Changes in Meanings – examples from the runes
So what exactly has changed? For this some knowledge of individual runes must be gained. The runes themselves have undergone little transformation as a whole, although individual runes may have altered substantially.
Several examples will be used to show the degrees of change in meaning or interpretation. Some to show that the meaning has changed little over the past 3000 years, some which have changed drastically in that time. As with many other examples of the system, not one pattern fits the system as a whole. Some have altered in appearance and translation and one meaning has even been partly lost to modern man.
The first rune in the set has changed in meaning quite substantially. Perhaps the meaning has not changed, rather the interpretation of that meaning, being that the interpretation of Wealth has varied over the centuries. The first rune, as has already been mentioned, has a meaning of ‘wealth’ or ‘material goods’. Asking a modern person what this meant would get a different reply to a person from the past or even of a different religion. The pre – Viking cultures associated this rune with cattle, as this was almost a common denominator in currency. This can also be seen in the Irish sagas of cattle raids and the legend of the ‘Bull of Coulmore’. There is much evidence to show that cattle where important to the early people, hence they attained a valuable status. A man who had many cattle was the equivalent of being very wealthy. In modern times the concept of wealth has a different meaning, that of expensive cars and a plush lifestyle. (See Appendix 2 for example) Still the basic meaning is still the same, creating a structure for society.. Both the modern day Christians and Sikhs have a policy of giving away a portion of their wealth to others less fortunate. This concept is listed in the first verse of the altered Anglo - Saxon rune poem (See Appendix 7, part I).
The third rune is very different to this, not just an interpretation of a meaning to a different society. (See appendix 8) The rune originally translated as ‘god’ or ‘godling’ in the Anglo Saxon rune poem, although other poems list it as ‘mouth’, ‘origin of speech’ or even ‘giant’. The original word in the poem was ‘os’ meaning ‘god’, although when the Christians first translated it, they mistook it for the Latin word ‘os’, meaning ‘mouth’. This led to some confusion, although the basic meaning of the poem stanza was still the same. In many of the early civilisations, word of mouth was very powerful. It became the medium through which the laws, history and tribal instructions where passed down to the next generation. Even the Christians have 'In the Beginning was the word and the word was God', (John 1:1) showing that they recognised the power of the spoken word. In modern translations, it is taken to mean ‘ answer’ or 'signals', also having connotations of the Norse trickster God, Loki. Given his reputation, the rune can be translated as: - an answer may be given, with another purpose in mind. Or in modern terms, read the small print. Confusingly, it also has a connection to the Ash tree through other rune poems.
These examples show runes, which have not changed, or have only a few changes in their total history. However there are at least 6 runes whose meanings have changed drastically over the last 3000 years. To provide an example, one of these will be taken to compare with the other two.
The rune for warrior is a good illustration of this. (See Appendix 9) Although the rune poems state that this stanza refers to a star, possibly the North Star, the accepted meaning for this rune is the warrior, knight or paladin. Historically, this rune has been found on weapons, perhaps as a protective symbol. The connotations of the warrior or medieval knight are certainly well known, as chivalry, honour, truth and the ability to sacrifice oneself.. Certainly noble indeed, but nothing to do, as the Anglo Saxon poem states, with a star used for navigation in the darkness. In the modern interpretation, this rune is used to portray someone with noble intentions, a code that can be lived by or perhaps warning of something that will upset that code. From the ancient to the modern, the meaning can be seen to have changed noticeably in the last 3000 years. Why this particular meaning changed is not known. Certainly the Christians translated the meaning as 'star', although the bridge between 'star' and 'warrior' is very tenuous. Perhaps in context of a guide or guiding light, both can be connected.
The last rune to be looked at is something of a mystery. The fourteenth rune has been the subject of fierce and varied debate in recent years. The Anglo Saxon rune poem provides no answer to it's direct meaning, as it is from this that the problem of accurate translation stems. As already mentioned, the Anglo Saxon rune poem was copied from a manuscript, unfortunately, for modern man, this had been damaged in some capacity. Wether this was reparable it not known, as the manuscript was destroyed. Hickes copied most of the lines from the original text, although the stanza for this verse had a line, or lines, missing in the middle of the verse. This means that only a partial translation is possible and with the stanzas being quite obscure to start with, it leaves much scope for interpretation. Several modern authors have translated this differently, justifying their translations with other evidence from the period. It has been translated as dice, dice cup, hearth, dance, penis, chess or game. (See Appendix 10) There is even an argument that the Monks, in translation, changed the words subtly as they had religious objections to the content, thus:
_____ is always play and laughter to the proud ones,
...
Where warriors sit in the beerhall blithely together.
This can be retranslated by adding three letters to the original Anglo Saxon text, thus:
_____ is always play and laughter to the proud ones,
...
Where wives sit in the birthhall blithely together.
Could this verse have been subject to Christian influence? Certainly modern debate has come up with some fascinating answers. In modern translation the meaning has been altered to represent something hidden and secret, instead of its confusing original connotation.