| The fourth rune of the Elder Futhark is "Ansuz", the "god-rune". It also carries the newer names, As, Aesc, Asa. It's sound is "AA" as in "aah". Ansuz is the rune of divine force. It symbolizes the divine breath that powers existence, of which the gods and goddesses are the most perfect expression. Ansuz is also the divine source within human beings, an energetic controller of consciousness and of all intellectual activities. This rune is named for the ash tree, one of the most sacred trees of the Northern Tradition and, specifically in Norse tradition, the tree of life, the World Tree, Yggdrasil, the cosmic axis that links all the worlds of creation. It is a symbol of stability, as the Anglo-Saxon rune poem tells us: "Humans love the ash tree, towering high. Though many enemies come forth to fight it, it keeps its place well, in a firm position". Ansuz thereby represents the divine order that stands firm no matter how difficult conditions may become. It is the divine stability that we can rely upon in difficult times. |