter from an ancient alphabet, but more importantly, each one is imbued with a unique significance that reflects natural forces, human experiences, and spiritual concepts. Whether you’re using runes for divination, meditation, or as talismans, understanding their meanings is key to unlocking their wisdom.

This guide offers a comprehensive list of each rune from the Elder Futhark, the most commonly used runic alphabet, providing you with detailed descriptions and insights into their symbolism.

The Elder Futhark: An Overview

The Elder Futhark consists of 24 runes and is divided into three groups of eight, called Aettir (plural of Aett). Each rune has a name, a phonetic sound, and a range of meanings that connect to various aspects of life, nature, and the divine. Below is a list of the Elder Futhark runes along with their interpretations.

The First Aett: Freyr's Aett

Freyr's Aett is associated with beginnings, the natural world, and fundamental forces of life.

Fehu (ᚠ) – “F” Sound
- Meaning: Wealth, prosperity, abundance, and new beginnings.
- Significance: Fehu represents material possessions, financial success, and the energy needed to start new ventures. It is a symbol of power, mobility, and good fortune in achieving one's desires.
Uruz (ᚢ) – “U” Sound
- Meaning: Strength, endurance, health, primal power.
- Significance: Uruz embodies raw strength and determination. It represents resilience, physical and mental health, and the untamed forces of nature. It encourages embracing one’s inner strength and vitality.
Thurisaz (ᚦ) – “TH” Sound
- Meaning: Protection, conflict, willpower, change.
- Significance: Thurisaz is often associated with challenges or obstacles that require strength to overcome. It represents both destructive and protective forces and suggests the need for action, defense, and careful consideration.
Ansuz (ᚨ) – “A” Sound
- Meaning: Communication, wisdom, divine inspiration.
- Significance: Ansuz is the rune of the gods, particularly Odin. It signifies divine guidance, the power of words, and the flow of knowledge. This rune often points to the importance of communication, inspiration, and truth.
Raido (ᚱ) – “R” Sound
- Meaning: Journey, movement, change, progress.
- Significance: Raido represents travel, both physical and spiritual. It suggests a journey or a quest, the need for movement, and the pursuit of a goal. This rune indicates progress, change, and taking the right path.
Kenaz (ᚲ) – “K” Sound
- Meaning: Illumination, creativity, knowledge, transformation.
- Significance: Kenaz is the rune of fire and illumination. It symbolizes enlightenment, creativity, and the spark of inspiration. This rune encourages embracing one's inner light and bringing hidden knowledge to the forefront.
Gebo (ᚷ) – “G” Sound
- Meaning: Gift, partnership, generosity, balance.
- Significance: Gebo represents the exchange of gifts, whether material, emotional, or spiritual. It signifies relationships, partnerships, and balance in giving and receiving. It emphasizes generosity, cooperation, and shared blessings.
Wunjo (ᚹ) – “W” Sound
- Meaning: Joy, harmony, success, fulfillment.
- Significance: Wunjo is a rune of happiness, satisfaction, and well-being. It represents harmony, positive energy, and achieving goals. This rune is a sign of joy, contentment, and a period of good fortune.

The Second Aett: Heimdall's Aett

Heimdall's Aett is associated with transformation, challenges, and the forces that shape our destiny.

Hagalaz (ᚺ) – “H” Sound
- Meaning: Disruption, chaos, natural forces, change.
- Significance: Hagalaz symbolizes sudden disruption or unexpected change. It represents the uncontrollable forces of nature, such as storms or natural disasters, and suggests a period of upheaval, challenge, or personal transformation.
Nauthiz (ᚾ) – “N” Sound
- Meaning: Need, necessity, constraint, endurance.
- Significance: Nauthiz represents need, hardship, and the lessons that come from necessity. It often points to a time of constraint or struggle, encouraging patience, perseverance, and finding strength in adversity.
Isa (ᛁ) – “I” Sound
- Meaning: Ice, stillness, stagnation, reflection.
- Significance: Isa is the rune of ice and represents stillness, delay, and a time for reflection. It can indicate obstacles, a cooling of emotions, or a pause in progress. This rune encourages patience and introspection.
Jera (ᛃ) – “J” or “Y” Sound
- Meaning: Harvest, cycles, reward, timing.
- Significance: Jera symbolizes the natural cycles of life, such as the changing of seasons or the sowing and reaping of crops. It represents hard work, patience, and the promise of reward in due time. It’s a sign of hope and fruition.
Eihwaz (ᛇ) – “EI” or “Y” Sound
- Meaning: Endurance, protection, death, and rebirth.
- Significance: Eihwaz is associated with the Yew tree and represents strength, endurance, and resilience. It signifies protection against adversity and the cycle of death and rebirth, often symbolizing a profound transformation or new beginning.
Perthro (ᛈ) – “P” Sound
- Meaning: Mystery, fate, secrets, chance.
- Significance: Perthro is the rune of the unknown, fate, and the hidden aspects of life. It often represents something that is yet to be revealed or understood. It encourages trusting the process and embracing uncertainty.
Algiz (ᛉ) – “Z” or “X” Sound
- Meaning: Protection, defense, connection to the divine.
- Significance: Algiz is the rune of protection and sanctuary. It signifies the need to protect oneself or others, as well as a connection to higher spiritual forces. It is often seen as a guardian rune, symbolizing defense, courage, and spiritual awakening.
Sowilo (ᛋ) – “S” Sound
- Meaning: Sun, success, vitality, clarity.
- Significance: Sowilo is associated with the sun and represents success, victory, and illumination. It symbolizes the power of life, health, and positive energy. It encourages clarity, determination, and the pursuit of goals.

The Third Aett: Tyr's Aett

Tyr's Aett represents themes of justice, leadership, humanity, and the spiritual path.

Tiwaz (ᛏ) – “T” Sound
- Meaning: Justice, leadership, courage, duty.
- Significance: Tiwaz is the rune of Tyr, the god of law and justice. It symbolizes honor, courage, and the willingness to fight for what is right. It encourages fairness, strength, and moral integrity in challenging situations.
Berkano (ᛒ) – “B” Sound
- Meaning: Birth, fertility, growth, renewal.
- Significance: Berkano is associated with fertility and new beginnings. It represents growth, renewal, and nurturing. This rune often points to the start of a new project, relationship, or phase of life, emphasizing creativity and care.
Ehwaz (ᛖ) – “E” Sound
- Meaning: Movement, progress, partnership, trust.
- Significance: Ehwaz symbolizes movement, progress, and the journey toward a goal. It often indicates cooperation, teamwork, and trust in relationships. It represents harmony and the importance of working together.
Mannaz (ᛗ) – “M” Sound
- Meaning: Humanity, self, community, cooperation.
- Significance: Mannaz represents the self and the human condition. It symbolizes cooperation, social order, and mutual support. This rune encourages self-awareness, connection with others, and understanding human nature.
Laguz (ᛚ) – “L” Sound
- Meaning: Water, intuition, flow, emotions.
- Significance: Laguz is the rune of water and represents emotions, intuition, and the subconscious. It suggests going with the flow, trusting one’s instincts, and embracing the unknown. It also symbolizes cleansing, renewal, and healing.
Ingwaz (ᛜ) – “NG” Sound
- Meaning: Fertility, potential, internal growth.
- Significance: Ingwaz symbolizes fertility, potential, and internal development. It represents inner strength, stored energy, and the power of manifestation. This rune often points to a time of gestation before something new emerges.
Dagaz (ᛞ) – “D” Sound
- Meaning: Dawn, breakthrough, transformation.
- Significance: Dagaz represents a breakthrough or significant transformation. It symbolizes the dawn after darkness, enlightenment, and clarity. This rune encourages hope, positive change, and seeing things in a new light.
Othala (ᛟ) – “O” Sound
- Meaning: Heritage, inheritance, home, family.
- Significance: Othala represents heritage, family, and ancestral legacy. It symbolizes traditions, values, and a sense of belonging. This rune often points to the importance of family connections, cultural roots, and preserving what is valuable.

25. The Blank Rune: Wyrd Rune or Odin's Rune

Meaning: The unknown, fate, destiny, the void, divine intervention.
Significance: The blank rune, sometimes called the Wyrd Rune or Odin's Rune, is not an original part of the traditional Elder Futhark or any historical runic alphabet. Instead, it is a modern addition to rune sets, often included to represent the unknowable forces of fate and destiny. The blank rune symbolizes the void, the realm of the divine, or the cosmic "blank slate" where anything is possible.

This rune suggests a message from the divine, indicating that the outcome is hidden or still unfolding. It can signify a period of uncertainty where the answers are not yet available, urging you to trust in the universe and have faith in the unknown. The blank rune can also represent potential, new beginnings, and the idea that some things are meant to remain mysteries.

Conclusion: Embracing the Wisdom of the Runes

Each rune in the Elder Futhark carries profound meanings and symbolism, reflecting the rich tapestry of life and the spiritual insights of our ancestors. By understanding these runes, you can unlock deeper levels of self-awareness, gain guidance in challenging times, and connect more fully with your spiritual journey.