Considering the Norwegian Rune Poem: Stanza 1: Fehu

Just considering the first stanza of the Norwegian rune poem. Rather than finding answers listed in books, I tend to prefer to try to interpret or reason theories for myself from the original source material. Let me correct that, I can't read old norse (yet), so I trust in the translations of others. Thank you for those, translators.
First up in the first stanza (naturally). This one deals with Fehu (cattle/wealth).


1. Wealth is a source of discord among kinsmen;
the wolf lives in the forest.

Notes:
Something good (wealth) can be the source of something bad (discord)
The wolf (bad/dangerous) lives in the forest (a source of wealth/resources, ergo 'good')


Now my notes here are pretty basic. I am not saying that young vikings were taught this poem purely to help them remember that sometimes bad things come from apparently good circumstances. But perhaps this was intended to dissuade people from the wanton pursuit of wealth for its own sake. Or, perhaps, to encourage people to question the true value of things or consider the ramifications of their actions, no matter how apparently good they appear to be?

Gullveig: Thrice burned, thrice reborn - A Viking Phoenix or something more?

Taken from an earlier post on my blog at The Valley (www.ukpagan.com)

I've been spending some time thinking about Gullveig.

For some reason, the Aesir pierce her with spears and burn her three times...

This alone got me thinking of how those actions alone are reminiscent of a shamanic ordeal to reach altered states of consciousness. She is, after all, thought by some to become a great seer, a volva, after this ordeal. Three times reborn could be descriptive of her being reborn to take on another role. Of course, "piercing with spears" can also be a euphemism for something else... ;)

And the name, Gullveig. I am not sure precisely what 'veig' means, but Gull, iirc, means 'gold'.

Now, doesn't the norwegian rune poem contain the line:
"Fee (wealth) is a source of strife among kinsmen..."

Could Gullveig have been attacked precisely because she was (perhaps maliciously) causing strife amongst the Aesir?

I need to meditate upon this a little more, I think. Twenty minutes thought on the tram home last night maybe isn't quite enough to solve this particular mystery... ;)



Despite the further meditation I attempted, no further insights were forthcoming. Alas...

Review: Helrunar by Jan Fries

Jan Fries' book 'Helrunar' is in my estimation one of the better books on the subject. The author lays the foundation for the futhark by examining the history of the runes. This is split into the early history of runic markings and annotated language, as well as more recent history relating to the Third Reich's misuse of the futhark and how that might affect those who wish to utilise the runes today.

What I especially like about this book is that Fries mostly keeps himself to the more factual and referenced information about each rune - relating each to the various rune poems - rather than listing the runes and connecting them to a list of rather arbitrary associations (such as "Fehu is linked to the cow as its animal, the colour yellow, the smell of ammonia and the taste of garlic and the I-Phone 4S...") as some other authors have done. Instead, he encourages the reader to research each rune and meditate upon it for themselves for insights.

Despite the depth of information within, I found the book surprisingly easy to read and by the end of the book I was wanting to purchase more of the authors works so that I could enjoy his writing style some more. Additionally, there is no attempt by the author to tie in a myriad of unnecessary viking references to help secure a stronger market.

Some readers might like to note, however, that the author approaches the subject viewed from his own grounding in chaos magic - some might prefer the author to be a follower of one of the northern traditions. Myself, I did not find this a problem, however, actually appreciating minimal references to the gods, goddesses and heroes of the norse/anglo saxon pantheon.

All in all, an excellent text on the runes. Definitely worth buying for any serious runeworker.

Buy 'Helrunar' by Jan Fries from Amazon