Quite a few people have asked me to explain some of the symbols that I post here from time to time. Here is an important rune that we used in our blot last week. We burned a wooden Algiz rune for protection in the coming dark winter nights during our winter findings blot.
The Algiz rune essentially represents the 'Z' sound when spoken out loud. As this rune is so old it's abstract meanings are, to a certain extent subjective. Historians and etymologists tell us that the Algiz rune may have also represented 'protection' or to protect that which you love. They came to this conclusion by reading Norwegian rune poems and old English / Anglo Saxon rune poems. The name 'Algiz' is a reconstructed word using etymological systems to create it by looking at how words change over the centuries and applying those systems to more recent words. The real original name is unknown.
This rune calls to me in a way that I struggle to describe. I often find this rune to be like a key that unlocks my imagination, as though it has power over me of some kind. I learned to meditate using this rune. I won't bore you with the many adventures I had in my mind whilst pondering the Algiz! I don't remember the ABC's having this affect on me!
The runes were 'discovered' by Odin when he hung himself from Yggdrasil and sacrificed his eye for wisdom. The Nourns live in a fathomless pool at the base of Yggdrasil. They carve the runes into the trunk of the great tree to affect the fates of all the 9 worlds. The runes are so much more than letters representing sounds. Odin was able to exist on another plane of consciousness so he could view the 'Wyrd' and see the fates of the universe. His understanding of the runes is what enabled him to understand what he saw and even altar the future. I could write a lot more about this but lets stick with Algiz.
The Anglo Saxon Rune Poems depicted Algiz as the ancient elk sedge e.g. cladium mariscus, not the American plant Wikipedia will send you to. It was a fen plant valued for building thatched roofs, and it is known, like in the poems, for cutting people’s hands who try to grab it. Thatched roofs take us back to the protection theme assosiated with Algiz. It probably held all of these associations with other fen plants as well as with Frigga and witches that would gather useful plants in the fens.
The oldest archaeological find of an Algiz rune with regard to Germanic peoples is sitting in the Vienna museum in Austria. I had the honour of seeing this treasure myself. I pretty much ignored the rest of the museum and just stood there staring at it.... The rune was inscribed onto the inside of a Roman centurions helmet dug up on an archeological dig in Denmark. The dig was at the site of an ancient Cimbrian village dated 150 BC. It is thought the Cimbrian's bought the helmet back home as war booty after raiding the Roman empire with the Teutons. The next eldest finds are from Scandinavia dated 100/200 AD. Sadly there aren't many examples of runic writing as Christian extremists destroyed any that they found, thinking it was blasphemy or the devils work etc.... yawn...... In addition to this, runes were mainly carved into wood which tends to rot over the centuries.
The runes were used by a lot of Germanic speaking people, even up to a couple of hundred years after the viking age. The runes often took different form over different time periods and locations / countries but the Algiz rune was always used. 'Protecting that which you love' has always been at the heart of any society.
Over the centuries many people have used the Algiz rune and applied their own meaning to it. One amusing story is of a group of Christians in 15th century north London who used the rune as their emblem. They believed that a well in their garden contained the bones of a saint and that they must all commit suicide so that their spirits might also dwell in the well, learn from and protect the saints spirit....... (I know, right?) Anyway, on the big day, all 100 of the disciples stood around the well praying and the leader of the group drank his poison. He fell to the floor spitting blood and died horribly :-(. Seeing their fearless leader die was too much for his disciples. All 100 of them ran off, never to be seen again!!!
In the 1930's and 40's some German chaps used the rune, often painting it on tanks and such. They called it the life rune. They gave it this name as the Algiz rune was often found upside down on ancient graves. Most historians at the time assumed this meant death, thus the right way up it was referred to as the life rune. In modern times theories have evolved and historians tell us that the Algiz rune was seen upside down on grave markers because our ancestors wanted to offer protection to the recently departed in the hidden world / afterlife. Water was often thought of as a door way to the underworld . hidden world / afterlife and the reflection in water being upside down is often seen in artwork and carvings when representing the underworld/hidden/afterlife. TIt is far mroe likely that this is why the algiz rune was seen upside down on grave markers. A lot of people will say that because these German fella's used the rune that it is a 'hate' symbol.... I always try to listen to people but I fail to understand how the 'Z' sound, 'protecting that which you love' and 'life' can be considered hateful irrespective of who uses it? Besides, this symbol is over 2000 years old. No one person or group can claim it entirely as their own. It belongs to all of Odin's Theod.
Interestingly, there was also a people that lived around the Danube river closer to what is now Poland. A symbol which looks just like the Algiz rune was among archaeological finds dating 2000BC+. It's not possible to say if these people were 'Germanic' or indeed what the symbol meant to them but it is close to Germanic lands so gives us something to think about. Going back to 1000BC years to Anatolia where Turkey is now our Aryan - European ancestors who emigrated across the mediterranean from Europe to the Middle East also used the same symbol. Again, due to the passage of time it is difficult to say what it meant to them. (The dates are from memory, I'm not a historian!)
Finally the Algiz rune is thought to be rooted in the shape and form of the Elk. Specifically in regards to how the Elk uses its antlers to protect its territory and mate/ offspring. These ideas would have first taken shape in our ancestors minds so long ago that such ideas are subjective but certainly worth thinking about.
I wrote this off the top of my head, let me know in the comments if I forgot anything! Gary.
PS 'Germanic' refers to a group of people speaking a type of language - not a country. Historians tell us the Germanic languages may have started in the land that is called Denmark today.
