Rune Number 21 Laguz

[*~*Chary*~*]

The Rune Poem - Verse XXI
Water is a stranger to those on land.
They venture out in their fragile craft.
They fear the surging waves
and the sea-steeds will not be reigned in.


Runic Number: 21

Letter: L

Old English Name: Lagu

Meaning: Water, Sea, Lake

Element(s): water

Zodiac Sign: taurus

Gemstone: pearl

Colour: dark green


Introduction

Laguz is the water rune. It symbolised all forms of water: rivers, springs, oceans and lakes. The ebb & flow and all its cleansing properties are represented by Laguz.

Interpretation

Upright.
A powerful spiritual rune, laguz signals the opening up of huge psychic and creative potential - imagination at its most powerful and rewarding.

A good time for any activities involving or connected with water.

Laguz also represents emotional cleansing.

Your faculties are at their peak.

Inverted.
A time to overcome the fears that hold you back. You must not let things drag you under. Confusion is dominant, yet this is a situation created by yourself.

Step back and release stress, be prepared to relinquish things for the good of your health.

[Flar's Freyja]

Here is a picture of Laguz. The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Runes states that it's depicted as the quick growing green portion of a leek or a wave of water:

[Rick]

I see the image of Laguz as symbolizing a waterfall shooting from a cliff face. Laguz is most generally interpreted as the Love Rune. That is extremely limiting. Laguz is the Rune of all emotions, of emotional health & well being. It is also a Rune of healing, of protection, & of magic. In Egil's Saga, the hero Egil is given a horn full of poisoned mead; he carves a 'leek' (another name for this Rune) onto the horn, & the horn bursts, spilling the poisoned drink.

Laguz is called an 'ale' Rune. It is part of the Runic formula Ansuz, Laguz, Uruz (ALU, from whence comes the term 'ale' Runes), a formula of 'high magic' invocation & protection. As mentioned in an earlier, it is the Rune of the psychic self.

[Flar's Freyja]

Interesting that the same combination isn't used for the sabbat Beltane in the Wheel of the Year. The corresponding runes for Beltane are Laguz, Mannaz and Ingaz with Laguz representing the intuition, Mannaz the intellect and Ingaz the integration of the two. Mannaz also means "men" and Ingaz is female. Laguz is then the force of attraction between the two polarities. This can be symbolically acted out in a ritual featuring the sacred marriage between the God and Goddess or Lord and Lady within the framework of Norse mythology. The oldest Germanic tradition used Wodan and Frija but any pair of twins, such as Frey and Freyja would be appropriate.

[Rick]

Originally posted by Freyja
Interesting that the same combination isn't used for the sabbat Beltane in the Wheel of the Year. The corresponding runes for Beltane are Laguz, Mannaz and Ingaz...
The Runes of the Year Wheel are in Futhark order... Runic magical formulas generally are not...

BTW... the Lord & Lady pair sometimes associated with Laguz is Njord & Nerthus, parents of Frey & Freya...

[Silver Venus]

To me its the rune of hidden emotions.
It is half of the symbol of the past two runes Ehwaz and Mannaz, just half of the M (and the crossed M), so I always see this rune as a rune of the self, the hidden self, what one must learn and come to know before one can be with and truly love another.
It means water and I have always thought the light and dark of water ~
So these can be nice following emotions like a waterfall represents of love and sex, or turbulent stormy emotions of other waters of fears and depression.
It can symbolise the beauty and love of a waterfall but also the power, force and distruction that a mass of water can cause.
It tells us to discover our hidden emotions, to examine oursleves and really dig deep and cleanse, so that you can truly know and love yourself to be open truly to the rest of the world.

[Taran]

I had always thought of this rune as symalising love and in its reversed reading 'unbridled passion' (as my book says!). thank-you rick for the insight into its broader meanings

[Flar's Freyja]

Merging threads & bumping so that Taran's post will be seen :)