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Bibliography for runes
RAIDO=RIDING
Riding in the hall is very pleasant / It is more strenuous / Sitting on a horse covering / The mile paths II
Riding seems easy at home / though on the long road / the horse feels hard as stone I
A journey, communication, union, reunion
This rune is concerned with communication, with the attainment of something that has two sides. You are not intended to use your own worth only, but to find your inner confidence and use that to help you. Be content to wait and whilst you do so, patiently remove obstacles in your way so when you begin to move it will be easier for you. Refrain from trying to 'make it happen' this will only slow down the process down even more. Stand apart from like minded others, the notion of strength in numbers does not apply here; this part of the journey cannot be shared.
A simple prayer is: - I will to will Thy will III
Listen and acknowledge possibilities. Journey within yourself to find the answers you seek.
Surrender
Receiving this rune you are being asked to relinquish your control or the need to control the present situation or to release any past experience that continues to trouble you. If you are facing a critical illness or life crisis, the moment has come to finally stop frightening yourself. The true power of surrender always changes our lives. IV
Name: Rad
Number: 5
Sound: R
Colour: Black
This rune is a symbol of a journey on horseback, which in turn is an image for a ride into the underworld. It is a universal technique for shamans entering to world of the dead to ride on an animal. Odin rode Sleipnir, his eight-legged horse - which can be likened to four men carrying a coffin. The rune is used in invoking the dead and is also linked with the chariot god, Thor. The rune is a symbol of change in the self, new ideas, new ways of life. In all religions death is a symbol of coming renewal. Similar to the Death Tarot card. V
Cartwheel
This is also connected with Mercury and thus associated with travel - especially communication. Travel may be literal although this was lengthy and hazardous so it may also imply track of the mind where you find a new answer. It signifies the need to move now, rather than wait and think. Mercury rules trade so it brings economic implications. It can show some important business on the horizon. The process of bartering is an essential process of trade. You may receive and important message which will alter the present situation. II
Germanic name: Raido
5 of 1
Anglo - Saxon: Rad
Norse: Reid
Phonetic value: R
Traditional meaning: Riding
RVW Elliot translates this rune as riding or journey, which is the accepted interpretation of this rune. Riding has more symbolic connotation of creating movement, taking control, generating motion, stating a new venture or taking the initiative. 'Rad', the Anglo - Saxon name of the rune, is close to the German 'Rat' and Dutch 'Raad' both meaning counsel or advice. There is another word of Gothic origin 'raiht', which is similar in sound and content to 'raido'. The word means 'right', or in Dutch, 'recht', the related verb 'rechten' meaning to do right, to dispense judgement, to litigate. The Dutch name for judge is 'rechten'. 'Raiht' is linked to the institute of kingship. The Latin word for king is 'Rex', which could have stemmed from the same root as 'raiht'. In old times, nobility was not something automatic by birth but rather earned or held by merit and implied moral responsibility. This rune refers to the correct balance between respecting the rights of others and maintaining individuals
rights. The knowledge of right and wrong and courage to act accordingly.
In the hall Rad is pleasant / for every warrior / and very energetic for the man / who sits on the back of a horse / covering the milelong road - (Trans. RI Page)
The meaning of this verse is obscure. It is possibly a censored version of an older, bawdier verse. 'Ygg' is an old name for Odin and 'drasil' is translated as horse or steed. Could also be interpreted as travel to other realms. VI
Letter: R
Name: Rad
Meaning: A cartwheel
Planetary Rulerships: Mercury and the North Node
Here, the Mercurial influence is mixed with the North node, which rules all things foreign, unexpected or unusual. Mercury and his Norse equivalent, Odin are associated with travel. Mercury was the messenger of the Gods and protector of messages. Odin (who regularly disguised himself as a wayfarer) was the god of travellers. This ties in with this runes meaning of a cartwheel. To travel from one place to another, usually for pleasure. In early times the only way to send a message was to send a messenger with either a letter or an oral message. Therefore the less emphasised meaning is to receive a message. If a discussion outcome is under query this rune signifies that action should be taken now. This is a fortunate omen, indicating that it is now safe to proceed confidently with their agreement. Other travellers included traders and merchants and this indicates a beneficial commerce period. Since the North node has a tendency to mask or cloud the issue. Both Mercury and Odin are associated with trickery and deception. Mercury was the patron of thieves and Odin had a reputation of being a shape shifter and riddler. All the small print on documents and contracts should be read. VII
1.10.98
In thinking on this rune whilst going to work, I perceived it had more of a link to a motorbike than to a car. In later discussions the idea of this connected with the wild and free ideals of Native America. An image of wild horses running across the desert flats. When I arrived at work I learned that one of the Teamleaders had had an accident that morning when he was knocked off his motorbike. He had been taken to hospital for minor injuries. His bike was written off.
Raidho. The wagon - indicator of travel or movement. A safe or pleasant journey. A good time to enter into discussions and negotiations. Conductive to logical thought and strategy. The time is right to buy or sell. A telephone call may bring unexpected news. Pay close attention to the small print in transactions. VIII
- Cartwheel or horse - to travel
- Travel for pleasure - safe journey
- Compare riding long road with telling of stories in halls over feasting
Meaning: Cartwheel
Divinatory: The Wheel of life
Recognise that everything comes in cycles. If you move with them, progress will be quick and efficient. Welcome hard times with the certainty that the harder now, the more beautiful later. Challenges bring equal and opposite rewards. Every situation is a potential lesson. The faster you learn, the quicker you progress. XI
The primary meaning of this rune is 'riding'. The accompanying verse contrasts life inside the sheltered hall and life outside. One value is assigned to the struggle outside the hall in the uncomfortable, wild environment on a real horse and another to the mere recital of great deeds inside soft walls. The inference is that the struggle outside is intrinsically more heroic. Inside the hall, life is soft. Riding draws a clear line between words and actions. Riding criticises the substitution of language for action: without experience in the outside world, people can construct a false reality. A man should often ride the 'mile paths' in order to retain his perspective. The word 'Rad' has several other meanings as well as its primary one of 'riding'. It has been interpreted as 'a raid' and also 'music'. If the verse is read with these in mind, a picture emerges of civilised life in the hall, with a bard singing of heroic deed, contrasted with the life of raiding parties carried on outside. The raiding parties provide the material for the bard's songs, which then become a creative extension and not a substitute. In Bosworth's Anglo - Saxon Dictionary, 'rad' is translated as soft 'furniture' in the hall and 'reins' on the horse. In Hickes Thesaurus and medieval glosses, 'rad' is translated as 'consilium' and 'good judgement. In this ambiguity the difficulty of making decisions in the hall which will be valid in the outside world is stressed. IX
Represents ritual or process. Means wheel and by extension motion that a wheel allows. The vehicle used to achieve an objective, also the road or process itself. Rune of command and control allowing energies to be transformed. Being in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing. Personal transformation helps to take conscious control of our destiny. XII
Journey, cartwheel, ride, long journey on horseback, cart or chariot. Served as a journey charm to protect the living and the dead and a reason for ascribing it to Thor. The Old Norse word 'reid' could mean a wheeled chariot or thunder. Thunder was caused by Thor's wheeled chariot, drawn by two he - goats- rattling across the sky. Thos associated with the oak, the tree more frequently struck by lightening than any other. Thor being the God of thunder. In Anglo - Saxon rune poem, oak has it's own rune saying that the wood was used for shipbuilding. The wood for the Yule log. Appropriate for wood burned on Thor's principal festival to come from his sacred tree. Oak pillars are associated with Thor in Iceland. As in Eybygga Saga where Thorolf Mostur - beard throws his high seat pillars, made of oak, overboard to establish where they should settle, the decision being taken for him by the place in which they drift to land. XIV
The element of ordered travel. Is designed to change how we see things. Movement in the right direction, changes are happening at the right times and good progress is being made. Relates to the ability to operate within own limits. Avoid aimless wandering and attend to reason, going directly towards your goal. Spirit powers are a good form of counsel. XVII
This literally represents the wheel and the motion a wheel allows. Figuratively it represents the vehicle used to reach an objective. It also represents the road or the process itself. Both the way forward and the means to get there. The rune of rites and ceremonies, events performed according to the prearranged principle and plans. Allows the channelling of energy in effective ways. This rune helps spirit; matter or information to move from one place to another and so to produce desired results. The connected meanings are 'a raid' and 'music'. These have dedicated practice and planning in common. To take full advantage of this, the right time, place and action must be achieved with awareness and foresight. XVI
Represents transport, a journey with a purpose. Physical movement, exploration, learning and imagination. Changes, the turning of events, progress forward. XVIII
The 14th Rune
Associated with the Oak tree and the colour black.
The rune for movement, journey through life, progress or learning through experience.
Indicate suprises along the way.
Is not only the symbol of the journey but also the means to make it. XX
13.3.01
Have just found a really nice reference in Bede's Eclesiastical History of the English Church and People, Book II, Chapter 13:
He lists the contrast between the "banqueting hall where you are sitting at dinner on a winter's day with your thanes and counsellors. In the midst there is a comforting fire to warm the hall: outside the storms of winter rain of snow are raging"
this seems to back up the contrasting element of this rune, and several others at the same time. (Fire is a comfort, banqueting hall is a gathering place etc.)