The Eihwaz rune

Sound «Э (иж)», image: yew, tree.

Meaning of the Eihwaz rune

The yew, the world tree: endurance, solidity, protection from the root and the crown at once. Eihwaz is what stands firm and holds. A support that will not give way under you. When it falls, the ground beneath this is sounder than it feels, and what you have built can take the weight you are about to put on it.

The shadow side

Eihwaz is symmetrical, so turning it leaves the same sign and there is no reversed position. Every force still has its dark edge. This rune does not reverse, it reads the same turned either way. In a difficult surrounding its shadow is stubbornness dressed up as strength: holding your ground to the death in a place where it was time to bend and walk on. Endurance can become a wall you stand behind out of habit.

Eihwaz in a spread

If it comes up upright, read it by the meaning above. You cannot turn it, the sign is symmetrical, so here the neighbours matter: which runes fall beside it and where they lean. A single rune gives you the leaning, and for an answer with a thread through it you draw three: what is behind, what is now, what comes ahead.

Eihwaz as a talisman

Eihwaz is set down as a support, the rune of the world tree, strong in root and crown alike. As a talisman it gives the steadiness to sit out a storm and something solid to lean on through a long task. As a charm it guards from both ends, from earthly trouble and unseen fear. Carved in wood and hung by the door.

FAQ

Is the Eihwaz rune a good sign or a bad one?

Runes do not split into good ones and bad ones. Eihwaz speaks of yew, tree, and in a spread it hints at where the force is leaning. It is no final sentence, and a lot depends on which runes fall beside it.

Does the Eihwaz rune have a reversed meaning?

No. Eihwaz is symmetrical, so turning it leaves the same sign. Every force still has its dark edge though, and the shadow side of Eihwaz is explained above.

Which aett does Eihwaz belong to?

The aett of Heimdall, one of the three groups of the Elder Futhark, eight runes each. The aett tells you which octave the rune sits in and which runes it neighbours.

The rune said its piece in short. The arcana tell it more slowly.

✦ The Major Arcana