I'm a little rusty, but there was conflict, initially. Then they settled their grievances and came to a level of cooperation and intermarriage.

I found this for a quick reference:
https://norse-mythology.org/tales/the-aesir-vanir-war/

Obviously the forum has been quite inactive for some time, but just to assuage any possible concerns of it's demise....well, that just ain't gonna happen. Or at least, as long as I'm around, anyway.

Even though it's years old, I put far too much time, love, and effort into the forum to allow that, even creating nearly every image and icon from scratch;  so the (IMO) world's premier English language rune forum will always be here for those who desire it's resources.

In the lore, the Aesir and Vanir have shared cooperation and marriage now for thousands of years; I wouldn't think one would have to strongly segregate them, they are more complimentary than competitive to one another.

My latest thing is an obsession with the 1st person/3rd person RPG video game "Skryim", part of the Elder Scroll series from Bethesda.
The country of Skyrim is a northern most part of the fictional continent of Tamriel, and it has an irrefutable parallel to Scandinavia and Nordic/Germanic lore.

RPGs were never my thing before, I always went for action oriented first person shooters if anything, but this game was not what I expected of an RPG.  It handles and plays out very much like a first person shooter for the most part, only with depth of story and a massive game universe, an entire country to explore. The graphics and music are gorgeous.
I love the whole Nord background to the thing;  Nords, elves, trolls, draugrs (yes, draugrs!) even an extinct dwarvish species is a main component of the lore.  Oh, and dragons.  And mead.  Lots of mead! 
Time to dive back in...

Having recently revisited a lot of the OE poems, and have gone over them with a fine tooth comb and a swath of OE - MnE dictionaries, I've made a few enlightening discoveries.
One of them is that my initial take on the poem is right.

The key word in this poem here is ðamðe, which, being cognate with ære, (AKA modern "ere"), means "before" or "until".
It was hard to track down, being rare, but I found it here:
From this book/site: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31543/31543-h/files/dict_ac.html#word_aeqr

Line by line, word by word, this poem says, literally:

Rad byþ on recyde rinca gehwylcum

Riding (Rad) is (byþ -be-ith) in the hall (recycde) for every (gehwylcum) warrior(rinca)
Here, rinca can sometimes mean simply "man", but the average Anglo Saxon man did not have access to a horse, that was for the nobles and warriors only.

sefte ond swiþhwæt,
comfortable/easy (I would assume sefte is the origin of "soft") and strong/heroic.

ðamðe sitteþ on ufan meare mægenheardum

UNTIL (ðamðe ) he sits high upon ( on ufan) a horse (meare) which is very powerful (mægenheardum)

ofer milpaþas.

over (ofer) the high roads. (milpaþas).

To me, this rune is not so much about a journey, but brings home the point of, "it's easier said than done".
I think it also says, "put your money where your mouth is". 
Perhaps there's even a warning here against bragging, or maybe a call to motivation. "Are you going to talk about it, or do it?"

For that reason, I wonder if maybe "undertaking" or even "attitude" wouldn't a better interpretation than "journey".

The Anglo Saxon poem:

Nyd byþ nearu on breostan;
weorþeþ hi þeah oft niþa bearnum to helpe
and to hæle gehwæþre,
gif hi his hlystaþ æror.

Trouble is distressing to the heart;
yet often it proves a source of help
and salvation to the children of men,
to he who heeds it beforehand.

With my trusty Anglo Saxon dictionary in hand, I've been delving deeper into the most literal translations possible.
With Nauthiz, something interesting came up.
The first line is straightforward:
Nyd is (byþ "be") distressing, oppressive (nearu) to the heart/bosom (breostan)

In the second line, however, which reads, weorþeþ hi þeah oft niþa bearnum to helpe,  it seems typically assumed that the word  "yet" or "however" is "weorþeþ" (weorth-eth).  
Only it isn't, because "þeah" is that word.  "Weorþeþ means something completely different: It comes to be, it shall pass, becomes, turns to, etc..
"It shall come become, it nevertheless (is) often (that) strife bears forth help"

To work that out, here are the all of the words in that sentence:
weorþ(eþ): It will come to be, to pass, become.. tranform?
hi:          he, they, it
þeah:      however, nevertheless
oft:         often
niþa:       strife, oppression, envy, hate  -close as I can tell. The exact spelling is not in my dictionary, but niđ is, and it means strife;  very likely related to nyd, which is in fact the OE name for Nauthiz.
bearnum: To bear, bring forth, a source of, son, child, descendant
to:          to
helple:     help

I could be off the mark a bit, but it's as close as I can get for now. From an excellent online OE dictionary¹I found, there is this:

The next line is more troublesome for me:
"and to hæle gehwæþre"
hæle is translated as "salvation" but also healing..I rather prefer the latter being closer, though there may be a relation to the word "holy" here too.
The trouble word for me here was "gehwæþre".  
The first two letters, ge, is an OE prefix, (often indicating a perfective form of a verb²) the root word here being hwæþ or hwæþre.  Now, a very similar word, hwæþer,is in my book as meaning "Whether", as in "whether or not.." but that makes little sense here.
However,  in the online OE dictionary¹, I found the exact word:
hwæðre means nevertheless, though the "ge" prefix is a bit odd.  Thus, (ge)hwæðre is very similar to þeah in meaning. Perhaps it's OE grammar that explains the difference between the two.  I also suspect that the ending "re" is a suffix as well.
The big question is, where did this "Children of men" bit come from? There's nothing remotely like that in this poem!  Yet it's a common translation.
In my opinion, this line says something more along the lines of  "and to provide salvation notwithstanding", which is a bit redundant, but that's how it seems to read. Perhaps it was to drive the point home.

The last line is simple enough at least:
gif hi his hlystaþ æror.

If he
hlystaþ: listens - pays attentions to, heeds
æror:     beforehand

So, my personal, most strict interpretation would be thus:

     Need is distressing to the heart
     Certainly nonetheless often strife bears help
     and healing, however
     if he listens/heeds beforehand

This leads one to assume some kind of warning is present, that one can "read the signs". There is something of value here, and the situation need not be dire and the whole thing can be overcome and chalked up to a learning experience.

Well, there are certainly worse runes one could get in a reading.

¹http://home.comcast.net/~modean52/oeme_dictionaries.htm
²http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/mdrout/grammarbook2005/tricks.html

Old English Poem:

Lagu byþ leodum langsum geþuht,
gif hi sculun neþan on nacan tealtum
and hi sæyþa swyþe bregaþ
and se brimhengest bridles ne gym[eð].

The ocean seems unending to men,
if they must dare to venture on the unstable ship
and the waves of the sea greatly terrify them
and the sea stallion heed not its bridle.


I recently read a slightly atypical interpretation of Laguz that opened my eyes. The interpretation came from the excellent book "Wyrdworking - the Path of a Saxon Sorcerer" by Alaric Albertsson.  I'll be doing a review of this shortly, I'm not done reading it yet.

Whereas most rune workers seem to focus on water as "intuition", mystery, and psychic ability, when not a literal interpretation, I feel those connections are more Greco-Roman, medieval, and new age in origin. Water is associated with the feminine through the tidal manipulation of the Moon, which goes through a cycle closely aligned with the menstrual cycle.  Thus, Women=Moon=Tides=Sea. The feminine aspect is also linked to psychic ability.
Additionally, one cannot see underneath the surface of the ocean, deepening it's mystery.

This is all well and good, but it's not what the Rune poem is specifically referencing, and there is no evidence that the Nordic and Germanic traditions ever made these associations themselves. I believe if that's what the original author(s) intended to indicate, they would have. One can play the association game, connecting one thing to another, in an unending chain, until you no longer have anything remotely resembling the original subject matter. Where does one draw the line and say, "far enough" or "too far"?  The ancient Norse and Germanics did indeed use kennings, but they didn't beat around the bush in such an obscure manner.

Looking at the poem again, line by line, here it what it states, as best as I can translate.  I'm not an Old English scholar (I have studied it some) but I do have the benefit of the book,  "A Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary".  Win!


Lagu byþ leodum langsum geþuht
Lagu (Sea, Lake, Ocean) "seems" or "is thought" (geþuht) unending, tedious (langsum) to men (leodum).
It's a huge expanse, and it seems like it will never end.  This is important.

gif hi sculun neþan on nacan tealtum
If they are obliged (sculun) to dare to adventure (neþan¹) on an unstable, precarious (tealtum) ship (nacan).  Here, tealtum is the adj form of tealt, probably cognate with "tilt".  
A ship on the ocean certainly rolls and tilts. That is fairly normal behavior when deep out at sea. This is the one place I slightly disagree with Alaric Albertsson:  he translates the line as essentially an unworthy, unsteady ship and takes the point of view that the ship is somehow built sub par, and that it reflects on the sailor (or divinatory querent) as inadequately prepared for the task.  I'm not sure I agree. He places the emphasis of Lagu on the ship, rather than the water.  Any OE dictionary will tell you however that Lagu, and all it's cognates, means water.
It all hinges on the exact meaning of "tealt".  It seems most likely to me however that the line simply refers to the fact that a ship, any ship, no matter how constructed, will roll on the waves and be unstable. It's simply part and parcel of sailing.  
I think it's a reference to the raw power of the sea, and if you want to travel on it, it will take nerves of steel.
Despite my difference of opinion here, overall the message is the same, and he opened my eyes to what the poem was really saying. That'll teach me to read things for what they truly say and try not to let other populist ideas obscure the meaning.
One other thing to mention:  "sculun" or sculan, is OE for "must", "to be obliged", "bound",  to "have to";  so it's not that they want to do this kicks, but that they are obligated to do this, most likely to provide for themselves and their family or community.

and hi sæyþa swyþe bregaþ
And the sea-waves (sæyþa) greatly (swyþe, swiþe) terrify them (bregaþ)  .
This is clear enough.  It's scary to see waves looming over you when deep out to sea.  Sailing puts your courage to the test.  (BTW, "hi" here does not mean "high", it means "they".. hi bregaþ -they (of seawaves) are terrified.)

and se brimhengest bridles ne gym[eð]
And the sea stallion (brimhengest)heeds not it's bridle
Clearly here "brimhengest" (sea stallion) is a kenning for a ship, and heeding not it's bridle refers to difficult control, obviously.  Should the sea get rough, even the best ship may be at the sea's mercy.

So what I take from this is, to paraphrase Mr. Albertsson, Lagu represents is a dangerous undertaking that may be more than you can handle.  I'll add,  but you probably have no choice.  It's a difficult challenge, without guarantee of success. It's also unpredictable, the ancient mariners couldn't know when a storm wouldn't suddenly well up on them.  
Lagu also ties in nicely with Sowilo, which says:

The sun is ever a joy in the hopes of seafarers
when they journey away over the fishes' bath,
until the courser of the deep bears them to land

It's apparent that the sun is quite a relief to seafarers, it provides them with guidance and navigation, and implies the anxiety that sailors must endure.

Last word:  I never realized before what a negative rune Laguz truly is. The wide open sea is a scary place to have to travel. I'm glad I don't see this rune too often.



¹ http://books.google.com/books?id=oZ03AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA166&lpg=PA166&dq=tealtum+%22old+english%22&source=bl&ots=oJEg_bxMVq&sig=zrW8Hn7fDknalCAW_bYSgtPBA5A&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zq2mT4eSNomJ6QHf4JSpBA&ved=0CKsBEOgBMAU#v=onepage&q=tealtum%20%22old%20english%22&f=false

Well, no, I didn't forget that the gods sometimes took them as wives, but, I'd never heard of us mortals working with them before, using galdor or wiccecræft or whatever.
Interesting. Does it require thurisaz a lot?   

I'm not sure which you're saying makes sense, the Northern view, or the translation's view.   
Both make sense to me given the locality and climates; in the cold North, the sun is nurturing, but not overpowering. The moon rules the cold harsh night.
But further south, near the Mediterranean, for example,  it can definitely be a overwhelming power to reckon with, and can change from nurturer to destroyer, burning crops, drying up lakes and rivers, etc, conversely, the moon is gentle.

I've never heard of it, Willy.. interesting.  Working with the Jotun?  That's different!

This is the version translated by  Lee M Hollander.

I noticed a curiosity in stanza 5: since when is the Sun masculine and the Moon feminine in the Northern traditions?
I suspect he took some liberties with his translation, though it's a popular one.


VOLUSPÁ
[The Prophecy of the Seeress]

Hear me, all ye hallowed beings,
Both high and low of Heimdall's children:
Thou wilt, Valfather, that I well set forth
The fates of the world which as first I recall.

I call to mind the kin of etins
Which long ago did give me life.
Nine worlds I know, the nine abodes
Of the glorious world-tree the ground beneath.

In earliest times did Ymir live:
Was not sea nor land nor salty waves,
Neither earth was there nor upper heaven,
But a gaping nothing, and green things nowhere.

Was the land then lifted aloft by Bur's sons
Who made Mithgarth, the matchless earth;
Shone from the south the sun on dry land,
On the ground then grew the greensward soft.

From the south the sun, by the side of the moon,
Heaved his right hand over heaven's rim;
The sun knew not what seat he had,
The stars knew not what stead they held,
The moon knew not what might she had.

Then gathered together the gods for counsel,
The holy hosts, and held converse;
To night and new moon their names they gave,
The morning named, and midday also,
Forenoon and evening, to order the year.

On Itha Plain met the mighty gods;
Shrines and temples they timbered high,
They founded forges to fashion gold,
Tongs they did shape and tools they made;

Played at draughts in the garth: right glad they were,
Nor aught lacked they of lustrous gold --
Till maidens three from the thurses came,
Awful in might from etin-home.

Then gathered together the gods for counsel,
The holy hosts, and held converse:
Who the deep-dwelling dwarfs was to make
Of Brimir's blood and Bláin's bones.

Mótsognir rose, mightiest ruler
Of the kin of dwarfs, but Durin next;
Molded many manlike bodies
The dwarfs under earth, as Durin bade them.

Nýi and Nithi, Northri and Suthri,
Austri and Vestri, Althjólf, Dvalin,
Nár and Náin, Níping, Dáin,
Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Nóri,
Án and Onar, Ái, Mjóthvitnir.

Veig and Gandálf, Vindálf, Thráin,
Thekk and Thorin, Thrór, Vit, and Lit,
Nár and Regin, Nýráth and Ráthsvith;
Now is reckoned the roster of dwarfs.

Fíli, Kíli, Fundin, Náli,
Heptifíli, Hanar, Svíur,
Frár, Hornbori, Fræg and Lóni,
Aurvang, Jari, Eikinskjaldi.

The dwarfs I tell now in Dvalin's host,
Down to Lofar -- for listening wights --
They who hied them from halls of stone
Over sedgy shores to sandy plains.

There was Draupnir and Dólgthrasir,
Hár and Haugspori, Hlévang, Glói,
Skirvir, Virvir, Skafith, Ái,
Álf and Yngvi, Eikinskjaldi,

Fjalar and Frosti, Finn and Ginnar.
Will ever be known, while earth doth last,
The lines of dwarfs to Lofar down.

To the coast then came, kind and mighty,
From the gathered gods three great Æsir;
On land they found, of little strength,
Ask and Embla, unfated yet.

Sense they possessed not, soul they had not,
Being nor bearing, nor blooming hue;
Soul gave Óthin, sense gave Hönir,
Being, Lóthur, and blooming hue.

An ash I know, hight Yggdrasil,
The mighty tree moist with white dews;
Thence come the floods that fall down;
Evergreen o'ertops Urth's well this tree.

Thence wise maidens three betake them --
Urth one is hight, the other, Verthandi,
Skuld the third: they scores did cut,
They laws did make, they lives did choose:
For the children of men they marked their fates.

I ween the first war in the world was this,
When the gods Gullveig gashed with their spears,
And in the hall of Hár burned her --
Three times burned they the thrice reborn,
Ever and anon: even now she liveth.

Heith she was hight where to houses she came,
The wise seeress, and witchcraft plied --
Cast spells where she could, cast spells on the mind:
To wicked women she was welcome ever.

Then gathered together the gods for counsel,
The holy hosts, and held converse:
Should the Æsir a truce with tribute buy,
Or should all gods share in the feast.

His spear had Óthin sped o'er the host:
The first of feuds was thus fought in the world;
Was broken in battle the breastwork of Ásgarth,
Fighting Vanir trod the field of battle.

Then gathered together the gods for counsel,
The holy hosts, and held converse:
Who had filled the air with foul treason,
And to uncouth etins Óth's wife given.

Thewy Thór then overthrew the foe --
He seldom sits when of such he hears:
Were sworn oaths broken, and solemn vows,
Gods' plighted troth, the pledges given.

Where Heimdall's horn is hid, she knows,
Under heaven-touching, holy world-tree;
On it are shed showery falls
From Fjolnir's pledge: know ye further, or how?

Alone she sat out when the lord of gods,
Óthin the old, her eye did seek:
What seekest thou to know, why summon me?
Well know I, Ygg, where thy eye is hidden:
In the wondrous well of Mímir;
Each morn Mímir his mead doth drink
Out of Fjolnir's pledge: know ye further, or how?

Gave Ygg to her arm rings and gems
For her seeress' sight and soothsaying:
The fates I fathom, yet farther I see,
See far and wide the worlds about.

The valkyries' flock from afar she beholds,
Ready to ride to the realm of men:
Skuld held her shield, Skogul likewise,
Guth, Hild, Gondul, and Geirskogul:
For thus are hight Herjan's maidens,
Ready to ride o'er reddened battlefields.

I saw for Baldr, the blessed god,
Ygg's dearest son, what doom is hidden:
Green and glossy, there grew aloft,
The trees among, the mistletoe.

The slender-seeming sapling became
A fell weapon when flung by Hoth;
But Baldr's brother was born full soon:
But one night old slew him Óthin's son.

Neither cleansed his hands nor combed his hair
Till Baldr's slayer he sent to Hel;
But Frigg did weep in Fensalir
The fateful deed: know ye further, or how?

A captive lies in the kettle-grove,
Like to lawless Loki in shape;
There sits Sigyn, full sad in mind,
By her fettered mate: know ye further, or how?

From the east there flows through fester-dales,
A stream hight Slíth, filled with swords and knives.

Waist-deep wade there through waters swift
Mainsworn men and murderous,
Eke those who betrayed a trusted friend's wife;
There gnaws Níthhogg naked corpses,
There the Wolf rends men -- wit ye more, or how?

Stood in the north on the Nitha Fields
A dwelling golden which the dwarfs did own;
Another stood on Ókólnir,
That etin's beer-hall, who is Brimir hight.

A hall she saw, from the sun so far,
On Ná Strand's shore: turn north its doors;
Drops of poison drip through the louver,
It walls are clad with coiling snakes.

In the east sat the old one, in the Iron-Woods,
Bred there the bad brood of Fenrir;
Will one of these, worse than they all,
The sun swallow, in seeming a wolf.

He feeds on the flesh of fallen men,
With their blood sullies the seats of the gods;
Will grow swart the sunshine in summers thereafter,
The weather, woe-bringing: do ye wit more, or how?

His harp striking, on hill there sat
Gladsome Eggthér, he who guards the ogress;
O'er him gaily in the gallows tree
Crowed the fair red cock which is Fjalar hight.

Crowed o'er the gods Gullinkambi;
Wakes he the heroes who in Herjan dwell;
Another crows the earth beneath
In the halls of Hel, of hue dark red.

Garm bays loudly before Gnipa cave,
Breaks his fetters and freely runs.
The fates I fathom, yet farther I see:
Of the mighty gods the engulfing doom.

Brothers will battle to bloody end,
And sisters' sons their sibs betray;
Woe's in the world, much wantonness;
Axe-age, sword-age -- sundered are shields --
Wind-age, wolf-age, ere the world crumbles;
Will the spear of no man spare the other.

Mímir's sons dance; the downfall bodes
When blares the gleaming Gjallarhorn;
Loud blows Heimdall, with horn aloft;
In Hel's dark hall horror spreadeth,
Once more Óthin with Mím's head speaketh
Ere Surt's sib swallows him.

Trembles the towering tree Yggdrasil,
It leaves sough loudly: unleashed is the etin.

What ails the Æsir and what the alfs?
In uproar all etins -- are the Æsir met.
At the gates of their grots the wise dwarfs groan
In their fell fastnesses: wit ye further, or how?

Garm bays loudly before Gnipa cave,
Breaks his fetters and freely runs.
The fates I fathom, yet farther I see:
Of the mighty gods the engulfing doom.

Fares Hrym from the east, holding his shield;
The Mithgarth-Worm in mighty rage
Scatters the waves; screams the eagle,
His nib tears the dead; Naglfar loosens.

Sails a ship from the east with shades from Hel;
O'er the ocean stream steers it Loki;
In the wake of the Wolf rush witless hordes
Who with baleful Byleist's brother do fare.

Comes Surt from the south with the singer-of-twigs,
The war god's sword like a sun doth shine;
The tall hills totter, the trolls stagger,
Men fare to Hel, the heavens rive.

Another woe awaiteth Hlín,
When forth goes Óthin to fight the Wolf,
And the slayer of Beli to battle with Surt:
Then Frigg's husband will fall lifeless.

Strides forth Víthar, Valfather's son,
The fearless fighter, Fenrir to slay;
To the heart he hews the Hvethrungs's son;
Avenged is then Víthar's father.

Comes then Mjolnir's mighty wielder;
Gapes the grisly earth-girdling Serpent
When strides forth Thór to stay the Worm.

Mightily mauls Mithgarth's warder --
Shall all wights in the world wander from home -- ;
Back falls nine steps Fjorgyn's offspring --
Nor fears for his fame -- from the frightful worm.

'Neath sea the land sinketh, the sun dimmeth,
From the heavens fall the fair bright stars;
Gusheth forth stream and gutting fire,
To very heaven soar the hurtling flames.

Garm bays loudly before Gnipa cave,
Breaks his fetters and freely runs.
The fates I fathom, yet farther I see:
Of the mighty gods the engulfing doom.

I see green again with growing things
The earth arise from out of the sea;
Fell torrents flow, overflies them the eagle,
On hoar highlands which hunts for fish.

Again the Æsir on Itha Plain meet,
And speak of the mighty Mithgarth-Worm --
Again go over the great world-doom,
And Fimbultýr's unfathomed runes.

Then in the grass the golden figures,
The far-famed ones, will be found again,
Which they had owned in olden days.

On unsown acres the ears will grow.
All ill grow better; will Baldr come then.
Both he and Hoth will in Hropt's hall dwell,
The war gods' fane: do ye wit more, or how?

Then will Hönir handle the blood-wands,
And Ygg's brothers' sons will forever dwell
In wide Wind-Home: do ye wit more, or how?

I see a hall than the sun more fair,
Thatched with red gold, which is Gimlé hight.
There will the gods all guiltless throne,
And live forever in ease and bliss.

Adown cometh to the doom of the world
The great godhead which governs all.

Comes the darksome dragon flying,
Níthhogg, upward from the Nitha fells;
He bears in his pinions as the plains he o'erflies,
Naked corpses: now he will sink.


--
Quoted from The Poetic Edda
Translation © 1962 by Lee M Hollander

Just read something on this that possibly sheds more light on Kenaz's ostensibly duplicitous nature, from etymological research - IMO, the best kind.

The Elder Futhark name for this rune is Kenaz, and in the OERP is Cen or Ken. This is cognate with kennen, (to know) and kenning, and also "kin" and "kind" -the known.

However, "Kaun", Kauno, or "Kaunaz", the Icelandic/Norwegian names, apparently are not cognate.  It appears that somewhere along the way, the name was mis or re-interpreted due to an extant Norwegian, similar sounding and spelled word, (kaun)and the meaning of the rune there became something entirely different -a festering sore, particularly a fatal one, at least to children.

Obviously I'm still refusing to reconcile the two. I cannot - I cannot see how a fatal sore relates to insight, knowledge or creative passion.  I believe a simple etymological error is the simple explanation for this discrepancy - occam's razor and all. 

http://www.linguexperience.com/A_Linguistics_Experience/KENAZ.html
http://www.linguexperience.com/A_Linguistics_Experience/Runes.html

I'm still on the hunt for the source I read that explicitly advised that Kaun is not cognate with Ken.. might not have been an Internet source but a book, I'll have to double back and recheck those I've read lately.

Everyone knows there are a few runes with decidedly unpleasant connotations.  I'll refer to these as the dark runes.. I was going to call them "grim" runes but wanted to avoid any specific association with Odin.  (that would Ansuz  )
In short, Thurisaz, Hagalaz, Nauthiz, and Isa.

What is your take on them?
For now, here's mine:

Thurisaz seems to me the most dreaded, depending on context;  while some see it as strength, I read it as either an impassable barrier(thorns) or an invincible, terrible enemy (giant).  Unless it's referring to you yourself, it suggests an environment of no success.

I'm on the fence regarding Hagalaz; a lot of runetarians (hey! I invented a new word) see it as "disruption", but going by the poems, hail is generally a "cold wet grain", not to mention the sickness of serpents.. it seems more like a blessing in disguise. In a way, perhaps not all that different from Nauthiz, but even less burdensome.

Nauthiz, the rune of necessity, need, constraint, hardship. It counsels patience.  It reminds us of the difference between what we want and what we only need.  It puts us in our place should we get smug. Fortunately, it's a trial by fire, temporary, and after the ordeal, we are better for it; stronger and wiser.  

Isa strikes me as a long term issue, with all that stagnation, things freezing in place, and yet deceptively looking gorgeous through it all, just a dangerous lie that beckons to ensnare you. Progress falls flat on it's face, everything is locked up and shut in. And not all that glitters is gold!

I must have a special relationship with Nauthiz-  I haven't done that many readings of late, but in most of the ones I have, good ol' nauthiz has reared it's head, time and again.   I can't get away from it!
It has also struck me that in years of casting runes, though not regularly, I don't believe I have ever once cast Fehu.  Hmmm.

I imagine for most rune readers, there's a couple of runes no one really wants to see - Isa, Thurisaz, Hagalaz, and.. yep, Nauthiz. 
I finally just decided to embrace it.  I must have something to learn.
I even would draw it on my wrists, until I bought got a leather pendant with nauthiz enscribed on it. *

After all, it could be worse.  Nauthiz may be the rune of constraint, need, necessity, hardship or trouble, but in the end, there's usually a lesson learned in the experience, and you wind up better off for it.  It counsels patience, and reminds us of our "place" if we get a little too smug; it also points out the difference between what we want and what we truly only need.   It is the "Buddha" of the runes, so to speak. 
I'll take that over Thurisaz, which to me indicates a impassable barrier (thorns), or an insurmountable threat (giant).

So, I guess things aren't going to go quite "my way" yet for a while yet. I'm used to not having the wind at my back. I'm usually trying to walk into it, in fact.  Well, I'd rather know the truth than have a carrot dangled in front of my nose only to have it pulled away everytime I go to bite it.


* Pretty cool, actually. I'll post a link to the store in the right area, but I found it on etsy.com, made by a Serbian leathermaker.

Hi Heks,  welcome, it's nice to see another familiar name here. Hope you enjoy the site.

A new area for general discussion du jour is now created.
I ask only that we refrain from political discussions.  Everything else is fair game.