Further Reading

Saturday, 30 June 2007

The Rune Mannaz

Though man be free to walk the land
with others of his race
'tis not for him to make the law
but act within his place
for man was but a passing thought
and life itself the same
and all must be in harmony
to know the source by name


The Rune Mannaz represents the basic reality of humanness, which is present within every person. It is the quality of the shared experience of every person's humanness. The form of the rune depicts the archetypal human being as the reflection of all things. Man as the microcosm.

The divine attribute of the rune is Heimdall, under the by-name of Rig, who was the legendary progenitor of the traditional classes of ancient European society. Mannaz is thus the symbolic embodiment of the social order, without which the full potential of humanness is not realisable. The secondary influences of the rune are from Odin and his consort, Frigg. Its sacred tree, amongst others is the Alder.

In castings the rune Mannaz can depict man as the magician, who through various reasons has lost the power to control his fate. It indicates the dependency on other people. The need to embrace aid in the fellowship of mankind around the querent. It will suggest that help is often on its way in the form of another person's actions.

It is often used to interpret issues requiring thought, reason and creativity.