EIHWAZ
I
Aett: 2nd Aett, Hagall’s Aett
Position within the Aett: 5
Position within the Futhark: 13
Meaning: Yew tree, Midgard
Concept: Wyrd
English Letter Value: EI (although it was never used for the written word)
Sound: I
Pronunciation: I-waz
Other Names: Anglo-Saxon: Eoh
Armanen: Yr
Germanic: Eihwaz
Gothic: Eihwas
Icelandic: None
Norwegian: Eo
Younger: None
Element: Wood
Associations:
Polarity: Both
World: Ljossalfheim
Galdr: Iiiiiwaaaahzzzz
Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem
[Yew] is on the outside
a rough tree
and hard, firm in the earth,
keeper of the fire,
supported by roots,
[it is a] joy on the estate.
Level One Meaning(s)
Eihwaz means yew or yew tree. Because of this definition, eihwaz is associated with the World Tree, Yggdrasil. As Yggdrasil is the “backbone” of the worlds, eihwaz can be associated with the human spinal column. This analogy works very well since humans often spend much of their lives with their heads in the clouds (spiritual realm/Asaheim) and with their feet firmly planted on the ground (underworld/Helheim or on Midgard). This analogy can also associate eihwaz with the Milky Way (the river of stars rather than the galaxy or the candy bar). This starry band across the sky is often called the “backbone” of the night sky.
It is also associated with those things made out of yew wood; specifically the yew bow. The yew bow was the strongest and most accurate of all the bows and feared by those who went up against it. This makes the EI-rune a rune of war and warriors. The yew bow was not only used for war but also for hunting, therefore, eihwaz is also associated with hunting. Due to this association with the yew bow and the strength that is hidden within the frail looking, flexible wood, eihwaz can be said to be a rune of inner strength and the ability to bend with and overcome adversity.
This rune is also the rune of daring. Hunting was a way of life (and, later, just a way of supplementing one’s food supply in the winter months) and this took a great amount daring to accomplish. One would never know just what would be awaiting them on the trail that would do one harm (a lion, a crevasse in the ice or snow, the animal being hunted [especially if that beast is the aurochs), etc. In this hunting relationship, eihwaz is a very assertive rune and, therefore, a rune of overcoming obstacles.
Eihwaz is the rune of immortality. Since it is associated with the yew tree, it takes on many of the yew tree’s attributes. One of them is the longevity of the yew tree. Since the tree is an evergreen and does not “die” in the winter time, and is extremely long lived, the northern peoples associated it with immortality. Since everything that comes from the yew tree (the leaves, the resin, the roots, the fruit and anything made from it for human consumption) is extremely toxic, fatally so (the only exception, besides the yew bow, is a new anti-cancer drug that is made from the yew tree and even then it is given in very small dosages that have the strong tendency to make the patient very ill). The northern peoples considered this a sign that the immortality the yew tree represented was not meant for them to be able to have. Because of the toxicity of the yew, it and eihwaz are associated with life and death. Spiritually, the EI-rune can be associated with the “shaman’s death” and therefore with the “hanging” of Odin on Yggdrasil.
Eihwaz, with its association with the World Tree, can be used as a highway to the nine worlds. It can be used to send and receive messages along Yggdrasil’s trunk or use them to travel to the different worlds (which is called world walking). The name Yggdrasil means “The steed of Ygg” (Ygg being another name of Odin). This refers to the time Odin “rode” the World Tree in order to gain knowledge of the runes (which also made Odin the god of the dead). Odin also “rode” Yggdrasil in order to travel from Asaheim to Helheim and back to try to retrieve Baldur from the land of the dead. With this association with the dead, eihwaz can be used to communicate with the dead to gain knowledge and wisdom. However, there are risks involved in doing this. If you bring them back to Midgard to you instead of going to them in Helheim, the results can be less than desirable (and has been known to be fatal mistake).
Eihwaz can also be used as the road to the eight other worlds (realms) of the Northern tradition.
Associated Deity(ies)
Ullr: Ullr, as previously discussed, is the son of Sif (his father is some unknown frost giant). Ullr, besides seasonally ruling Asgard, is also a god of hunting. He invented the yew bow to hunt in his home in Ydalir (Valley of the Yews). He married the giantess Skadhi, who, like Ullr, loved the hunt and the snow. She was said to have invented skis and loved to ski the mountains.
Odin: see above.
© 2005
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