Runes of the elder Futhark
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Ansuz
GMC ansuz: a god, ancestral god
GO ansus: a runic god name
OE os: a god
ON ass: a god, AEsir
ansur: a mouth or the mouth of a river
Windblown cloak, Odhinn, inspired speech
Phonetic value: „a“
This is the rune of inspired speech and incantation as a creative expression. It is is linked with the ancestors, the magic of speech which passes along knowledge with the breath of life, the passing of knowledge through the spoken word, as differentiated from the written. It is the rune of the poet, the saga, the seer, those of inspired speech. It thus represents the ecstasy of inspiriation, the „swan song“ chanting out one’s life as he or she prepares to meet death, the first cry of a newborn baby. It is whistling in the dark to banish fear. It encompasses the power of suggestion and sublimination. It is the rune of the Wild Hunt, the movement of the gods/goddesses who ride the howling winds, gathering lost souls and those newly released from life back into the arms of the ancestors who await them with horns of mead and pleasurable company. Magically it increases the active powers and ond, inspires speech, writing and poetry. It can be used for the acquisition of inspiration, and understanding. Divination: Inspiration, enthusiasm, transformation, manipulation, encouragement, compassion.