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The runes are among the most powerful symbols in the Norse heritage. With these symbols, memories, laws and stories were carved, many of which can still be read on runestones around Scandinavia. The Younger Futhark emerged in the Nordic countries in the 8th century as a further development of the Elder Futhark used to the south in Europe. The Younger Futhark was better adapted to the Nordic languages and consisted of 16 runes – fewer than the 24 characters of the Elder Futhark.
According to mythology, it was Odin who discovered the secrets of the runes by sacrificing himself in the world tree Yggdrasil. Therefore, each rune carried a glimmer of the divine, and was used with both reverence and reflection. Runes were carved on tomb monuments, weapons, jewelry and everyday objects, and could be both messages, words of remembrance and spells.
As Christianity spread across the Nordic countries from the 11th century onwards, the runes gradually began to be supplanted. The Latin letters, which followed the church and its scriptures, took over as the dominant written language. Over time, the runes almost completely disappeared from use, but their traces live on in runestones, in folk tradition – and in the symbolic language of the Nordic soul.
When we at Rúna Sigrlinn let runes replace the modern numbers on our dials, it is a tribute to this heritage. Each watch bears the traces of a thousand-year-old language, but in a form created for our own time.
Below are the 16 runes of the Younger Futhark, with traditional names and their approximate meanings:
1. ᚠ – Fé
Meaning: Livestock, wealth, material wealth. Symbol of material prosperity but also of that which must be nurtured to last.
2. ᚢ – Úr
Meaning: Slag, strength, power, raw or uncontrolled energy. Represents the raw power of nature and man's ability to endure.
3. ᚦ – Þurs
Meaning: Giant, the power of chaos, something dangerous or powerful. A force that can be both destructive and creative depending on how it is mastered.
4. ᚬ / ᚭ – Óss / Áss
Meaning: Gods, especially Odin. Connected to speech and words, wisdom, spiritual power, inspiration and insight.
5. ᚱ – Reið
Meaning: Ride, journey, movement, journey, change. A rune for both physical and inner journeys.
6. ᚴ – Kaun
Meaning: Wound, illness, fire that purifies or torments, heat, transformation. Associated with fire that purifies through trial.
7. ᚼ / ᚽ – Hagall
Meaning: Hail, upheaval, forces of nature, the strength of nature, abrupt changes. A reminder that life can turn around quickly.
8. ᚾ – Nauðr
Meaning: Need, demand, trial that leads to strength, resistance, discipline. A rune for finding strength when it is darkest.
9. ᛁ – Íss
Meaning: Ice, stillness, obstacle, cold, control. Represents both clarity and risk of stagnation.
10. ᛅ – Ár
Meaning: Year, good harvest, prosperity, success, good times. One of the most positive runes, connected to balance and abundance.
11. ᛋ – Sól
Meaning: Sun, victory, life force, vitality. A force that dispels darkness and leads the way forward.
12. ᛏ – Týr
Meaning: The god Tyr, courage, honor, justice and sacrifice. A warrior's rune that is about doing the right thing.
13. ᛒ – Bjarkan
Meaning: Birch, fertility, protection, growth and healing. Connected to the rebirth of nature.
14. ᛘ – Madr
Meaning: Human, human nature and relationships, humanity, cooperation. A reminder of relationships and social bonds.
15. ᛚ – Lögr
Meaning: Water, flow, legal matters. Symbolizes both movement and structure, like the path of water through the landscape.
16. ᛦ – Ýr
Meaning: Yew, bow, precision, focus. Connected to focus, purposefulness and long-term plans.