Rune 4 of 24 · Freyr's aett
Ansuz
“a god (one of the Æsir)” · sound: a
Can be drawn reversed when reversals are on.
Historical evidence
The reconstructed name means one of the Æsir, the Norse gods. The Old English poem (os) calls it the source of all language and a pillar of wisdom; the Norwegian poem reads óss as a river mouth, and the Icelandic poem names the god as 'aged Gautr', a name of Odin.
The name Ansuz is a modern reconstruction of the Proto-Germanic name; the Elder Futhark’s own names are not recorded.
In the rune poems (original texts)
Os byþ ordfruma ælcre spræce,
wisdomes wraþu ond witena frofur
and eorla gehwam eadnys ond tohiht.Óss er flæstra færða
fǫr; en skalpr er sværða.Óss er aldingautr
ok ásgarðs jǫfurr,
ok valhallar vísi.
Jupiter oddviti.Original texts as printed in Bruce Dickins, Runic and Heroic Poems of the Old Teutonic Peoples, Cambridge University Press, 1915. Public domain. The summary above is Scryway’s own; no translation is reproduced.
Modern interpretation
From 20th-century and later divinatory practice, written for Scryway. Not a historical meaning.
Keywords: speech, messages, inspiration
Upright
Communication, advice and inspiration. Listen for the message in what is said around you, and consider your own words carefully.
Reversed
Miscommunication, poor advice, or words used to mislead. Check sources before you act on what you hear.