Fehu – Rune Meaning
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“Every beginning has within it the seeds of its own end.”
Fehu – “Fay-Who” – Literally: “Cattle” – Esoteric: Mobile Property, New Beginnings, Wealth
Key Concepts: Wealth, money, food, sustenance, Hamingja, luck, personal power, circulation of power, financial strength, prosperity
Psi: Beginner’s Mind, presence, freedom, first impressions, young love
Energy: mobility, luck, charisma, dynamic power, liquid and mobile transferable energies, abundance, circulation, ‘mana’, sexual attraction
Mundane: money, recent purchases, reputation, freshness, fashionability
Divinations: New beginnings, social success, foresight, energy, travel, money, control; or greed, failure, atrophy, poverty, endings.
Governs:
- Delegating your energy to another, power transference or projection; the sending rune
- Drawing gravity into the personal sphere
- Promotion of personal and social evolution, changing circumstances of importance
- Increase in personal monetary wealth
- Beginner’s mind and presence as a tool for consciously creating a fresh start
My notes:
Fehu is actually the rune of ‘luck’. The universe is not so much made up by chance, as by luck. Luck is a hidden but real energy field inherent in your ‘hamingja’. Fehu governs the capacity to hold this luck and use it like a magical ability. This basic energy, your accumulated luck, is the foundation of the wealth and power in your life. Courageous deeds are central to increasing one’s ‘luck’.
Circulation of power, wealth and the mobility of all things is a key aspect to Fehu. These are associated with new beginnings, but keep in mind that there are no true new beginnings or endings, only the conscious marks of transformation. This can be most effectively understood while studying the runes as a cycle in and of itself (visually, a circle). The use of this principle leads to beginner’s mind and to presence as a tool for consciously creating a fresh start.
Indeed, money will work for you best under the guidance of the energies implicit in Fehu. Yet money is only a mundane and simplistic representation of Fehu’s nature. It’s best to think of wealth as food, water, shelter, clothing, sustenance and mobile assets, rather than needless luxury.
In starting new endeavors, Fehu will activate the will, restore self-confidence and assist in goal-setting followed by immediate action. Use the symbol and its teachings against procrastination. It is a reminder to think for yourself, which is fundamental to working with the runes. I find that the vibration of this rune to be in alignment with the principles of sexual attraction, first impressions and young love. Fehu is a reminder for us to act out of the present moment.
The conscious use of money for right ends is the domain of Fehu. In society today it is important that we explore new definitions of wealth and come to a realization of what is truly valuable. Wealth is a creative process in every sense of the word, not a static and measurable mass. I encourage the exploration of this idea right away.
Further reading:
Fehu Extended Rune Meaning by Mahryan
Tags: Fehu, first aett, luck, mobility, new beginnings, Rune Meanings, wealth
20 Comments to “Fehu – Rune Meaning”
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Cher says:
Hello,
I am absolutely new to the world of runes…I really want to learn more about it and its uses, but I need a start from you. Also, I was wondering if runes are connected to star signs, for example, I am an Arien so what would be my rune symbol like?
Perhaps my question does not make any sense at all – I dont know if runes can be interpreted in the way I am thinking, but I would feel nice if you could guide me with your knowledge.
Thanks
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Mahryan says:
Welcome to the site Cher!
Rune Secrets is a great site for us to begin and continue exploring the runes. We are all learning about them together by thinking and meditating on them. For the most part we allow our intuition to lead us.
You might want to start with the first rune of the 24 – Fehu and take your time reading and thinking about each one in sequence. haveBe sure to read all the comments posted for each one as well.If you have questions as you read post them on the site and someone will try to help out I’m sure.Several other users of this site have done this to the benefit of all of us!
As for the astrological signs and relationship to the runes, some published Runsters have attempted to assign these. So far, I haven’t found any of the attempts particualarly satisfactory. I think that parallels will be associated with the energies of the planets that rule the zodiac signs and how they manifest. The zodiac has twelve signs and there are 24 runes. So, if there are parallels we should anticipate two runes to a sign. As you read about the runes think about which kinds of astrological energies they mirror. Let us know your thoughts becasue no one has the definitive answer to this! -
Gondlir says:
Hi,
I find this site is really helpful. Personally, I have done meditaion on runes and found a few ideas.
From one aspect, I have conceived Fehu as rune of “making something one`s own”. To really make something you should not just be given asset, but you need to make it your own. I guess then this becomes real “wealth” which you can control. I thought this psychology of possesion can explain fiery force of Fehu, and wealth as not just given but obtained, thus becomes personal force-Hamingja.
How would you think on this thought? I will appreciate any suggestion. Thanks.
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Welcome to Rune Secrets Gondlir, thanks for commenting. I really like this idea of making things one’s own. It reminds me of how we can read other people’s wise advice, even stuff from thousands of years ago, but it won’t be ours until we experience it and can re-tell it in our own particular fashion. I agree that life demands a certain courage from us to be lived, and living rightly is a major source of Hamingja.
Feel free to write more on this Gondlir, I’m interested in your viewpoints here. If you care to write at length and formally, I could always post it as a proper guest-article.
-Tyriel
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Thanks Tyriel. You are offering great support for rune seekers.
I am still trying to understand why dynamic, energetic force of Fehu can be connected to adundance. Since, adundance sounds like feminine quality though I believe this rune is of primary masculine energy. So, in the above post, I tried to interpret abundance or welth as dynamic energy related to personal power. How would you think about taking Fehu as abundance which is a result of, and transform to dynamic energy?
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Gondlir:
A clue may lie with the Zen Buddhists, whose practice link the cultivation of ‘beginners mind’ (which I believe is very much a state of mind useful for understanding Fehu) and the reduction of ‘desire’ in one’s life.
If desire is reduced, freedom sought, if life is lived moreso with Necessity in mind (we see need-fire relationship in Nauthiz), then indeed the universe becomes incredibly abundant… one finds, almost magically, that everything one needs/desires is supplied by the universe.
Desires, in this viewpoint, act as fetters: everything you desire keeps you chained. Seeking freedom, which is the highest form of wealth/mobility brings abundance. Beginners mind here keeps one most poised to act in accordance with the truth of the moment, keeps one humble, and grateful for the many lessons the universe teaches.
Property and abundance that acts in other ways is more related to one’s Estate, and that falls within the providence of Othala’s mysteries.
I hope these ideas help.
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That`s beautiful explanation! So I guess adundance which becomes solid and fixed would be Othala while Fehu signifies HOW we deal with, or are connect to wealth that surround us. It is very interesting that the first letter (beginning) & the last one (end) have close relation and it forms circular structure.
I will write up an article though it will be edited cos` I`m not good at writting English, plus I am lazy so it will take time:)
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For some reason, Mahryan’s article hasn’t been linked to this one, but it totally should be. You can find it at:
http://runesecrets.com/rune-meanings/fehu-extended
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Zara says:
I’m not entirely sure that I agree with your interpretation of the concept of Hamingja, especially as it pertains to the idea of “luck”, “freedom”, “beginner’s mind” or the rune Fehu. My understanding of Hamingja is as a product of Wyrd and Orlog, that is to say, the natural path of life, living one’s life aware of one’s strengths and limitations, to a path of destiny of one’s own design, improving or dishonouring one’s family’s Hamingja in the process. Hamingja is the “family soul”, the soul of the (Nordic) family which can be traced back to that particular family or clan’s parent deity, and which is continued down the family line, with its members being reincarnated from Hel back into that family line, unless a family member ascended to Aesgard, leaving the cycle of reincarnation, or the family line died out, in which case the last remaining member/members would remain in Hel, with no hope of eventually residing in the hall of the family’s origin deity. Hamingja dictated a strict code of social order and honour within the family unit, the goal being reunification with the family deity. If anything, I would connect Hamingja to Ansuz and the Triple-Goddess, the Death-Rebirth cycle (esoteric, archetypal), and themes of family unity, honour, obligation, and sacred initiation. Luck and Hamingja are unrelated, if not opposing, concepts. Seems to me like a great deal of personal extrapolation.
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I appreciate your perspective on Hamingja, Zara. Could you provide sources, so that I could explore that idea further?
The ideas in the above document are merely notes. Notes on Fehu, primarily, not lengthy enough to describe any ‘extrapolation’ of Hamingja at all. But there are a few things about Hamingja that I find are related. Not opposing.
-Charisma or ‘luck’ (in terms of Fehu, that you get off to a good start)
# -It increases because of courage deeds in the Present incarnation
-It is affected by the positive and negative actions of the ancestral line
-It influences one’s power over Wyrd.
-Every rune in the futhark is in some way related to Hamingja, Wyrd and OrlogBloodlines are not the only way of re-incarnating. Too heavy an emphasis on blood is ethnocentric and misses the point entirely. No spirit who is willing to honorably face its tasks in this world would be trapped in Hel simply because its temporary physical body did not produce a baby.
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Just to help out a little more, not that one has to agree with Wikipedia, but for Hamingjathe entry right away refers to luck. Even from this, you can see there’s not a ‘great deal’ of personal extrapolation going on… not that I won’t include a great deal of personal extrapolation where I judge that understanding is weak in external sources.
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Wikipedia on Hamingja
In Norse mythology, hamingja (Old Norse “luck”[1]) refers to two concepts; the personification of the good fortune or luck of an individual or family, and, secondly, refers to the altered appearance of shape-shifters. Both Andy Orchard and Rudolf Simek note parallels between the concept of the hamingja and the fylgja.[2]And for Fylgja it has:
a fylgja (Old Norse, literally “someone that accompanies,”[1] plural fylgjur) is a supernatural being or creature which accompanies a person in connection to their fate or fortune. Fylgjur usually appear in the form of an animal and commonly appears during sleep, but the sagas relate that they could appear while a person is awake as well, and that seeing one’s fylgja is an omen of one’s impending death. However, when fylgjur appear in the form of women, they are then supposedly guardian spirits for people or clans (ätter).
Both Andy Orchard and Rudolf Simek note parallels between the concept of the hamingja—a personification of a family or individual’s fortune—and the fylgja.[2]
——–When exploring or emphasizing the ancestral aspects of Hamingja, the typical ancestral-related runes obviously apply. Ansuz, Kenaz, Othala all weigh in heavily. But there is no ‘single rune’ of Hamingja; each rune will share its secrets.
In Fehu, I would emphasize the individual fortune: initial conditions, charisma, ability to move toward spiritual fulfillment (freedom).
The root of Hamingja actually seems to MEAN ‘luck’ translated to English from Old Norse. That would hardly suggest to me that “Luck and Hamingja are unrelated, if not opposing, concepts.” I’m much more tempted to acquiesce to the etymologists. But if there are other sources/translations that I’ve missed, do share.
If the ‘luck’ aspect of Hamingja is poorly understood, it’ll require some more research and careful thought. Personal insight is also acceptable. Fehu may not be the best place for an in depth discussion of Hamingja, but it is where my brief note ended up. I will dedicate a lot of pages to Hamingja in the Book of Rune Secrets, and hopefully get a post up about it once I’m done fleshing out each rune analysis.
Thank you for bringing it up, at any rate Zara, I’m certain that our readers will appreciate the discussion!
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Another note (yes, I seem to be eager today to explore this).
Zara’s interpretation of Hamingja belongs to the “Hafskjold-Stav” tradition. Ivan Hafskjold founded Stav: “a philosophical system and martial art which uses runes and Norse Mythology in its teaching.”
Ivar Hafskjold claims that according to his family’s oral tradition ‘Stav’ has been passed down in his family since its origin in circa 500 CE. This of course, is impossible to confirm, but is no less interesting. The biased emphasis on the importance of the family’s origins and its continuation with regards to Hamingja should be clear, since Ivar Hafskjold’s claims to any authority rest upon this important connection and oral family tradition he personally has with the Norse and older northern peoples.
What is interesting though is it appears that the Stav tradition is now carried forward more by breath than by blood.
Much of what Zara suggests can be found in an essay on the Stav-International website, on Orlog, Wyrd and Hamingja taken from the book by David Stone called the Principles of Stav (not available on Amazon, or I’d link it).
So, although the Hafskjold-Stav tradition is an interesting perspective on Hamingja, I don’t consider it definitive in the slightest. Nor would I go to it with regards to the mysteries contained in the Elder Futhark (24 runes), since the martial art’s runic component is based on the Younger Futhark (16 runes).
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And if I didn’t make it clear enough: there is FAR from enough reliable evidence to convince me that Ivar Hafskjold done anything other than ‘a great deal of personal extrapolation’.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if you’re honest that that’s what it is.
And I’m generally pretty frank… my interpretations here are based on research, conversations, logic, intuition, and a keen mind.
I can’t claim a family history dating back to 500CE, some direct communication with the gods or that I’ve had some famous, enlightened teacher, as I’ve seen many do when it comes to the occult and mysticism.
I’ve figured it out for myself.
Perhaps that’s the most spurious claim of all. But it’s the one route I encourage everybody to invest the greatest amount energy into.
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I found the discussion on Hamingja interesting.
It seems to me also that the ideas of personal Hamingja being hereditary and of it representing our ‘luck’ and ‘charisma’ are quite compatible with each other. What seems to be missing from the points both Zara and Tyriel have offered, is that in our current life we have the ability to strengthen our initial amount of Hamingja, and both deplete and replenish the amount we ‘use’ each day. Personally, I found Denali to be quite helpful on understanding Hamingja.
I was especially fascinated by Zara’s description of other world incarnation possibilities because her portrait resonated with my instincts, for which I had not found supporting sources. All I have is dream or vision, which as the topic has come up I thought I would share.
After my mother died, I had this dream I which I saw my mother waiting (obstinately) in Hel. She was not prepared to acknowledge the limitations of her past life time and would have to remain in the ‘grey haven’ until she was ready to do so. What I was ‘told’ in this dream was that we have choices when we leave Midgard. If we have achieved the tasks assigned to us for that lifetime, we are invited to visit Asgard or another world is we so wish. We will also be asked to consider returning to Misgard to undertake more work. We are not ‘punished’ for not having achieved all we undertook, but we are expected to acknowledge where we fell short. We can remain in Hel (which is not a horrible place – more a sort of resting limbo), or we can undertake to return and take up our incomplete tasks). It would seem to me that hereditary Hamingja would be very tied into this process.
Some sources on Hel seem to me to be influenced by descriptions of the christian hell, where you go if you are ‘bad’ and from which no one can ever ‘escape.’ The Norse mythologies, however, talk about gods visiting Hel and people being ‘awakened’ from ‘death.’ Hel is also expected to play an important role at Ragnarok.
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I didn’t expand much on it, but one of my first bullets is “-It increases because of courage deeds in the Present incarnation”. I definitely agree that this is a component of power we can access in our present life.
If you follow this link, http://www.northvegr.org/northern/book/disir003.php, there is a part written on Hamingja that suggests evidence by pulling out bits and pieces from the Sagas, but the only source it uses is the book “The Road to Hel: A Study of the Conception of the Dead in Old Norse Literature” by Hilda Roderick Ellis (Davidson) 1968
Has anyone checked out that book?
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Vanr says:
Quite interesting aspects.
I would add that Hamingja seems to be a most complicated word and that a literal translation to just “Luck”, as Wikipedia implies, would be rather a simplification.
If Zara has more sources than that tradition, it would be better to declare it. I admit that my first book on the runes was one that followed the “Uthark theory” but when I read Tyriel’s articles, I didn’t come up and say “Eh guys, you are all wrong, you are misdirected by christian interpreters, esoteric original sequence is different” and so on. I compared what I read here and elsewhere with my personal understanding and made up my mind (finally accepting the Futhark sequence), expressing respect on any other’s opinion.
“…No spirit who is willing to honorably face its tasks in this world would be trapped in Hel simply because its temporary physical body did not produce a baby…”
We are the children of our teachers. Our parents could be our teachers, but not our only ones.
Tyriel, we can’t wait for the book!!!
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Vanr (and this conversation) brings up some points I’d like to add to with a constructive rant. They have little to do with Fehu, but they are fundamental to beginning my work with the runes.
One if the limits of a purely historical approach is the availability of evidence. The other is that history tends to create a macro view rather than account for individuality. Our tendency is to find some evidence, piece together a theory which stretches that evidence to its absolute limit and then imagine that those sources, and the resulting theory, represent an entire culture. What is actually produced is dogma.
So real pragmatism must be used when approaching the Elder Futhark. And a grounded, common sense attitude which borrows from experience and any wisdom-tradition the world over can fill in huge areas… curiosity and self-honesty will go a long, long way.
The individual differences of opinion serve to inspire very enlightening conversations that bring personal understanding even deeper. Where individual differences are suppressed or discouraged, I have unfailingly found weaknesses. Glaring ones. Same with ethnocentricity. You invariably run into the limitations of being This or That, or anything other than profoundly Human.
So being misdirected by Christian interpreters is one thing, just watch out for those Norse and Germanic interpreters too! I joke, but there’s a grain of truth in what I’m saying there. I’ll wager that every single person who ever lived in those ancient cultures had their opinions and beliefs — not to mention the different tribes — just as we do now.
Our understanding of medicine, psychology, physics, and many other things have advanced. There seems to be a peculiar bias that totally rules out the possibility that our ‘spirituality’ may have advanced as well. And we find that purely-historical analysis appeals to that bias. I’ve asked it before, and I’ll ask it again: Just how ancient does something have to be before it’s authentic? A rhetorical question.
Vanr, thanks for your vote of confidence. I’ll get that book to you as soon as I can ;)
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kat says:
Just how ancient does something have to be before it’s authentic?
Tyriel,
That comment right there leads to alot of thinking. I think that kind of sums alot up but also makes you think about things.
It is nice to have good discussions on this and we will all take what we need out of it. Good to have a basis, but as you say Tyriel, we are all human and we are all searching for our own path. We will find and learn what we need to know.
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I always thought that ancient people had the advantage and the ability to be entrepreneurs on just making elemental discoveries. Today, something like this is almost impossible.
Why do we believe something that is ancient? Finally whom do we trust? Why we almost do not have the right to say something against some taboo-persons? Even if we say that we follow what ourself instructs us, are we sure that this part of ourself is not affected by external sources?
I recently read again after a lot of years the “Dune” by Frank Herbert. Just excellent. Excellent thoughts and events that could give some answers on the above questions.
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Tyriel (also known as James Lord Bard) is a writer and graphic designer, living in Canada. He is passionate about the runes, and about bringing spiritual consciousness and heightened freedom to the mainstream. He has a solid background in web design, graphics and video production. He is also a poet, a novelist and musician.
I think this site has great potential! I have long wanted to do something similar. So far I have only completed Fehu, however. Tyriel has kindly said he will post my thoughts on Fehu in an upcoming post.