| The eighth and final rune of the first aett of the Elder Futhark is called "Wunjo". It's sound is "W". Wunjo's shape represents a metal wind-vane, such as those used on Viking ships, pagan temples, and stave churches in Scandanavia. (stave churches were early christian buildings made of wood and supported on masts). No Scandanavian temples survive, but it is quite possible that stave churches were modeled on them and built on the same design principles. Wunjo means joy, that elusive state of harmony within a chaotic world. Joy can be found by coming into balance with things, like the wind-vane, which moves in harmony with the prevailing currents of air. "Joy is for one who knows little sorrow", states the Anglo-Saxon rune poem. He who is untroubled by sorrow will have bright fruits, bliss, and enough buildings". Wunjo is the midpoint between opposites, where alienation and anxiety disappear, whether they are caused by shortage or excess. It is a rune of fellowship, shared aims, and general well-being that helps us to realize our trtue will, and which we can use to fulfill our needs. It does this by showing harmonious ways of doing things, transforming our lives for the better. When it appears in a divination, Wunjo can mean good news from afar. |