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The Runes or runic alphabets used by the Northern Peoples have many interpetations. The Celtic and the Scandanavian Runes are included here, as well as some modern or recently discovered. To read more about the runes, there are many good books on the market among them are:
"On the horn's face were there
All the kin of letters
Cut aright and reddened.
How should I read them rightly?"
The Ancient Lay of Gudrun
FEOH
The Elder Futhark begins with Feoh. (fee) This is the primary rune of the first aett, representing all kinds of beginnings. Literally, Feoh, means cattle, the same meaning as the first character of the Hebrew, Greek and Gothic alphabets. The cow plays an important part in the Norse myth of creation: the legend tells of the primal cow, Audhumla, which licks a crystalline block of salt, from which comes Buri, the father of the human race. Symbolicall, then, Feoh is the primal origin of us all, while magically, it represents movable wealth. To the herdspeople of ancient Europe, their wealth was measured in cattle. In modern times, Feoh refers to money. Fee, a payment, is the name-meaning of this rune. More specifically, Feoh is the power to gain worldly success and great wealth, and to keep it.
Magically, Feoh is used in workings, for power and control. It provides the power to begin a working, drawing in all of the energy we need. But, as with all magical workings, we must take into account the implications of what we do. We must be responsible in our activities. This is stressed in the reading for this rune in the Norwegian Rune Poem; wealth can easily lead to greed and envy, which brings the downfall of society:
Feoh's elements are fire and earth, and it polarity is female. Fire's power of creativity and generation are present in Feoh. Its ruling divinties are the twin brother and sister Vanir deities, Frey and Freyja, the Lord and Lady of modern Wicca. Frey is often shown with an erect phallus, one of the meanings of the Gothic letter Fe. Feoh's herb is the Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica). Its tree is one of the most magically powerful, the Elder (Sambucus nigra). The sound of Feoh is the letter 'F'.
UR
The second rune is call Ur. It represents the great European wild ox known as the Aurochs. This magnificent beast was once widespread in Northern and Central Europe. Unfortunately, like so many indigenous species, it is now extinct. The last Aurochs was shot in Poland in 1627. Despite the tragic loss, the magical power of Ur is still available. In addition to its bulk and power, the ox was noted for it long, sharp curving horns. The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem describes it:
Because of their immense length and capacity, Aurochs horns were reserved for the use of aristocrats. The traditional Scottish cermonial drinking cup, the Corn, was an Aurochs horn, lipped with chased silver. A set of nine Aurochs were buried with a Celtic lord at Hochdorf near Stuttgart, Germany dating back to the 6th Century BCE.
Magically, Ur channels the untamed strength of the Primal Ox. It brings us into a direct connection with the boundless power of the universe. Above all others, Ur is the rune of power and stamina and perserverance. It is also a rune of healing. Overall, it is one of the most powerful runes, providing the basic empowerment for any magical working which requires a solid grounding of any kind. Here, it can be used for anchoring a working in a specific way or place. However, it should be noted that this basic empowerment can never be used selfishly. It cannot be owned or controlled by a single individual. Workings using Ur must be 'according to free will, for the good of all'. The influence of Ur can bring personal success, but it will not be a the expense of others.
The magical herb of the Ur rune is the lichen called Iceland Moss. Ur's magical tree is the Silver Birch. It is ruled by Asa-Thor and the eldest Norn, Urd, 'that which was'. Its element is earth, with a male polarity. Its sound is 'OO'.
