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.

Thank you! This site is lovely and so easy to navigate. The poetry is amazing as well. It is a real treasure and I wish I had a holiday now, but unfortunately am at work all day! I shall be able to enjoy it fully at the week-end and am eager to post a reading I shall do for myself with my runes!
Kind regards,
Heks 

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

Hi, I am from Belgium and live in England. I love Tarot reading and own a set of runes, which seem to talk to me sometimes, although I feel I need to make more of an effort to connect with them.
It is after reading Brian Bates' "The Way of Wyrd" that the magical importance of runes became obvious to me. I am fascinated by how runes can be used to protect those within a circle of runes, for example. I also wonder about the impact of having runes tattooed on one's body when dealing with the world of spirits. Are runes the language of spirits?
Kind regs,
Heks 
(PS "Heks" means "Witch" in Flemish and it is what my mother used to call me!) 

Yeah!

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.

Okay, you asked for it, and here it is.
Introducing the Mead Hall- where idle chit chat and banter pass the time away.

There is only one thing I ask here:  please refrain from political discussions, as these tend to get ugly fast. No matter how many people agree with your point of view, there will also be several with the opposite opinion.
Other than this, it's a free-for-all - no other taboos, no language filters.
Thanks!

Better late than never - I've created the promised section now for the 9 additional anglo-saxon runes: ac, æsc (aesc), yr, iar, ear, kalc, gar, cweorð (cweorth), and stan.

Only ac, aesc, yr, iar, and ear have stanzas in the OE poem; what scholars know about the remaining 4- kalc, gar, cweorth, and stan, come from runestones, or other sundry bits of literature.

Stan  St  Stahn

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The Stan rune is not described by the Anglo Saxon poem. It is believed to mean "stone".